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MS-Windows Troubleshooting

Server Error in '/<folder>' ... ERROR [HY000] [ODBC Microsoft Access Driver]General error

Symptom:

When trying to run a .NET web-application that connects to a database, the following error is generated in the browser:

Server Error in '/<folder>' Application
ERROR [HY000] [Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver]General error Unable to open registry key 'Temporary (volatile) Jet DSN for process ...

The error is generated on the line that attempts to open the database connection to an MS-Access database.

Possible Causes and Remedies

• The database may be missing.

  To resolve:

  • Check that the database exists.
  • Check that the name and path of the database are correct.
  • If in doubt, specify the full path to the database file.
     
• The account in which the ASP.NET process is running may not have permission to read (i.e. open) the database file.

  To resolve:

  • Grant the local ASPNET account full access to the MS-Access database file. (You can do this by right clicking the file within Windows explorer, selecting properties and then granting the ASPNET process full control.)
  • On some systems you may need to grant access to IIS_WPG or NETWORK_SERVICE accounts depending on which account the service is actually using.

These notes have been tested within Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 running under Windows XP, and may apply to other versions as well.