[len]

I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every computer
can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000 and Access
2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above. This is
happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to do to get all of my
Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the proper letters to the proper
paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[Graham Mayor]

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions of the
software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as the default
connection method. Peter may be along later to offer his knowledge on the
subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the General tab
and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at open" item. Then when
you attach the data source to the mail merge main document, you will be
given the option of using alternative methods of connection. See if one of
the alternatives works for you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000 and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[len]

Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The problem with
Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the later versions of
MS Word too much they get failing grades from the English teachers. The
teachers still prefer Word 97. With limited funds and me trying to keep up
to date with the educational resources we have it is a constant fight. They
love the upgrades in MS Access, but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions of the
software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as the default
connection method. Peter may be along later to offer his knowledge on the
subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the General tab
and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at open" item. Then when
you attach the data source to the mail merge main document, you will be
given the option of using alternative methods of connection. See if one of
the alternatives works for you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000 and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[Graham Mayor]

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the topic of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in future to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use up to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000 and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[len]

Graham;

There were three other recomendations and one of them worked on a
school that has MSWord 2002 and MS Access 2003.

What I am wondering is if MS Word 2003 will work with MS Access
2002. I am not an English teacher, so I cannot comment on why they feel the
way they do.

Thanks Again

Hope you have a great Weekend

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the topic of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in future to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use up to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000 and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[len]

Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS Word 2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country everyone is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the topic of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in future to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use up to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000 and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[Leona Leal Educator]

Len;

This is Granny Leona and I am having the exact same problem that you
are having except that ours have gone to the Ivy League.

I have been advised to try Word 97 with Access 2007, before I go
through all this trouble (my English teachers love Word 97) do you know if
this works? I will have to but the items I need out of my pocket. I am sure
you understand.

God Bless

Granny Leona

"Len" wrote:

Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS Word 2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country everyone is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the topic of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in future to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use up to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000 and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[Peter Jamieson]

Which particular method worked?

The first thing I would look for in any Word/Access connection using DDE is
to ensure that no dialog boxes are popping up behind Word so that users
cannot see them and dismiss them.

FWIW I do not usually mix-and-match versions of Word and Access here, but
another thing I would check if someone is doing that is that the version of
MSACCESS that you need to start is actually in the Windows PATH. If it
isn't, I suspect DDE will not be able ot find Access and start it.

Peter Jamieson


"Len" wrote in message
...
Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS Word
2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country everyone is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the topic
of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in future
to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use up to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a
worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000 and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[len]

Peter;

Thanks for getting back to us. How do I find out if it is in the
Windows Path?

Thanks

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Which particular method worked?

The first thing I would look for in any Word/Access connection using DDE is
to ensure that no dialog boxes are popping up behind Word so that users
cannot see them and dismiss them.

FWIW I do not usually mix-and-match versions of Word and Access here, but
another thing I would check if someone is doing that is that the version of
MSACCESS that you need to start is actually in the Windows PATH. If it
isn't, I suspect DDE will not be able ot find Access and start it.

Peter Jamieson


"Len" wrote in message
...
Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS Word
2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country everyone is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the topic
of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in future
to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use up to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a
worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000 and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[Peter Jamieson]

1. Which particular method worked?

2. Which version of Windows are you using on the workstations (i.e. not on
the SBS server?)

3. To find out whether access is on the PATH you would need to know the
fully qualified path name of the specific version of Access that Word needs
to open. The file name will probably be MSACCESS.EXE. You may be able to
find the full path name from e.g. an icon on the desktop. You can find out
which folders are in the PATH either by opening a command windows (old-style
"DOS box" and typing PATH, then enter. Otherwise it depends on your version
of Windows, e.g. try something like Control Panel-Systempossibly "Advanced
System Settings" in Vista-Advanced-Environment variables.

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

Thanks for getting back to us. How do I find out if it is in the
Windows Path?

Thanks

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Which particular method worked?

The first thing I would look for in any Word/Access connection using DDE
is
to ensure that no dialog boxes are popping up behind Word so that users
cannot see them and dismiss them.

FWIW I do not usually mix-and-match versions of Word and Access here, but
another thing I would check if someone is doing that is that the version
of
MSACCESS that you need to start is actually in the Windows PATH. If it
isn't, I suspect DDE will not be able ot find Access and start it.

Peter Jamieson


"Len" wrote in message
...
Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS Word
2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country everyone
is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the
topic
of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in
future
to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use up
to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a
worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational
resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS
Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions
of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer
his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for
you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and
machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000
and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to
do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the
proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[len]

Peter;

I have 120 schools so it is impossible to give you a number.

The Oldest MS Access is 2000 and that is only a few schools. Most of
them have Access 2002 or 2003, but there are about 20 schools with MS Access
2007.

No one is using MS Word 2007 or greater. Most of them are on MS
Word 2000, about 105 schools.

I am going to try to find the path now and see where I can get with it.

Thanks Again

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

1. Which particular method worked?

2. Which version of Windows are you using on the workstations (i.e. not on
the SBS server?)

3. To find out whether access is on the PATH you would need to know the
fully qualified path name of the specific version of Access that Word needs
to open. The file name will probably be MSACCESS.EXE. You may be able to
find the full path name from e.g. an icon on the desktop. You can find out
which folders are in the PATH either by opening a command windows (old-style
"DOS box" and typing PATH, then enter. Otherwise it depends on your version
of Windows, e.g. try something like Control Panel-Systempossibly "Advanced
System Settings" in Vista-Advanced-Environment variables.

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

Thanks for getting back to us. How do I find out if it is in the
Windows Path?

Thanks

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Which particular method worked?

The first thing I would look for in any Word/Access connection using DDE
is
to ensure that no dialog boxes are popping up behind Word so that users
cannot see them and dismiss them.

FWIW I do not usually mix-and-match versions of Word and Access here, but
another thing I would check if someone is doing that is that the version
of
MSACCESS that you need to start is actually in the Windows PATH. If it
isn't, I suspect DDE will not be able ot find Access and start it.

Peter Jamieson


"Len" wrote in message
...
Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS Word
2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country everyone
is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the
topic
of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in
future
to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use up
to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a
worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational
resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS
Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different versions
of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer
his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for
you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools. Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and
machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000
and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need to
do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the
proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[Peter Jamieson]

Len,

1. Which particular method worked?

I probably misunderstood what you said here...

I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS
Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS
Word

....but since i have probably posted several different things that might
"work" I wondered which one of them "worked" for Word 2003/Access 2007.
Unless of course there's a typo and "did work" was actually supposed to say
"did not work" :-) e.g., there is a KB article that /might/ relate to this
problem at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/834699/en-us

If you are wiling to stick with this conversation over the next few days or
so, I can try have a more thorough look at this area, e.g. to create systems
with the various combinations that you are using. I can't do any of that
today, for example. However, whether I will be able to replicate the errors
is another question. Whether I will be able to identify either a "cause" or
a cure is also very doubtful. But if we're going to do that, I'd rather
start by trying to establish exactly what is and is not happening. Maybe we
can step through some of that in the next round of messages.

If you would rather do this by email that's fine with me too.

On the other hand, perhaps a call directly to Microsoft support (you
probably know that we are just volunteers) would be more effective (as long
as you can identify a combination of products that does not work and is
actually still supported - I suspect it would have to be Win XP or later,
Word 2003 or later, Access 2003 or later).

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

I have 120 schools so it is impossible to give you a number.

The Oldest MS Access is 2000 and that is only a few schools. Most
of
them have Access 2002 or 2003, but there are about 20 schools with MS
Access
2007.

No one is using MS Word 2007 or greater. Most of them are on MS
Word 2000, about 105 schools.

I am going to try to find the path now and see where I can get with
it.

Thanks Again

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

1. Which particular method worked?

2. Which version of Windows are you using on the workstations (i.e. not
on
the SBS server?)

3. To find out whether access is on the PATH you would need to know the
fully qualified path name of the specific version of Access that Word
needs
to open. The file name will probably be MSACCESS.EXE. You may be able to
find the full path name from e.g. an icon on the desktop. You can find
out
which folders are in the PATH either by opening a command windows
(old-style
"DOS box" and typing PATH, then enter. Otherwise it depends on your
version
of Windows, e.g. try something like Control Panel-Systempossibly
"Advanced
System Settings" in Vista-Advanced-Environment variables.

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

Thanks for getting back to us. How do I find out if it is in the
Windows Path?

Thanks

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Which particular method worked?

The first thing I would look for in any Word/Access connection using
DDE
is
to ensure that no dialog boxes are popping up behind Word so that
users
cannot see them and dismiss them.

FWIW I do not usually mix-and-match versions of Word and Access here,
but
another thing I would check if someone is doing that is that the
version
of
MSACCESS that you need to start is actually in the Windows PATH. If it
isn't, I suspect DDE will not be able ot find Access and start it.

Peter Jamieson


"Len" wrote in message
...
Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS
Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS
Word
2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a
handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country
everyone
is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the
topic
of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in
future
to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use
up
to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a
worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The
problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from
the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With
limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational
resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS
Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different
versions
of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE
as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer
his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions
at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail
merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for
you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools.
Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft
Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and
machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000
and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error
above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need
to
do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the
proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find
a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[len]

Peter;

It works with Word 2003 and Access 2007. The programmer who worked
with Microsoft was on the phone with them for about 7 hours. I do not know
what they did. I looked at the path and saw nothing that pointed to the
Directory ("Folder") MSOffice where we have both the Word and Access Programs
stored.

On this system I had to drive about 75 miles one way. Our schools
district is about 22,000 square miles. This is why it is taking so long to
get back to you.

We are even getting the error on a system that has both Word and
Access 2002.

Thanks Again

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Len,

1. Which particular method worked?

I probably misunderstood what you said here...

I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS
Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS
Word

...but since i have probably posted several different things that might
"work" I wondered which one of them "worked" for Word 2003/Access 2007.
Unless of course there's a typo and "did work" was actually supposed to say
"did not work" :-) e.g., there is a KB article that /might/ relate to this
problem at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/834699/en-us

If you are wiling to stick with this conversation over the next few days or
so, I can try have a more thorough look at this area, e.g. to create systems
with the various combinations that you are using. I can't do any of that
today, for example. However, whether I will be able to replicate the errors
is another question. Whether I will be able to identify either a "cause" or
a cure is also very doubtful. But if we're going to do that, I'd rather
start by trying to establish exactly what is and is not happening. Maybe we
can step through some of that in the next round of messages.

If you would rather do this by email that's fine with me too.

On the other hand, perhaps a call directly to Microsoft support (you
probably know that we are just volunteers) would be more effective (as long
as you can identify a combination of products that does not work and is
actually still supported - I suspect it would have to be Win XP or later,
Word 2003 or later, Access 2003 or later).

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

I have 120 schools so it is impossible to give you a number.

The Oldest MS Access is 2000 and that is only a few schools. Most
of
them have Access 2002 or 2003, but there are about 20 schools with MS
Access
2007.

No one is using MS Word 2007 or greater. Most of them are on MS
Word 2000, about 105 schools.

I am going to try to find the path now and see where I can get with
it.

Thanks Again

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

1. Which particular method worked?

2. Which version of Windows are you using on the workstations (i.e. not
on
the SBS server?)

3. To find out whether access is on the PATH you would need to know the
fully qualified path name of the specific version of Access that Word
needs
to open. The file name will probably be MSACCESS.EXE. You may be able to
find the full path name from e.g. an icon on the desktop. You can find
out
which folders are in the PATH either by opening a command windows
(old-style
"DOS box" and typing PATH, then enter. Otherwise it depends on your
version
of Windows, e.g. try something like Control Panel-Systempossibly
"Advanced
System Settings" in Vista-Advanced-Environment variables.

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

Thanks for getting back to us. How do I find out if it is in the
Windows Path?

Thanks

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Which particular method worked?

The first thing I would look for in any Word/Access connection using
DDE
is
to ensure that no dialog boxes are popping up behind Word so that
users
cannot see them and dismiss them.

FWIW I do not usually mix-and-match versions of Word and Access here,
but
another thing I would check if someone is doing that is that the
version
of
MSACCESS that you need to start is actually in the Windows PATH. If it
isn't, I suspect DDE will not be able ot find Access and start it.

Peter Jamieson


"Len" wrote in message
...
Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS
Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS
Word
2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a
handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country
everyone
is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the
topic
of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in
future
to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use
up
to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a
worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The
problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from
the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With
limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational
resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS
Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different
versions
of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE
as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer
his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions
at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail
merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for
you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools.
Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft
Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and
machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000
and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error
above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need
to
do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the
proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find
a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[len]

Peter;

Changing the Path is working on Word 2000 and Access 2002 and/or
Access 2003, but not 2007. I am going to drive to all the schools and update
them and see what is not working when I have visited them all.

Thank You and Later

Len

"Len" wrote:

Peter;

It works with Word 2003 and Access 2007. The programmer who worked
with Microsoft was on the phone with them for about 7 hours. I do not know
what they did. I looked at the path and saw nothing that pointed to the
Directory ("Folder") MSOffice where we have both the Word and Access Programs
stored.

On this system I had to drive about 75 miles one way. Our schools
district is about 22,000 square miles. This is why it is taking so long to
get back to you.

We are even getting the error on a system that has both Word and
Access 2002.

Thanks Again

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Len,

1. Which particular method worked?

I probably misunderstood what you said here...

I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS
Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS
Word

...but since i have probably posted several different things that might
"work" I wondered which one of them "worked" for Word 2003/Access 2007.
Unless of course there's a typo and "did work" was actually supposed to say
"did not work" :-) e.g., there is a KB article that /might/ relate to this
problem at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/834699/en-us

If you are wiling to stick with this conversation over the next few days or
so, I can try have a more thorough look at this area, e.g. to create systems
with the various combinations that you are using. I can't do any of that
today, for example. However, whether I will be able to replicate the errors
is another question. Whether I will be able to identify either a "cause" or
a cure is also very doubtful. But if we're going to do that, I'd rather
start by trying to establish exactly what is and is not happening. Maybe we
can step through some of that in the next round of messages.

If you would rather do this by email that's fine with me too.

On the other hand, perhaps a call directly to Microsoft support (you
probably know that we are just volunteers) would be more effective (as long
as you can identify a combination of products that does not work and is
actually still supported - I suspect it would have to be Win XP or later,
Word 2003 or later, Access 2003 or later).

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

I have 120 schools so it is impossible to give you a number.

The Oldest MS Access is 2000 and that is only a few schools. Most
of
them have Access 2002 or 2003, but there are about 20 schools with MS
Access
2007.

No one is using MS Word 2007 or greater. Most of them are on MS
Word 2000, about 105 schools.

I am going to try to find the path now and see where I can get with
it.

Thanks Again

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

1. Which particular method worked?

2. Which version of Windows are you using on the workstations (i.e. not
on
the SBS server?)

3. To find out whether access is on the PATH you would need to know the
fully qualified path name of the specific version of Access that Word
needs
to open. The file name will probably be MSACCESS.EXE. You may be able to
find the full path name from e.g. an icon on the desktop. You can find
out
which folders are in the PATH either by opening a command windows
(old-style
"DOS box" and typing PATH, then enter. Otherwise it depends on your
version
of Windows, e.g. try something like Control Panel-Systempossibly
"Advanced
System Settings" in Vista-Advanced-Environment variables.

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

Thanks for getting back to us. How do I find out if it is in the
Windows Path?

Thanks

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Which particular method worked?

The first thing I would look for in any Word/Access connection using
DDE
is
to ensure that no dialog boxes are popping up behind Word so that
users
cannot see them and dismiss them.

FWIW I do not usually mix-and-match versions of Word and Access here,
but
another thing I would check if someone is doing that is that the
version
of
MSACCESS that you need to start is actually in the Windows PATH. If it
isn't, I suspect DDE will not be able ot find Access and start it.

Peter Jamieson


"Len" wrote in message
...
Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with MS
Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with MS
Word
2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a
handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country
everyone
is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions on the
topic
of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often in
future
to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids who use
up
to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version, is a
worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The
problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades from
the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With
limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational
resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in MS
Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different
versions
of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned DDE
as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to offer
his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm conversions
at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the mail
merge
main document, you will be given the option of using alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works for
you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100 schools.
Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft
Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and
machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word 2000
and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the error
above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I need
to
do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send the
proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot find
a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[Peter Jamieson]

HI Len,

Well that's something.

DDE connectivity with Access 2007 seems to be a problem even for Word 2007
users in some cases.

--
Peter Jamieson
http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

Changing the Path is working on Word 2000 and Access 2002 and/or
Access 2003, but not 2007. I am going to drive to all the schools and
update
them and see what is not working when I have visited them all.

Thank You and Later

Len

"Len" wrote:

Peter;

It works with Word 2003 and Access 2007. The programmer who
worked
with Microsoft was on the phone with them for about 7 hours. I do not
know
what they did. I looked at the path and saw nothing that pointed to the
Directory ("Folder") MSOffice where we have both the Word and Access
Programs
stored.

On this system I had to drive about 75 miles one way. Our schools
district is about 22,000 square miles. This is why it is taking so long
to
get back to you.

We are even getting the error on a system that has both Word and
Access 2002.

Thanks Again

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Len,

1. Which particular method worked?

I probably misunderstood what you said here...

I have just learned that Peter's method did work with
MS
Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with
MS
Word

...but since i have probably posted several different things that might
"work" I wondered which one of them "worked" for Word 2003/Access 2007.
Unless of course there's a typo and "did work" was actually supposed to
say
"did not work" :-) e.g., there is a KB article that /might/ relate to
this
problem at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/834699/en-us

If you are wiling to stick with this conversation over the next few
days or
so, I can try have a more thorough look at this area, e.g. to create
systems
with the various combinations that you are using. I can't do any of
that
today, for example. However, whether I will be able to replicate the
errors
is another question. Whether I will be able to identify either a
"cause" or
a cure is also very doubtful. But if we're going to do that, I'd rather
start by trying to establish exactly what is and is not happening.
Maybe we
can step through some of that in the next round of messages.

If you would rather do this by email that's fine with me too.

On the other hand, perhaps a call directly to Microsoft support (you
probably know that we are just volunteers) would be more effective (as
long
as you can identify a combination of products that does not work and is
actually still supported - I suspect it would have to be Win XP or
later,
Word 2003 or later, Access 2003 or later).

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

I have 120 schools so it is impossible to give you a number.

The Oldest MS Access is 2000 and that is only a few schools.
Most
of
them have Access 2002 or 2003, but there are about 20 schools with MS
Access
2007.

No one is using MS Word 2007 or greater. Most of them are on
MS
Word 2000, about 105 schools.

I am going to try to find the path now and see where I can get
with
it.

Thanks Again

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

1. Which particular method worked?

2. Which version of Windows are you using on the workstations (i.e.
not
on
the SBS server?)

3. To find out whether access is on the PATH you would need to know
the
fully qualified path name of the specific version of Access that
Word
needs
to open. The file name will probably be MSACCESS.EXE. You may be
able to
find the full path name from e.g. an icon on the desktop. You can
find
out
which folders are in the PATH either by opening a command windows
(old-style
"DOS box" and typing PATH, then enter. Otherwise it depends on your
version
of Windows, e.g. try something like Control Panel-Systempossibly
"Advanced
System Settings" in Vista-Advanced-Environment variables.

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...
Peter;

Thanks for getting back to us. How do I find out if it is
in the
Windows Path?

Thanks

Len

"Peter Jamieson" wrote:

Which particular method worked?

The first thing I would look for in any Word/Access connection
using
DDE
is
to ensure that no dialog boxes are popping up behind Word so that
users
cannot see them and dismiss them.

FWIW I do not usually mix-and-match versions of Word and Access
here,
but
another thing I would check if someone is doing that is that the
version
of
MSACCESS that you need to start is actually in the Windows PATH.
If it
isn't, I suspect DDE will not be able ot find Access and start
it.

Peter Jamieson


"Len" wrote in message
...
Graham;
I have just learned that Peter's method did work with
MS
Word
2003 and MS Access 2007. It appears that it does not work with
MS
Word
2000
and MS Access 2002.

I know very little about MS Word and that is also a
handicap.
Application programmers do VB and SQL.

I would like to load all of them, but in our country
everyone
is
so scared about litgious fines as a result of licsensing
agreements.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

You could search the forum for Peter's earlier contributions
on the
topic
of
DDE as he has indicated that he will not be available so often
in
future
to
address such matters.

I understand budget limitations but failing grades for kids
who use
up
to
date software, because the teachers prefer an ancient version,
is a
worrying
indictment of your country's education system

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Len wrote:
Graham;

Thanks for the tip, however it still failed. The
problem
with Word and the later versions is that if the kids rely on
the
later versions of MS Word too much they get failing grades
from
the
English teachers. The teachers still prefer Word 97. With
limited
funds and me trying to keep up to date with the educational
resources
we have it is a constant fight. They love the upgrades in
MS
Access,
but hate them in MS Word.

Thanks Again

Len

"Graham Mayor" wrote:

DDE is at best flaky and not helped by running different
versions
of
the software. For this reason later versions have abandoned
DDE
as
the default connection method. Peter may be along later to
offer
his
knowledge on the subject but you could in the meantime try

From the Tools menu in Word, select Options and then go to
the
General tab and check the box against the "Confirm
conversions
at
open" item. Then when you attach the data source to the
mail
merge
main document, you will be given the option of using
alternative
methods of connection. See if one of the alternatives works
for
you.

--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org



Len wrote:
I am working with 19 school districts and over 100
schools.
Every
computer can have different Microsoft Word and Microsoft
Access
installed.

I am getting the mesage:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft
Access

When we get the funding we upgrade the oldest software and
machines.

The system I am on now is SBS (Small Business Server) Word
2000
and
Access 2002.

As soon as I go to open the Access Database I get the
error
above.
This is happening on about 85% of my systems. What do I
need
to
do
to get all of my Mail-Merges to work so that we can send
the
proper
letters to the proper paresnt?

I have been messing with this for several weeks and cannot
find
a
solution.

Thanks in Advance!

Len

I tried the solutions from previous postings and either I
am
miss-understanding them or they do not work.

[Dave H[_2_]]

I am having exactly this problem having just upgraded from Access97 to 2007 (which is a crock anyway if you ask me, where are all the nice Table, Query, Forms etc - the 2007 version with them all down the side is a right dog's dinner if you ask me).

Anyway, I am about to try this http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=918594

which I though might help Pete, and if that doesn't work will resort to re-writing the SQL query that opens the mail-merge main document!

Anyway, I am hoping this forum helps me a bit!



Peter Jamieson wrote:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Acce
12-Oct-08

1. Which particular method worked?

2. Which version of Windows are you using on the workstations (i.e. not on
the SBS server?)

3. To find out whether access is on the PATH you would need to know the
fully qualified path name of the specific version of Access that Word needs
to open. The file name will probably be MSACCESS.EXE. You may be able to
find the full path name from e.g. an icon on the desktop. You can find out
which folders are in the PATH either by opening a command windows (old-style
"DOS box" and typing PATH, then enter. Otherwise it depends on your version
of Windows, e.g. try something like Control Panel-Systempossibly "Advanced
System Settings" in Vista-Advanced-Environment variables.

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...

EggHeadCafe - Software Developer Portal of Choice
WPF DataGrid Custom Paging and Sorting
http://www.eggheadcafe.com/tutorials...tom-pagin.aspx

[Peter Jamieson]

If the article did not help, can you let us know
a. which versions of Word, Access and Windows you are using? (it may
be useful to know which Service Packs, too)
b. whether you are using .mdb or .accdb, or another type of datbase
format support by Access
c. what exactly you are doing he

the SQL query that opens the mail-merge main document!

i.e., how are you opening
1. the mail merge main document
2. the data source?

FWIW, if you're using Word 2007, opening a .accdb via a DDE connection
programmatically using OpenDataSource does not appear to be possible -
i.e. you can do it in the user interface, and Word remembers the
connection correctly and re-connects via DDE when you re-open, but no
combination of options in OpenDataSource seems to open the file. In
particular, using the Subtype:=wdMergeSubtypeWord2000 option that used
to work in the past does not work because Word insists on trying to open
a .mdb rather than the .accdb that you specified in the Name parameter.
The only simple workaround I can see for that is to rename your database
to have a .accdb extension, but unfortunately I cannot tell you what
impact that might have on other parts of Access or ACE/Jet.


Peter Jamieson

http://tips.pjmsn.me.uk
Visit Londinium at http://www.ralphwatson.tv

Dave H wrote:
I am having exactly this problem having just upgraded from Access97 to 2007 (which is a crock anyway if you ask me, where are all the nice Table, Query, Forms etc - the 2007 version with them all down the side is a right dog's dinner if you ask me).

Anyway, I am about to try this http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=918594

which I though might help Pete, and if that doesn't work will resort to re-writing the SQL query that opens the mail-merge main document!

Anyway, I am hoping this forum helps me a bit!



Peter Jamieson wrote:

Word could not re-establish a DDE Connection to Microsoft Acce
12-Oct-08

1. Which particular method worked?

2. Which version of Windows are you using on the workstations (i.e. not on
the SBS server?)

3. To find out whether access is on the PATH you would need to know the
fully qualified path name of the specific version of Access that Word needs
to open. The file name will probably be MSACCESS.EXE. You may be able to
find the full path name from e.g. an icon on the desktop. You can find out
which folders are in the PATH either by opening a command windows (old-style
"DOS box" and typing PATH, then enter. Otherwise it depends on your version
of Windows, e.g. try something like Control Panel-Systempossibly "Advanced
System Settings" in Vista-Advanced-Environment variables.

Peter Jamieson

"Len" wrote in message
...

EggHeadCafe - Software Developer Portal of Choice
WPF DataGrid Custom Paging and Sorting
http://www.eggheadcafe.com/tutorials...tom-pagin.aspx