"File not found" at the execution of any VBA code in Access 2007

Question

I'm working on a big Access 2003 project with Microsoft Access 2007­. Recently, some users have started to experience problems with the buttons in my forms. For example, without any specific reason, clicking on a button or trying to execute any code will return the error:

File not found

There is no way to go into debug mode. When this happens the only thing to do is to restart the database. I tried adding the Stop command at the beginning of the executed block to try debugging it, but no code is executed at all. It's like a compilation error but it's only happening 5-10% of the time, which is really weird.

After some research, I found other people are having the same problem, for example this and this link. There are other examples too, with no real solutions yet.

My database can be okay for a week and then the problem starts to happen again. Half the time and users can't do much; they need to restart the database once or twice to get it back working, and after a few minutes the error might happen again.

Because this is Access 2007 and there are a lot of people experiencing this bug, I can't believe it isn't more documented.

What's the problem? Is the database somehow partially corrupted? What should I do? This is really annoying.

Eaton

Is the database located on a network share or does it include links to tables in another db which is on a network share? Perhaps the "not found" error results from a dropped connection. – Brandiebrandise

Yes to both of your questions. In case of a dropped connection < 1ms, would it be enough for Access to not want to run any code until the database is rebooted? We don't experiment any dropped connections here but I don't trust the network either, I wouldn't be surprised if there were continously some little drops. – Eaton

Is the database split to frontend and backend? I've noticed weird behaviors like this before that I attributed to users sharing a front-end file. – Cassandry

I'm unsure, Daniel. My Access experience is limited to wired LANs where dropped connections aren't enough of a problem for me to even notice. I don't use Access with wireless connections or WANs. I can only suggest testing with all db files on the local drive to see if you ever encounter the same "not found" error without connecting through the network. – Brandiebrandise

@Cassandry Yes, the database is split, one with the forms and the other with the tables. The database with the tables is obviously on the server while the one with the forms is copied on each computers with a batch file. – Eaton

@Brandiebrandise I'm developping with local databases/tables and I've never experimented such problems on my own computer; you must be right. – Eaton

Answer 1

If I was in this situation one of the first things I would try would be to do a complete decompile+compact+recompile operation on the front-end database file, and then distribute that updated front-end out to the users to see if that improves things.

Detailed instructions on the decompile+compact+recompile steps are available here. Note: Be sure to read David W. Fenton's additional recommendations in his answer.

Fervid

Interesting note, thank you. I will let this question open for a week or so and I will test the complete recompilation of the project meanwhile and see if it helps in the long run. – Eaton

It's good so far, I will comment again if the problem comes back. – Eaton

/decompile worked for me after getting a seemingly random 'File Not Found' error - I think it happened after the database was closed by a system shutdown – Brott

Answer 2

I had just experienced this for the first time. I had been making extensive coding changes in a form, and was required to reboot my PC without finishing debugging the code. When I opened the app, I immediately got the "file not found" message (it auto-starts a different form).

On a whim, I went to the form in question and commented out that entire module's code and the problem went away. After I went back in and uncommented that code, everything still worked as normal. I was able to continue debugging that code and lived for the rest of the day happily.

Lignite

Answer 3

though this thread is over a year old I would like to share another very helpful observation.

This error "File not found:" may be caused by differing save behavior of Office versions and may not have anything to do with your code! In case of this error, try to open and save your troubled file in another Office version and it may work fine back in your main Office version.

Details: Though programming VBA for years now, I had never had an unsolicited "File not found:" error. Weird also that the error message does not give a file name for the file not found. (Reminded me of another nasty error VBA sometimes shows on startup for no obious reason and erratically.) Luckily this error started after my first edits in PowerPoint 2010 after having tested the file in PowerPoint 2016. The error occurred when opening the .pptm but I had no startup procedure involving a file. So I've got the idea of some file in the .pptm zip archive not being found. Started to do a quick search on the internet and found only "shooting in the dark" suggestions. As I could start PowerPoint 2013 more easily (virtual machine) than PowerPoint 2016 (different Windows 10 boot partition), I tried to open the troubled file in PowerPoint 2013 and had no problems. I compiled the VBA project to check for error. Nothing. And save the file. After this re-saving in PowerPoint 2013, the file seems to work fine again in PowerPoint 2010 und did not show any problems after the first few edits, saves and re-opening. This being said, I wonder if PowerPoint 2016 saving is peculiar and if I can replicate/if I will run into the error again if saving the file again in PowerPoint 2016 and returning to PowerPoint 2010. (I'll make a note of this thread to add new insights once I worked with this file again in PowerPoint 2016.)

Hope this observation may spare many unnecessary un-/re-installations of Office and other desperate attempts.

Cheers!

Bionomics

We updated from Office 2003 to Office 2010 and I was using a different Access version too at that time (can't recall if it's 2007 or 2010), so that could make sense. Thanks for your input, I will take this into consideration in the future. – Eaton

I had the same problem with a Word 2010 file, and solved it by copying it to another computer (also running Office 2010), opening the file and edited the macro (didn't actually change anything, I just re-wrote a command) - then I compiled and saved the document. After returning it to the first computer, it worked again. I didn't really change anything, but apparently it was enough to have it recompiled or saved on another computer. Very strange behaviour. – Colugo

How curious and interesting because you reported to have worked with the same office version (on different computers). That sort of rules out my suspicion of changed file saving behavior among the office versions. Good news that it is an easier fix because at least in a company you may have a hard time finding a computer with a different office version. Bad news we still cannot pinpoint the exact cause. Yet may we are getting closer? – Bionomics

Answer 4

A similar thing has just happened to me a couple of times with one of my .mdb front ends running in Access 2013, after the August 2019 update to Windows 10.

My DBs too have been through several versions of Access. On opening the database it says 'File Not Found' and throws up a public module (not one on which I have been working extensively recently), without opening the Autoexec (Switchboard) form. 'Debug, Compile' is possible and doesn't suggest any problem.

For me too, typing one space (or blank line or other character) anywhere in the code, and then deleting it, and saving, closing and re-opening seemed to provide a workaround, and all has been well for the last few days (I am the only user at present).

There is no one obvious module involved, although I will probably suspect the form module I have been working on most recently if the problem persists in a troublesome way.

Now, a few days later I have de-compiled, compacted and re-compiled the database, halving its size, so maybe that will have done the trick. I hope so.

Riverside

Answer 5

I just had this problem. In my case, I think the issue is having a blank VBA module. I was moving procedures from one module to another and ended-up with a blank module. I couldn't delete the module manually and every time I tried to create a procedure to delete blank modules, I received the "File not found" error and the procedure I had just created was blanked out. I ended-up reverting to a backup.

Sclaff

Answer 6

The issue is just your references. One of the files for your references has been moved/deleted/updated. Remove and re-add your references to figure out which one.

Mealtime

Answer 7

I had a problem similar to this. A blank "File Not Found" error.

I turned off AutoCorrect and after clicking through several prompts/warnings which had me concerned, I then reopened the database and the error went away.

When reopening the database the problem was resolved.

I suspect this will fix many "File not found" errors which are probably related to the temporary link table losing a reference for whatever reason.

Stormie

Answer 8

I had this same issue MS Excel.

On the user pressing a button a useless File Not Found error appeared.

I ran through all suggested above and no change or help.

COMPLETELY ACCIDENTALLY I removed a module that i use for updating the Application status. This also has some array storage within. However, on removing this module (and commenting out references to it within my code) it appears that the issue is now fixed across users.

One Issue, is I have the same Module name within several different deployment's of Excel Add-ins. I suspect that on first run Excel isn't able to automatically assume the difference between them.

I had noticed a WORK AROUND for the error in which you create a break point on the first line of code for the button in question and then resume on break - I assume that this helped Excel evaluate and namespace the modules as to not cause conflicts.

Rumba

Answer 9

I had that problem and solved it this way: I eliminated the form where the vba code was and imported the same form from a backup file made before.

Simmie

Answer 10

I found yet another solution (at least in my case): In trying to find the error, I tested the application I created on a co-workers computer. This somehow reset whatever went haywire in the file. Afterwards I was able to open up the file on my computer again and everything worked as it should!

EDIT: I have realized that the error, im my case, seems to have been connected in some way to my using SendKeys (see my attempt to automate a report here on SO).

Operatic

I'm not surprised to hear that, thanks for the input. Not sure if Microsoft fixed the issue with the most recent versions of their Office products. – Eaton

thanks. I just updated the comment... SendKeys causes all kinds of problems! – Operatic

Still, it's pretty random, which sounds to me like an issue with the Office products themselves. There is definitely some correlation with the modules we use and the code we have in our projects, but something both random and recurrent like this shouldn't happen, especially when the solution is just to disable a component and enable it again, or starting the project from scratch and copy-paste everything. – Eaton

agreed. it is likely some sort of bug in the product. – Operatic

Answer 11

Had the same problem. I stumbled on the fix by accident. For whatever reason, simply adding an on-click Event Procedure made everything better.

• Open the form in design mode
• Select an object on the form
• Press F4 to display the object's properties
• Event > On Click > dropdown > click [Event Procedure]
• Then click the three dots, which will create a new event, and launch the Visual Basic editor. This will also add default code into the Visual Basic editor
• Make no other changes
• Save and close changes to the form
• Restart the database

For what its worth, as I was wrestling with this issue, the error resolved itself in other ways, but none of them were repeatable.

Cohosh

Answer 12

I had this problem as well, and compact/repair did not fix it. In my case I had an old VBA module that was no longer used, and which referenced an object class that no longer existed. Removing the non-compiling code fixed the issue for me.

Latchstring

Answer 13

I have had this problem for many years now in access 2010. Always in the Autoexec form that opens on msaccess startup. I tried creating a very simple form that calls the original more complex form. To my surprise the more problem moved the the new simple form. By trial and error, I found that just editing the new simple Autoexec form the problem would go away, but turn up randomly months later ALWAYS after I had made programming changes elsewhere. Sometimes instead of the file not found error, I get just get a crash out of access - but the solution is the same procedure - make a small edit to the autoexec file (just add new blank line will do). My project has come through many versions of access (2000 -> 2010). If there was some way to automate the editing of my autoexec form, then restarting access - this would serve as a workaround. I have not found any way as yet.

Tompkins

Answer 14

I have had this problem for years in my access database. I tried all the above solutions an they all fixed the problem, only to have the problem reappear sometime later - always after VBA code change. I discovered that decompiling and then recompiling ALWAYS FIXES this problem, and is the quickest and easiest way to do so. So I have concluded that there is a bug in way Office only partly compiles after program changes like macros and VBA code changes. After a number of changes the system gets 'unhinged' and throws up the 'file not found' error. Reading thru the fixes users have found in this blog supports my theory. Nearly all these fixes would probably cause some sort and recompile the unhinged code.

MY SOLUTION

In summary I have found the following..

1. Doing a Decompile (without a recompile) will get rid of the error - but if the code is run on a different machine the error appears again.

2. Doing a decompile, then a recompile followed by a Compact and Repair results makes my app run on other machines with out any problems.

Phan

Answer 15

I had a class module - Class1 - that was not used. I deleted it and did a compact and repair. Something happened that caused the name of the class module to stay in the Navigation Pane but the module as such was removed: When opening the VBA editor I got the "File not found". Impossible to delete the name from the Navigation Pane!! When decompiling the project I got "An error occurred while loading 'Class1'. Do you want to continue loading the project?" I did - now the Class1 was still in Navigation Pane when opening project again but now I could delete from the Navigation Pane. After that the message about file not found no longer appeared. FYI

Crossways