Microsoft KB Archive/209780

= ACC2000: Changing an Option Affects Only One Instance of Access =

Article ID: 209780

Article Last Modified on 6/30/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Access 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q209780



This article applies to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb) and to a Microsoft Access project (.adp).

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.



SYMPTOMS
When any one instance of Microsoft Access is used to change an option setting, the other instances of Access that are running on the same computer will not have an immediate update to the change.



CAUSE
When Access records option changes to the system registry and/or the database itself, it will only refresh that instance which requested the change.



RESOLUTION
In order to make the option changes take effect within all instances of Access that are running on the same computer, the user needs to either shutdown and restart the other instances, or manually set the same options within all instances.



MORE INFORMATION
Option settings are stored in the system's registry or as database properties, depending upon the type of option. Access updates these registry keys and database properties any time an option setting is changed. When Access is started, those settings in the registry and database are loaded into memory so that the options do not have to be re-read every time they are needed.

When there are two or more instances of Access running, only the instance that triggered the option change is affected. When an option setting is changed, Access both updates the registry keys and/or database properties, and reloads the options into memory. The other instances do not have their memory refreshed by this update.

This is not an issue for users on separate computers, because the option settings are stored per computer and/or per database.

