Slow Access 2003 in Win XP with network connection

i have found many refrences to access being slow over a netowrk but my
boss and i just found this and i was hoping to get some help.

on the local machine we have the Access 2000 format database open in
access 2k3. this is also the machine that the database lives.

we then from a tool bar in access call an external program to
manipulate the database. and the process time is about 5.5 minutes

then if we disable the network connection which we were not even using
since the DB was on the local machine with no other users at all. the
procsee time drops to about 30 seconds.

it appears that access is attempting to do something with the network
and probbaly eventualy timing out. the same processing time drop
occurs when we run our utility from windows explorer and not from the
tool bar even when connected to a network. so we deduced that it had
to be access and networks.

if any one knows what is going on and possibly better yet how to fix
it... i thank you all in advance. if there is another group i should
post this in please feel free to tell me that as well.

re: Slow Access 2003 in Win XP with network connection

On 9 Feb 2005 13:58:26 -0800, <cvopicka@yahoo.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> i have found many refrences to access being slow over a netowrk but my
> boss and i just found this and i was hoping to get some help.
>
> on the local machine we have the Access 2000 format database open in
> access 2k3. this is also the machine that the database lives.
>
> we then from a tool bar in access call an external program to
> manipulate the database. and the process time is about 5.5 minutes
>
> then if we disable the network connection which we were not even using
> since the DB was on the local machine with no other users at all. the
> procsee time drops to about 30 seconds.
>
> it appears that access is attempting to do something with the network
> and probbaly eventualy timing out. the same processing time drop
> occurs when we run our utility from windows explorer and not from the
> tool bar even when connected to a network. so we deduced that it had
> to be access and networks.
>
> if any one knows what is going on and possibly better yet how to fix
> it... i thank you all in advance. if there is another group i should
> post this in please feel free to tell me that as well.
>[/color]

I don't know how to fix the problem - but would like to know how myself -
but one "help" if it is possible might be to disconnect any mapped drives
in Explorer or linked tables in Access.


Darryl Kerkeslager

re: Slow Access 2003 in Win XP with network connection

there are no linked tables or networked drives. the only reason there
is a connection to a network for the most part is the internet/email.
that is why this is puzzling since there is no need to do anything with
the network.

re: Slow Access 2003 in Win XP with network connection

This usually, and often happens on machines where you have printers that are
networked

Often, when a report runs, it asks windows for printer information. If you
have any reports with a particular printer set, or in fact do NOT have a
default printer, (but only network printers), then network activity can
occur as ms-access (I also seen this with word and publisher also) asks for
information about the printer.

As a result, on my notebook which does NOT have a printer attached, I add a
really dumb printer, I use the HP laser series II as my default installed
printer to the local printer port. This eliminates the actively.

It may not fix all of the posters problems here..but certainly does often
fix a number of these problems. And, it also often makes large delays go
away when designing forms, and reports...as they again ask for information
about the current printer layout being used.

Since my notebook is on a wireless connection, then the delays became quite
noticeable..and the fix for me was changing the default printer.

In addition, when a file open is executed, then windows will OFTEN request
the list of available ling drives be re-fleshed. Since ms-access actually
OPENS a file each time a table is opened, then windows will again often
result in network activity as the network drives are being refreshed in the
list. The solution to this problem is to keep a persistent connection to the
back end. That means at the start the application, just open a table in the
back end...(any table..and KEEP it open). Do this..and likely the delays
mentioned here will go away, and I find performance on a network is very
good..and not a whole lot different then when the back end mdb file is on
the local drive.

The persistent connection trick is mentioned in eh following list. This
performance "faq" list is the best list of things you can read up on, and it
can be found here:


http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/performancefaq.htm
--

Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada
pleaseNOOSpamKallal@msn.com
http://www.members.shaw.ca/AlbertKallal

re: Slow Access 2003 in Win XP with network connection

although we do have forms and i know personaly i have lots of networked
printers. we are not using the forms or reports. well not in this
time experiment. we call an external executable which then uses ODBC
to connect to the database and manipulate the data in various ways.
and the processing time just takes longer (about 10x) when there is a
network. our software utilities don't touch network stuff. and when
run from access things are slow but when run outside of access it is
fast. even with access open.

thanks for the link also. i had found that earlier also and quickly
read over it before submitting my message. but i will definately look
more closely at it.