In an attempt to get around the extremely painful "reinstall" routine
that takes place when using Access 2007 on machines that have earlier
versions installed, I have tried the free "Altiris Software
Virtualization Solution" software.
Whilst not a perfect solution, it does offer some improvement over the
situation we have been left with by Microsoft when trying to run
multiple versions that include Access 2007. When Access 2007 is
installed with the Altiris software in a "virtual layer", that layer
can be disabled until A2007 needs to be used. Before using A2007 the
layer is enabled and then A2007 launches without the lengthy
"reinstall" routine.
When the user wants to run an earlier version of Access, the A2007
layer must first be disabled in Altiris and then the earlier version
will launch without a "reinstall".
Disabling and enabling the A2007 layer in Altiris is relatively
painless if a taskbar shortcut is set up to open the Altiris Admin
screen. It is then a simple matter of right clicking on the A2007
entry in the Admin screen and selecting Enable or Disable.
Has anyone else given the Altiris software a try?
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