TroubleShooting Procedures

 

The most common problems experienced occur immediately after installation as a result of an incorrectly installed database or Data Source Name (DSN). A Data Source Name is used by ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) drivers, which connect a program to a database. This works much like a printer driver, which connects a program to a printer. If ODBC errors are reported by the program, then the following steps should be taken to verify that the DSN for your program is correctly configured.

  1. Determine the DSN for your program. See Configuration Settings for this information.
  2. Click on “Start” and then “Run”. A dialog box should open up which will allow you to enter a command to execute. In the space provided, type “odbcad32” (without the quote marks) and press Enter.
  3. The ODBC Data Source Administrator should appear. The screen should look similar to this:

 

Figure 1: ODBC Data Source Administrator

 

  1. If the DSN you found in Step 1 shows up in this list, then click on it and then click on “Configure…” If you do not see it in this list, click on the “System DSN” tab. If the DSN you found in Stop 1 shows up in this list, then click on it and then click on “Configure…” If you still have not found the DSN you found in Step 1, then click on this link: Adding a New Data Source Name. Otherwise, a configuration screen should show up, looking similar to this:

 

Figure 2: ODBC Microsoft Access Setup

 

  1. The path and name of the database that your program expects to open and use appears in this screen immediately above the button, “Select”. If the path specified in this field is incorrect, click on “Select”, which will open up a “Select Database” dialog. This will look similar to this:

 

Figure 3: Select Database

 

  1. Using the provided controls, navigate to the location (on your computer or on your network) where the database was installed. Refer to Configuration Settings for the name of the database file used by your product. You should find the file at this location. If you do, click on the file and then “OK”.
  2. The previous screen, “ODBC Microsoft Access Setup” will appear. Click OK.
  3. The previous screen, “ODBC Data Source Administrator” will appear. Click OK.

 

Try running your program again. If you were experiencing a problem caused by an incorrectly configured Data Source, then the program should work normally. If you experience more ODBC errors, then do the following:

  1. Referring to Configuration Settings, locate the name and location of the INI file for your program.
  2. Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the location on your computer where INI files and edit the INI file for your program. You can use notepad.exe for this task.
  3. Referring to Configuration Settings, locate the main section header for your program. This section will appear in the INI file, which should now be open in an editor.
  4. You may find a setting value that appears this way: audit= If the setting doesn’t appear in the INI file, add it, making sure that you add it to the main section.

 

Example where the main section header is “Learning and Working Styles”:

[Learning and Working Styles]

DatabaseName=VLSI Database

DatabaseUser=

DatabasePassword=

Proprietary=C:\VLSI

VideoVersion=No

Audit=

 

  1. Now, add c:\audit.txt after Audit=

 

[Learning and Working Styles]

DatabaseName=VLSI Database

DatabaseUser=

DatabasePassword=

Proprietary=C:\VLSI

VideoVersion=No

Audit=c:\audit.txt

 

  1. Save the updated file (select “Save” from the “File” menu) and close the notepad editor window.
  2. Run your program and perform the tasks that you did before when the ODBC error occurred. When the errors happen, detailed information will be saved in the file, “c:\audit.txt”. Send this file, either by disk or by email, to Piney Mountain Press, Inc. where it can be analyzed to determine the exact nature and cause of the problem. If further information or action is needed, Piney Mountain Press will contact you.
  3. When the problem has been solved and a fix determined, you will be contacted by Piney Mountain Press with either instructions or an update (as appropriate) to fix your problem.