XL5: Error Selecting Data Access Driver in ODBC Help Topic

Last reviewed: September 12, 1996
Article ID: Q115135

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you view the ODBC Driver Reference help topic, and you click on one of the underlined data access driver names for more information, you receive the following error message:

   Microsoft Excel Help could not find the file drvaccss.hlp. You will have
   to install it using Setup.

The filename DRVACCSS.HLP appears in the error message above when you click on the Microsoft Access driver name in the help topic screen. The filename that is displayed in error message depends on which data access driver name you select in the help topic.

CAUSE

This error message appears because the help file that is needed to display the data access driver information is not located in the same directory as the Microsoft Excel help file. The data access driver help file is copied to the SYSTEM subdirectory of your Windows directory when you install the corresponding data access driver. The help file is installed to this location so that you can use the Help button when you setup the corresponding driver using the ODBC Control Panel icon.

The Microsoft Excel Help file is located in the Microsoft Excel directory.

WORKAROUNDS

To view the information in a specific data access driver help file, do either of the following:

To avoid receiving this error message when you select one of the data access drivers in the ODBC Driver Reference help topic, COPY the corresponding .HLP file(s) from the SYSTEM subdirectory of your Microsoft Windows directory, to the directory to your Microsoft Excel directory. Use the following table to determine the necessary help file(s) to copy and the corresponding data access driver name:

      Filename           Data Access Driver
      -------------------------------------
      DRVDBASE.HLP         dBASE
      DRVFOX.HLP           Microsoft FoxPro
      DRVACCSS.HLP         Microsoft Access
      DRVPARDX.HLP         Paradox
      DRVSSRVR.HLP         SQL Server

   If you move the file, instead of copying the file, you will receive an
   error message when you use the ODBC Control Panel icon to setup a data
   access driver, and you choose the Help button.

   -or-

Open the specific data access driver help file, by doing the following:
1. In Microsoft Excel, press F1 to run Microsoft Excel Help.
2. From the File menu, choose Open. From the Directories list, select
```
      the SYSTEM subdirectory of your Microsoft Windows directory.
```
3. From the File Name list, select the data access driver help file that
```
      you want to view (use the list above to select the correct file) and
      choose OK.
```

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

KBCategory: kbusage
KBSubcategory: xlwin
Additional reference words: 5.00 5.00a 5.00c err msg

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Last reviewed: September 12, 1996
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