PRB: Disk or Network Error When Trying to Run Database App

• Standard, Professional, and Enterprise Editions of Microsoft Visual Basic, 32-bit only, for Windows, version 4.0

SYMPTOMS

Any attempt to run a project or executable that accesses a database fails with error 3043 "Disk or Network Error" or a Page Fault.

CAUSE

This behavior is caused by an invalid or non-existent Temp or TMP directory. The problem only affects applications running on Windows NT. Windows 95 creates a default Temp directory if one does not exist or is invalid.

The following combinations of these two environment variables cause the problem:

   TMP missing and Temp missing
   TMP invalid and Temp missing
   TMP missing and Temp invalid

STATUS

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

WORKAROUND

Using the System applet in the Control Panel, add or correct the environment variable named "Temp" so it points to a valid directory for temporary files such as:

   Temp=C:\WINNT35\Temp

   TMP=C:\WINNT35\Temp

MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft Jet engine version 3.0, used by Visual Basic 4.0 to gain access to databases, looks for a Temp or TMP environment variable pointing to a valid directory in which to store the necessary temporary files. If this information cannot be obtained, an error condition is encountered. The version of the Jet engine that ships with Visual Basic 4.0 incorrectly causes a Page Fault when an error condition is encountered. The version of the Jet engine that ships with Access 95 and Visual Basic 4.0a correctly handles the error and displays the "Disk or Network Error" error message.