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"Unable to open master database due to the following database access error:"

Question asked by Marshall Bussen on Mar 7, 2013
Latest reply on Oct 24, 2014 by Ahmad Syed Anwar

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I get this error every time I try to access the toolbox. This is on a BRAND NEW Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit install with Solidworks. Something else on my machine must be conflicting with a Solidworks process. This stupid error message has been occuring for several days now and is driving me absolutely nuts.

The only database-related thing I specifically installed besides the windows installation is a MySQL/ODBC connector driver. Could this be causing an issue?

I posted about this extensively in a previous thread, but it was deleted for some reason...

Marshall Bussen Mar 11, 2013 2:54 PM

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After another clean windows install and a progressive installation process, I've managed to determine what is causing scewy behavior for Solidworks 2013 on my system - an install of TurboCAD 12 Professional. I have this application installed on my system for legacy support for some of our old designs (prior to using solidworks) and there must be some corruption of Solidworks resources.

I've attached the error message I see when loading Solidworks after doing my TurboCAD install (several other errors messages follow this one, including the "unable to open master database" one in the original post).

This shouldn't be a problem for me - because TurboCAD is only there for legacy support, I will install it to a virtual machine where hopefully it will not collide with any system files on my Windows 7 install. But I thought maybe the development and support teams would like to know about this as it may help others who are having problems.

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Jerry Steiger Mar 7, 2013 8:06 PM
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Marshall,

You might try doing a repair on your installation.

Jerry S.
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- Marshall Bussen @ Jerry Steiger on Mar 8, 2013 9:52 AM
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  Hi Jerry -
  
  I was encountering this problem after moving from Solidworks 2010 to Solidworks 2013 on an old OS I was running. I thought perhaps it was due to some leftovers from the Solidworks 2010 installation fouling up the database access in 2013 and tried multiple installs to try and fix it (even repairing my Windows install).
  
  I got a new hard drive the other day and did a brand new Windows install on it along with Solidworks and the errors went away - UNTIL I installed my other apps and now the errors are back. So another installed app must be messing up Solidworks 2013 toolbox access somehow.
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Timothy Holman Mar 7, 2013 8:08 PM
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What comes after the "unable to open master databse due to the following database access error:"? anything?

There are a few SRs about this on the knowledge base. Looks like it could be a corrupt databse or .dlls not registered correctly.
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- Marshall Bussen @ Timothy Holman on Mar 8, 2013 9:53 AM
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  There is no text after the colon, the window is blank after that.
  
  I've looked around quite a bit on the Solidworks forums as well as some other forums trying to debug this issue and haven't gotten a suitable solution yet.
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Marshall Bussen Mar 11, 2013 2:54 PM
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After another clean windows install and a progressive installation process, I've managed to determine what is causing scewy behavior for Solidworks 2013 on my system - an install of TurboCAD 12 Professional. I have this application installed on my system for legacy support for some of our old designs (prior to using solidworks) and there must be some corruption of Solidworks resources.

I've attached the error message I see when loading Solidworks after doing my TurboCAD install (several other errors messages follow this one, including the "unable to open master database" one in the original post).

This shouldn't be a problem for me - because TurboCAD is only there for legacy support, I will install it to a virtual machine where hopefully it will not collide with any system files on my Windows 7 install. But I thought maybe the development and support teams would like to know about this as it may help others who are having problems.
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- Jerry Steiger @ Marshall Bussen on Mar 11, 2013 8:49 PM
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  Marshall,
  
  Would it make sense to load TurboCAD first and then SolidWorks? I'm guessing that the old TurboCAD is loading an old version of VBA, which overwrites the up to date version that SolidWorks needs. Perhaps the new version of VBA that SolidWorks needs/loads will also work for the old TurboCAD.
  
  Jerry S. (who knows nothing about any of the above!)
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  - Marshall Bussen @ Jerry Steiger on Mar 12, 2013 10:05 AM
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    Hi Jerry -
    
    It would certainly be worth trying. My guess is that it won't work, because uninstalling and re-installing Solidworks 2013 when I encountered this problem on a previous Windows isntall wouldn't resolve the problem.
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- Jim Peltier @ Marshall Bussen on Mar 12, 2013 10:26 AM
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  Hi, Marshall.
  
  Try the following:
  
  1. Open a command prompt (Start > Run > type cmd and hit enter)
  2. Type
  
  cd "<drive_letter>:\Program Files\<SolidWorks_installation_directory>\SolidWorks\setup\i386"
  
  3. Type
  
  swlicservinst -swip swx
  
  4. Press Enter
  5. Start SolidWorks
  
  That might solve the swVBAServer message, provided Jerry's suggestion of installing TurboCAD first did not resolve that specific message.
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  - Marshall Bussen @ Jim Peltier on Mar 12, 2013 10:39 AM
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    Hi Jim -
    
    Unfortunately this did not resolve the error. I still get the 'swVBAServer' error message when I start up Solidworks after running the swlicservinst command as instructed.
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    - Tony Kampen @ Marshall Bussen on Oct 29, 2013 5:29 AM
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      I have the same problem, now in 2014 SP0.
      
      Did you find any sollution to this?
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      - Marshall Bussen @ Tony Kampen on Oct 29, 2013 9:49 AM
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        I did! See the "correct answer" post at the top of the thread. It was related to an installation of TurboCAD 12 Professional that was apparently using some of the same DLLs and system files as Solidworks.
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        Tony Kampen @ Marshall Bussen on Oct 29, 2013 10:10 AM
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        Great,
        
        i found the fault myself earlier today as well. Mine was corrupted by TurboCAD 14.
        
        Even if its a x64 installation, it vas the VBA6 in the x86 folders that caused the problem. I managed a sollution, by moving away the VBE6EXT.OLB when reinstalling TurboCAD, then after the install moving it back into C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\VBA\VBA6\, The additional new files (all the filees in the 1033 folder, and the APC60.dll) i moved into a new folder to hide em, and that seemed to solve the SolidWorks problem. TurboCAD has not needed em yet either.
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Richard Timte Nov 21, 2013 11:08 AM
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All,

Many products can mess up the VBA 6 install and there us a easy way to fix it. Just go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\microsoft shared\VBA\ and rename the VBA6 directory to VBA6.OLD (you need admin privilege to do this). The open up Excel and it will install a new copy and create the VBA6 directory with all the correct entries. I hope this helps.

Richard
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- Qwerqr Wrqwr @ Richard Timte on Sep 8, 2014 11:37 PM
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  Thanks! It helped.
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Ahmad Syed Anwar Oct 24, 2014 12:17 PM
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I did install Solidworks 2015. After that I'm getting these type of errors. What I should do?
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