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Created: March 30, 2021 | Updated: August 12, 2021
This article covers how to use Database Libraries with 32-bit and 64-bit Altium Designer Software on the same computer and how to use a 64-bit version of Altium Designer when you are using a 32-bit version of Office. This article should help you out if you get the message: "The operating system is not presently configured to run this application." as described in this forum post: https://forum.live.altium.com/#posts/238667/731116. Or if you get this message: "An error occurred while establishing a connection to the database. Altium Designer requires that the 64-bit Microsoft Access Database Engine be installed. For more information and application solutions, click here."
Starting in Version: 18.0Up to Version: Current
Solution Details
Issues can arise when 64-bit programs like Altium versions 18 and newer try to access data if the operating system does not utilize a 64-bit engine for this task. It may be because you are using a 32-bit version of Office, or sometimes Office needs to be repaired (even though everything else seems to be working fine.) Check out this Knowledge Base Article:You must have Microsoft(R) Excel installed on your machine
If a repair of Office does not help, you probably need to install the 64-bit Microsoft Access Database Engine. Sometimes a computer gets "confused" and installing or re-installing this database engine will get everything working again.
This documentation link describes how to install both the 32-bit and 64-bit database engines as needed.
https://www.altium.com/documentation/altium-designer/using-database-libraries-with-32-bit-and-64-bit-altium-design-software-on-the-same-computer
It is not necessary to uninstall MS Office if you have the 32-bit office installed. It is only necessary to download and install the 64-bit Microsoft Access Database Engine (2010) from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=13255
From an elevated command prompt (run cmd.exe from a Windows search - right click and choose run as administrator), enter the file path and name of the 64-bit Microsoft Access Database Engine (2010) install file, followed by a space and the switch /passive, for example:
C:\Users\<ProfileName>\Downloads\AccessDatabaseEngine_x64.exe /passive.
The /passive switch runs the installation without showing (and skipping over) any error messages.
Open the Registry Editor (regedit.exe from a Windows search) and browse to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Common\FilesPaths. Delete or rename the mso.dll registry entry.
Note that if you do not delete the mso.dll registry entry, you may get a Reconfiguring message each time an Office application is accessed.
This will allow installation alongside your existing install of 32-bit Microsoft Office.
You can use ODBC Database Sources (64-bit) to verify Access shows up in the Drivers tab.
If you see this message when running a 64-bit version of Altium Designer (18 or newer) after Importing preferences from AD17 or older (32-bit):
"An error occurred while establishing a connection to the database. Altium Designer requires that the 64-bit Microsoft Access Database Engine be installed. For more information and application solutions, click here."
Even if you are using a 64-bit database engine, you may have imported settings for database libraries that are using a custom connection string. Custom connection strings need to have a current database provider (ex: "Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.12.0".) Just remove any Database libraries and add them back again.Was this article helpful?