MS Access 2010 Error - OLE Object Failed Attempting to Insert Object (.bmp)

2
votes

MS Access 2010 on Windows 7 Pro x64

  • Right-click on a cell in a table (Data Type = OLE Object)
  • Click on Insert Object...
  • Select Create from File
  • Click Browse to find .bmp file (844KB)
  • Click OK

Receive the following error:

The operation on the OLE object failed. The OLE server may not be registered. To register the OLE server, reinstall it.

Does anyone know how to fix this issue? I've tried running Access in compatibility mode and making the database a trusted source. I am not running Norton Antivirus, which some posts say might be the problem.

1
ms-accessms-access-2010
This works fine here in the same environment. It sounds more like a Windows problem than an Access issue. Maybe you deinstalled a graphics program, and the deinstallation went wrong? The question may be better suited for superuser.com - Andre
answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2010-access/… - Hamza Zafeer
No joy, but thanks for answering. - Katie M
@KatieM, I am not able to reproduce the issue. But looks like some picture viewer issue. When I double click on object(in database table cell), it opens with paint application. - Raju

1 Answers

2
votes

@Andre and @Raju have already answered briefly in the comments, but I'm posting a proper answer for the sake of tidyness:

OLE Objects are a bit tricky, but chances are you are missing the OLE Automation Server for the file type, which in this case is - a photo editor (like Paint or Microsoft Photo Editor).

Generally I found 2 solutions you might try:

  1. If you're coming from an older version (which is unlikely nowadays, but still), according to this Microsoft Photo Editor is removed when you install Office 2010.

    If that's the case, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/817095 on how to reinstall Microsoft Photo Editor,

    Otherwise, try to restore Paint as the default application used by Access. See here https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/177587 how. (Basically just remove and reinstall Paint. Instructions in the link are for an older Windows version, but I guess most steps are similar).

    EDIT: note @Andre comment:

    In newer Windows versions, setting File associations is not in Explorer options, but in Control Panel Home -> Default Programs.

  2. If you don't mind losing the existing data in your image column (or table is still empty), you can switch from the OLE Object data type to the (newer) Attachment data type.

    You also gain the added value of being able to attach multiple images.

    You can read more on Attachment data type here - https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Attach-files-and-graphics-to-the-records-in-your-database-d40a09ad-a753-4a14-9161-7f15baad6dbd#bm1

Good luck :)