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I'm working on a 64 bit C# solution and I wish to connect to an MS Access DB (.accdb file) without installing "Access Database Engine x64".

The "Access Database Engine x64" installation demand that the currently installed MS Office version is a 64 bit, which is not an acceptable demand in the company environment.

I realized that OLEDB and ODBC demand that "Access Database Engine x64" will be installed.

Is there another way to connect to the Access file?

Thanks!

Hanoch Giner
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    So you're saying the current environment has 32-bit Office installed? If so, then build your C# app to target the x86 (32-bit) platform and use the existing 32-bit Access Database Engine. – Gord Thompson Jan 06 '16 at 20:09
  • Yes, the current environment has 32-bit Office and the current C# solution is a 32-bit solution and it works fine. I wish to convert the C# solution to 64-bit and I can't change the organizational Office 32-bit installation. That's the problem. – Hanoch Giner Jan 07 '16 at 11:19
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    *"I wish to convert the C# solution to 64-bit"* - Why? – Gord Thompson Jan 07 '16 at 12:40
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    Thanks for the reply, I wish to do so because of many reasons that are relevant to my project but not to this post. My question is "how" and not "why".... – Hanoch Giner Jan 07 '16 at 13:25

1 Answers1

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I realized that OLEDB and ODBC demand that "Access Database Engine x64" will be installed.

Is there another way to connect to the Access file?

Practically speaking, no. A 64-bit .NET application needs to use the 64-bit version of the Access Database Engine to manipulate an Access database.

It is possible to force both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Access Database Engine to reside on the same machine, but it is not recommended. It can cause problems with Office and is not a supported configuration.

Gord Thompson
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