Access 2010 Runtime / ACCDE Bug

Question

I have just wasted a day chasing a very silly BUG!
If you install Access2010 Runtime and then try to run an ACCDE database that has a macro that uses Runcode the macro fails!
Verified on 2 different Win XP machines;
An almost blank database with a single macro using RunCode to call a very simple function with just a msgbox function in it results in the error;
"The Expression you entered has a function that Microsoft Access can't find."
The Cure:
Download and install runtime SP1 from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26601
Note that Windows Update does not show or offer this update!
Brian, ProcessIT- Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Answer 1

The simple and basic issue here is that WHEN you deploy compiled applications, you want to match up the version.
If your dev machine has a SP update, then you need to ensure that the target computers also have that update.
This issue does not occur when you use an accDB since the source code is included, and thus an “automatic” re-compile of the code can occur (even with runtime, such an automatic re-compile of code can occur). Thus the binary resulting machine code matches
the version of Access build. (and when I say version - different SP levels are different versions).
So the symptom pointed out here ONLY occurs when source code is not available, and the binary parts are pre-compiled like they are in a accde.
For Access 2013 runtime, the SP updates are included. For the Access 2010 runtime, the sp updates are NOT included. And installing the office SP update will NOT update the 2010 runtime.
Nor will windows update update 2010 runtime. So install of the SP update to Access runtime has to be downloaded and installed. Or the SP update can be “included” in your copy of the 2010 runtime.
In most cases, NOT having windows update or NOT having someone come along and install office SP not touching the runtime is a “preferred” setup since then windows update, or other things will not update Access runtime and NOT mess things up. So near everything
leaves the 2010 runtime alone as it should.
And while I seen problems like this back in Access 2003 (by trying to run a compiled applications with 2000), the simple lesson here is that compiled applications while often preferable do require more caution and effort to match up the edition of the version
of Access the user is running to the SAME edition that will compile + develop the application.
This is thus mostly due to the simple fact that when souce code is removed from the application, then you cannot re-compile the code to a different binary version of Access.
Regards,
Albert D. Kallal (Access MVP)
Edmonton, Alberta Canada