UPDATE: This issue has been solved! Please review this post to learn more.

I’d like to ask all of you to make sure you verify your Access app will work with Windows 7 64 bit before your clients commit to large PC purchases using the OS.

Access too slow on Windows 7 64 bit
At one point I had two clients, running different apps I designed, who decided to migrate their staff from Windows XP to Windows 7 64bit. Both went from a speedy application to unacceptable performance, one of the clients couldn’t get the program to work anymore!

Nothing changed, all they did was purchase new PCs with Access 2010, or 2007, everything else was the same, same server, network, database, code, etc.

Issues with Access and Windows 7 64bit

Windows 7 SP1

I’ve read posts from others saying SP1 had damaged their app, my issues had come up prior to SP1 so I don’t think they are related.

We tried EVERYTHING

This has be the most frustrating tech support issue I’ve ever had! I tried everything under the sun to resolve this problem to now avail. We even installed XP mode it seemed to work most of the time but for one of my clients it didn’t work too well under heavy use.

Microsoft Tech Support Lacking

Both clients have submitted tickets to tech support, and it’s been weeks of testing back and forth in between large gaps of no response. Since the clients already had PCs running the application it wasn’t a big deal, but I have to wonder if this was a new roll out to new 64 bit machines if it could have gotten really bad. All of the apps I write are considered mission critical and I hate to think would would have happened if the operations would have come to a standstill.

Resolution: Downgrade

One of my clients could not wait any longer for a solution so they just swapped out the 64bit with the 32bit version of Windows 7. The other client is still trying to make it work with Microsoft. You can see his Technet ticket here.

Disappointed

I make my living helping firms across the US and consider myself an Access Evangelist, but when my livelihood is being threatened in this way it really makes me wonder the commitment at Microsoft towards the professional Access developer’s community.

Have you been experiencing similar issues? Please comment below.

Update 4-14-11: Microsoft is now offering a patch for this issue at http://support.microsoft.com/hotfix/KBHotfix.aspx?kbnum=983246&kbln=en-us

Update 8-22-11 Hotfix no longer available. The hotfix mentioned in the KB article is no longer available. To see the article please click here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/983246