Fun with Access 2003 Runtime and Digital Signing
So, I have this customer upgrading from Access 97 runtime to Access 2003 runtime for an application I support. After a few days of dev and testing, we sign it with a self signed certificate, generate the MDE file, and get ready to put it on a production machine.
I install the Access 2003 runtime, and set up the shortcuts, etc. for the new version. Fire it up, and everything is working fine.
BUT. Had to be a but, or I wouldn't be making this post, right?
We open the MDE a second time, it magically inflates from 35MB to 78MB, and Access tells me the MDE is no longer signed because it has been opened in an earlier version of Access.
Point to note: It hasn't. Access 97 runtime is installed, but has not been used to open the file. In fact, it has not been used to open ANY file since installing the Access 2003 runtime.
So, I take the files back to the office, and build a clean machine with only the Access 2003 runtime to check. And everything is happy. No issues at all.
Now all I have to do is work out if it means uninstalling Access 97, and/or reinstalling the Access 2003 runtime, or getting the PCs rebuilt. Which would be a no-go.