The Problem (Q-score 4, ranked #61st of 67 in the Access VBA archive)
The scenario as originally posted in 2013
I created a new Console project in VS2012.3 (32bit exe) and added a COM Type Library reference to Microsoft Access (I tried both 2003 and 2007). The “Microsoft Access” reference shows up in the Add Reference dialog no problem. However, upon closing that dialog VS displays a yellow triangle overlay on the two newly added references, and I get the following build error:
Could not resolve COM reference “4affc9a0-5f99-101b-af4e-00aa003f0f07”
version 9.0. Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
My colleagues are able to do this with no problem on their computer. So I’m trying to figure out what could be the problem with my machine. I’m running Windows 8.1, whereas others are running a mix of Windows 8.0 and 7. Any ideas?
Update – Some screen shots:
Why community consensus is tight on this one
Across 67 Access VBA entries in the archive, the accepted answer here holds niche answer (below median) status — meaning voters are unusually aligned on the right fix.
The Verified Solution — niche answer (below median) (+7)
Advisory answer — community consensus with reference links
Note: the verified answer below is a reference / advisory response rather than a copy-ready snippet.
Problem Solved:
I found the solution here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823996.
All I had to do was open the “Developer Command Prompt for VS2012”, navigate down to the GAC’s ADODB folder, then run regasm.exe ADODB.dll. That fixed the entire problem.
Problem solved:
When to Use It — classic (2013–2016)
Ranked #61st in its category — specialized fit
This pattern sits in the 77% tail relative to the top answer. Reach for it when your scenario closely matches the question title; otherwise browse the Access VBA archive for a higher-consensus alternative.
What changed between 2013 and 2026
The answer is 13 years old. The Access VBA object model has been stable across Office 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 365, and 2024/2026 LTSC, so the pattern still compiles. Changes that might affect you: 64-bit API declarations (use PtrSafe), blocked macros in downloaded files (Mark-of-the-Web), and the shift toward Office Scripts for web-first workflows.