MAW File Complications
Troubles Opening MAW Files
Missing Microsoft Access
When you double-click your MAW file, you may see a dialog box from your operating system stating that it "Cannot Open This File Type". Customarily, this means that Microsoft Access is not installed on %%os%%. The OS won't know what to do with your MAW file, so double-clicking to load the file doesn't work.
Tip: If you have another software that you know opens MAW files, you can select it by hitting the "Show Apps" button.
Incorrect Microsoft Access Version
Your Access Data Access Page file is incompatible with Microsoft Access because you might have the wrong version installed. Visit the Microsoft Corporation website to download (or purchase) the latest version of Microsoft Access. Most of the time your Access Data Access Page file was created by a newer Microsoft Access than what you have installed.
Tip: Right-clicking on your MAW, then clicking "Properties" (Windows) or "Get Info" (Mac), can provide clues about your file version.
Conclusion: The majority of MAW file opening issues are due to not having the correct Microsoft Access version installed.
Associated Difficulties Loading MAW Files
Although you might already have Microsoft Access or another MAW-associated software installed on your computer, you can still encounter problems opening Access Data Access Page files. If you are still having problems opening MAW files, there may be other issues that are preventing you from opening these files. These other problems include (listed in order from most to least common):
- File references in the Windows Registry for MAW are wrong
- Unintentional removal of the description of the MAW file inside the Windows Registry
- Invalid installation of a MAW-associated program (eg. Microsoft Access)
- MAW file corruption
- MAW file integrity has been compromised by malware
- Drivers associated with MAW software need to be updated
- Windows cannot load your Access Data Access Page file due to insufficient resources (eg. RAM)
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