A sad dilemma indeed. When did you notice the database was too big, after it crashed on ya? Not trying to be mean, but somebody (database manager) should have noticed something was wrong with the database getting so big. I know 97 use to have a problem growing exponentially depending on how you changed the design of the forms and the record sources on both forms and reports. But there was a way to correct it, to bring the file size back down. Being a huge MS Access fan and developer 96 - 2004, and occasionally since. Almost all of my projects started out with the customer having a large excel sheet or multiple excel sheets being passed around, updated, and eventually crashing or everyone doing their own version of the charts and reports. In 40 hours or less I could have all the employees that needed to input data (controlled or not) doing so with some very very user friendly forms. Then in the next 40 - 80 hours working with the customer and their users to determine what the standard would be for the reporting and charting and adding any new scope stuff to the database. Archiving I have to admit most customers didn't want it, no matter how hard I tried to sell them on the idea. It was usually no this is a temporary fix till we get something more permanent (SAP usually). There was many times when I'd get a call, hey we'd like some changes, we don't like the way the other system works and we know your not going to cost more then 25% what it'll cost for us to have our other system changed. (as noted earlier proper tool for the job) Yes, Access has it's limits and it has it's quirks, but those quirks show themselves as warnings before those files get corrupted. Sometimes network (had to prove to network admin they had a bad switch once), sometimes things user is doing, sometimes the access/jet engine, sometimes the developer. That database someone mentioned about having such a large code base, you couldn't break it up into smaller mdb front end files (data entry in one, reporting in the other) with those connected to the same back end? for the past 5/6 years been doing mostly VB6 (yes still, been teaching myself .net for past 4 years, hobby at home type stuff). It would take me a month to do the cool user interfaces I could get done with access in a week. But even though Access paid my bills for quite a few years, I have moved on to other pastures but that's a personal thing, but I have always liked access especially when they added the ability to create Access Projects and be the front end

give up some links to what robots your looking at and maybe someone can do some reverse engineering in their back yard for 500 - 1K bucks.