Yes, a VB.Net application can can work with an Access database without a full version of ACCESS installed. The proper Access runtime must be present (installed) -- part of Office Extensions for .Net 200x. Note that Microsoft has removed the .Net 2003 Office Extensions from its Web sites so you can no longer easily obtain them. It becomes an interesting exercise in missing pages and pages that automatically send you back to themselves in infinite loops! As long as the proper ODBC, etc. drivers are installed and you are not trying to do anything "fancy", you may not need the Office Extensions. Hope this helps. Charles Wolfe C. Wolfe Software Engineering