Compact Database in MS Access: Compact Database is a very useful feature of MS Access which helps to compact database size by using unconsumed spaces in the database. It is a very helpful method to condense large database size to create some free space for feeding more data into it. The size of databases keep on increasing as you add more and more data into them and thus they take a larger time to open. A compact database runs comparatively faster and occupies lesser space. This method is also for converting an earlier version database to a later version database.

Compact Database Used to Convert Version Caused Corruption: You can confront a database corruption issue in your MS Access while using the Compact Database method to convert an earlier version database to a later version database.

Error: When you try to open any database after such corruption, you can come across the error message stating: "This database is in an unexpected state. Microsoft Access can't open it."

Cause of Corruption and Cause of Error: Occurrence of this error explains that you have used the CompactDatabase method instead of using the Convert Database command (present on the Tools menu in the Database Utilities submenu) to convert the database from a previous version.

Do You Have a Backup? To combat severe data loss situation at to deal with such Access database corruption issues, you need to use your updated data backup.

Third Party Software to Recover Access Database Contents: In case you do not have an updated backup, then you would need special third-party tools to recover Access files (.mdb files) data.

One such tool is SysTools Access Recovery software. This specialized Access repair tool is designed to scan, repair and Recover Corrupt Access Files contents in almost all types of corruption issues. It provides safe recovery options to recover corrupt MDB file contents without hampering any data information in any way. This means, you can Recover MDB Files contents in their original form using this tool. This powerful software helps to recover corrupt Access databases formed using Microsoft Access 2003, 2002, 2000 and 97. The software is compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2003, 2000 and all other pervious Windows versions.