Zugg Software uses MDAC

The application you are using requires the Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC).

Contents

What is MDAC?

The Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) are a standard database interface for Windows.  MDAC is already included as part of Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, and Windows XP.  Some early Windows 98 OEM systems shipped without MDAC, however.  MDAC is also already installed on your system if you have Internet Explorer 5.0 (or higher) or Microsoft Office.  MDAC is FREE and is fully supported by Microsoft on all versions of Windows.

Zugg Software applications require MDAC version 2.5 or higher, with MDAC 2.8  recommended.  Windows 2000 ships with version 2.5, and Windows XP ships with version 2.7.  If you have a Windows 95, 98 or Windows NT system, installing version 2.5 or higher is required.  While older versions of MDAC may work, they may be very slow or have memory leaks.  For best performance, you should install MDAC 2.8 on all versions of Windows.

If your system does not already have MDAC installed, you need to download it and install it according to the instructions given here.  There is no way to run the application without MDAC.  To check to see what version of MDAC is already installed on your system, use the MDAC Checker program described below.

Microsoft has thoroughly tested MDAC.  However, since this software becomes part of your operating system, there might be some very old systems that have trouble with MDAC.  Zugg Software is not responsible for any damage to your system or data loss caused by MDAC.  Because MDAC is system software, there is no way to uninstall MDAC without reformatting your hard disk and reinstalling Windows.  However, as scary as that sounds, problems with MDAC are very rare.  If you are running a database server on your computer, such as SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, etc, consult with your system administrator before updating the MDAC software on your computer to be sure it's compatible with the database server you are using.

What is JET OLEDB?

MDAC provides a standard database interface for Windows.  The actual database engine used by Zugg Software products is the JET 4.0 Database engine (or JET OLEDB engine).  The JET 4.0 engine is the database engine used in Microsoft Access 2000 (part of Microsoft Office) and was chosen because it is FREE and is already installed on most versions of Windows.

However, starting with MDAC v2.6, Microsoft stopped including the JET database engine with the MDAC distribution.  So, some systems with MDAC do not have the latest JET database engine files.  Also, older JET database files can cause databases to be be large and slow.  If you are having trouble with slow database operations, be sure to install the latest JET files given below.  The latest version of the Jet 4.0 engine is SP8.

Checking your MDAC version

To see what version of MDAC you are using, or to check your MDAC installation for compatibility or corruption, you can download the MDAC Component Checker application.  This is a Microsoft application written to determine if your MDAC installation has any problems.

Download MDAC Component Checker from Microsoft

This version of the Component Checker has a dependency on MSXML2.dll. Users who do not have this dll on their machine will be prompted to visit www.microsoft.com/downloads to install MSXML 3.0 SP4 on their machines.

Compacting and repairing databases

Microsoft provides a utility for compacting and repairing JET databases.  If your database has become corrupted, or if a older version of MDAC caused your database to be large and slow, you can use this utility to fix your database and improve performance.

Download Jet Database Compact and Repair Utility from Microsoft

Installing MDAC and JET OLEDB

For the greatest performance and stability, it is recommended that you install the latest version of MDAC and JET to your computer.  Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't make this easy, and it will be a multi-step download and install process that depends upon the version of Windows you are using.

Please select the version of Windows you are using for specific instructions:

If you have any trouble with MDAC on your system, you need to contact Microsoft for assistance.  For more information on MDAC, visit the Microsoft MDAC site.

NOTE: All of the installation files provided on this site are for ENGLISH language users.  If you require installation for non-ENGLISH versions of Windows, go to the Microsoft MDAC site and follow the instructions given there.


Windows 95 Installation

Note: Be sure you have installed the Windows 95 Service Pack from Microsoft.  It is very difficult to support a version of Windows as old as Windows 95.  The best way to ensure that your Windows 95 system operates properly is to be sure you have installed the service pack.  You are highly encouraged to upgrade to a later version of Windows, but Zugg Software will continue to support Windows 95 as long as it is possible.

Step 1:
In addition to MDAC/ADO, zMUD requires WinSock 2.0.  This is NOT part of the Win95 Service Pack, so you'll need to download and install it separately. 

Download Winsock 2.0 for Windows 95 from Microsoft
(W95ws2setup.exe, 964 KB)

Follow the instructions given by the installer and reboot your computer when you are done.
 
Step 2:
DCOM for Windows 95 must be installed before installing MDAC. For more information please read the article MDAC 2.x Requires DCOM95 to Install Under Windows 95

Download DCOM v1.3 for Windows 95 from Microsoft
(dcom95.exe, 1201 KB)

Follow the instructions given by the installer and reboot your computer when you are done.
 
Step 3:
Download and install MDAC 2.6 SP1 (2.61.7326.6).  Later versions of MDAC do not work on Windows 95.  Earlier versions can cause performance problems or memory links.  

Download MDAC 2.6 SP1 from Microsoft
(mdac26sp1.exe, 5163 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.

 
Step 4:
Download and install JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB.  

Download JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB for Windows 9x from Microsoft
(Jet40SP8_9xNT.exe, 3782 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.


Windows 98 Installation

Note: You may be required to install the latest service pack for Windows 98 before you can install MDAC or JET 4.0, especially if you have the original Windows 98 version rather than the Windows 98 SE.

To apply the latest critical patches and updates to your version of Windows, to to the Windows Update Site at Microsoft.  For both performance and security reasons, you should be sure you are always running the latest critical patches and updates for Windows.

Step 1:
Download and install MDAC 2.8.  Earlier versions can cause performance problems or memory links.  

Download MDAC 2.8 from Microsoft
(mdac_typ.exe, 5427 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.

 
Step 2:
Download and install JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB.  

Download JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB for Windows 9x from Microsoft
(Jet40SP8_9xNT.exe, 3782 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.


Windows ME Installation

Note: You may be required to install the latest service pack for Windows ME before you can install MDAC or JET 4.0.  

To apply the latest critical patches and updates to your version of Windows, to to the Windows Update Site at Microsoft.  For both performance and security reasons, you should be sure you are always running the latest critical patches and updates for Windows.

Step 1:
Download and install MDAC 2.8.  Earlier versions can cause performance problems or memory links.  

Download MDAC 2.8 from Microsoft
(mdac_typ.exe, 5427 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.

 
Step 2:
Download and install JET 4.0 SP7 OLEDB.  

Download JET 4.0 SP7 OLEDB for Windows ME from Microsoft
(Jet40SP7_WMe.exe, 3559 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.


Windows NT Installation

Note: You may be required to install the latest service pack for Windows NT before you can install MDAC or JET 4.0.  The latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 is SP6a and can be found on the Microsoft Windows NT Update site.

Step 1:
Download and install MDAC 2.8.  Earlier versions can cause performance problems or memory leaks.  

Download MDAC 2.8 from Microsoft
(mdac_typ.exe, 5427 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.

 
Step 2:
Download and install JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB.  

Download JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB for Windows NT from Microsoft
(Jet40SP8_9xNT.exe, 3782 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.


Windows 2000 Installation

Note: You may be required to install the latest service pack for Windows 2000 before you can install MDAC or JET 4.0.  Jet 4.0 specifically won't install unless you at least have Win2000 SP1.

To apply the latest critical patches and updates to your version of Windows, to to the Windows Update Site at Microsoft.  For both performance and security reasons, you should be sure you are always running the latest critical patches and updates for Windows.

Step 1:
Download and install MDAC 2.8.  Earlier versions can cause performance problems or memory links.  

Download MDAC 2.8 from Microsoft
(mdac_typ.exe, 5427 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.

 
Step 2:
Download and install JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB.  

Download JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB for Windows 2000 from Microsoft
(Jet40SP8_W2K.exe, 2894 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.


Windows XP Installation

Note: You MUST install the latest service pack for Windows XP before you can install MDAC or JET 4.0.  

To apply the latest critical patches and updates to your version of Windows, to to the Windows Update Site at Microsoft.  For both performance and security reasons, you should be sure you are always running the latest critical patches and updates for Windows.

Step 1:
Download and install MDAC 2.8.  Earlier versions can cause performance problems or memory links.  

Download MDAC 2.8 from Microsoft
(mdac_typ.exe, 5427 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.

 
Step 2:
Download and install JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB.  Earlier versions can cause performance problems or memory leaks.  

Download JET 4.0 SP8 OLEDB for Windows XP from Microsoft
(Jet40SP8_WXP.exe, 2893 KB)

Follow the Microsoft instructions for installing and reboot your computer when you are done.