Read an Excerpt
Microsoft Access 2010 24-Hour Trainer
By Geoffrey L. Griffith Truitt L. Bradly
John Wiley & Sons
Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, LtdAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-470-59167-3
Chapter One
Installing Access 2010
Before you can begin using Access 2010, you must acquire a copy of the program and then install it on a machine. If you already have a copy of Access installed on your machine, you can easily skip this lesson and move on to the next. However, if you have never purchased or installed Access 2010 (or earlier versions), continue on with this lesson to find out more about getting and installing the most widely used database program in the world—Microsoft Access!
LESSON SETUP
This lesson explains some of the options available for purchasing a copy of Access 2010 and provides a step-by-step guide to installing Access 2010 as a part of Microsoft Office 2010. There is no previous experience or knowledge of Access required to complete this lesson.
HOW TO GET ACCESS 2010
You can purchase Microsoft Access 2010 as a standalone product or as part of Microsoft Office 2010 Professional (or higher versions of Office). Office 2010 Professional edition includes Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook, and Word. Office 2010 Professional Plus also includes Communicator and InfoPath. Office 2010 Enterprise adds Grove and OneNote. The Office 2010 Ultimate edition adds Outlook Business Contact Manager.
Purchasing Directly from Microsoft
Microsoft sells Access 2010 along with all of the Office editions at the Microsoft website (http://office.microsoft.com), go there to compare the features of each edition. Microsoft offers three basic plans to purchase retail software online:
* Purchase the product online, have the DVD shipped to your location, and use the product key included in the materials shipped to you.
* Purchase the product online, download the installation files to your computer, and use the product key that is provided at purchase to activate the software.
* Download and install a trial version that you can use for 60 days before purchasing.
Microsoft Office is also available in DVD versions at retail stores that sell computer software and at online software retailers. Check multiple outlets for the best price, but make sure you use a legitimate dealer. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is; you don't want to get stuck with an illegal copy of Office 2010 for which you paid a substantial amount of money.
System Requirements
Before buying a copy of Access or Office, check the minimum system requirements for the version you are purchasing; that way you can ensure the software is compatible with your computer. The Office products are available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Your computer's CPU architecture and Windows operating system version will determine if you can use the 64-bit version of Access (or Office). The 64-bit version of Access requires that the system have a 64-bit processor and be running a 64-bit version of Windows.
Side-by-Side Installations
Note that Access 2010 can be installed side-by-side with older versions of Access. When installing Access with older versions, it is always recommended that you install older versions first and newer versions last. However, if you use an older version of Access and then go back to Access 2010 while both versions are installed side-by-side, it will retrigger a (somewhat) short installation process every time. This is because the last installed version of Access is the system default version, and that setting is updated if a different version of Access is run! Though this fact is important to consider because installation can be painfully time-consuming, it probably won't make much of a difference for most Access users.
Default versus Custom Installations
The Access (or Office) installation program provides a choice of installation options:
* Default installation installs features used by the majority of users and is sufficient for most installations. For both Office 2010 and Access 2010 installation programs, the default options install everything you need to start using Access.
* Custom installation allows you to select and install specific features (and programs, if installing Office). It also allows you to specify a location other than the default. Custom user information can also be entered.
Usually the default installation is all you need, and novice computer users may not want to attempt a custom installation. The default installation for both Office and Access is sufficient to complete the lessons in this book.
INSTALLING ACCESS 2010
Once you have acquired the Access 2010 software, installing it is easy. To start the installation process for Access (or Office), depending on the version that you are using, you need to execute the setup.exe file for Access or Office, respectively. If you have the DVD, simply inserting the disk into your computer should automatically start the installation process. If it does not, follow these steps:
1. Go to My Computer.
2. Right-click the DVD drive with the disk.
3. Choose the Explore option.
From the Explorer window, you can also navigate and manually run the setup.exe program provided on the root of the installation disk. Another option is right-clicking the DVD and selecting AutoPlay from the context menu.
If you downloaded the software, you may need to create an install DVD from the downloaded .iso file. Most CD/DVD writer software will create a disk to install the software from the .iso file. Also, several free programs are available for simply extracting .iso files to disk. Whichever method you choose, simply run the setup.exe file to begin the installation of Access (or Office):
1. After you begin, the installation program will extract the needed files from the installation disk.
2. You are prompted to enter the product key.
3. Enter the key. The installation program will verify the key before you can proceed. The key is a 25-digit key that consists of both numbers and letters.
4. There is a check box at the bottom of the dialog that allows Office 2010 to attempt to automatically activate the product online. Uncheck the box if you do not want to activate the product at this time.
5. Read the license agreement. If you accept the terms, check the box at the bottom of the pop-up signifying that you agree to the Microsoft software license terms. Acceptance of the terms is required before the installation can be completed.
6. Click Install Now (or click Customize to create a custom installation). Choosing the custom installation allows you to select products and file locations and to specify the user information.
7. After clicking Install Now, a progress bar appears on the Installation Progress dialog. Assuming no errors occur, installation will complete and Access will be ready to use.
Four types of component installation options exist: Run from My Computer, Run All from My Computer, Install on First Use, and Not Available. When either the Run or Run All option is selected for a feature, the installation program installs that feature completely to the machine. The Install on First Use option installs the feature the first time it is actually used within the program. The Not Available option specifies not installing the feature at all.
TRY IT
In this lesson you install the Office 2010 Professional Plus edition. Other editions of Office 2010 have similar installation processes.
Lesson Requirements
Verify that the computer on which you are attempting to install the Office 2010 products meets or exceeds the minimum technical requirements; otherwise the installation will fail. You also need the DVD included in the software package, a downloaded installation file that can be executed from a drive, or a DVD created after downloading the product files from Microsoft or a retailer.
Hints
Make sure you have the product key available to enter when prompted. Failure to provide the key results in failed installation.
Step-by-step
1. Insert the program DVD and run the setup program.
2. Enter the 25-digit product key. The installation program will verify it is a valid key. If the verification fails, check the key and make corrections as necessary.
3. Read the software license terms. If you accept the terms, check the box at the bottom of the dialog.
4. Choose the desired installation options by accepting the defaults or selecting only the applications you want installed, accept the default or set a custom file location, and accept the defaults or enter user information.
5. Click the Install Now button to start the installation.
6. Wait for the installation to complete. Then remove the DVD and store it in the original packing with the product key in case you ever need to reinstall or repair corrupt program files.
SUMMARY
Installing Access 2010 or Office 2010 Professional on a computer that meets or exceeds the minimum technical requirements is usually very straightforward and easy. The simple installation discussed in this lesson is normally sufficient for most users. Custom installations provide more flexibility and allow you to select the options you wish to install. No matter which option you choose, Access 2010 is easy to set up and get going on your Windows machine!
Please select Lesson 1 on the DVD to view the video that accompanies this lesson.
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Excerpted from Microsoft Access 2010 24-Hour Trainer by Geoffrey L. Griffith Truitt L. Bradly Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Excerpted by permission of John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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