When you set up a mail merge and connect to an Access database (MDB), you may receive the following error message when you click Test Connection in the Data Link Properties window: Also, if you click OK in the Data Link Properties window, you receive the following error message:

Back to the top

This problem occurs when you try to perform a mail merge from an MDB data source that is stored in a read-only location, such as a read-only folder, a read-only network share, or a CD-ROM.

Back to the top

You can only perform a mail merge with a data source that has read-write permission to the data source file. Copy the data source and paste it into a location that has read-write permissions. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
2.	In the Search for files or folders named box, type the name of your data source. In the Look in box, select the drive or network location where the data source is saved. Click Search Now.
3.	When the data source is displayed in Search Results, right-click the data source, and then click Copy.
4.	Minimize the Search Results dialog box. Right-click the Windows desktop, and then click Paste. NOTE: You can paste the copied data source into any location on your computer that has read-write access.
5.	Right-click the pasted data source, and then click Properties.
6.	On the General tab, click to clear the Read-only check box for attributes.
7.	Switch back to Publisher, and perform a new mail merge by using the data source in the new location.

Back to the top

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Back to the top