ActiveX Data Objects 2.1 is referenced instead of ActiveX Data Objects 2.7 in a newly created Access database or project

When you create a new Access database or project by using Microsoft Office Access 2003, the database may reference the Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) 2.1 Library instead of referencing a newer version of the ADO Library.

If you create a database in the Microsoft Access 2000 file format by using Access 2003, ADO 2.1 is referenced to enable backward compatibility with Access 2000 on computers that do not have Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC) 2.7 installed.

Note: If you use Access 2003 to create a database in Access 2002 file format or in Access 2003 file format, the database correctly references the Microsoft ADO 2.7 Library instead of referencing the ADO 2.1 Library.

This behavior is by design.

To find the most recent version of ADO that is available on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Start Access 2003.
2. On the Help menu, click About Microsoft Office Access.
3. In the About Microsoft Office Access dialog box, click System Info.
4. In the left pane of the System Information dialog box, expand the Office 2003 Applications node, and then expand the Microsoft Office Access 2003 node.
5. Click Summary.
6. In the right pane of the System Information dialog box, notice the ADO version information.
   
   This information contains the most recent version of ADO that is available on your computer.
   
   Note When you open the References dialog box for a newly created Access database, the database references the older version of the ADO Library (version 2.1). This behavior makes sure that the Access 2003 database has backward compatibility with earlier versions of Access.

Steps to Reproduce the Behavior

1. Start Access 2003.
2. Create a new Db1.mdb database.
   
   Note Make sure that the default file format for Access 2003 is set to Access 2000.
3. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Visual Basic Editor.
4. In the Visual Basic Editor, click References on the Tools menu.
   
   There is a reference to the ADO 2.1 Library (Msado21.tlb) instead of a reference to the ADO 2.7 Library (Msado27.tlb).