What does "Could not open database" mean when I start Deep-Sky Planner?

Posted: 28 Dec, 2007
by: Lang P.

Updated: 13 Jan, 2008
by: Lang P.

Question: When I start Deep-Sky Planner I'm told that my database requires updating. When I click YES to start the update, I get a message that says "Could not open database".

Answer: That message indicates that Deep-Sky Planner cannot find its database file, can't open it or that the database file is the wrong version for the program version. We can't tell which problem is causing the message without more information.

If you have not recorded any information in the observing log, the quickest solution would be to uninstall Deep-Sky Planner and then re-install it. You shouldn't need to reactivate unless your computer hardware or OS has changed.

If you have saved observations to the log that you want to keep, you should:

Check to see that the database file is present on your hard drive. The file is C:\My Documents\My DSP4 Files\Database\Dsp.mdb and should at least 50 MB in size. If it's absent, you should uninstall Deep-Sky Planner and re-install it from CD.
Make sure your Deep-Sky Planner software is up to date. Download and apply any program updates if necessary. If the program has been updated, the database may very well be the wrong version.

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