PRA: Microsoft Access Changes MS-DOS Screen/Text Colors

Article ID: Q105515
Creation Date: 20-OCT-1993
Revision Date: 19-SEP-1996

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, 2.0

SYMPTOMS

Novice: Requires knowledge of the user interface on single-user computers.

When you set your screen and text colors in MS-DOS using ANSI.SYS or a similar utility (such as the Norton Screen Attribute, SA.EXE) the colors are changed after you run Microsoft Access.

CAUSE

This problem occurs for two reasons:

Microsoft Access uses all available palette entries for its colors.
Microsoft Windows does not differentiate between MS-DOS and Windows colors.

Because this problem occurs as a result of an application's interaction with Microsoft Windows, it is not limited to Microsoft Access. It also may occur with other products, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, ShowDIB, or Windows Paintbrush, that use 256-color bitmaps under Microsoft Windows.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Access versions 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0. This problem no longer occurs in Microsoft Access for Windows 95 version 7.0, nor with any version of Microsoft Access running under Windows 95.

MORE INFORMATION

Screen Attribute is manufactured by Peter Norton Computing, a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.

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