Installing and Redistributing ADO

Beginning with Microsoft® Windows 2000, MDAC is an integrated part of the operating system. Future OS releases will contain MDAC components. The MDAC SDK can be found within the Platform SDK. The Microsoft Data Access Components can be redistributed in English and 18 other languages. The redistribution package is available for download on the Microsoft Data Access and Storage Developer Center Web site.

To install MDAC on Windows 98, Windows NT® 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows® Millennium Edition, Windows XP, or Windows 2003 Server, run the setup program Mdac_typ.exe.

Beginning with MDAC 2.6, MDAC is also installed as part of Microsoft SQL Server. The Mdac_typ.exe redistributable file is available on the SQL Server 2000 CD. This program installs all the files that your applications need to use the technologies in MDAC. The redistributable program does not offer an option to selectively install components; it installs all of them together or none at all. This way, all of the components are installed in the same configuration in which they were tested before leaving Microsoft, which decreases problems with mismatched versions of DLLs.

MDAC is a system component, and installing MDAC should be considered similar to a system upgrade. You cannot remove MDAC without replacing operating system files that were upgraded by the MDAC installer. Many applications, including Microsoft Internet Explorer, Visual Studio®, SQL Server, and Office require MDAC for data binding and other application functions. Removing MDAC will negatively impact or break these applications. However, under certain circumstances, Microsoft Help and Support can assist you in solving installation and behavior problems.