Files with the LDB extension are those which are related to Microsoft Access in versions prior to 2007. Microsoft Access is a relational database management system and works as a standalone application or it can be a part of Microsoft Office Professional or higher. Access uses the Jet Database Engine to build databases and files in a format exclusive to Microsoft Access.
The LDB format was changed to the LACCDB file extension in the latest versions of Microsoft Access. The file is used to identify the database records that are locked in a shared database as well as the source that locked the files. Every time a database is accessed for shared use, an LDB file is created. The file contains PC and security names in addition to extended byte range locks.
LDB files contain the same name as the database which is listed with the MDB file extension. For example, if you open an Access database file named FileName.mdb, then a corresponding LDB file is automatically created with the name FileName.ldb. When the database is closed, the LDB file is deleted unless the user does not have rights to delete the file. If the LDB file remains in the database after you close it, the file will contain information about who was accessing the database.
The Jet Database Engine records information in the LDB file each time a person accesses the shared database. The LDB file prevents users from writing data to pages in the shared database that others have locked. This also prevents files from being inadvertently overwritten and protects them from being deleted when the database is opened and closed.
How to Open LDB Files
The most common method used for opening LDB files is by using Microsoft Access. Although LDB files are created with Access versions earlier than 2007, you can open them with any version of Microsoft Access, including 2010. If Access is being used as part of Microsoft Office, then you can open and view LDB files using Office.
You can also open LDB files using Access workbench. Simply click on Start and navigate to My Computer. If you use Windows 7, you can type Explorer into the Start Search box to open Windows Explorer. Open the location of the Access database in Explorer and then right click on the LDB file. Choose Open With from the drop-down menu and then choose Select a program from the list. Click on Browse and locate the workbench.exe file. Place a check mark in the box next to Always use the selected program and then click on OK. This will allow you to open the LDB file in Access workbench.
LDB files can also be associated with the Max Payne or Max Payne 2 gaming applications. In this case, the file can be opened using Rockstar Games Max Payne. If you use Windows, you can also open this type of LDB file using MaxEd or MaxEd 2.
