Programmatically check Access Database Engine for MS Office (2007 or 2010) installed on a client system

Introduction

This tip gives C# code to determine the installation of the Access database engine in a client system.

Background 

• First, I would thank Yogi for his blog [http://techieyogi.blogspot.in/2009/11/installing-access-database-engine-with.html] 
• Second, I would thank John Brazill for his VB version of Yogi’s code snippet [http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-AU/vbide/thread/7d0a3007-531f-4960-bbd8-8caccfb66ec7?prof=required] 

But after I uninstall Access database engine the file ACECORE.DLL for Office 2010 is still in the same path, thus my purpose is failed. After some investigation on my system I found the piece of code shown below which would help in determining the installation of the "Access Database Engine".

This piece of code will be helpful for those who have just started in C#, like me :-)

Using the code

string AccessDBAsValue = string.Empty;
RegistryKey rkACDBKey = Registry.LocalMachine.OpenSubKey(@"SOFTWARE\Classes\Installer\Products");
if (rkACDBKey != null)
{ 
    //int lnSubKeyCount = 0;
    //lnSubKeyCount =rkACDBKey.SubKeyCount; 
    foreach(string subKeyName in rkACDBKey.GetSubKeyNames())
    {
        using (RegistryKey RegSubKey = rkACDBKey.OpenSubKey(subKeyName))
        {
            foreach (string valueName in RegSubKey.GetValueNames())
            {
                if (valueName.ToUpper() == "PRODUCTNAME")
                {
                    AccessDBAsValue = (string)RegSubKey.GetValue(valueName.ToUpper());
                    if (AccessDBAsValue.Contains("Access database engine"))
                    {
                        llretval = true;
                        break;
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        if (llretval)
        {
            break;
        }
    }

Points to Note

Please note that if the Access Database Engine is installed on an XP 32 bit system, the value will be "Microsoft Office Access database engine 2007" in the Registry key. For Office 2010 on a Win7 32 bit system it will be "Microsoft Access database engine 2010" [I did not yet try other versions], so there is a little difference in these values.