The VBA macro threw error -2147467259 (Unspecified error) at the conn.Open line. The data source name (DSN) was configured in User DSN using the PostgreSQL ANSI(x64) driver. Except… Windows 7 32-bit doesn’t have an x64 driver. That was my first clue something was very wrong.
Here’s a solid, realistic troubleshooting story based on a genuine pain point with the PostgreSQL ODBC driver on Windows 7 32-bit. The Ghost in the 32-Bit Pipeline
But the connection failed even with the 32-bit driver. I ran psql from the same machine — worked perfectly. Firewall, network, credentials — all fine.
On Windows 7 32-bit with PostgreSQL ODBC, the newest driver is not your friend — especially if you have bytea columns or use client-side cursors. Test with 9.0 or 9.2, and always check the 32-bit administrator.
For five years, it worked perfectly. Then one Monday, the chart stopped updating.
I documented the fix in a Word doc on the desktop and locked the driver version. The system ran until 2020, when Windows 7 was finally retired and the plant upgraded to Windows 10 LTSC — using the same 32-bit ODBC driver in compatibility mode.
I reinstalled the latest psqlodbc_09_03_0300-x86.msi (32-bit driver). No change. I downgraded to version 9.2 — still failed. Then I noticed something odd: The driver’s configuration dialog had a checkbox labeled — but the value kept resetting to unchecked after saving.
The VBA macro threw error -2147467259 (Unspecified error) at the conn.Open line. The data source name (DSN) was configured in User DSN using the PostgreSQL ANSI(x64) driver. Except… Windows 7 32-bit doesn’t have an x64 driver. That was my first clue something was very wrong.
Here’s a solid, realistic troubleshooting story based on a genuine pain point with the PostgreSQL ODBC driver on Windows 7 32-bit. The Ghost in the 32-Bit Pipeline postgresql odbc driver windows 7 32 bit
But the connection failed even with the 32-bit driver. I ran psql from the same machine — worked perfectly. Firewall, network, credentials — all fine. The VBA macro threw error -2147467259 (Unspecified error)
On Windows 7 32-bit with PostgreSQL ODBC, the newest driver is not your friend — especially if you have bytea columns or use client-side cursors. Test with 9.0 or 9.2, and always check the 32-bit administrator. That was my first clue something was very wrong
For five years, it worked perfectly. Then one Monday, the chart stopped updating.
I documented the fix in a Word doc on the desktop and locked the driver version. The system ran until 2020, when Windows 7 was finally retired and the plant upgraded to Windows 10 LTSC — using the same 32-bit ODBC driver in compatibility mode.
I reinstalled the latest psqlodbc_09_03_0300-x86.msi (32-bit driver). No change. I downgraded to version 9.2 — still failed. Then I noticed something odd: The driver’s configuration dialog had a checkbox labeled — but the value kept resetting to unchecked after saving.