I am pleased to announce that there is a new version of Public Talks now available.
What’s New
I recently made available version 21.0.0 but I never announced it. The main change was to the installer and how we downloaded the Help Documentation. In addition, it was the right time to update all the support files and digital code signing certificate for the application.
Support Files
In version 21.0.1 we have made another change to the minimum Microsoft Access Runtime that is required. I came across this Microsoft Documentation which made the following statements:
Unable to use the Access ODBC, OLEDB or DAO interfaces outside Office Click-to-Run applications
The Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable is not provided as a recommended solution for the indicated scenarios as both the Access Database Engine 2016 and M365 Apps use the same major version identifier (16.0) which may introduce unexpected behaviors. Office side-by-side detection will also prevent the installation from proceeding if this scenario is detected.
The Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable is no longer suggested as a recommended solution because Office 2010 has reached the end of the Microsoft Support Lifecycle.
As a result, the decision was made to drop support for the Microsoft Access Runtime 2010. The application has been updated to reflect this and so has the Support Files web page.
Unable to Start the Software
I am aware that some users (including myself) have had difficulty in starting the software. This seems to happen after running Microsoft Updates on your operating system and it breaks the Microsoft Access Runtime installation. So I sorry about this but it is something beyond my control.
At the moment, the only workaround it to run a Repair on your Microsoft Access Runtime installation.
- Step 1 — Go to the Programs and Features section of your Control Panel
- Step 2 — Click the Repair option and then press Continue
Latest Download
Supported Operating Systems
- Windows 10
- Windows 11
Deprecated Operating Systems
These operating systems are no longer supported:
- Windows 7 (Service Pack 1)
- Windows 8.1
You can still download the last supported version of Public Talks (which was 23.0.1) from here. But this version is no longer maintained. You are encouraged to use version 23.0.2 or higher.
You can also upgrade by using the Check for Update feature from the Help menu (if you have not been a beta tester).