Hi Bob,
        PC World's Bug Of The Day recently gave the answer.  Note that the Link
is an FTP Link:

Are you one of the 1.5 million who upgraded to Windows 98? Or are you
considering making the big move? If you are, and you use Microsoft
Access 97, you should be aware of a potential problem. When upgrading
to Windows 98 or installing Access 97 on a Windows 98 system, you
could have trouble launching Access. When you attempt to launch the
application, you may receive the following error message: "Microsoft
Access can't start because there is no license for it on this
machine."

Fortunately, Microsoft has already released a fix for this. This file
contains a tool that corrects the problem and enables you to run
Microsoft Access 97 successfully. You'll find the file on the
Microsoft Web site at the following address:

http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2c2061%2ctw-bug1117%2c00.html

                                Terry L. Clark
                                [log in to unmask]

Bob McEwan wrote:
>
>  I recently uninstalled Outlook. Since then when I try to open
> Access I get a message that there is no licence for access on the
> computer & so it cannot be opened.

             PCSOFT maintains many useful files for download
              on our web site - visit our download page at:
                     http://nospin.com/pc/files.html