Posted under 64 Bit
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Tags Bug, Oracle, Toad, Windows64bit
I hit this problem trying to connect to a local Oracle XE 10.2.0.1 database.
The problem is due to a bug in Oracle’s networking layer. It cannot parse program locations containing parentheses, and by default Toad installs to “Program Files (x86)” which causes the bug.
More details on OTN here.
The fault is designated Bug 3807408, and whilst there is an Oracle patch for it, the patch is not available for Oracle XE.
The easy way around the problem is just to install TOAD in “Program Files” rather than “Program Files (x86)”. The different directories are purely to aid in distinguishing 32 bit applications from 64 bit ones – it does not matter where applications are installed.
I removed and reinstalled TOAD in “Program Files” and this completely eliminated the problem. The problem would also apply to other applications which access Oracle, so worth bearing in mind.