Linked server error message 7399

Sometime you may get the below error when you run a query on Excel or DBF file in SQL Server:

Msg 7399, Level 16, State 1, Line 2
The OLE DB provider "Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0" for linked server "" reported an error. Authentication failed.
Msg 7303, Level 16, State 1, Line 2
Cannot initialize the data source object of OLE DB provider "Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0" for linked server "".

This error generally comes only when you try to query from a remote machine. And this is something to do with the Security Context of the Linked Server.

Solution to this problem is very simple. Simply follow steps -
1. Open the SQL Server Management Studio and go to Server Objects and then to Linked Server.
2. Right click on your Linked Server Name, and click on Properties.
3. Go to Security Page. Here there are two options. You can try any one option.

• Select the option “Be made without using a security context” by clicking on radio button.

                                                  OR

• Select the last option “Be made using this security context ”.

When click on the radio button before “Be made using this security context ”, the“Remote login” and “With password” text boxes become active to be filled in.
Now in the “Remote login”, enter Admin as the login user. Leave the password text box as blank.
Now just click on OK, and now can run the query against your linked server without any error.