i have an access database that has a table with around 220000 records
Wooft! Didn't read that bit. Yes, change databases - I'm amazed this doesn't fall over all the time/take
forever to startup. My one-and-only experience with a large table in Access (through a thoughly third-rate piece of bug track software) ended up with us seeing inserts take half an hour. And there were only ever a maximum of six users connecting to the DB.