Lose Record Edit Via Form; Input Continues As New Record

PROCESS AS DESIGNED: The user logs in and is given a form displaying existing records that are coded (by userid) for that user to update. From that list, the user selects a record and continues to a second form (the first form closes) which displays all the fields of the selected record which should/can be edited by the user (plus a few non-editable key fields). There is nothing tricky to how the records are selected for display. A simple query behind the first form selects data records using the userID number. The second form does a simple record select using the active record ID number on the first form. Nothing tricky -- no modules just queries, tables, forms and simple macros to string it all together.

The user can open/close these two forms as often as necessary and the record will continue to show up until a value is entered into a "completion date" field. When that field is no longer blank, the record will no longer be displayed for use.

PROBLEM: About 90% of the time, things work as expected. But 10-15% of the time, somewhere between opening the record in the second form and closing the second form, the edited record totally disappears (as if it were never opened, it isn't even system date stamped) and the input information is inserted instead into a brand new record.

Users can sometimes tell when the edit record is dropped during processing, because key fields displaying previously entered data go blank and the displayed recordID (autonumber) is changed. p>
ERROR PATTERN: NONE! It can happen as the edit record is first opening, in the middle of editing the form, or at the end when closing the form. It will happen on a specific PC 2 times in a row and the third time be fine. It has happened at multiple locations but not for all people and not consistently for the same person/same pc. The same record that failed can be re-selected and work just fine the next time.

I cannot reproduce the error myself. I have tested everything I can think of without causing the error. I can lose changes and avoid a system date stamp if I abort my Access sesssion, but that doesn't create/insert a new record with my new input. It just loses everything.

I have wondered if a momentary break in the network/communications could break the connection to the application to just enough that the form remains on the screen, but selected record is discarded. Input into the empty form would/does insert a new record.

I have asked the IT Operations group to investigate if a network/communication problem could be the culprit, but they haven't gotten far on this. I have never seen this happen before and am totally stumped but am desperate to resolve it before user confidence is damaged.