Sometimes the networking/system can get confused causing HICSOAP to claim that the HICSOAP database file is not a valid database file. This can be caused/fixed by the Lock file. Accoring to Google Gemini,
A Microsoft Access database lock file is a small companion file with a .laccdb (for .accdb databases) or .ldb (for older .mdb databases) extension that facilitates multi-user access and prevents data corruption in a shared environment. It tracks which records are locked and by whom.
Please try the following
Backup the HICSOAP database just in case.
Determine the location of the database file.
Close all installations of HICSOAP
Open the folder determined in step 2 and delete the 1 KB file called hicdatabase. (see screenshot above). Or instead of deleting it, you could rename it or move it.
Then try HICSOAP again.