.fmp12 (Filemaker Pro 11-17) can't open files that old. My memory is that .fp5 (.fp3-5) could. If you still have older file formats, try stepping up through them, starting with the first one that will open the file(s).
If you can get to .fp5, you can convert those with .fp7 (Filemaker 7-11), and from there to .fmp12. No guarantess that 'open' means 'preserver perfectly intact', but I've followed that route with the occasional old file without encountering problems... Converting to text is another option, but you may run into similar problems as the text software has also changed. And you lose the metadata, leaving only the raw data. Filemaker is more forgiving with PC's than Macs about allowing old versions to run on newer machines. Good luck, John Weinshel On 5/6/19, 6:11 AM, "Rowland Carson" <[email protected]> wrote: >I thought that I had been very careful to update each of my FMP files as >new file formats came out, but I have just discovered a couple of very >old files that have lain undisturbed in a dusty corner of my filing >system ever since (apparently) FMP 1. FMPA 17 says when I try to open >either of them that ³This file was created by Filemaker 1.0². Not only >have I long since discarded the floppy discs on which those old Filemaker >versions were distributed, but I no longer have any hardware upon which >to run the appropriate operating system. > >I think this sort of question has been asked here before but I guess I >ignored the answers because I thought I¹d been obsessive in my >housekeeping and got it all under control! > >I¹ve done a hex dump of each file in BBEdit; that offers a (somewhat >tedious) way to recover the text fields - but date/time and number fields >are pretty opaque (to me). > >Is there any way I can open those files and either convert them to a >recent version of FMP or just export all fields, all records, to CSV or >tab-text? > >The files are quite small (51k & 65k) and contain nothing that I don¹t >mind others seeing. I¹m happy to send them as e-mail attachments to >anyone who thinks they can help with extracting the contents. > >All suggestions welcomed, including other potentially useful places to >ask this question. > >in friendship > >Rowland > >| Rowland Carson ... that's Rowland with a 'w' ... >| <[email protected]> http://www.rowlandcarson.org.uk >| Skype, Twitter: rowland_carson Facebook: Rowland Carson
