I have a few legacy Panorama files which were never converted to Pan 6. I would like to either run them or at least retrieve their contents.
Any body have an idea of an app which would at least let me see their content?
Jack
Basically, you need an Intel Mac running something before Catalina. Then you can download Panorama 6, open the files and save. If you don’t have such a computer, maybe you have a friend who has one, and will let you borrow it long enough to do that.
I don’t think there is any application, other than Panorama, that can open a Panorama file in a useful way.
Once you have followed the steps Dave outlined and saved the files with Panorama 6, you’ll be able to open them in Panorama X. I’m sure Dave is aware of this, but I thought it should be mentioned explicitly. So once you’ve completed these steps you won’t need the old computer any longer.
It depends on what you want to extract from the Pan file. TextEdit will open any pre-Panorama X file and all of the procedures are visible in clear text. Ready access to data is limited to text fields (all others are in some odd code) and there are no delimiters between fields or between records so you would really need to have a good idea of what’s in there.
Will Panorama 6 open Panorama files from ALL previous versions of Panorama or might I need an earlier version of Panorama such as Panorama V?
I should add the Pano files in question were created in 2004
I think it will even open Overvue. I never used Overvue, but I have definitely used it to open files from version 3.1.
Numeric and date fields are in the standard formats that the machine requires them to be in for numerical calculations. They look like garbage in a text editor, because text editors don’t do numbers. A text editor will try to interpret everything as text.
Thanks Dave I have used Overvue but, needless to say, I don’t still have a legacy copy of it:) You have provided the confirmation which I was seeking. I thought that 6 would open almost any file but was not sure. Hate spinning my wheels over uncertain information.
Panorama 6 will definitely open databases saved with Panorama 2, 3, 4 or 5 (V). I’m not sure about Panorama 1, maybe. I’m also not sure about OverVUE, but I think support for opening OverVUE files may have been removed at some point in the 2000’s.
I have a couple of files first created in 1990. Literally first quarter of 1990.
I can’t open them with Pan 6. Not a big deal because they are not massive.
There was someone on the previous discussion forum before this one that offered to open them with a consulting fee. He had a computer with legacy or earlier versions of Panorama. That was on the old “qna@lists.provue.com”.
It was not worth the hassle for me at the time to get them opened and changed to a newer version of Panorama since there were like a total of perhaps 50 records and the information easily retrievable.
I do not know what version of Panorama the files were saved in. Like many on this discussion forum, I go back to OverVUE. And yes, as a child I remember ash trays in the Doctor’s waiting room.
So I don’t think it is accurate that Pan 6 can open all previous files created in Panorama except the original Panorama version. But I do not recall when Pan 2 was released.
I ran across an old copy of the Panorama Journal from the summer of 1994 that had a listing inside of the release dates up to that time.
Overvue 1.0 - 09/1984
Overvue 2.0 - 03/1985
Panorama 1.0 -11/1988
Panorama 1.1 - 03/1989
Panorama 1.5 - 11/1989
Panorama 2.0 - 06/1991
Panorama 2.1 - 01/1993
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You’re assuming the files aren’t corrupted somehow.
I can’t say for sure – 30 years ago is a long time – but if Panorama 6 won’t open these files, I wouldn’t bet that some older version of Panorama can open them. Perhaps I’m misremembering, but I think it is more likely that these files are corrupted and can’t be read at all.
Thanks Gary. Jim.
It is not high on my priority list but if I ever get an old mac I will try to open them with earlier versions of Panorama.
The file have nothing confidential. Just a short database of book titles and details.
If anyone has an old system still running I will unhesitatingly send you the 2 files. They are only 11 k each.