OK, most people who know me know that on top of being a genealogist I am also what's called a "grey hat hacker". This means I am ethical and that I do not hack to cause any harm nor do I hack for profit or personal gain; it's purely for educational and out of curiosity.
WITH THAT SAID, I have created a challenge for myself: I have a bunch of genealogy software databases which I have purchased over the years (YES, I ACTUALLY BUY SOFTWARE!) and the program that opens the databases (Broderbund's Family Tree Maker) it is now long since passe (even though I still own and still use the many versions which I have purchased).
There is one other viewer for these databases called Family Archive Viewer, which is still totally unacceptable, because even this viewer requires you to have the database CD in the drive, and does not allow you to point it at the directory where you have copied the files onto your computer. This means that you would still need to have the CDs in the drive or with you on the go, and run the risk of scratching or breaking the CDs, having them become warped from being in the car and heat, etc.
LIKE I SAID, TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!
I need to find a program which I can use to open and view these files on my hard drive.
Let me break it down:
1. Yes, I own a copy of the software which the database "requires" to be used for opening it, but I want to use something different for software; something which will allow me to open the contents of the CDs without the need for a CD to be in my CD ROM, but just for the contents of the CD to be copied to the hard drive of my computer.
2. The capacity of a regular CD is 700 megabytes of data -- 703 megabytes if you are in over-burn mode. Some of the Family Archive CDs which I have purchased are only 52 megabytes in size; quite the far cry from the 700 meg limit of the CD!
3. Now imagine that you have 50 of these CDs; you need access to them for their information, even on the go...what is the most efficient way to carry that data? Please choose from the options below....
Is it...
A) Carry all the CDs with you, and should they fall and drop or break, it's no big deal, they were old and you can always purchase these out of print items again, right?!
B) Transfer all the data onto your hard disk, so you can access the data locally and then put the CDs back in their cases, and keep them safe from sun, warping, scratching, etc.?
C) Borrow someone else's disks while on the go; hey, they're not your disks, so no worry about scratching them up or anything, right?!
D) DATA?! WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING DATA!!!
Well folks, if you guessed "B", YOU ARE CORRECT!!!
And for the record, I keep all my genealogy files on my computer and now have tons of backups in multiple locations, that way I can work with the data so much faster and easier and I do not have to go searching through CD cases and spindles to find disks or worry about scratching them up. I also have random backups on data CDs and data DVDs and portable hard drives for redundancy.
I lost 10 years worth of research -- over 3,000 people with tons of details and photos -- back in 2008, and I do not plan on allowing that to happen again!
Anyways, the challenge that I have created for myself is to extract the genealogical data from the files on the CD for use on my hard drive. One file is called DATA.INX and the other is called DATA.TRT.
The .INX file opens -- at least partially -- with Microsoft Word (as long as you have a few plugins installed), but the files do not open entirely. I am going to list some of the software "handlers" for the above file types, partially for my own information and partially for anyone else who may have any questions.
SIDE NOTE 1: I am currently on Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, so all the software listed below is for Windows, unless otherwise noted.
SIDE NOTE 2: I have not tried to access the .INX or .TRT files on Linux yet. Once I am done exploring all possibilities on Windows I will try some of my Linux distributions to see how they fare and see if there is native support there for these file types. I will present the results of my findings on Linux in a separate post after I have tested my theories.
Anyway, here are the results of the testing and research I had done on Windows...
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The .INX and .TRT File Extension, Part 1 of 2: INX Files – By Vince
------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are currently a number of programs on record that use the .INX file extension; a brief introduction for these programs is provided below...
Program #1 – Adobe InDesign (Windows and MAC)
The file extension .INX is associated with Adobe InDesign, which is a DTP (Desktop Publishing) application from Adobe Systems. Files with the .INX extension are Adobe InDesign Interchange documents. The format .INX is an export format from Adobe InDesign and is used for compatibility with previous versions of Adobe InDesign.
A .INX file also describes an .INDD (InDesign) file, including pages and content, guides, text frames, information on which colors are used, guides, margins, and so on.
The .INX file technically falls in the Graphic Files (picture) category but their Mime type is application/octet-stream, which means that the data was compiled into a program some how.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program #2 – InstallShield Compiled Rules Files
The .INX file is part of the installation packages created by InstallShield software and is used on compiled scripts belonging to InstallShield software installation systems. These files store instruction for the installation of software packages.
The contents of the .INX (InstallShield Compiled Rules) files are not readable; the .INX files are executable files and are not meant to be opened directly by the average user (but it does not mean that it cannot be done).
I think with the use of Resource Editor, I may be able to extract the data. Will try more on this when I have more time to devote to code breaking.
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Program #3 – ACL for Windows Index File
The .INX file extension is also recorded to be associated with Access Control Lists (ACL) for Windows.
An access control list (ACL) is a list of access control entries (ACE). Each ACE in an ACL identifies a trustee and specifies the access rights allowed, denied, or audited for that trustee. The security descriptor for a securable object can contain two types of ACLs: a DACL and a SACL.
A discretionary access control list (DACL) identifies the trustees that are allowed or denied access to a securable object. When a process tries to access a securable object, the system checks the ACEs in the object's DACL to determine whether to grant access to it.
If the object does not have a DACL, the system grants full access to everyone. If the object's DACL has no ACEs, the system denies all attempts to access the object because the DACL does not allow any access rights.
ACLs also provide access control to Microsoft Active Directory directory service objects. Active Directory Service Interfaces (ADSI) include routines to create and modify the contents of these ACLs. For more information, see Controlling Access to Active Directory Objects.
This data seems to coincide with the information from Program #2 – InstallShield Compiled Rules Files. I will be looking into these two more later, after I have explored all the available possibilities...
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Program #4 - Genealogy Research System (GRS)
The GRS system was built to work on DOS, before the introduction of Windows, and was the number one piece of genealogical research software for reading the contents of the INX and TRT files.
I'm curious...since GRS was DOS based, and DOS was based on UNIX (as is Terminal and Konsole in Linux), will Terminal or Konsole read the data from the CDs without the need for the software?
If not, is there something like the GRS system for Linux? I know there is a Terminal/Konsole program called LifeLines, but I do not know if the software will be able to read the INX or the TRT file. I guess that will be on my to-do list when I install my next Linux partition.
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Program #5 - Microsoft FoxBase Index File
Best for last, right?
OK, so once upon a time, Microsoft used DOS, and I don't mean just the shell that they employ with Windows Vista and Windows 7, I mean they used it as the core of their operating system, and indeed, it was the very back bone of the Windows operating system. So, if you could write software for DOS, you could write the software for use Windows, no big deal: you just needed a graphical environment with which to interpret the data from DOS.
These days, Microsoft has been moving away from DOS with what appears to be utmost urgency, and they are no longer supporting what is commonly called "Legacy Software". Bad business mistake in my opinion...legacy software will always be around, and there will be users who will always prefer the legacy software over that which is manufactured and today.
But I digress...Microsoft FoxBase...this was the precursor to Microsoft FoxPro, and later VISUAL FoxPro...Fox Base created database tables in DOS, and the information was only accessible there. An .INX file was a Foxbase Index file...after the conversion from Fox Base to Fox Pro, the databases that were created were still accessible, but they needed to be converted from their native INX file format to a different database format, such as those used by dBASE III, so they changed them into VFP files.
I still own copies Fox Pro 3 and Visual Fox Pro 9 from my MCSE days, but VFP9 does not open legacy file types. I will have to install and try FP3 later, as well as dBASE III (gotta love legacy software that you keep around for no real reason other than because it would be a shame to get rid of it).
Just another piece of software to add to the list of software I need to install and try out on both Windows Vista and Windows 7....
DISCLAIMER: The above is not my photo, just one I found online at http://www.foxbase.nl/image/fpvista.jpg
Now here's the trick...FoxBase was abandoned as software, and is now called "Abandon-ware". Try to find it though, that is the tricky part....
Another function of the INX file type is for it to act like a driver, so it seems as if it is associated with the DLL file type insofar as the primary function of the INX file is concerned. It is a helper file for the program it is associated with (or in this case the database which it is associated with), and it instructs the database (in this case, the database is the TRT file) how to behave.
So to edit and extract the data contained within the INX and TRT files, it looks like I will need to utilize all my programming and research and investigative skills...
OPTION 1: Enter "makefile"...
A makefile is a set parameter that defines custom software builds and compilation actions, which includes the conversion of the .INX files into .INF files. In theory, the data could then be extracted from the INF file by way of Notepad or MS Word, and would be able to be saved into a human readable format.
During the last 30 days, I have also learned that .INX files are associated with executable/*.EXE setup files by way of Install Shield Package (Program #2). There is another program called "Unshield", which is an Open Source software that is used for decompiling, available for free from SourceForge.net.
You can use programs like Sexy Install Shield Decompiler -- this is the best one out there currently -- to decompile .INS or .INX files. Available from http://www.pediy.com/tools/Decompilers.htm
Once you open the INS or INX file, you'll see a lot of code. The only changes you can make are after you find the appropriate line of code. Right click on the line of code you want to see the options for and the software will show you what changes you are able to make to the coding.
The only changes that can be made are logical arguments, which means you can only change "a = b" to "a != b" or "a > b", and things like that.
OPTION 2: Enter "Resource Editors and Resource Hackers"...
Resource Editors and Resource Hackers are great tools, which you can you use edit EXE and DLL files, as well as many other file types. In my case, I will want to use them these tools to edit the data and meta data of the INX and TRT files mentioned above.
Here is a quick list of some resource editors...
http://resourceeditor.codeplex.com/
http://www.wilsonc.demon.co.uk/d10resourceeditor.htm
http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/
http://www.heaventools.com/PE_Explorer_resource_editor.htm
http://www.restuner.com/tour-resourceeditor.htm
Using these tools, I think I can edit the INX and TRT files to human readable format...I will have to experiment more...
It's worth noting that sometimes .INX files are encrypted; if it is, you have to decrypt the before you start decompiling it. Mine was not encrypted, it was only compiled. I was able to extract some information from the INX, using Microsoft Word; I have printed the results below...
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[FILELOCATIONS]
; Directory Names.
; If running on a network use UNC names: \\machine\drive\directory
; Panel locks are only effective if all users share the same
; locks directory and if [PANEL] Histories=on
[FILES]
Extension=COB
COBOLFormat 7-TO-72=ON
[LANGUAGES]
; Setting language order before adding multilingual support
; prevents language sequence errors.
Language1=DEFAULT
[PANELS]
Default TYPE=1,+000000300x+000000240,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00
FULL-SCREEN Default=+276824064,+000000520,+000000000x+000000000, ,A,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,+000000000
POPUP-WINDOW Default=+281018368,+000000265,+000000000x+000000000, ,A,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,+000000000
MDI-SCREEN Default=+282001408,+000131392,+000000000x+000000000, ,N,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,+000000000
EMBEDED-WINDOW Default=+268435456,+000000008,+000000000x+000000000, ,N,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,+000000000
PROPERTY-SHEET Default=+033555968,+000000000,+000000000x+000000000, ,A,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,+000000000
MAIN Default=+282003457,+000000000,+000000640x+000000480, ,N,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,+000000000
MAIN-MDI Default=+282003457,+000001024,+000000640x+000000480, ,N,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,000,00,+000000000
Histories=ON
[CONTROLS]
EDIT=+000065668,+000000512,
CHECKBOX=+000068867,+000000000,
MULTILINE-EDIT=+342246980,+000000000,
RADIOBUTTON=+000068873,+000000000,
LISTBOX=+344274433,+000131072,
COMBOBOX=+342177346,+000000512,
STATIC-TEXT=+342177280,+000000000,
PUSHBUTTON=+000069376,+000000000,
STATIC-IMAGE=+012583694,+000000000,
GROUPBOX=+000000000,+000000000,
MULTI-SELECT-LIST=+000000000,+000000000,
RICH-EDIT=+000000000,+000000000,
SCROLL-BAR=+000000000,+000000000,
DATE-TIME=+000000000,+000000000,
DRAG-LIST=+000000000,+000000000,
LISTVIEW-CONTROL=+000066057,+000000512,
TREEVIEW=+000065543,+000000512,
HORIZONTAL-LINE=+342177280,+000000000,
VERTICAL-LINE=+342177280,+000000000,
VALIDATED-EDIT=+000000000,+000000000,
SELECTOR=+000102144,+000000000,
PROGRESS-CONTROL=+008388608,+000131072,
[TOOLS]
Snap=N
EditorOptionFuture2=N
EditorOptionFuture3=N
EditorOptionFuture4=N
EditorOptionFuture5=N
[ADDINS]
[DEFAULT MENU ITEMS]
; Causes the insertion of menu elements on all newly created panels.
; Intended for system-wide menu elements.
; NOTE: list must be in tree structured order
; Line consists of SEQUENCE (01-20), level(1-9), event 88-name,text label
; optional elements are:
; bmp # when checed (no bmp used if zero)
; bmp # when UNcheced (no bmp used if zero)
; TOOL BAR SEQUENCE (not on toolbar if zero)
; Note: above not yet implimented.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AHH HAH!!! SCORE!!!
OK, SO! Now I know the file is COBOL...or is it?!
A quick web search tells me this is actually a COBOL formatted PERL module.
OK, now I have two more languages added here....I am going to need a COBOL and an PERL interpreter!
NO PROBLEM!
I downloaded the Eclipse programming environment as well as Strawberry Perl (both freely available software environments from their respective authors) a few nights ago. I still need to install Eclipse, but no big deal, I will check that out later tonight, when my boys have settled down.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By checking some of the other files, I had found some others were able to be opened with Notepad, such as the DATA.DIR file....
Here is the output from that file....some of it is clear text, other parts are encrypted text...
å , u 5 @ v | R } ³ b ´ å s v w ‹ } ¦ ~ Á # á € $ - û . 7 ‚ 8 B 2 ƒ C C a „ D D … E E ¿ † F F î ‡ G G ˆ H H L ‰ I I { Š J J ª ‹ K K Ù Œ L L ÿ M M ( Ž N R F S V b W _ „ ‘ ` m ¬ ’ n ‹ Î “ Œ • î ” – ™ • š ž 5 – Ÿ ¢ Q — £ ¯ y ˜ ° ¹ ˜ ™ º Ì º š Í Ú Û › Û ð œ ñ 1 T ž w Ÿ š Ä ¡ î ¢ £ w 6 ¤ x ƒ S ¥ „ Š { ¦ ‹ “ ¥ § ” ž Ð ¨ Ÿ ¥ ø © ¦ ± ª ² ä F « å é n ¬ ê ™ ' Ä ® ( V í ¯ W s ° t š E ± › A e ² B P ’ ³ Q b À x Ë y
Ú ´ c c ñ µ d y ¶ z š · › › 6 ¸ œ M ¹ ž d º ¡ © { » ª « ’ ¼ ¬ ® © ½ ¯ ¯ À ¾ ° ¿ × ¿ À ë î À ì õ Á ö ö  ÷ 3 à J Ä ! a Å " K x Æ L c Ç d p ¦ È q ~ ½ É ˆ Ô Ê ‰ ˜ ë Ë ™ Ÿ Ì ® Í ¯ Ñ 0 Î Ò Ó G Ï Ô ^ Ð u Ñ
Œ Ò £ Ó 9 º Ô : : Ñ Õ ; ; è Ö < O ÿ × P u Ø v z - Ù { š D Ú › Ÿ [ Û · r Ü ¸ ¼ ‰ Ý ½ Ü Þ Ý & · ß ' * Î à + k å á l w ü â x z ã { € * ä A å ‘ ‘ X z f { l | s À ? Ë @
X s f t l u ‹ ¦ Á
# á $ - û . 7
8 B 2 C C a D D E E ¿ F F î G G H H L I I { J J ª K K Ù L L ÿ M M ( N R F S V b W _ „ ` m ¬ n ‹ Î Œ • î – ™ š ž 5 ! Ÿ ¢ Q " £ ¯ y # ° ¹ ˜ $ º Ì º % Í Ú Û & Û ð ' ñ 1 ( T ) w * š + Ä , î - . w 6 / x ƒ S 0 „ Š { 1 ‹ “ ¥ 2 ” ž Ð 3 Ÿ ¥ ø 4 ¦ ± 5 ² ä F 6 å é n 7 ê ™ 8 ' Ä 9 ( V í : W s ; t š E < › A e = B P ’ > Q b Ú A c c ñ B d y C z š D › › 6 E œ M F ž d G ¡ © { H ª « ’ I ¬ ® © J ¯ ¯ À K ° ¿ × L À ë î M ì õ N ö ö O ÷ 3 P J Q ! a R " K x S L c T d p ¦ U q ~ ½ V ˆ Ô W ‰ ˜ ë X ™ Ÿ Y ® Z ¯ Ñ 0 [ Ò Ó G \ Ô ^ ] u ^
Œ _ £ ` 9 º a : : Ñ b ; ; è c < O ÿ d P u e v z - f { š D g › Ÿ [ h · r i ¸ ¼ ‰ j ½ Ü k Ý & · l ' * Î m + k å n l w ü o x z p { € * q A r ‘ ‘ TITLES CATEGORY Books By CATEGORY Contents of CD# Records By STATE Autobiography Biography CD 000 Introductory CD-ROM CD 001 Louisiana Marriages CD 002 IL,IN,KY,OH,TN Marriages CD 003 AL,GA,SC Marriages CD 004 MD,NC,VA Marriages CD 005 AR,MS,MO,TX Marriages CD 006 Social Security Death Ben. A-B Surnames CD 007 Social Security Death Ben. C-D Surnames CD 008 Social Security Death Ben. E-G Surnames CD 009 Social Security Death Ben. H-J Surnames CD 010 Social Security Death Ben. K-L Surnames CD 011 Social Security Death Ben. M-N Surnames CD 012 Social Security Death Ben. O-R Surnames CD 013 Social Security Death Ben. S Surnames CD 014 Social Security Death Ben. T-Z Surnames CD 015 Everton Publishers Family File CD 016 Social Security Death Ben. Update CD 020 Ohio 1880 Census Index CD 021 NY 1860 Census Index CD 022 PA,NJ,DE 1860 Census Index CD 024 VA,WV,NC,MD,DC 1860 Census Index CD 026 Southern 1860 Census Index CD 027 IL, IN 1860 Census Index CD 040 New England 1850 Census Index CD 041 PA,DE,NJ 1850 Census Index CD 042 NY 1850 Census Index CD 043 VA,WV,NC,MD,DC 1850 Census Index CD 044 KY,TN 1850 Census Index CD 045 Southern 1850 Census Index CD 046 IN,OH 1850-1 Census Index CD 047 IL,IO,MI,MN,MO,WI 1850 Census Index CD 049 TX 1860,1870,1880,1890 Census Index CD 100 Lineage Linked Pedigrees #1 CD 101 Lineage Linked Pedigrees #2 CD 102 Lineage Linked Pedigrees #3 CD 111 S.S.D.B. A-L Surnames 1992 Edition CD 112 S.S.D.B. M-Z Surnames 1992 Edition CD 113 Family History Series #1 CD 136 Colonial Americal Census Indexes CD 137 U.S 1790 Census Index CD 138 New England,NY 1800 Census Index CD 139 NorthEastern U.S.1820 Census Index CD 140 NorthEastern U.S.1830 Census Index CD 141 New England,NY 1850 Census Index CD 142 Mid-Atlantic 1840 Census Index CD 148 Mid-Atlantic,South,Mid-West 1830 CD 149 New England,NY 1810 Census Index CD 150 Mid-Atl.,S.,Mid-W 1810 Census Index CD 151 Mid-Atl.,S.,Mid-W 1800 Census Index CD 152 Southern States 1840 Census Index CD 153 Gr.Lakes,Mid-West 1840 Census Index CD 154 Gr.Lakes,S.,Mid-Atl 1820 Census Index CD 164 U.S. Mortality 1850-1880 CD 227 Marriages-West of Miss. Early to 1850 CD 229 Marriages VA,WV,TN,KY,NC Early to 1850 Compendium Family History Indexed Records for AK Indexed Records for AL Indexed Records for AR Indexed Records for AZ Indexed Records for CA Indexed Records for CO Indexed Records for CT Indexed Records for DC Indexed Records for DE Indexed Records for DT Indexed Records for FL Indexed Records for GA Indexed Records for IA Indexed Records for ID Indexed Records for IL Indexed Records for In Indexed Records for KS Indexed Records for KY Indexed Records for LA Indexed Records for MA Indexed Records for MD Indexed Records for ME Indexed Records for MI Indexed Records for MN Indexed Records for MO Indexed Records for MS Indexed Records for MT Indexed Records for NC Indexed Records for ND Indexed Records for NE Indexed Records for NH Indexed Records for NJ Indexed Records for NM Indexed Records for NV Indexed Records for NY Indexed Records for OH Indexed Records for OR Indexed Records for PA Indexed Records for RI Indexed Records for SC Indexed Records for SD Indexed Records for TN Indexed Records for TX Indexed Records for UT Indexed Records for VA Indexed Records for VT Indexed Records for WA Indexed Records for WI Indexed Records for WV Indexed Records for WY Local History Misc. Native American
------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK, so...I have done a lot of research on the INX files, what about the TRT files, right? Well, let's check those out too!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The .INX and .TRT File Extension, Part 2 of 2: TRT Files – By Vince
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program # 1 - VT Transaction Template
From the company's website:
A .TRT file is a DLocalizer Translations File (by Cybercom Group)
"Tags: TRTRecovery, TRT data recovery, Corrupted TRT files, "DLocalizer Translations File cannot open TRT file", "Unrecognized TRT format", TRT Tech Support, Help with file extension TRT, File Type TRT, open .TRT file
DLocalizer Translations File data corruption usually occurs when the software application or the operating system crashes while the .TRT data file is open in memory.
In most cases, headers or parts of the data file are not saved to disk causing the data corruption or the application to fail. Other causes of corruption are physical problems with the storage media, hardware malfunctions, natural causes, viruses, software errors, and human errors. In some cases of extreme corruption, data recovery of TRT files may not be possible because data recovery tools for DLocalizer Translations Files are not available.
If you cannot open TRT files, the software application itself may be missing or corrupted on the system. In such cases, using a TRT Viewer may give you an indication if the DLocalizer Translations File file is corrupt or if the application is corrupted.
It may be possible to open the TRT file extension without DLocalizer Translations File by using a viewer. If the DLocalizer Translations File application is corrupted, reinstalling the application will fix the issue."
As I look at the above, I cannot help but think "WHAT?" This does not seem like the program that I am in need of, nor does it appear that this is the correct TRT file type which I am looking to extract the data from.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program #2 - TFMail
TFMail is a program/perl script that can open TRT files. It is used to submit secure form mail from web pages to the specific address it is coded to send mail to.
This seems like a logical choice for the form-data that is received and interpreted from the CDs to the Family Archive Viewer (FAV) and Family Tree Maker (FTM) programs, since the database opens up from within the program at in a predefined area, which in turn sends pop ups with bits of individual data after you click.
This normally would not be so bad, however the data is unable to be copied/pasted, even within the software itself; it must be manually typed into applications such as NOTEPAD and STICKIES or KWRITE or MSWORD, etc., and then copied from there for use for within it's own software!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program # 3 - Team Sports Scheduling System Report Template
OK, ya got me...I really do not know much about this software, other than the fact that this piece of software appears to use the standard genealogy 4 to 6 generational graph as it's cover template.
Maybe I will get to know this software after all.....let me see how much it costs first....
OOOHHHH!!!! SHAREWARE, one of my favorites....love it for it's trial period, leave it when you're done using and monopolizing it....sounds like my last marriage! Hahahahaaha!!!!
Seriously though, this program is up to revision 5.1.7.950 and is about 3.5 megabytes in size, so it's small enough that it's not going to bog down my bandwidth and since it is shareware, I can try it out and see if this program will extract the data that I am looking to interpret...
I am on a fast connection so I click, download, blinked, and it's done...
Installing the software now; done!
I just tried the program....it does not open the file in a human readable format. It kinda reminds me of that crash course in cryptography that I took, actually....I think I am going to go back to the resource editor option and see how I fare there.
====================================================================
I am just looking over all this writing and all the software testing I have done, and I have to say that this really is the oddest compilation of software that I have ever come in contact with, not to mention the most obscure list I have ever seen anyone put together! LOL!
I should really try these file types on Linux...Linux would probably be able to handle these files types with ease...I just do not know if I wanna break down and use my Linux power toys yet...I want to explore all the Windows software possibilities before I break out the hard core OS, I guess...
I do know that I want to try FoxBase and Visual FoxPro 3, so I think I am going to install VFP3 and see if I can purchase a used copy of FoxBase online....
OK, installing VFP3 now...this has to officially be the oldest piece of software I have ever installed on this computer.....heck, I might need to make it feel better and not so alone by installing Office 97 or something on here as well! LOL!!!
Wow, ok, so after installing the minimum for the system requirements, it tells me I do not have enough memory to run the program...really?! 4 gigs of RAM is not enough for ya?! LMHO!
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31-JULY-2012 EDIT:
OK, I did not mean to post this yet, I hit publish by accident instead of save...I have been working on this now for about a month, and did not plan on publishing this until I was done, which would have been another 60 to 90 days, but it's out early, so here it is. I am still working on this, so I will still be editing this afterwards.
~ Vince ~
Hi Vince, Did you manage to get anywhere with this? I am trying to resolve the same issue myself and am starting to think it may not even be possible.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your efforts so far.
Richard