flatcat47

Hello
This machine is pretty old, and my bottom-line problem is that I need to recover my address book from it. The address book is Parsons ver. 3, which is another set of problems.
What I think I need is either
1) fix this machine
2) put this HDD into a working machine
....or hitch it up to my desktop and copy info
....or copy the HDD into a partition on the desktop running 98 (??)
....or some other dodge
3) just get the Satellite running well enough and long enough to print out the address book.

To begin.....WONKINESS defined:
At best, it will boot on up okay. Then if I try to start Adbook from the desktop icon it will go to Adbook Help instead of the program. I can get the program open from the Start button menu.
Then, at best, the program behaves normally for a few minutes.
Otherwise, the program can be pretty bizarre...say I click on an address in the list, it selects all the addresses up to that point in the list. Then it may jump back to the top of the list. Then the dialling window opens itself. For instance.

At worst, there are all kinds of buzzing and clicking sounds, it boots up or not, goes into checking the drive or not, opens in Safe Mode or not. Copies of Windows Help start opening themselves until the machine runs out of memory. Various other things open themselves.

In addition, the very first symptom of anything was the keyboard partially failing --- some keys work, some don't. (I replaced the keyboard once before, so not the first time this has happened).

OK, that is the general situation.
I just use this laptop for my address book and my equally dated organizer program. If I can recover that info I can abandon this machine. Still, it has been useful for those things. Additionally, it is REALLY hard to move or upgrade my address book info to another program. Haven't managed it yet. There are whole forum threads out there devoted to the Parsons Address Book problem, with very little solution. I'm to where I'll copy by hand to Outlook or whatever, but I have to have a print-out or be able to hold the program onscreen long enough to do the copying. (I have a backup disk, but figuring out how to open it is a conundrum for those forums...)

This may be several issues, but maybe to begin with, can anyone tell what is going wrong with the laptop? Wondering if it is something basic like a fading CMOS battery? Or could the keyboard be giving random signals?

Thanks and looking forward to the conversation.

Flatcat47

TriggerFinger

flatcat47

Hi and thanks.
This machine has not been online in at least 3, maybe 5 years. Everything has been working fine until couple-three months ago. I'll see if its old Norton will fire up and run a check, sure.
What's a "known module?"
I'll see if I can (find and) reseat the RAM.

Not sure how much of anything I can mess with w/o a working keyboard, but I'm sure I will find out.

Flatcat47

TriggerFinger

as for the 'known module'... i mean a known working RAM. good if you have a spare or one that you can borrow. NO NEED TO BUY

same with the keyboard, use a USB keyboard if your laptop keyboard does not work.

flatcat47

Oh, yeah...forgot to mention the USB port is no longer working for keyboard or mouse....

TriggerFinger

if your USB ports are not working, may be there is really a problem with your motherboard. geez, such an expensive answer to your problem. i think you have to live the existing keyboard and pray

well i hope you can still recover your needed files without spending too much . may be it would be cheaper if you just use an external enclosure attached to a PC so you can get your files out.

flatcat47

A whu-u-u-u-t?
I have a widget that will connect a removed internal hard drive to my PC. That what you mean? Have used it to copy over files from old PC to new.
Dunno if that will work directly with Parsons Address Book 3, as I do not think it is compatible with XP.

So you think the basic problem with the Satellite is motherboard? If that's a definitive opinion, then it is probably beyond my interest/means in fixing the thing. I really can't imagine it is a virus, unless there are types that lie dormant or accumulating in effect over a course of years. But otherwise wondering what sort of thing causes random events in the machine, like all those things spontaneously opening.

Going back to my original post, I have had a bunch of ideas based on things I have read but maybe don't really know much about. Wondering if any of them are feasible. Some of these questions are hardware, some software.

---put this HDD into a working Satellite 2535CDS (~$50 on eBay). Would a different
laptop model work?

---copy the address book program and files onto another compatible laptop.
Would any laptop (or PC) running 98 accept that? Or do I need to know more or
take extra steps to make that work?

---copy the address book or the whole Satellite HDD onto a partition in the PC,
running 98

---anyone know whether these ideas would work, and how to do them?

---any other ideas?

---I also have both a copy (.ab2) and a backup (.bak) of the address book, and at least one person's idea on how to open that into a CSV document, and thence into another address program. I do not entirely understand these instructions and might like to pursue it.

Have also noticed not many people are reading this thread. Would it be more effective to post a very dry, very specifically descriptive thread title? (Some people just don't think I am as funny as I think I am....)

Thanks,
Flatcat47

TriggerFinger

flatcat47

Tried the Excel trick, only using Microsoft Works Database, which is what I have. Didn't work.
I am leaning toward getting a used Satellite and swapping in this HDD.
But there is a chance I can get a motherboard cheap. Is that a big professional-techie sort of job, or can anybody open up the hood and snap the one out and the other in?

TriggerFinger

try OpenOffice.. it's FREE. There is an Excel equivalent there... i believe it is Calc.
http://openoffice.bouncer.osuosl.org...&version=2.4.1

flatcat47

Just for whatever, here is the other guy's post on translating the address book file. (Getting away from this thread just a bit).

Note: the version of Parsons in the Broderbund package referenced below won't accept my ver. 3 backup or copy, even though it says it will and gives instructions how to import.

Dunno if the full Microsoft Office versions of Access and Excel will open files the Microsoft Works versions won't, hence making a difference in the process's success.

And lemme repeat that question: any big deal swapping out a Satellite motherboard?

I guess I am assuming that the data file referred to in Step 1 is the .ab2 file. I guess.


The Parsons Address Book is part of the PRINTSHOP 22 program by Broderbund. They renamed it Ultimate Mail Manager. It is the Parsons Address Book. After one week of trial and error, I was finally able to retrieve the Address Book data using the following steps:

1 Opened the data files into Access.
2 Exported from Access into Excel format
3 Opened the new Excel file.
Had to revise the "notes" field. Removed all extra (tabs) and (returns)
and extra spaces in the note field. This took some time to figure out that this was preventing the file from being imported.
5 Deleted the last 3 columns - They referred to other files
6 Saved as Tab delimited text file.
7 Purchased and installed the new PrintShop 22 for $29.99 at Staples
(Ultimate Mail Manager included)
Installation of PrintShop puts Ultimate Mail Manager in the following directory:
C:/Program Files/Common Files/Broderbund/UMM/Adbook.exe
I created a shortcut on my desktop so I don’t have to load PrintShop to get to the Address Book.
8 Created a new Address Book File (ie. Friends.AB2)
9 Imported the Tab Delimited text file. It allowed me to select and "Match"
the headers from two columns, the New Address Book File and the text file
(ie. First Name - First Name etc)

Once I got through these steps successfully, I was able to repeat it
for the other 10 address books.

It was alot of work until I found the right keys. Once I found the right steps, the rest was a breeze.

TriggerFinger

again try OpenOffice... it has an application there called Base which is an equivalent of Access in MS Office. Just download and install.

however if you want to spend, go with MS Office. MS Works is just limited.