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brycepunk
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Q: Appleworks 5 to Pages (iWork '08)

Hi all,
I have about 800 separate documents I've written over 8+ years on my old iMac and G3 using Appleworks 5.0.3 (Classic Application.) I am trying to get them onto my new iMac with iWork '08, but after transferring the files I get this when I try to open them:
"The document was created with an unsupported version of AppleWorks."
I tried adding ".pages" to the files but that doesn't work. I've downloaded any pertinent updates for this computer. Now I am at a loss. The Mac people at the store told me I shouldn't have any problem getting my old text files to the new computer, but alas...

Anybody else have this problem? Is there an easy solution? Thanks for the help.
-bryce (computer illiterate guy)

imac, Mac OS X (10.5.6)

Posted on Feb 19, 2009 7:01 PM

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brycepunk

Q: Appleworks 5 to Pages (iWork '08)

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  • by Peggy,

    Peggy Peggy Feb 19, 2009 9:56 PM in response to brycepunk
    Level 8 (38,947 points)
    Applications
    Feb 19, 2009 9:56 PM in response to brycepunk
    Pages, Numbers & Keynote can only open AppleWorks 6 word processing, spreadsheet & presentation documents. They cannot open any AppleWorks 5 or ClarisWorks files & cannot open any AppleWorks database, paint or draw documents.

    You will have to use something to convert those AppleWorks 5 files into something Pages (or Numbers for spreadsheets) can open. Probably the best option is to get AppleWorks 6 as this would also allow you to access any database, draw or paint documents. You could try eBay and do a search for "AppleWorks" or "Apple Works" (some people put a "space" in the name). Hardcore Mac sells AppleWorks 6.2.4.

    icWord & icExcel by Panergy Software can open AppleWorks 5 documents & save them as AppleWorks 6. Also, MacLink Plus by DataViz is another option.

  • by brycepunk,

    brycepunk brycepunk Feb 19, 2009 10:03 PM in response to Peggy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 19, 2009 10:03 PM in response to Peggy
    Hi Peggy,
    Thanks for your reply. Basically you're saying that I have to buy a program for my essentially dead computer to use once in order to convert all these files? Wow... For an $1800 computer they sure don't like to make it easy to get stuff from the old one, huh? (Mac will be getting a pleasant letter from me about this absurdity.)
    I'll take a look around for this version 6. I appreciate your help with this.
    -bryce

  • by brycepunk,

    brycepunk brycepunk Feb 19, 2009 10:32 PM in response to brycepunk
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 19, 2009 10:32 PM in response to brycepunk
    Another idea? I dug around on google and some folks mentioned getting appleworks from the Panther discs, which I happen to have right here. Is this possible? The discs say version 10.3.
    Can I even safely put these in my computer without them re-writing my entire hard drive? How would I go about this if it's even possible?
    Thanks again.
    -bryce

  • by dwb,

    dwb dwb Feb 20, 2009 8:26 AM in response to brycepunk
    Level 7 (24,467 points)
    Notebooks
    Feb 20, 2009 8:26 AM in response to brycepunk
    There are two ifs here. The first IF is are your Panther disks the restore disks from a consumer Mac (iBook or iMac) - in other words, are they grey? If you have a commercial Panther installation disk it doesn't include AW. The second IF is was the computer manufactured while Apple still sold AW? At some point Apple stopped including AW with its consumer Macs but I don't recall when that was.

    If both IFs are true for you let us know and I'll let someone else tackle the installation question. I know how to do it but I'm not sure enough of the steps to describe them accurately.

  • by brycepunk,

    brycepunk brycepunk Feb 20, 2009 12:53 PM in response to dwb
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 20, 2009 12:53 PM in response to dwb
    I want to thank you all very much for your help. I did manage to find a solution, as tedious as it is:

    1: Add ".txt" to the end of each individual file.
    2: Open file in TextEdit.
    3: Copy text to clipboard
    4: Paste in a new Pages document, change the font, then erase all the new characters inserted by the computer (extra spaces, weird letters, etc.)
    5: Save.
    6: repeat. 1200+ times.

    I figure it'll only take me a weekend. I can not believe how absurd this is. I emailed Mac and let them know how I feel.

    Again, thank you for your help.

  • by dwb,

    dwb dwb Feb 20, 2009 1:08 PM in response to brycepunk
    Level 7 (24,467 points)
    Notebooks
    Feb 20, 2009 1:08 PM in response to brycepunk
    I cannot believe you find this preferable to spending $20 for a utility that can open the files and save them as Word documents and, I believe, do it in batches as well. You are certainly welcome to write and complain to Apple but to be honest, I was grateful to have the ability to open AW6 files. You certainly have the right to not keep current with software upgrades, I don't buy every upgrade. But I also know that I am taking a chance that the choice will backfire on me as it has on you.

  • by brycepunk,

    brycepunk brycepunk Feb 20, 2009 7:47 PM in response to dwb
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 20, 2009 7:47 PM in response to dwb
    Hey, thanks for the reply again. I did some digging and did find that program for cheaper. Originally I was finding it for $50, which I do not have. I can scrounge up $20 a bit easier. Thanks again.

    (Apple still was written regarding this matter because it's absurd, but that's between them and I now.)

  • by jpwh,

    jpwh jpwh Mar 16, 2009 5:00 PM in response to Peggy
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 16, 2009 5:00 PM in response to Peggy
    Hi, Peggy!
    I was just reading your post about changing all old Appleworks files to Pages documents. Almost all of my old Appleworks files are AW6; is there a way to get my MacBook to hunt all 500 of them down, open them with Pages, and save them to the same folder they came from, then close? (on to the next, and so on).

  • by KOENIG Yvan,

    KOENIG Yvan Mar 17, 2009 7:34 AM in response to jpwh
    Level 8 (41,790 points)
    Mar 17, 2009 7:34 AM in response to jpwh
    Go to my iDisk:
    <http://idisk.me.com/koenigyvan-Public?view=web>

    Download for free:

    For those with AW6 files
    For_iWork:iWork '08:forNumbers:batchAW6SS2Numbers.zip
    ForiWork:For_Pages:batchAW6WP2Pages.zip

    For those with AW5 files + AppleWorks 6,
    For_iWork:iWork '08:forNumbers:batchAW56SS2Numbers.zip
    ForiWork:For_Pages:batch_AWWP2AW6.zip

    And for those with AW5 files without AW6, it's your own fault.
    There is no law forcing an editor to support a product dead since nine years.
    Have you tried to listen old 33rpm disks with a CD reader ?

    Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE mardi 17 mars 2009 15:30:37)