Q: Can I transfer appleworks databases to some other app in order to print mailing labels?

Pages can read AW word documents; Numbers can read spreadsheets; but, as far as I know, nothing can read a database like that. Appleworks has not been supported since Lion was introduced (mid 2011).

If you can still run AppleWorks you can export as ASCII and import into Bento or other database programs, but you will lose all formatting and calculations will come over as the result, not the calculation. Nothing will open an AW database file.

If you have upgraded to Lion/Mountain Lion and have AppleWorks documents you cannot open, then you should be able to install Snow Leopard on an external hard disk and start from that (provided that the Mac did not come with anything higher than Snow Leopard originally installed); and success has been reported in running Snow Leopard under emulation in Parallels - the method is described here: it seems complex; however Snow Leopard Server is available in the Apple Store (by telephone) at a reduced price (at the time of writing) and this makes the process a lot easier. I haven't tried either method: use at your own discretion. You can then run AppleWorks as an emergency measure.

Information on replacement dabases here:

http://www.wilmut.webspace.virginmedia.com/notes/aw/page5.html

but, again, you have to export from AW first.

Can I convert my AW6 docs to iWork '09, then convert the iwork docs to pages & numbers? In other words, how do I come into this century if I have AW6 word, database & ss docs? I can open almost all of my ss docs with Numbers, but NO word or db docs with Pages or Numbers. What is the best way to open my word & db docs?

• Word Processing documents can be opened directly in Pages 4 (AppleWorks 6 only) but this is no longer available - the newPages 5 (Mavericks required) does not open AppleWorks documents. Panergy Software's docXConverter v3.2 ($19.95) can convert Appleworks 5 and 6 Word Processing documents to RTF (though it has been reported that it can only handle documents which contain only text, not those which include images or frames). The latest version of the free LibreOffice has announced that it can open AppleWorks 6 Word Processing documents: it does appear to be able to handle at least some embedded images.

• Draw Documents can be opened directly only in EazyDraw (the more expensive version from their website, not the cheaper one from the Mac App Store, and you will need v4.0 'Retro' not the most recent version) or Intaglio (though this appears not to be able to handle very complex drawings).

• Spreadsheets can be opened directly only in the older versions of  Numbers - the new version for Mavericks will not do this. The old version is no longer available.

• Presentations can be opened directly only in the older versions Keynote again the new version for Mavericks will not do this. The old version is no longer available.

To use other programs, or open Painting or Database documents at all, you must export from AppleWorks first. Nothing will open AW database documents.

If you have upgraded to Lion/Mountain Lion/Mavericks and have AppleWorks documents you cannot open, then you should be able to install Snow Leopard on an external hard disk and start from that (provided that the Mac did not come with anything higher than Snow Leopard originally installed); and success has been reported in running Snow Leopard under emulation in Parallels - the method is described here: it seems complex; however Snow Leopard Server may still be available in the Apple Store (by telephone) at a reduced price and this makes the process a lot easier. I haven't tried either method: use at your own discretion. You can then run AppleWorks as an emergency measure.