I am in desparate trouble. I have a nine file data base that tracks donations and participant activities for a non-prof that helps cancer patients. It has been running on FMP 5.5. I have to use 5.5 because that's what they have on their PCs.

This data base runs on their Windows machines, while I have been updating it at home on my Mac (OS 10.3.3, G4 Dual, 1.5GB RAM). This has has worked fine until today.

One file generates donation acknowledgement letters. Today, when I opened it and entered this week's donations, The formatting on on all of my letters had changed as follows:

Dates that used to display as May 22, 2004 now show up as 5/22/2004

Gift amounts that used to display as $500.00 now show up as 500

ZIP codes now appear like currency (i.e. 90505 is now $90505.00

I tried every trick I could think of, but could not get this to straighten out. Finally, in desparation, I trashed my FMP application folder and dug out my install disk. When I tried to open the installer my computer insisted on opening in classic mode.

I tried removing the System file from the Classic System folder, and the installer would not work. I put the System file back, ran the installer, and now I cannot open any of my FMP files in OS X - they keep defaulting to Classic. Moreover, the Date, Gift Amount and ZIP fields are still screwed up.

I have run Disc Warrior, Macaroni, Panther Cache Cleaner and Apple's Disk Utility. Everything is normal.

Can someone PLEASE tell me how to:

Get the display of these fields back to normal, and

Get FMP to run in OS X?

There are two installers for FM5.5 as I recall and if you want to install on OSX you need to use the OSX installer.

Guess I am really really confused here but, what is the OS X installer? Do I need to re-install my OS X system?

Please understand, when I mount the FMP installer there is only one install file - when I open it the system automatically swithces to classic mode.

Did you quit Classic mode first? On a real Filemaker install disk there are two installers.

Do you have a real Fileamaker 5.5 install disk? The installers are clearly titled: "Start Here Mac OS Classic" and "Start Here Mac OS X"

No, I don't have a v5.5 install disk. What I have is a v5 disk and a v5.5 upgrade disk. Both of them have a single FMP folder icon that says "Start Here". Clicking on either one of them launches Classic.

What I can't seem to get my mind around is how the heck I managed to get it to run in OS X for three months in the first place.

Oh well! If I obtain a copy of v6, and don't use any of its new features, can I still exchange files with the v5.5 PCs at The Wellness Community?

Thanks for your interest,

John

The file format is the same for FM 5, FM 5.5, and FM 6. As long as you don't use features (such as a constrained search, for example), files created in FM 6 will work fine with FM 5 and FM 5.5. We regularly have machines running FM 5, 5.5 or 6 simultaneously access servers running FM Server 5 or FM Server 5.5.

-bd

I cannot install FM Pro 6 Unlimited under OSX (10.3.8). When I run the "Start Here Mac OS X" installer it starts Classic and then says it cannot install because it requires 10.1.0 or newer! Any thoughts? Many thanks,

Stephen