PLEASE HELP! CAN'T INSTAL FMP 5.5 ON OS X

[John Chamberlain]

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?

[bruceR]

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.

[John Chamberlain]

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

[John Chamberlain]

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.

[bruceR]

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"

[John Chamberlain]

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

[LiveOak]

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

[StephenBD]

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