Convert WDB file to SQLite

Off-Topic
1

My mothers computer just died and she had tons of data in Microsoft WORKS (version 6) I believe…
She is dumping Windows in favor of a new iMac for Christmas (and Works is no longer a viable solution)

But I need to convert her Works database files (WDB) to SQLite. From what I can tell… in Works version 9, MS used the ACCESS format (which I CAN translate)
but prior to that was something “else”. I have found a 6 to 9 converter… but it seems to be a Works Addin not a stand alone solution.

Anyone have any ideas? I have 245 of these files to convert

2

Not sure if it still works, but few months ago we used this MS Works Converter you can find here: http://www.rl-conversion.com/index.htm
For several files it’d be no problem, don’t know if converting 200+ files would be that much fun with it.

Thought of installing Windows in virtual machine on new Mac and use on old stuff or 1:1 convert old hard disk to running virtual machine with VMWare Converter or Virtualbox?

3

At last, and if you do not find a better / faster solution, you can install the free VirtualBox (https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads), Works and run Works from there / translate from there.
I have that works, but I do not install it in VirtualBox.

4

Stumbled over this one too: http://www.codealchemists.com/worksdatabaseconverter/

Havent tried it yet but looks promising.

5

I have a Win7 machine available… but no way to install WORKS (downloads have disappeared from the NET it is so old)

6

[quote=51616:@Thomas Rottensteiner]Stumbled over this one too: http://www.codealchemists.com/worksdatabaseconverter/

Havent tried it yet but looks promising.[/quote]

Must be broken… click the LAUNCH button and nothing happens

Thanks

7

I did manage to recover enough files from her trashed disk drive to get MSWORKS running on my WIN7 machine…
It is MSWORKS 4 (thought it was 6)… so CSV is my only export source… I was hoping to translate DB format to DB format

even if I had to go from WDB -> Access -> SQLite

8

None seem to retain forms or logic - which makes sense as WDB forms may not move to other formats
Table structures might

MS has an official converter (not sure what version of works you had)
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=12

And they have docs on how to convert wdb’s to Access
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;q197894

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/officeversion_other-office_other/converting-works-9-wdb-to-access/0486c4dc-acf6-433e-abba-33fba7b6fe7f

OpenOffice may be able to open WDB files
However it seems to require an installed version of MS Works

There’s an online converter
http://www.mydigitallife.info/convert-microsoft-works-database-wdb-to-csv-or-excel-without-works-installed/

9

Those solutions either don’t work (broken links)… or require MSWORKS 6+ (I stated I have 4), or require you also have MSACCESS installed (ie. the one that says export as dBaseIV then load into Access)

10

The last one said “no Works required”

Works Database Converter is useful when users only has the database file created by Microsoft Works, but without the program to open the DB. Works Database Converter can convert old Microsoft Works Database (*.wdb) files (e.g. MS Works 3 and 4) into a spreadsheet compatible with all versions of Microsoft Excel. The data extraction is done on a ‘best-effort’ basis, which works reasonably well provided that you only have one table of data per file that you process. Some compatibility may affect numeric fields.

11

clicking the link in that page does nothing but reload the same page… Do you think I didn’t at least TRY your suggestions?
Or do you think me stupid enough to just ignore them and deem them unworthy?

12

I’d think you might say “thanks for trying to help but I tried all that and they’re not live either”
Apparently I was wrong to expect that.
At least I know what to expect and will act accordingly in future.

13

I was no more rude than you not paying attention to my post that replied your suggestions originally.
While this is a forum for helping others (one which I contibute a great deal to)… my biggest peeve is when people respond without READING the question or subsequent replies made by the original poster.

You posted those links. I replied they either DID NOT WORK, or required a version greater than I had… infering that I had tried them and they did not constitute a viable solution. Your post further indicated you had not read my response when you said “I don’t know what version you have”, after I had clearly stated that I have MSWorks 4, and most solutions required MSWORKS 6 or above.

Oh… and thanks

14

The last one actually seems to work( it doe grab the JNLP file & when you have Java installed actually runs)
But since I don’t have a WDB file to try ….

yer welcome

15

[quote=51667:@Dave S]I did manage to recover enough files from her trashed disk drive to get MSWORKS running on my WIN7 machine…
It is MSWORKS 4 (thought it was 6)… so CSV is my only export source… I was hoping to translate DB format to DB format

even if I had to go from WDB -> Access -> SQLite[/quote]
you know that CSV is good to import data; you only have to define the sqlite Records/Columns/Display/Import stuff…

Not really a great deal for simple csv files - unless the original db use sophisticated stuff. Like Norman said: without having (the) WDB file…

16

Thanks for the attempts folks… but converting 245 files manually into CSV then into Sqlite is a lot of work

And regardless of if that website works for Norman or not is a non-issue, since it does not work for me (and yes I have Java installed)

17

The website doesn’t work for me either
From it you download the JNLP
Launch then THAT runs the app
It launches here on OS X but I have nothing to convert so I can’t tell beyond “it launches”