>I'm an end user (not a programmer) who inherited an OLD Turbo Pascal
>compiled application.  The data file is not straight text, is about
>230k, and is indexed.  Because of a power outage, I think the previous
>user got the record pointer stuck at the end of the file, or the file
>still open.  No backup exists.  The tools within the application to
>"fix" a file don't work.  I get "access denied", or "file in use".

>The program seems to work OK.  If we add a record, it appears to the
>program as the only record.  But a browse of the data file shows that
>other records exist.

>What can I do?

>P.S. It's a run-time application, and the original developer is unknown.

> >Please forgive me.  I know this is probably not the right place to ask
> >for help, but I'm not sure where to turn.  Any direction anyone can give
> >me would be appreciated.

> >I'm an end user (not a programmer) who inherited an OLD Turbo Pascal
> >compiled application.  The data file is not straight text, is about
> >230k, and is indexed.  Because of a power outage, I think the previous
> >user got the record pointer stuck at the end of the file, or the file
> >still open.  No backup exists.  The tools within the application to
> >"fix" a file don't work.  I get "access denied", or "file in use".

> >The program seems to work OK.  If we add a record, it appears to the
> >program as the only record.  But a browse of the data file shows that
> >other records exist.

> >What can I do?

> >P.S. It's a run-time application, and the original developer is unknown.

> What it sounds like is the indexing has been corrupted (perhaps due to
> the power outage) and no longer recognizes the original data in the
> file.

> Does the program offer any option for regenerating the index?  Do you
> know if the index is stored in a separate file?

> If so then a possibility might be to delete (actually, just moving it
> somewhere else temporarily is probably prudent) the index file.  The
> lack of an index may force the program to recreate them.

> OTOH, depending on how the program was written, the lack of an index
> may just hopelessly confuse it.

> I'm afraid there's no other single/simple answer to your question
> (other than give up and start over with a more up-to-date program).

> Without knowing how the program was written; what libraries may have
> been used; the internal structure of the data file; it's hard to be
> any more specific than that.

> Do you have access to the source code for the application?  Do you
> know anything about the internal format of the data file?

> Stephen Posey
> slpo...@concentric.net

>Stephen Posey wrote:

>> On Sat, 03 Mar 2001 10:11:43 -0600, Bob and Sherry
>> <Fishinbudd...@centurytel.net> wrote:

>> >Please forgive me.  I know this is probably not the right place to ask
>> >for help, but I'm not sure where to turn.  Any direction anyone can give
>> >me would be appreciated.

>> >I'm an end user (not a programmer) who inherited an OLD Turbo Pascal
>> >compiled application.  The data file is not straight text, is about
>> >230k, and is indexed.  Because of a power outage, I think the previous
>> >user got the record pointer stuck at the end of the file, or the file
>> >still open.  No backup exists.  The tools within the application to
>> >"fix" a file don't work.  I get "access denied", or "file in use".

>> >The program seems to work OK.  If we add a record, it appears to the
>> >program as the only record.  But a browse of the data file shows that
>> >other records exist.

>> >What can I do?

>> >P.S. It's a run-time application, and the original developer is unknown.

>> What it sounds like is the indexing has been corrupted (perhaps due to
>> the power outage) and no longer recognizes the original data in the
>> file.

>> Does the program offer any option for regenerating the index?  Do you
>> know if the index is stored in a separate file?

>> If so then a possibility might be to delete (actually, just moving it
>> somewhere else temporarily is probably prudent) the index file.  The
>> lack of an index may force the program to recreate them.

>> OTOH, depending on how the program was written, the lack of an index
>> may just hopelessly confuse it.

>> I'm afraid there's no other single/simple answer to your question
>> (other than give up and start over with a more up-to-date program).

>> Without knowing how the program was written; what libraries may have
>> been used; the internal structure of the data file; it's hard to be
>> any more specific than that.

>> Do you have access to the source code for the application?  Do you
>> know anything about the internal format of the data file?

>> Stephen Posey
>> slpo...@concentric.net

>No source code, just the .CHN files and .COM files.   The internal file
>format is a no-go either.  I can see the text portion of some data, and I
>know the field names and field formats, but that's all.  There are enough
>special characters and junk to know that's it's not something I want to
>experiment with, without knowing more about it.

>It looks like a newer version of the application (which uses a different
>engine) and lots of retyping will probably be the answer.

>> Without knowing how the program was written; what libraries may have
>> been used; the internal structure of the data file; it's hard to be
>> any more specific than that.

>> Do you have access to the source code for the application?  Do you
>> know anything about the internal format of the data file?

>> Stephen Posey
>> slpo...@concentric.net

>No source code, just the .CHN files and .COM files.

>I'm an end user (not a programmer) who inherited an OLD Turbo Pascal
>compiled application.  The data file is not straight text, is about
>230k, and is indexed.  Because of a power outage, I think the previous
>user got the record pointer stuck at the end of the file, or the file
>still open.  No backup exists.  The tools within the application to
>"fix" a file don't work.  I get "access denied", or "file in use".

>The program seems to work OK.  If we add a record, it appears to the
>program as the only record.  But a browse of the data file shows that
>other records exist.

>What can I do?

>P.S. It's a run-time application, and the original developer is unknown.