Questions:
1 - What are the common Cobol file extensions?
I don't believe there are any particular, or known extensions for cobal.
It's likely to be whatever the time of the day the original developer chose.
however there is a library a file extensions here
http://www.file-extensions.org
Extension File type description
.acu Machine independent COBOL object
.atc GT Thin Client command file
.cbl Cobol language source code file same as COB
.cob COBOL programming language source
.cobol Micro-Focus Cobol
.cpy Cobol Include
.gnt Generated code (Micro Focus COBOL/2)
.inn Micro Focus COBOL/2 : Overlay
.int Signature - Micro Focus COBOL/2 : Intermediate code
(semi-compiled)
I suppose when you run the software on the old machine, you can look at the
startup, often the manufacture name or the makeer of software does up here
briefly when these programs launch (just like you see MS access flash by
when it launches). even an old offs programs, an old tech space systems, it
was, to see some startups tough appear right before the program starts to
run.
Note that the above list seems to refer not to the data files, but the
actual programs and code extensions used. however, there is of course the
process of elimination, solely above list might be helpful to you.
2 - While file extension 'may' contain the actual data?
What I would do in the above cases simply fire up some file and disk
utilities that can open up and view files, and see what's inside of them.
when you look at the file, you should be able tell the ones that are code,
source code, or even the buyable to tell which ones have date in them.
There is a a terrific "HEX" file viewer here for free:
http://www.hhdsoftware.com/Family/hex-editor.html
3 - Can Access import these files and confert to Access format?
You *might* be able to.
The easy ways is to look for some export utility built into the original
package. Often some of these packages will have a Lotus 123 export, or
dBase export of some kind. And, often sometimes they have export options
when you're viewing a report (or you can send a report to a text file).
So what you do is you print a report of everything of one file,
and then use that for your import.
The hard way is to actually to the HEX editr, and open up one of the files.
You then decipher the actual file format used. Often, this can be difficult.
If you're a software developer, or programmer you'll likely have a better
shot at this because in the past you likely written software where you write
out data out in some proprietary format. Using that HEX editor would
give you this an answer in a matter of minutes as to how hard, or how easy
this is going to be. As mentioned, the first suggestion to look at some kind
of export or reporting utility. If that isn't a possible approach, then
there is other ways to skin a cat.
In one case
many years ago I had to take some data from an old machine, and we did
NOT have any software to read the data off of the machine. In fact, the
machine was not even dos based. What we did was use a
serial printer, and on the other end we actually palced a comptuer in serial
caputre mode. In other words we used a computer for the printer, and
captured the printer output into a file. We then were able to take that
printer output and convert it into a database. thankfully, that old
software, had some nice column are report's to print out information that we
needed, and that we did not want to re-type (it was about 10,000 records I
recall).
I think Douglas suggestion to use a hard drive enclosure is a great idea. In
fact some of those older drives are so big, they will not fit in a new
enclosure. Don't even go for an enclouse. Most of your local computer shops
will have a USB to IDE/STATA cable for about twenty dollars. This cable
comes with a power supply brick, and you can hook up notebook hard drives,
new STATA drives, and IDE hard drives all with this cable. It is USB on the
other end (so, hopefully you have a modern computer with USB2 ports on
it).
Since I do just about near everything on an notebook now, then a
external drive cable for pulling data off of clients machines, managing my
older computers, and just being able to read all the hard drives sitting on
my computer "bone yard" shelf is the cats meow. I simply can't state enough
how indispensable, and how useful it is to have such a cable with which you
can read a hard drive without having to place it in a mahcine, or even an
enclouse.
4 - Any utility that may help me at least get them to comma delimited
format?
There are a number of so called file reading, and file sweeping utilities on
the market that will do this kind of job, but I've never used one. Be aware
that if your data in some of those files is a fixed length, then if you have
any coding skills it's quite easy to pull that data out. In fact some of the
files might be actually directly imported by the access import wizard. This
of course assumes that the format is fixed length on those files. If
data is fixed length, then if the access import wizard can't import it, then
you can write the code directly in access to do this -- but this
assumes you have good access VBA coding skills.
AND...
5 - A few of the files were so large they wouldn't fit on a 1.44 MB
floppy. There is no other way to get the files off the old 486 machine. I
used the DOS Backup command to capture each file to several floppy disk...
BUT... it seems Windows XP doesn't have a Restore command that works with
the old DOS Backup files !!!???
As mentioned, use a drive enclosure or drive cable that you can plug the
drive into. The hard drive them will simply appear as an extra
5a - Anybody have any ideas on how to get the files to an XP machine?
5b - If we connect the old DOS Hard Disk up to an XP machine as a 'slave'
or 2nd drive... will Windows XP read the old disk format??? (what ever it
is?)
ah, bright question! All the above I said answers this (yes...just put the
drive in as slave on your new box, or golem purchase one of those cables).
5c - Anybody know a news group that may provide some help on this topic?
Well you've got two parts, you got a bit of the hardware part of pulling the
drive out and placing it into another machine. Then, you got the issue of
deciphering the data that you find on it. a really good place to get some
help with some of this kind of stuff is find and hunt down one of your
local computer clubs. You find lots of people who can do this stuff,
and furhtermore, you might even
some old-timers that have even used that software.
