act 2000 database crash, need help with exporting email addresses of contacts [ Edited ]

[bostongee…]

We have an ACT! 2000 database which got corrupted.

What I'd like to know is, which file are the email addresses stored in  (the contact field). The reason I'm asking is that I've exhausted all the other steps and a $250.00 export is out of the question budget-wise. Here is what i've tried so far.

1. act diag - all options (all green checks)

2. deleting all .x files, and all index files (rebuilds the indexes, but refuses to open)

3. convert to newer version (external module error in Act 2012)

4. open .dbf file in excel, and export to CSV, and then import into Act 2012 - THIS WORKS but the email addresses are missing!

my question is, where are the contact email addresses stored. I'm hoping they're stored in a file I can view in notepad/excel and do a csv export from.

[Roy_Laude…]

No such luck. The email addresses are stored in the BLB file and if the database isn't able to be opened there isn't any way to retrieve them. The export program wouldn't help if the database itself is corrupted. We do have a database repair service and the evaluation would be free but the actual cost of repair would likely be more than you would want to pay.

[bostongee…]

Any advice how to work with BLB files? are they a CSV list that's linked to a record ID that can be manipulated? How do you guys work with them?

[Roy_Laude…]

It's a modiform of a linked list file. The file extension stands for Binary Large Object and it was used for anything that didn't fit in the typical field structure of the ACT! database. For example the file also contains the body of all the notes and history. Without the rest of the database the BLB file is just a blob.

[bostongee…]

Thank you for your reply. That is very unfortunate. I guess our client will have to cold call 1800 people and re-acquire those email addresses. Its not the end of the world I guess; good reason to follow up.

[chieff]

Do I understand you to say it's cheaper to call 1,800 people to get their e-mail address rather than spend $250.00 to export the data out?  Or is the database corrupted beyond recovery and the e-mails are not recoverable even using the $250.00 export tool?

[GLComputi…]

That's what I was thinking, Kevin ... it's one of those cases where people value their own time at $0

Maybe, the other option to look at is to have the database repaired (this will also cost) and to implement an automated backup