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Questions: 200LX and MacBook?

Mitch
Mitch Page Icon Posted 2022-06-22 3:33 PM
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Hi everyone. New to this site and have been searching for some answers regarding my hp200lx. I hope to get some guidance here. Below are my issues.

I had seen youtube videos regarding the HP200LX and found them very interesting. I have been using this palmtop since the 1990's when it came out. I have an enormous amount of info on my device and I'm not sure how to backup and transfer some of this info.

Here are a few of my questions which I hope you can help with.

All my Quicken files can I save them to my Apple MacBook with the notes included?

Can I import Lotus files to Excel on my MacBook?

The transaction report in Quicken is there a way to transfer this to my MacBook.

I don't have any connectivity pack to have HP200LX talk to my MacBook.

Most of my data is on a flash card (which is about the size of a credit card). How do I transfer to MacBook.


Any solutions you may have to these problems would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Mitch
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Jake Page Icon Posted 2022-06-22 5:33 PM
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Welcome here, Mitch.

I am unfamiliar with Lotus/Mac, but for transfers, I would buy a 64-128mb compact flash card (you can go larger, but they can be buggier in the HP) and a PCMCIA adapter. Both pieces of hardware are very inexpensive these days. If you don't have one, you'd also need a USB multi-adapter that has a cf slot (to transfer to desktop). Again, inexpensive.

Besides, your flash card, by definition, is very old, and could fail at any moment. That sounds as if that would be big trouble in your case.

Depending on the number of files, it could be tedious transferring files-on-flash to HP to cf. Unless all your files are already in the HP. Worth the hassle, though.

Perhaps someone in the forum, versed in Lotus, can offer help for your import issues.

Again, welcome here,

[Mitch, could you do me a favor? Could you repost your post in a fresh Palmtop forum thread? That way, it stays on-topic and allows more people to see and answer. Once you do so, I'll edit this thread appropriately. Thanks.]

Jake
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Mitch
Mitch Page Icon Posted 2022-06-23 4:36 AM
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Jake,

thanks for your prompt reply.

regarding the slot in the hp200lx, I do have an adapter with a 128mb memory card (A: drive) which is where all my info is. My big issue is that my largest file (quicken checkbook) is about 1.2mb and my hp has 2mb of ram and I'm not certain that if I copy file to C: drive that there would be enough room because of system RAM. If there was, then I could make copy to another 128mb memory card. Ultimately I want to import this file into a more recent program like Quicken but I'm uncertain how to do that. My big fear is that my hp200lx crashes and I have no way to read the file. If it was in Quicken, I would feel very confident with the backup.

Sorry for the long message, but I need some help.

If I was to repost this in another thread, could you suggest which one?

thanks again,
Mitch
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Jake Page Icon Posted 2022-06-23 3:11 PM
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Hi, Mitch,

Just start your own new thread in the DOS Palmtop with the appropriate heading (eg: Lotus/Mac/Transfers/Import Help). Cut-n-paste your original post from here, I'll cut-n-paste the rest.

As for your file concern, yes, you're in a dilemma of size vs available memory. One thing would be to install DOSbox on your Mac ( https://www.hermocom.com/8-cat-hplx/74-cpackm1.html ), then install CPACK ( https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-4044.html -- there is a link there for downloading a readymade CPACK for DOSBox). This would assume that you have the HP serial cable; would that be correct? If so, CPACK will be able to read your flash card and transfer the files (slowly) to the desktop.

If your HP crashes, that's not the problem as much as the file damaged on the flash card because of the crash. If you close out the HP Manager and go to pure DOS, you'll free the most memory possible for attempting the file transfer. This would be for a HP-to-cf transfer. For CPACK, you'll need to work with HP Manager.

There once were desktop adapters with an actual PCMCIA slot. Haven't seen them in a while and they may be expensive if you do find them.

Jake
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C:Amie Page Icon Posted 2022-06-23 4:45 PM
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I have spun this out into its own thread. Subject: Questions: 200LX and MacBook?.
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Mitch
Mitch Page Icon Posted 2022-06-25 5:09 AM
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To all,

My main issue is how to I backup my hp200lx quicken file (on Drive A to my MacBook. I'm concerned that if my palmtop crashes I'll be unable to read file.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
Mitch
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ntware Page Icon Posted 2022-06-25 10:44 PM
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I guess the easiest way would be to find a pcmcia to USB adapter and then connect the card straight to your MacBook. You will see a new volume on Finder and from there you will be able to copy your files.
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ntware Page Icon Posted 2022-06-25 10:47 PM
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Something like this might do the trick:
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Jake Page Icon Posted 2022-06-25 11:28 PM
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Nice find, ntware. I remember looking for such an adapter and finding them much more expensive.

Mitch, another workaround is to find someone with a PCMCIA slot in a legacy computer. This would depend on the geekiness of your immediate circle of friends.

Jake
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Mitch
Mitch Page Icon Posted 2022-06-26 10:53 PM
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Guys,

Thanks. I think I'll be able to copy file but need more modern program like quicken to open file so I'm not solely dependent on HP200lx. I'll call quicken next week to see if import of my file (with QDT extension) is possible into quicken which recognizes QIF extension. Given that Hp is almost 30 years old, it may not be doable.

thanks again.
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michelbel Page Icon Posted 2022-06-26 10:58 PM
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When I need to convert old spreadsheet files, I tend to use LibreOffice. This can still read in old Lotus files, and export as Excel - where Microsoft has removed old import functions a long time ago.
Some years ago a made a batch file to convert 100's of ancient WordPerfect files to modern MS-Word files using LibreOffice,

Oh, yes, repairing broken (even modern) MS Word or Excel files can also be done with LibreOffice.
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Mitch
Mitch Page Icon Posted 2022-06-28 1:35 AM
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Jake and others,

I just realized that there is no reason to try to import my quicken file from hp200lx to newer quicken version on Mac. All I have to do is create transaction report (probably by year) on hp200lx which can be read in memo and saved and import that file to excel on Mac where I can manipulate data. This will solve my problem.

Thanks again for all your help.

Mitch
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Jake Page Icon Posted 2022-06-28 2:29 PM
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Glad you got it sorted.

Jake
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