Accessing files saved in the Textmaker format

[Pyrrhonic]

I'm having two problems with Textmaker:

First, I used the trial version for a while, and saved some important files in the proprietary format. Now, the trial version has expired and I cannot access those text files, even through Notepad... I really need to get at these files somehow.

Second, I have a number of text files saved in the TM format, but I suppose they were from an earlier version of TM -- when I tried to open them (before my trial version expired), it told me that they couldn't be read due to being out of date versions.

This, especially, irks me, since the one file in particular was a longstanding journal file that I simply edited in TM. Now I cannot access it.

Any advice? I really need to get at these files, they're full of years of writing and important school notes. I do not intend on purchasing TM, though -- this has difficulty in transporting what should be plain text has turned me off completely.

[WolfUK]

Have you emailed SoftMaker and asked their advice? That would seem to be the best place to start.

Failing that I am sure that somone here will offer to convert your existing files and perhaps look at the legacy ones too.

[yankeejeep]

It is too late to tell you to set TM to save files in Word format, but that is one of the options you can select. One of the first things I have learned to do is to check trial apps to see if they can be set to save their files in a format another program can open. I learned the hard way not to commit vital docs to a format I haven't decided to acquire. SoftMaker may even offer to convert them for you if you get in touch with them.

Another option would be to download a trial of TM for Windows and convert the files to another format on your desktop machine.