Someone I know imported my old Simply Accounting files to Sage 2010.

The file imported fine, then they created a backup (CAB) file for me from 2010.

I still can't use this backup file in Sage 50 Pro 2016, it gives me a new error message.

This is really frustrating Sage - why did you make it so difficult to work with your own legacy products?

It's like they completely dropped all legacy support in the 2016 product. Gee, thanks Sage. This is perfect.

This is the first I have heard of it. Until Sage can get back to us to let us know what is going on, you can use Windows Explorer or WinZip to extract the files from the cab backup file manually. Then you should be able to open it in your version of Sage 50.

Make sure you keep the folder structure when you extract or the database will not function properly.

I tried extracting the CAB file but I'm getting the same result.
"You can open this file if an earlier version of Sage 50 (Release 2014.0 to 2015.3) is also installed."

I would say you have to call Sage support. They took the trouble to write the error message, but not throw in the conversion DLLs.

Throw this dead cat back into their yard, they should deal with it.

This might be part of the consultant's training that is going on right now but no one is talking about this being an issue in our community. I don't know what might be the problem, so I am hoping someone from Sage will jump in here and provide an answer. This message to me means 2016 can't even convert a 2010 file and that's just weird.

Another option would be to talk with your accountant and see if they will do a quick conversion for you.

However, I just tested a conversion of a Pro 2010D file to 2016.0. I have been waiting about 15 minutes now for the final user interface to show up. It's still running in the Windows Task Manager and still changing the memory level so it is still doing something. There may have been more problems with the 2016.0 release than just the Payroll module crashing when updating the Enhanced view balances.

I have run into this when moving files from Sage 2009/2010 into the current version. There were some major changes made in 2014 (removal of Crystal reports) and I have found that data files prior to this period would not open in Sage 2015 after a direct upgrade, however if I upgraded the data in my 2014 version and then tried upgrading it from 2014 to 2015 it worked with no problem. I would recommend trying to find someone with a 2014 version and see if they can 'translate' your data into something Sage 2016 can read.

There is a knowledgebase article 68836

The functionality to update from 'obsolete versions' has is not included in the 2016.1 version.  

Probably Sage couldn't get the old conversions to run reliably on newer versions of Windows, and chose not to update them.  The 'Business Performance' screen of the Daily Business Manager (which has been broken for a number of years) has also been pulled out, probably also not worth the resources to fix it.

But Sage 50 still runs on Vista(tm)!

Thanks everyone, I did manage to get it converted finally after talking to Sage support and they sent me the 2015.3 download link. Had to install the 2015 version on another machine, import and convert my Simply 2007 company file.
(it actually converts the files through every release, one year at a time - 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and so on - craziness - took 15 minutes).

Then I had to overcome the issue of the username & password which I'd never used before.
Found out through this forum that it's "sysadmin" plus the password that I entered during the database conversion.
(thanks for that Sage! /sarcasm)

Then I could finally open and convert that company file on the 2016 release.

I have to say this conversion was a MAJOR hassle - it should not in any way be so difficult.
Shame on Sage for taking away critical compatibility features - that's some real BS I tell ya.

I have to say - I do not like where this product is heading.
I paid $90 for Simply Accounting 7 and it was rock-solid for over 15 years.
Today's price is almost triple that for 2016 Pro, and it's looking like Sage is going to shake me down every year for several hundred dollars in upgrade fees.

Any now my accountant won't be able to open my company file (v2016) until HE upgrades too!
I wonder if QuickBooks would have been a better move?

Jason Bellis said:

I wonder if QuickBooks would have been a better move

If you dislike being regularly 'shaken down' for spare change, then... no - they're on a "You stop paying, it stops working" subscription model.