Some DBF repair tools:
http://www.oemailrecovery.
http://www.dbfdoctor.com/
http://www.dbf-repair.com/
You can find many free tools also.
Main Topics
Browse All TopicsGood Morning Everyone,
I have a client who is experiencing an issue with a Dbase III program. One of the dbf files is not working correctly. It stops the program with the error "Not a Dbase database".
I am able to pull the dbf file and look at it in a viewer. Any thoughts on how to make this database work with Dbase again? I am not a Dbase expert at all, so all help is appreciated.
This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.
Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.
If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.
Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.
Access the answers to your technology questions today.
30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.
Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Try it out and discover for yourself.
30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.
Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.
Some DBF repair tools:
http://www.oemailrecovery.
http://www.dbfdoctor.com/
http://www.dbf-repair.com/
You can find many free tools also.
I don't agree the first sentence. If you open dBase III file in VFP then it does not change the file type (means the first byte of the file) during data updates and you still can use it in dBase III again and again. The only exception is dB III incompatible structure change of such file in VFP.
If you dont agree then you should provide some example of VFP data manipulation command which can confirm your theory.
Business Accounts
Answer for Membership
by: pcelbaPosted on 2009-10-27 at 09:01:50ID: 25673994
dBase III file structure is restricted in many ways. New DBF viewers can read DBF files beyond the limits defined for dBase III (e.g. number of columns can exceed 255, size of text data greater than 254 characters, slightly invalid DBF structure is allowed etc.).
You may download some DBF repair or DBF fix utility (Google provides many links) and test your DBF for structure and data consistency or you may post the DBF file here to let us look and tell more about it. (DBF must be renamed to TXT and zipped before posting.)