Preserve the original
Keep the old installation and an intact source copy. ABSVD+ reads legacy files without changing them, but preserve a second copy. ABSVD+ backups have their own format: do not overwrite new data with 7.x files or treat .bka as ZIP or full backup.
Choose the correct source
In Full backup → Import from old ABSVD…, choose the old installation's data folder if you still have it, or the Backup Area files: .bpv (Verse Wallet), .bka (notes) and .bks (underlines). Backup Area files do not include history or bookmarks. Sermons has its own separate importer.
Read the preview before saving
The preview counts new, existing, conflicting, skipped and invalid items without saving. In Verse Wallet, the same reference must not be duplicated: Merge preserves distinct comments; Replace uses the legacy comment. Old notes and underlines were tied to pages; the code reconstructs JFACF pagination, but unknown pages, header-only excerpts and unreadable content go into the report. Do not assume every offset was converted.
Synthetic reimport example
Imagine a test source with a sample note and Verse Wallet item at John 3:16. Preview new items and import. Reopen the same source: stable IDs and the Verse Wallet reference should appear as existing, without duplicates. Page reconstruction places the legacy note; check its resulting reference without assuming John 3:16. If a comment changes locally and you import a different source, compare Merge and Replace before confirming. The separate Sermons importer offers Keep my version or Replace from source for documents changed on both sides; orphaned RTF files and unsupported objects are reported, not silently converted.
Check a sample and make a new backup
Open a few imported references, a long note and a highlight; compare them with the preserved original. Also check the skipped items in the report. If the result is unsuitable, keep the source intact and your previous backup. Record the app version, source type, preview counts and report message without sharing private notes or sermons. After validation, export an ABSVD+ backup and keep the entire folder.
- Preserve the source and back up the current state.
- Select the source and review the preview/conflicts.
- Import once, reopen the same source and check for duplicates.
- Compare a sample with the legacy source and create an ABSVD+ backup.