It's unfortunate, but IT concerns like backup media and file versions are very real for professionals in a lot of industries. It's just like if you saved all your old files on a JAZ drive and need to get it back. You'd better hope that someone has a JAZ drive on eBay... or that you updated the technology as you went and are now able to keep going.
Technology maintenance is a very real thing, no different than any other maintenance task. If it's done regularly, it's just a little annoying. Put off for a long period, it's now critical and work-stopping. No matter how big or small your company is, it's an overhead expense that you will have sooner or later. If you choose "later", be ready to pay interest and late fees
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If you take the plunge and upgrade your projects any time a major jump happens (like with AC10), it will save you headaches in the long term. You can easily hire a college student to just sit and upgrade all day long (assuming you have a spare key).
Tom Waltz