I am unfamiliar with a BDM database. Is it a genealogical program?
If it is a list of Birth, Death and Marriage dates, then it is easy to preserve this database as an independent file.
It would depend on what the file is in, especially how you can get it out. If it is in a word processor, then many common word processors will import each other files. There are even good free word processors such as OpenOffice.org. It is a very good but a very large file (Word procesor, spread sheet, etc ). The word processor is great.
If it is in a obsolete word processor then you could preserve the file by printing it from that word processor to a PDF file. (Many free PDF printers that work like paper printers that are available and have been discussed in this forum )
The PDF printer options could be used with any software that you are using where you can print to a printer.
Knowing more about the BDM file will assist in helping you get that information into something that you can use if you upgrade.
If it is a list of Birth, Death and Marriage dates, then it is easy to preserve this database as an independent file.
It would depend on what the file is in, especially how you can get it out. If it is in a word processor, then many common word processors will import each other files. There are even good free word processors such as OpenOffice.org. It is a very good but a very large file (Word procesor, spread sheet, etc ). The word processor is great.
If it is in a obsolete word processor then you could preserve the file by printing it from that word processor to a PDF file. (Many free PDF printers that work like paper printers that are available and have been discussed in this forum )
The PDF printer options could be used with any software that you are using where you can print to a printer.
Knowing more about the BDM file will assist in helping you get that information into something that you can use if you upgrade.