2012/2013

If you have the 2012 TurboTax software installed then start the program.  Click on the File menu at the top left of the desktop program screen.  Click on Open Tax Return.  Browse to the location where you put the 2012 tax data file, which has a file extension of .tax2012.

Only the TurboTax software for the year of the tax data file can open the data file.

TurboTax no longer support tax years prior to 2015.

If you have a state return in your .tax2012 file you won't  be able to open it without the state program installed. You should get error 190.   If you reinstalled the old programs it is too late to get the program updates and to download the state programs. 

If you have old .tax files you can try converting them to pdf files at  Www.Taxprinter.Com 

It might be expensive.  They are not connected with Turbo Tax.  Use it at your own risk.

Thanks for the replies, I tried opening the file w/TT, it does not give an specific error, only TurboTax Error, trying to find solution and takes me to the forum with no specific solution on the page. Please confirm, other than the risk of using the unrelated SW to convert, which may or may not work, there are no options to open the file? Thanks,,,MARK

You can only open .tax files with the Turbo Tax program for that year.  The taxprinter website uses the same Turbo Tax programs.  Don't know if they use Windows or Mac.  Probably the Windows Desktop program.

Or you can try to get a free transcript from the IRS or pay for a copy.  

See this IRS website for transcripts - http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Get-Transcript

For a fee of $50 you can get a complete federal tax return to include copies of W-2's from the IRS by completing Form 4506 - http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506.pdf

See this IRS Tax Topic - http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc159.html