The disk does not have the most updated version on it, regardless.
Why do you need to access an income tax return that's circa 28 years old?
Good luck. You could try the TaxPrinter service (not connected with Turbo Tax) to convert a .tax file to pdf at
They might be expensive and it is probably not safe to email tax returns back and forth.
OR get a copy from the IRS -
Nevermind. The Taxprinter website doesn’t have 1997. They say….
Known exceptions are TurboTax 1997, 1999 and TaxCut 2005 files which we can't read for technical reasons. TurboTax 1998 and 2002 files may show only the tax summary and the Form 1040.
Transcripts: Return transcripts are available for the current year and returns processed during the prior 3 processing years.
Returns: Copies of Forms 1040, 1040A, and 1040EZ are generally available for 7 years from filing before they are destroyed by law.