RESTORE BACKUP

If you got a new laptop that means you are running win10 as an operating system, if that is not true, let me know

Win10 will not load QB2003, 2015 was the first version to work on win10

You will need to buy a current version and then step up the back up file since it is so old.  Typically you can restore the back up to a newer version that is 3-5 years newer.  Then make a back up, do it again in still a newer version. rinse and repeat until it will restore in the current year version.

Doubtful you can find folks who still have those really old versions still installed and in use.

Beat bet is buy QB from intuit and have intuit step up your company file, or start a new company file from scratch

I have QB 2003PRO installed and it works.  I just cant get it to restore backup file I have on a flash drive.  it goes through the process but once I get to insert disk it just keeps repeating the command to insert disk.

Any suggestions?

I'm having the same problem, but my backup file and my QuickBooks version are both 2019, which should be supported by Windows 10.

Hello there, @Afterthales. Welcome to the Community.

Let's fix the error you encounter while restoring a backup copy of your company file in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT). 

Before we start, I'd like to verify if you encountered a specific error while restoring your backup company file. Any additional details are appreciated for me to provide the appropriate resolution for this matter.

You're unable to restore your backup company file may be because of the following:

• The company file name includes special characters ( / < > ! $).
• The backup was restored over an existing company file.
• The backup was restored from a USB flash drive to a network drive (Error -6189, -816).
• The backup was made in a newer version.
• The file you're trying to restore isn't an actual backup file.
• The company file is compromised.

First, let's remove special characters (/ ! $) from your company file. To do this, here's how:

1. Search for the location of your company file. Note: See search for files using Windows if you need additional help locating your file.
2. Right-click the file name and select Rename.
3. Create a file name that has no special character and Enter.

Once the error continues, perform the solutions in the order shown in this article: Get help with Error: Failed or Error: Restore Failed.

Also, you may want to check out this article as your reference to know more about the versions of Windows 10 that are compatible with QBDT: Which Windows 10 version works best for QuickBooks Desktop?.

Please feel free to leave a comment below if you have other concerns about restoring a backup copy of your company file in QBDT. I'm always ready to help. Take care, @Afterthales.