ProTool - versions and conversions

Dear experts,

Busy in a company where they have a lot op panels once configured and programmed with ProTool. For security and data integrity they want (the project for) the displays to be changed, so I need to get back in time . The same question for the projects configured with WinCC flexible (in another topic)

Long time ago I have programmed displays with ProTool and at that time we had the experience that a newer version of ProTool could result in a problem that the engineer on site couldn't open it anymore. The project of the display should be opened and loaded with the same version for every engineer.

After opening and save the project in a higher version the project is changed (and not longer to be opened in the original version).
And there is my question:
- What does the conversion-tool do with the project, can it change for example the layout of the screen?
- Or change the functions used in the screens with the buttons, etc?
- How to know if the panel in the older versions of ProTool created are still avaliable in the 'newest' version?

For the job now it is not clear in which version the projects have been created, according documentation of one of the projects ProTool V5.2 sp2 is used as for another project it was ProTool V6.0 sp2. And we don't know if the version mentioned in the documentation is the actual version of the project  last saved. And yes, we don't have all the versions of ProTool available.
- So how do we discover what is going to be changed to the project(s) when opening (and save) the project with the latest version of ProTool (V6.0 sp5 I presume)?
- Are all versions of ProTool able to be converted directly to the latest version of ProTool or do we need versions in between?

Most of the HMI-panels are still working and replacing them with TIA-WinCC-panels is not an option. Some of the production equipment does have an EOL in our company, but will be in production for 2 or 3 years, so we need to change the projects for Log-In procedures (Active Directory instead of local) and data integrity. We will use Virtual Machines for OS and Programming-tools.

Other equipment will have a longer lifetime and for those lines we need to replace the panels for new types, for example replace the MP370 for the TP1500.
Is the way for conversion to be followed as:
- Check what will be changed when opened with ProTool V6.0 sp5 and save it in that version.
- Open this project with WinCC flexible 2008 sp2 and save it as a WinCC-project.
- Open this project in TIA-portal V14 and save it as a V14-project.
- Open this project in TIA-portal V15.1 and change the type of panel from MP370 to TP1500

with regards,
Willie

 No one can help me with some information? 

I will divide the questions in parts

part 1)

After opening and save the project in a higher version the project is changed (and not longer to be opened in the original version).

And there is my question:
What does the conversion-tool do with the project:
- can it change for example the layout of the screen?
- or change the functions used in the screens with the buttons, etc?
- or change for example the layout of graphics?
- How to know if the panel in the older versions of ProTool created are still avaliable in the 'newest' version?

Do you mean if you change from one Protool to a newer one?

In this case I never made the experience that the screen was changed or so. It always worked. But we used OP7 and OP17 sometimes OP25/27 Panels.

With other panels I have no experience. You can save your old Protool-file before you convert it. Or rename and check the project after translation.

Regards