>1) I get the dreaded "resource file version mismatch" before the first line of code executes in main (put in a wait window that is never displayed). Where should I put the SYS(2005)? (I assume you meant 2005 not 2019).
>

Actually, I did mean 2019. I was thinking that the resource=off in your config.fpw might not be working because you may not be using that config file. You can do the 2019 at the beginning of the main program. For the config.fpw it won't matter that it's not opening the resource file.

>2) Applied your changes to the vfp "open". It allowed me to double click on the pjt and open VFP5.0 for some short period of time. Then for some reason it started reverting back to its old behavior: Vfp5 does open, but then i get "unrecognized command verb" and the project comes up in a prg type window (not project manager) with the unprintable characters.

Weird. Did you go back in to see if your changes are still there? Maybe something is changing that file association (I can't think of what, though).