This isnt a fixbut may help you in the meantime...
You can turn on show links in the display rollout (right at the bottom) which will give you something that looks like the old max bones.
Have you tried copying and pasting the object class from a bone to your dummies in the trackview? That may work.
Damn Eric. Since I had pointers inside the dummies that would have worked. But its made for max 5. I tried it in 7 and it just gives an error on startup.
Here's another possibility... export to FBX then re-import. Should convert your dummies into bones. Some of the bones may be sideways though. I used this to convert a Biped into Bones a year ago, might work with Dummies...
Replies
You can turn on show links in the display rollout (right at the bottom) which will give you something that looks like the old max bones.
Have you tried copying and pasting the object class from a bone to your dummies in the trackview? That may work.
charRigger is one
http://www.comet-cartoons.com/toons/maxscript.cfm
PuppetShop
http://www.keesrijnen.com/
Here's another possibility... export to FBX then re-import. Should convert your dummies into bones. Some of the bones may be sideways though. I used this to convert a Biped into Bones a year ago, might work with Dummies...