Family History software

DO NOT GET SUCKED INTO BUYING AN MH SUBSCRIPTION. You WILL regret it.

Countless horror stories from that lot, basically the consensus is that they harvest tree data with little regard for content. They have NOTHING that isn't better on other sites.

Having had my Rootsweb tree 'harvested' by Ancestry many years ago I am now very wary of having another online tree anywhere. Placenames were altered - Mx (Middlesex) became Mexico, West Ham, Essex became West Hampshire, USA etc,etc....and hidden personal data was exposed without my knowledge and as I didn't have an Ancestry subscription at the time, I became powerless to correct the errors. The tree has finally been removed, but only after some 10+ years of correspondence with Ancestry and copying by name gatherers. (For those who bothered to contact me, I corrected all the mistakes!)

 

My advise is keep you old computer and the reunion software . It be might slow and need updating but it still works .
Buy a new computer . You can take you time learning use to the new computer and software . When you are ready you can copy the everything to the new computer . Also make a separate back up on a usb stick or external hard disk .
I am now using Ahnenblatt which free to download. work well with the FT Analyzer.
It is from Germany so are some of my ancestors .

 

That's the conclusion I have come to in the past, but it's only a matter of time before my elderly computer dies.....and I am not sure whether Reunion will still work with a newer version of Windows. (It work with Windows 7)

 

I use FH and version 5 was great. I upgraded to V6 and had problem with the automatic link with My Heritage. I should have ticked a box disabling it before I downloaded the upgrade. However, thanks to the forum I managed to disable this function. I find that FH is more than adequate and I probably won't use most of the functions as like you Chrissy1 I am not very computer savvy, and I don't have a lot of patience to work my way through problems.

PS What annoys me about the My Heritage smart matches is that I usually have more information about my ancestors/relatives than the smart matches. Also, as mentioned before you get a free subscription to begin with but this soon expires and I don't feel inclined to pay for a subscription to give other people information about their ancestors which I have taken years, time and money to accumulate.

 

Hi Chrissy just a quick response really on computer compatibility with old FH programs, and your Reunion (of which I have no knowledge sorry) in particular. You are extremely lucky to get such a vintage program to work with anything beyond Vista, and then only in compatibility mode. My own Family Tree Legends (FTL) of similar but not quite vintage, refuses point blank to work in Windows 7, compatibility mode or not. To get Reunion to work is Windows 8 (or its upgrade 8.1) may well be a bridge too far. I will let others recommend a modern FH program but, as you will learn, there are pros and cons to each and like your Reunion, people cling to those they have long used and love as will be made clear. Good luck anyway.

 

AVOID MY HERITAGE like the plague, the best advice you will get on the Forum as I am sure others will reiterate and there are been a fair few posts on the subject if you do a search.

 

Thanks, Bob. I will cross that one off my list as I have noticed that several people are dissatisfied with MH and if I am going to use a program which links to a site, I would be better off with Ancestry, to which I already subscribe. Unfortunately it seems as if I will need a new family history program before my computer finally gives up the ghost. I feared that could be the case. Not sure what you mean by 'compatibility mode', though.

Does anyone know if Generations succeeded Reunion and if so, what has since replaced it?

 

Legacy Family Tree is user-friendly, will do all these things and more. You can download the free Standard Version here http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/. It is the up-to-date version, free, not time-limited - use forever if it suits you. Buying De-Luxe version for about $30US unlocks some advanced features like mapping and more varied Reports.
I have never used Reunion so can't compare.

 

I've been using LEGACY FAMILY TREE since version 4 ... a long time now! Before that, Brother's Keeper for DOS was great, but IMHO did not cope well with transition to Windows. Perhaps John Steed has got over that bump now! I do really, really miss the BK Four-Family Descendant Chart. Haven't found another program to provide anything similar.
During the transition to Legacy, I had a short brush with Family Tree Maker, but at that time I found it very expensive, upgrades every year at quite high price, and each one seemed worse than the last. Maybe FTM also has got over that bump!

I may be moving from PC to Mac in the next year or so, and possibly running both computers in tandem for a while . Someone said earlier in this thread, that ancestry provide FTM for Windows/Mac. Does that mean, a different version for each OS? And is the database fully transferable from Windows to Dos and vice versa - or does one have to export/import via gedcom?

 

I've been using Legacy for many years and, thanks to Cathy, but also to Alexander (albeit via FTA), have learned to get much more out of it since joining this forum. On reading through the interesting posts about software in this discussion, I'm puzzled by Jonathan's remark above (posted about 2 years ago!) about irritating links to other people's spurious research. I've never once in all my Legacy years ever had a link to other people's research, spurious or otherwise. I think the remark could more fairly be pointed at Genes Reunited.

 

Isn't Reunion only available for MAC now? I think the version for PC disappeared long ago and was poss replaced by Generations.....though I could be wrong..........and the link does seem to suggest it's for MAC or i-pad only. If there is still a version for PC, then that will do me! Thinking out loud here - I wonder if GenPro developed from Generations which I seem to think may have succeeded Reunion?

Alexander, you mentioned that Windows 10 is due out soon and mentioned a free upgrade. I assume I wouldn't be eligible since I still work on Vista purchased whenever I last replaced my computer. However, my husband recently purchased Windows 7, so perhaps he could get a free upgrade (and give it to me?) How would I set about getting the upgrade?

 

You will usually only come across this if a program refuses to work in a Windows edition that is not FULLY compatible. After failing to install you may get a message asking if you want to try compatibility mode? You say yes and it will then ask you to choose a Windows mode that worked previously. Hopefully there is one and it will then load and you get the chance to see it is working or the opportunity to try again with another Windows edition. When (and hopefully if) it is finally running the program header will usually show (Compatibility mode) but to all intent and purpose the program will work OK. I have one or two 'old' programs (not all genealogical ones) running in compatibility mode.

You can if you wish elect to run any program in Compatibility mode or 'Troubleshoot Compatibility' for any program on your computer. As you say you are not over familiar with computers best leave both for another time, but do no hesitate to ask if you want to know more.

 

If you are familiar with Ancestry and have (or set about creating with a Gedcom) a Tree -Public or Private - you may be best advised to buy its own FTM Program as Alexander suggests. Then as mentioned by Alexander -and by Peter on many occasions in his Newsletters -you can take advantage of the free 6 month Ancestry subscription, or extended subscription in your case. The two programs then sync so that the information added into one is automatically added to the other. FTM can take a little getting used to, but with use it sort of grows on you and knowing that every time I add something new in Ancestry it can be synced into FTM is a real bonus.

 

Thanks, Bob, Much appreciated, but as you say I am not over familiar with computers (understatement to put it mildly!!) and you have lost me here. However, I may return to this when I have decided on a plan of action - poss 1) New computer and 2) new family history program

 

I know Reunion's archaic, but I am TOTALLY USELESS with computers, so I have been too scared to try anything new and I have no idea how I am going to transfer the data. If there are 2 options, I always choose the wrong one as computer logic doesn't appear compatible with the way my brain is wired. (I think Peter invited me to join the forum so that he could evaluate how technophobes cope, so I appreciate your patience! It took me several days to find the way in to the forum.....but that's another story)

However, the advice I have received has inspired me to download a free copy of Legacy and Roots Magic, to see how I get on. I would also like to try out FTM since I use Ancestry as my preferred site, but can't find a free download.
Can someone point me in the right direction or give me a link, please?
(I have never downloaded anything before - always scared it would be some kind of scam, but I trust personal recommendations) My next problem will be to transfer the data from Reunion, as I haven't seen any instructions for doing this, but perhaps I haven't got to that point with Legacy yet. Still trying to fathom out what the given options mean and which buttons to press before I can progress. Normally I would simply type in all the data again, but with 25+ years' research and 40 different trees/branches, this isn't an option......

Also, I have a Worldwide Ancestry subscription, but the free trial is only for basic UK as far as I know - does anyone know if can it be upgraded if I purchase FTM? However, I want to try it out first and see if I like it, as the ease of use of the program is of paramount importance to me.

Many thanks for everyone's help so far. It has inspired me to take the plunge at last and replace Reunion.