Thursday, December 10, 2015

Welcome FTM Users!

Welcome FTM Users! 

With the announcement from Ancestry.com regarding the end of their Family Tree Maker Software Package, users need to consider other options.

Dear Family Tree Maker™ community,

Ancestry is proud to have made a significant investment this year to bring valuable new content and records to the Ancestry site. In 2015, we’ve made 220 million searchable historical records from Mexico available, more than 170 million pages from the largest collection of U.S. will and probate records, among others. We’ve also introduced new features such as Ancestry Academy, and major advancements for AncestryDNA.

As we strive to provide our customers with the best experience possible, we are constantly evaluating our services and product offerings. True to this focus, we’ve taken a hard look at the declining desktop software market and the impact this has on being able to continue to provide new content, product enhancements and support that our users need. With that, we’ve made the tough decision to stop selling Family Tree Maker as of December 31, 2015.

We will continue to support existing Family Tree Maker owners at least through January 1, 2017. During this time, all features of the software, including TreeSync™ will continue to work. Our Member Services team will also remain available to assist with questions or issues you may have.

These changes are never easy. But by focusing our efforts, we can concentrate on continuing to build great products for our loyal Ancestry community


There is a blog as a follow-up to their announcement: 

http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2015/12/08/ancestry-to-retire-family-tree-maker-software/

For FTM users, Ancestral Quest wants you to know that you have a home here with AQ and we will take good care of you in respect to importing your files and providing great customer service. 

AQ has received high ranking awards from GenSoftReviews and its users. AQ is available for both PCs and Macs. 

We have a special page set up to welcome FTM users here and are offering a special discount of $10 for a limited time to those who wish to move from FTM to AQ with a special discount code.

We are here to help you with the transition. 


Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!





Happy Ancestraling...Claire ;)


AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com




Monday, December 7, 2015

AQ Addon Products: Heritage Collector Suite


Ancestral Quest works well with the Heritage Collector Suite as it allows you to organize, find, share and preserve all your family history photos, files and documents and create multiple items to share with family.

According to their website, it is a complete photo mangement system that allows you to create the following:

Family Calendars
Make Storybooks
Family Videos
Label Scanned Photos
Organize Photos into collections
Family Newsletters
Create Slideshows
Create Interactive Stories

You are also able to run Heritage Collector on an Eternal Hard drive. This becomes handy when taking family trips or visiting family and friends. 

A Digital Manual comes with this program and designed for Normal People. The guide has:

Step-by-Step instructions
Screen captures to make it simple to follow
No computer language
Full color 
Downloadable PDF version

Drag and Drop photos to and from FamilySearch, Facebook and Pintrest into Heritage Collector Collections

Included are Free Webinars to help anyone at any level of expertise. Learn at your own pace when its convenient for you.

Special Introductory price includes $20 off through Ancestral Quest for $79.95.

This would make a great gift for Christmas along with Ancestral Quest!


Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!



Happy Ancestraling...Claire ;)


AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Using a Language Module in AQ



Ancestral Quest has the following Language Modules that help change the program to that particular language:



To download any of these you simply follow the instructions provided with each one. All of these language modules are available here

Here is my program in English:



To change it to "Spanish", which I don't have at this time, I would click the drop down menu at the top right and select the language I wish to install. For this blog I will install Spanish.




This is the screen that comes up:


A number of screens come up during the install, clicking on the positive responses will install the language module. Now I can change the language to Spanish and have the program in Spanish as follows



For those who need a different language it is that simple.


Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!


Happy Ancestraling...Claire ;)


AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com

















Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Turning On the Change Log

Sometimes individuals work on their Family History daily and others not so much. Regardless of where one falls in that area remembering where one left off can be challenging with the added activities of daily life.

One would open up a family file and unless it is set to open on the last person being researched, it will open to the person it is set to open on each time. 

Even if the program is set to open on the last person research was being conducted, the chances of remembering exactly what was done can be slim.

In Ancestral Quest, there is a way to turn on a 'Change Log' that records everything you have done on your family file. To do this, go to "Tools", scroll down and click on "Preferences":



Next click on the Tab that says "Database":


Once you click the box next to "Record Changes" the changes to the database are being recorded in a flat text file with enough information to help you get back on track.

To view the file being created, click on the "View" button and you'll get this:


At this point you can scroll through to the last one, you can also print the file, the choice is yours. Note that it shows you both the old data and the new/updated data or changed data. Either way it will help you as you continue to research your family lines.

Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!


Happy Ancestraling...Claire ;)

AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com









Thursday, November 19, 2015

Pre-Set Backup Location

Planning ahead is always a good thing. If you plan and follow through you can usually prevent most major problems.

Ancestral Quest allows you to designate where your files are stored. While there are default locations, you can choose to accept them or change them.

To change or add locations for all your files including a back-up file, go to "Tools" and then down to "Preferences":


Once there, click on the tab that says "Files and Folders":


At this point you are able to choose the locations for Databases, Import/Export, Backup, Reports and Web Pages. By clicking on the Browse button you can choose your specific location. Once you are done, click "OK" and you are brought back to your main family file data.

Adding the locate for your backup will help you know where they are always located. It is suggested that this be an additional device, either an external drive or a USB drive.

Enjoy the peace of mind knowing where all your files are saved to when working with Ancestral Quest.

Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!



Happy Ancestraling...Claire ;)

AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com







Thursday, November 12, 2015

Backing-Up Family Files


Each day individuals spend a major amount of time working on the Family History and/or Genealogy, some perhaps as often as time will allow. At the end of the day Ancestral Quest is closed down and it is often assumed that all will be there tomorrow or the next time you open that particular program.

Unfortunately it isn't always so. Individuals around the world have turned on their computers only to find that there has been a hard disk failure. This is a scary situation as we rely on computers as a storage place of valuable data including our ancestral families, photos and documents.

To add to this dilema, the multiple digital devices used on a daily basis to store pictures of family and friends at different gatherings, perhaps photos of tombstones from visiting the cemetery and a host of other media is stored on a large variety devices.

Without a schedule or a regular habit, years of research can be gone in moment. 



Currently the back-up process requires an individual to go to "File" and click on "Backup" as follows:


At this point you'll have to decide where to save it to. It is advisable to store backups on an external drive and/or a USB Flash Drive, this way you'll be able to have your data, etc. 


On the top right side, click the down arrow to expand your choices of where to save your backup file. I have an external drive so have chosen this as my backup location. Once you select the location, you click on "Backup" and it is complete. This is the message you will receive:


This completes your backup of your family file data. If you have multiple family files, it is suggested you do this to each of them. It is recommended to do a backup each time you finish using the program. If you do a backup once a week and have to resort to going back to that particular date, then all you have done since then would be lost if you had problem with your computer.

This simple backup can save your years of research!

Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!



Happy Ancestraling...Claire ;)

AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com













Friday, October 16, 2015

Turning On FamilySearch-Family Tree Connection



When you first download Ancestral Quest the connection to FamilySearch Family Tree is not turned on. To turn them on follow these steps:

Go to Tools and then Preferences:



On the "General" tab that appears, look to the upper-right area of the window, the following options should have a check mark:

Connect with FamilySearch




Place a check mark in the box and click OK to save the changes. Now the ability to link and sync with Family Search has been enabled. 

When viewing your database you will see a tree at the end of the name which is clickable into the FamilySearch Family Tree database.  You will have to have a FamilySearch account, it is not necessary to be a member of the LDS church to have an account and there is no cost.



Once your individual is linked, the tree changes to a blue tree instead of a clear tree.

Using FamilySearch.org to aid your research can help with locating new family members. This feature can aid you in growing your family tree.


Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!



Happy Ancestraling...Claire ;)

AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com








Thursday, October 8, 2015

The Little Things..


All programs have different ways to do things. Its usually the way the program was designed. To personalize and help make it more your program, adjustments can be made here and there throughout the program. Ancestral Quest has some of these little tweaks too.


Switching the placement of first and last names:

Some people like to have the Surname first and the First name last while others prefer to have it the opposite way. The choice is yours and it is fixed by clicking on an individual and opening up the Edit Individual Screen, then clicking on the arrows that are right between the names.





Using the arrow between spouses to interchange them:

With the click of the arrow, the individuals switch places. This is very convenient when wanting to work on a different line or to quickly change something. To fix this, one goes to Tools, Scroll down and click on Preferences:



Once there go to the bottom right and move the dot to Edits Individual:


Once you click OK, your arrow will be there!

What would you like to adjust in your AQ program? Maybe there is a way. Let us know by contacting us the best way for you, click here for contact information.

Also don't forget the Yahoo Groups where individuals using Ancestral Quest help one another out.

General Discussion Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AncestralQuest

FamilySearch Family Tree LDS Features Group: 
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AQ_NFS/


Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!



Happy Ancestraling...Claire ;)

AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com

Friday, September 4, 2015

Moved? Changing the 'Prepared by' in AQ


Most individuals at some point in their life has had to move, The process of packing up all of one's belongings, putting them on a truck of some sort and then traveling to a new home can be overwhelming and seemingly impossible and never ending.

Once you reach your new location, the unpacking begins and eventually things begin to settle down to some sort of normalicy. This whole process can take months or weeks depending on the time schedule involved.

Eventually, notices have to sent out to various places to inform them of the new address, family and friends are also notified. 

One of the places that can easily can skipped in updating an address is your Ancestral Quest Family File. It isn't something you think about or even worry about until one day the opportunity to share a Family Group Sheet or a Pedigree comes along. It is printed and there is the old address.

To fix this, simply go into Tools and scroll down to 'Preferences', like this:



Once there you'll need to click on the "Prepared by" tab:


Simply remove the old address and type in the new one and click on "OK". That is all there is to updating the program with your new address!

Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!


Happy Ancestraling...

Claire ;)

AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com







Friday, August 28, 2015

Ancestral Quest for MAC!




Ancestral Quest, including programs derived from Ancestral Quest, have served millions of genealogists for over 20 years as they have recorded and organized their family tree records in Windows.


Ancestral Quest is now available for the MAC Users

To those who have been waiting patiently, it is now available for purchase at the reduced rate of $29.95 for a limited time and for those who have been using Ancestral Quest on a Windows emulator, you can purchase the Mac version at the upgrade price of $19.95 for a limited time. The Basic version is still free but does have a number of features that are not available in this version. 

Ancestral Quest for Mac simply downloads and installs directly to the Mac, without the need for additional software. Those who have used Ancestral Quest for Windows computers using an emulator will find that AQ for Mac is the same program as AQ for Windows. To aid installation there is a short video here.

The system requirements are for OS X 10.7 or later. For additional information on this, click here.

Some of the features that come with Ancestral Quest 14 are:

  • Creating your Family Tree
  • Documenting your sources with CitePro™ Technology
  • Creating Scrapbooks
  • Creating Colorful charts
  • Color Coding
  • Search, Filter and Focus your data using FilterPro™ Technology
  • Collaboration with NetFam™ capability
  • For PAF users, true database compatibility
To see the full list, click here. To see the full Press Release, click here

Ancestral Quest for Mac is available for a limited time for the same cost as the Windows version, $29.95. There is still the free versions for both Windows and Mac called Ancestral Quest Basics.

Take advantage of this new software release for Mac Users, click here to learn more and order today!

Remember Ancestral Quest is fully FamilySearch Certified!


Comments and questions are always welcome!


Happy Ancestraling...

Claire ;)

AQ Cues & Clues Blog:http://ancquest.blogspot.com/

(c) 1994-2015 Incline Software, All Rights Reserved
 gfindlay@ancquest.com