Some RootsMagic7 Glitches

Yesterday I installed RootsMagic7.  I noticed several disappointments.

The problem with wrap-around text when you save a report in .txt format hasn't been fixed.  When I mentioned this yesterday to Tech Support the person I talked to brushed me off saying that no one had ever reported the problem.

The installation procedure suggested that I let them uninstalled RootsMagic6.  I followed their suggestion.  I'm not sure this was such a good idea.  They didn't warn me that the newly installed version of the program would forget all of the formatting information such as color scheme and toolbar button icon placement.  I'm not happy about that.

I installed a copy of the program on a thumb drive for the first time.  I had a new SanDisk 4Gb thumb drive on hand.  After the installation I copied one of my files to the thumb drive in order to test drive how it works. This is a very handy way to take your genealogy with you if you travel and don't want to take your laptop. I think I'll take the thumb drive to the computer club meeting to show Dale Grant who does genealogy.

Dick Henthorn
6 January 2015

HenthornFamily Wiki

HenthornFamily Wiki

Today I am pleased to announce that the HenthornFamily Wiki is once again active and available to family and friends who are interested in my genealogy projects.

The WikiSpaces company discontinued "free" Wiki space.  Rather than lose all of the information I've been sharing I decided to pay for a one-year subscription at the "Plus" level.  I haven't thought much about what features this will entail.  Perhaps the most important aspect is that the subscription includes 2GB of space.

WikiSpaces Page

Did you know that the HenthornFamily Wiki is a collaborative Wiki? This means two things and perhaps more 1) Visitors can make comments and 2) they can post their own information. As far as I know no one has done this in the months that the Wiki has been available.  Therefore, I'm not certain how this works. I'm interested in working with anyone who has the time and interest to try out this idea.

Here's the link to the HenthornFamily Wiki:

HenthornFamily Wiki

P.S.
After I reactivated the Wiki I noticed there is a problem with PDF files that I stored on the Wiki. They don't display correctly.  I think you can download to your computer.  Before I contact the Help folks I'll need to refresh my memory about how files are uploaded and stored on the Wiki.  I wonder if the problem has anything to do with the fact that my account was inactive for a while since they stopped offering the "free" space.  I'm making no promises about how soon I'll deal with and resolve the problem.  I apologize for any inconvenience.

Dick Henthorn

4 December 2014

Our Forefathers

We cannot fail to meet the same problems as did our forefathers, and learning their answers may help us to act upon them as intelligently as they did, and may even, perhaps, teach us to avoid making always the same mistakes. (Anne Fremantle, in The Promise of a New Day, 22 November)

Laptop Computer Issues

I'm using a Dell Latitude laptop and a phone line for my connection to the Internet and to AOL. Last night I experienced two problems with the computer that I don't understand. Both locked up the computer. Even though I was getting the power from the wall outlet I wasn't able to shutdown the computer when I disconnected from the power. I had enough bad experiences with personal computers to know that this is no doubt just a signal of bigger problems to come.

If you don't see me online in the AOL genealogy chatroom and there are infrequent postings to my various Blogs please rest assured, if this happens soon, that I am not ill. I'll just be back in the same situation I've been in before, no working computers in the house. When this happened before I used the computers at the public library for many months. I'm hopeful that won't be necessary.

Dick Henthorn

Tags: Computer Problems

Another Day

Another Day

Well folks I left the computer I'm using to access the Internet running all night long. This morning I'm back writing this journal note. I've survived the "perils of computing" for another day. Only time will tell whether I can continue without interruption.

Maybe Yes, Maybe No

Oh My Goodness!

I know what you are going to tell me, "Don't count your chickens until they've hatched." This morning when I turned on the Dell laptop I got a big shock. There was a strange wailing noise coming out of the thing. I couldn't turn the computer off. I suppose that's because there's a battery inside. Finally after about ten minutes I managed to get the computer booted up. I don't really understand what happened or how I got it to stop. I have enough experience to know, if it happened once, it will happen again. If it does and I can't use the computer, I'll be back "to square one" where I was for many months. That would mean I'm not doing much with computers again, until I buy one that works.

Some of you who wanted to contact me about genealogy in recent months will probably be thinking, what's changed. You're right. For a long time I haven't been responding to genealogy queries. Visitors to the website should enjoy what is available.

Please don't expect me to respond to requests for more information at this time. Thank You.