FTM 2010 and Windows 7 Netbook

[Rockford]

Hi,

Much to my surprise, I'm in the midst of an IT revolution and have just bought a netbook, which we plan to use for general web surfing and (if my wife will let me take it out of the house) for my family history wanderings.

We have a desktop PC that is nearing the end of its life, on which I currently store everything (backed up to an external drive). On the PC I have a version of Family Tree Maker from about 2005 that came free with a newspaper

I've heard that the 2005 version of FTM might be a bit wonky with Windows 7 and was planning to cash in some vouchers we have to buy FTM 2010 to use on the netbook. However, given that my experience with both FTM 2010 and netbooks is limited, i wondered whether anyone else has run the programme successfully without any unwanted mishaps.

The netbook is a DELL Inspiron mini, with 1GB RAM and a 200GB+ hard drive (which appears to meet/exceed the system requirements), but as my technical know how is definitely limited, I'd appreciate any advice from anybody who has used FTM2010 on a netbook.

Best wishes

Brian

[Currie]

Hello Brian,

Here’s something about installing FTM to a Netbook.
http://ftm.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/ftm.cfg ... _topview=1

Here’s the System Requirements for FTM2010. http://ancestry.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/an ... faqid=4952

Genealogy programs are pretty undemanding on computer resources, or should be, and it should run without any problems. I think I’d be a bit worried about the small screen and how FTM2010’s minimum and recommended resolutions of 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768 actually translate into readability and usability.

Actually it would be interesting to hear from anyone who has used any sort of a regular Genealogy program on a Netbook.

All the best,
Alan

[LesleyB]

Hi all

I've used Legacy on an eeepc - no problems.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Rockford]

Hi Alan & Lesley,

Alan - thanks for the links. I hadn't thought about the implications of the screen settings, but as I see that the interface is different in the 2010 version from the 2005 version, it's something to think about.

I'm always talking about writing up some of the stuff I've found and having it on the netbook will make it easier to do this. I'll probably be flicking back and forward to check information, rather than entering loads from scratch, which might be easier on the eyes. Once I've decided whether to go ahead, I'll report back!

Lesley - thanks for letting me know that it's possible!

Best wishes

Brian

[Rockford]

Hi,

A quick update!

I'm now running Family Tree Maker 2011 on the netbook and so far, no issues. It's still quick and the screen size is fine. It took a while to get used to the new FTM layout, but I've adjusted this to suit how I want to use it. The only issue I'm having is that the new program does sources very differently. I can also now search Ancestry direct from within the program, which has had a couple of screen size issues depending on the type of record, but nothing using the scroll bar won't fix.

Now as for not using it for inputing a lot of data - I'm on holiday this week with a free six months' ancestry subscription!! I had to go for a walk round Holytown cemetery today just to get some air!!!

Brian

[LesleyB]

I'm on holiday this week with a free six months' ancestry subscription!! I had to go for a walk round Holytown cemetery today just to get some air!!!