FAQ

I want to start using My Roots. What do I do?

For information on downloading and installing My Roots, please see our Getting Started page.

Why can't I minimize, maximize, or rotate the display on my Tungsten T3?

In order to take advantage of these capabilities, you must be running My Roots version 3.1 or later, and install two additional .prc files. For details, please see our T3 Compatibility page.

What Windows software can create GED files that can be imported into My Roots?

Title and Versions	Click for More Information
Ancestral Quest, 2.1 or later
BirthWrite, 2.2	Link
Brother's Keeper, 5.2 (see below)	Link
Cumberland Family Tree, 2.50	Link
DYNAS-TREE, v220 or later [Deutsch] (see below)	Link
Family Gathering, 1.1
Family Historian, 2.1 (see below)	Link
Family Origins, 8.0 or later	Link
Family Tree Legends, 5.0 or later	Link
Family Tree Maker, 5.0 or later (see below)
Generations, 4.2/5.2/Grande Suite
GenoPro	Link
Heredis [Français] (see below)	Link
Legacy, 2.0 or later (see below)
The Master Genealogist, 4Gold or later (see below)	Link
Personal Ancestral File, 4.0 or later (see below)	Link
PRO GEN	Link
RootsMagic
Ultimate Family Tree, 1.0 or later	Link

If your software is not listed, do not assume it is not compatible with My Roots. It just means that nobody has reported on it yet.

Brother's Keeper
When exporting to a GED file to be imported into My Roots, make sure to select the "Windows" character set. GED dates should always be formatted as "25 NOV 1990", so make sure to enter all dates in this format. If your dates appear in your GED file as 25-11-1990, you'll have to edit it, and replace "-01-" with " JAN ", "-02-" with " FEB ", etc. before importing. Another option is to use BKUTIL to correctly format all dates (using "Type 2").

DYNAS-TREE
Before exporting to a GED file, go to Einstellung, Datum, set Date to "31 DEC 1995", and select "formatiert exportieren".

Family Historian
Before exporting to a GED file to be imported into My Roots, go to Tools, Preferences, File Load/Save, and make sure the "Output Family Records Before Individual Records" box is not checked.

Family Tree Maker
When exporting to a GED file to be imported into My Roots, make sure to check the "Abbreviate Tags" box.

Heredis
When exporting to a GED file to be imported into My Roots, make sure to select the "ANSI" character set.

Legacy Family Tree
Before exporting to a GED file, go to Options, Customize, Date and make sure the Month Format is set to "Abbr. Month Name". When doing the export, make sure to check the "Override Source options - include all source information" box. If there is an "Indent Gedcom Tag Levels" option, make sure it is turned OFF.

The Master Genealogist
When exporting to a GED file to be imported into My Roots, make sure to select the "ANSI" character set.

Personal Ancestral File
When exporting to a GED file to be imported into My Roots, make sure to select the "Other GEDCOM 5.5" option and the ANSEL character set (not UTF-8, which is the default). You should also make sure that "Include multimedia links" is not checked.

What Macintosh software can create GED files that can be imported into My Roots?

Heredis
When exporting to a GED file to be imported into My Roots, make sure to select the "Windows" character set.

Personal Ancestral File
When exporting to a GED file to be imported into My Roots, check the box for "PAF 2.1/2.2/2.3/2.31 on a different computer".

Reunion
When exporting to a GED file to be imported into My Roots, make sure to set the "Destination" to "Gedcom 5.5" and the "Gedcom Character Set" to "Windows".

What Unix software can create GED files that can be imported into My Roots?

Note: There is no Unix version of the My Roots Conversion Utility. GED files created using a Unix-based genealogy application must be converted on a Windows or Macintosh system.

LifeLines
To create a GED file to be imported into My Roots, from the main menu, type "r" for report generation, "simpleged" for the report name, and a pathname for the GED file to be created. You'll need to convert the Unix line ends to DOS line ends before importing. This can be done with BBEdit or the following perl command:

perl -p -e 's/$/\r/' <original.ged >converted.ged

What Windows software has been found to be incompatible with the My Roots Conversion Utility?

• DisGen - INDI tags interspersed with FAM tags
• GSP (Global Software Publishing) Family Tree - CHIL tags sometimes come before HUSB or WIFE tags

What Macintosh software has been found to be incompatible with the My Roots Conversion Utility?

• MacFamilyTree - Cannot export to a GED file using the ANSEL Character Set
• SeeGEDCOMX - INDI tags interspersed with FAM tags

What Unix software has been found to be incompatible with the My Roots Conversion Utility?
None so far.

I run the My Roots Conversion Utility to import a GED file on my Mac, and it seems to work correctly. But when I install the .pdb files that were created using The Missing Sync, they don't work correctly in My Roots. What can I do?
This is due to a bug in version 4 of The Missing Sync for Palm OS. The problem has been fixed, so if you're using The Missing Sync, make sure to upgrade to version 4.0.1 or later.

What's a good book to read when getting started with genealogy?
We recommend How to Do Everything With Your Genealogy By George G. Morgan

Can I run My Roots from secondary storage (e.g., Memory Stick or SD card) or store my data there?
Yes, My Roots can run from secondary storage, as long as your handheld is running Palm OS® 4 or later or supports the Virtual File System (VFS). If you want to run My Roots from secondary storage, make sure to install both the MyRoots.prc and MyRootET.pdb files into the /PALM/Launcher directory.

You can import data and store it on secondary storage by either:

• Installing the .pdb files into the /PALM/PROGRAMS directory, or
• Installing the .pdb files into main memory, and then using the Move function to move the database to secondary storage

How big can my GED file be for importing using the My Roots Conversion Utility?
The My Roots Conversion Utility is set up to import at most 10,000 people. The unregistered version of My Roots will let you create only 20 people, and will let you import only 50 records (each person and each event counts as 1 record).

How can I evaluate the trial version of My Roots if my GED file contains more than 20 people?
You can do one of the following:

• Enter data manually on your handheld for up to 20 people
• Create a small GED file that is a subset of your data and then import it (most desktop genealogy applications allow you to "mark" some people and then export to a GED file only those that have been marked)
• Import from one of our sample GED files, which are available on the Downloads page