Ancestry.co Free 48 hour trial over weekend - anyone have problems

[Sue1]

I was just about to re-join ancestry, where I keep my Tree, when this "free weekend" popped up so I availed myself of it!

I have never been so disappointed - the screen wouldn't change, things couldn't be copied other than E-mailing them to my husband's computer and he E-mailing them back to mine from whence I copied them manually. It was so slow it was boring! I had to keep logging out of ancestry and logging back in when it "froze".
I suspected ancestry was still having problems - I e-mailed them and said how disappointed I was and that I appreciated they had had recent problems and would be hoping more people would now join but if others had had the same experience as I did it would have the opposite effect (for the record, I was nice about it!)
As I keep my Tree on ancestry it is the one place I really do want to become a member and it is normally so easy to use and I actually like the website for the most part.
They replied and feel the problem is with my computer! They may well be right and have given me a list of things I should do to it - I, of course, do not understand a word of it!
I just wondered before I start "messing with the computer" whether anyone else had problems with this free offer. I thought the system had probably been overloaded by so many people using the offer (I remember Genes Reunited crashed spectacularly when they did it some years ago).

Sue

[Guest]

Dont know what browser you are using but they do say if you are using Internet explorer 8 or 9 you may have trouble so you could either update that or try Googlechrome .

[Sue1]

Dont know what browser you are using but they do say if you are using Internet explorer 8 or 9 you may have trouble so you could either update that or try Googlechrome .

Yahoo but it doesn't say which number - any idea where the number may be hiding?
If I was to change to Google Chrome which seems to be the "thing" would I still retain "favourites" etc?

Am wary of messing with computer as I have had total mishaps before!

Sue

[vera2013]

Sue I have IE11 and have used Ancestry frequently over the weekend without any problems. My daughter did load Google Chrome onto mine recently as she said it was quicker but I found it difficult to transfer my favouries and if I remember they didn't appear or function in the same easy way as with IE. I went back to IE.

Vera

[Sue1]

I have tried to see what number IE I have - just can't find out!! Must be a secret.
I notice anc.co, which I tried this morning is really slow for me still, so when I find out how, I will probably give google chrome a go. It seems rather odd that everything else on the computer is working OK - E-mail is a bit slow though but it always does have its moments and the keyboard is sticking (note to self not to eat sticky buns when at computer). The other thing I was told to upgrade was the "Flash Player" - that conjures up all sorts of things BUT I suspect we are talking Adobe Flash Player. Looked at that - can't see how to do anything to alter it.
I am using a laptop Windows 7 Professional - could that be the problem - I also have a normal keyboard plugged in as cannot type on laptops and a big screen fitted so that I can see the wretched thing!

Sue

[vera2013]

This should tell you which browser you are using

http://whatbrowser.org/

I have Windows 7 think its Home something - not Professional

Vera

[Chrissie Smiff]

Have you got a little cog wheel at the top right of your screen Sue? It's just underneath the red cross for closing down. If so, click on that and see whether it says 'About Internet Explorer' (at the bottom). This would mean that you are using IE (Internet Explorer) as a browser. If it does - click on 'About Internet Explorer' and a box will come up telling you which version you are on. I don't think Ancestry works very well on anything lower than version 10 but if you are on Windows 7 I would think that you would already be on that. I am on IE11. and everything works fine.

p.s. I sympathise as I am always wary of change because I seem to mess things up. I tried Google Chrome once but I hated it.

[Sue1]

I am on IE 11 apparently and it updates automatically as there is a tick in a box to tell it to do so.
I am going through the list of what anc.co advised to correct the problem and all my settings so far are exactly what they should be. Things like Adobe Flash and IE update to a new one automatically when necessary.

[Chrissie Smiff]

I can't understand it then Sue - sorry.

[DoctorGeoff]

I tried it and found it slooooow. And it still had the same Ancestry problems of asking you to set a lot of filters (year[s], places. spouses name[s], etc - and then not using any of them.

I have not forgiven Ancestry for a total screw-up over a tree on MyFamily (which suddenly became owned by me, and not by the person who paid for it). They came up with all sorts or reasons (always blaming someone's computer, which varied every time the questioner changed, and where they were located (US, Canada, UK) but were never able to fix it (more reasons).

I use the latest version of Firefox on a machine running Win 7, 64bit, pro. But i also check out problems on an Apple iMac; one desk, two monitors, two keyboards

I think that someone else will get my money (as long as I can get to Ancestry via the Library, or a family History Centre).

Geoff

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Sue, do you stay logged on to Ancestry? If so, try logging out and then sign in again a couple of times.

I had a problem a couple of weeks ago when I renewed a sub to a site - it no longer worked properly and wouldn't open up the pages for me. Of course, they said there was nothing wrong with the site and gave me a long list of unintelligible things to do to the computer. One of these was prefaced with - "log out, do bla bla bla and then sign in again." I logged out (which I don't normally do) and then went straight in again entering user name & password and I got in straight away, the screens opened up to let me see the images and I've had no problems since. (I think it would have been one of Bright Solid owned sites.)

Jay

[Sue1]

I hadn't really had a problem with anc.co until this BUT I actually could be blaming them incorrectly - I have been through their checklist of optimal settings for the computer which are all correct and update automatically and nothing has changed BUT I have also noticed that my internet explorer keeps becoming unresponsive when using it for anything - I suspect, in my case, this is the problem and I am going to change providers so Google Chrome here I come!

Sue

[Sue1]

Hi Jay, I usually stay logged in to Ancestry but not unless I am having a lengthy session. Over the weekend I had to keep logging out, even in the middle of something because everything just stopped and I couldn't continue. Nearly drove me potty. Apology notices kept appearing so they must have known something was wrong (it was particularly noticeable when trying to add the actual census picture to the Tree) - they kept saying "we have run into a snag - refresh your page". This to me meant hitting F5 - no idea if that was correct but what I have noticed is that in some cases things and people have been added x 2 to the Tree! All or nothing it would appear - haven't had a chance to look at the whole thing yet. This Tree has been nothing but trouble from the start but a lot of work has gone into it and I haven't finished yet.
It crossed my mind that my now defunct (it only worked for a short time then suddenly stopped) FTM may have a part to play - first time I have accessed anc.co fully since then. As far as I could tell the FTM rejected the Tree because it had trouble dealing with media which I took to mean pictures (I lost a couple in the process) - my other two Trees are still linked but have done nothing on them recently to know if it is working but current Tree does not appear on FTM list of Trees any longer so is perhaps totally disconnected. I noticed, worryingly, over the weekend that some of the pictures are "blanked" - I hope they are going to re-appear.
I am going to change to google chrome and see what happens - can always change back to Yahoo if not happy.
Sue

[GallowayLass]

I reckon the answer was probably so many people going on for free that ancestry's servers could not cope. Not that they'd admit it though so they'd tell you the fault was your pc/browser etc. Wouldn't be the first time!

[Chrissie Smiff]

I agree Sue - I would hold fire before you make any changes that you might not need.

[Sue1]

I went into anc.co yesterday and had a good look around at my Tree - very disappointingly it is somewhat "messed up" by what happened over the weekend. Everytime I had tried to enter something, ancestry came up with a message "whoops, we seem to have hit a snag - refresh your page" so being an obedient soul I did so every time they asked ..............I now have numerous same entries for each person - that certainly was ancestry and I was only doing what they said.
I am so fed up now, having just spent almost a year transferring a large part of another Tree to amalgamate with this one and checking that I hadn't duplicated anything very carefully and now this happens. Am going to have a rest from the whole thing for a while and probably not going to take out a membership for ancestry although it really would be the easiest route for me and normally so easy to use plus I can look at others Trees (not that I am nosey!) If I every finish the Tree I shall never be able to look back at it and feel it was a labour of love - it has ceased to be that. I had hoped in the future to avail myself of ancestry's service to make a Tree into a ?book - quite frankly I wouldn't trust them to tie my shoelaces at the moment.

disappointed and disgruntled Sue

[Guest]

Sue why dont you email or ring ancestry they may be able to help you.

[Sue1]

Sue why dont you email or ring ancestry they may be able to help you.

I have Val ............... they responded rapidly and told me I am not using the optimum setup with Yahoo on Windows 7 professional.
I took their advice and have changed to google chrome (this is what they recommended) and although, because the "free 48hrs" is over I cannot fully access ancestry to fully test new setup, I was having a brief look around to see how much I had got to remove/put right on the tree (absolutely loads) after the disastrous error over the weekend (not my error I now definitely know). Tonight I decided to change an entry on one of the family (something from personal knowledge not from ancestry), typed it in, entered it and when the screen came up again, it had gone!!! I used F5 (this is what ancestry screen had told me to do when using the free offer (and repeatedly told me to do) and I have ended up with the same thing added up to 3 times on their repeated instructions to refresh I now know to my horror). Therefore there IS still a problem and it is most definitely not at this end AND I had been using Windows 7 professional and Yahoo for yonks while doing the tree ON ANCESTRY and not ever encountered this before AND it also worked with my old setup when I had a years membership.
I desperately want to join a website and ancestry, for me, would work well because I find it easy to use - ie find the information and add it to my Tree. I have just spent months transferring part of my Tree to another so that the whole thing is amalgamated - absolutely loads of pictures individually transferred and I suddenly find the Tree is messed up! I would like to move the Tree off ancestry at this precise moment because I have lost faith in its safety but that will involve individually moving 100s of pictures.
Right now I wish I had never started down the genealogy route.
[It is also obvious that they knew something was wrong at the weekend because the sign "Whoops, we have encountered a snag" repeatedly came up and repeatedly asked me to use "refresh".]

Despondent............very despondent.............and fed up. Sue

[Guest]

why dont you put a query about this on the Family tree Board I am sure somebody will help you.

http://www.familytreeforum.com/forumdisplay.php/56-Family-Tree-Software

Dont you have a Tree programme like Family tree Maker ? you could export your tree from Ancestry and save it then import it into that for safety, for now.

[Sue1]

I have put the original query on FTF.
I do have FTM and I had 3 Trees connected to it - however, the Tree that is in trouble now (the most important one) for some reason suddenly disconnected from FTM - quite a while ago. I changed the name of the Tree hoping that would help but it wouldn't re-load to FTM (it said it was having trouble uploading media and couldn't do it - I lost a couple of pictures then also but was lucky enough to be in Ireland again to re-photograph the grave which was in the photos I lost). I gave up trying to re-load it in the end so the Tree is unprotected! Maybe there is something odd about the Tree that is causing all these problems but if there is, I fail to see what it is - it is a perfectly normal Tree the same as the other two which remain connected to FTM. If I exported a Tree from Anc.co that was attached to FTM, the pictures wouldn't go with it - I have just spent months transferring/amalgamating two Trees and then individually transferring hundreds of pictures - I was just finished and was literally about to join as a paying member of Anc.co when their free offer came up and the problems appeared with the site.

I have E-mailed anc.co for a second time this evening about my change to Google Chrome etc and their advice from a quick scan of their E-mail is to change to Internet Explorer ................am I going mad - that was what I was using and they advised me to use Google Chrome. I will read their reply properly tomorrow - it is an attachment with a standard reply and advice - nearly 1am and am knackered - will update tomorrow .........................AND

Thanks to all at Family Tree Forum for the Happy Birthday wishes!!! My husband, bless his cotton socks, tells me my birthday is not until Friday - directed to the Calendar he now agrees that the 30th is my birthday!

Sue