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Russ,
I am aware of the viewer; however, what it lacks is the ability to direct it to a specific directory where the files are stored locally, so there is no damage to the original CDs, since the vast majority of my research is done on the fly, and that does not allow for the carrying of bulky CD wallets and/or cases.
I am looking for something that will read the ISO files of the CDs that I have created locally. Alternately, I am looking for software that will read the file extensions *.INX and *.TRT.
*.INX files can be partially opened with Microsoft Word (at least version 2003 and above), but it only prints out a page and a half of clear text, while the remainder of the information in the INX file remains hidden and/or encrypted.
As for the TRT file, I have read many options as to what type of software opens that, but I have not found the exact solution yet. I believe the INX file (in this case) is akin to a DLL file, in that it helps the TRT file by way of instruction, and the TRT file contains the data.
The Family Archive Viewer does not meet my needs or purposes, especially since I am a long time user of Broderbund FTM (since version 5's 12 CD set!)
Over the years, I have also purchased 7, 9, 10 and 2009. I am not sure whether version 10 is portable or not yet, but I can assure you that it's predecessors were and that 2009 is not.
More over, version 2009 is not as user friendly nor is it time efficient for data entry. It's bloated and buggy and it's data storage method is far off the beaten path of what I prefer.
Versions 5, 7 and 9, once installed to hard disk, were completely portable insofar as you could copy the folder/directory where it was originally installed (normally C:\FTM or C:\Program Files\FTM, or in my case C:\Program Files\FTM9.RUN) onto a flash drive and run it directly off of there.
That is one reason why I love the original FTM; I run it off of an 8 GB flash drive currently, so no matter which computer I am at, I will always have my family tree with me, as well as my preferred software. I do a lot of research while at restaurants and a lot of research at my local Family History Library as well that which I am able to accomplish at home.
However, my local FHL is about 40 miles away, so I do not make it up there that often.
While on my lunch breaks at my old job, I would work on my family tree there as well, or if I was driving and exploring, I can connect my laptop through my Android phone for internet access.
Needless to say, when you are always working on the go, it does not allow for carrying CDs. That is why I am looking for software that will allow me to read the contents of the INX and TRT files.
If these files are compiled binary, there will be software to interpret that. If it was written on UNIX or Linux or POSIX or Windows or MAC, in Perl or Cobol or C/Visual C++/C#/C#.Net or Basic/QBasic/Visual Basic, or if it was compiled into an SQL database or if it was created through FoxBase or dBase III, I will find a way to extract the information, eventually...
It may take some time while I am looking for the correct software or app, but I will find a way to extract the data so that it is in a more portable format. CDs -- while useful while at a desktop -- do not make for the best travel companions while on the go: Expensive software disks get scratched up, and some of these CDs have become quite archaic and difficult to find. (I recently began the process of trying to collect all of the old CDs for their information, but have yet to complete my collection.)
I was finally able to go back further in my family tree, to the year 1600 for one part of my mother's family tree, in London. In another part of my mother's lineage, I was able to go back to Canada about 1703. In still yet another part of her family history, I have been able to go back to Germany in 1735!
My father's side, all Italian, goes back to at least 1600 in one small town in Cantanzaro, Calabria, Italy.
I had been working on all that information and more in 2008, when I had inadvertently and accidentally merged a whole town of people (12,000 people!) into my family tree instead of into my test database.
When the merger occurred, I did not have a recent backup, and I had added about 900 people in the span of a week, which had brought my family tree to just under 1,800 people...
Accidentally merging into my family tree was the worst thing that I could have done...it has taken me four years to get back to where I could start working on my family tree in earnest again. After 4 years of cleaning out the corrupted data from my family file, I was finally able to start working on my family tree once more.
Yes, I have had some success with the CDs, but having to take up two USB slots for my portable DVD/CD ROM, as well as valuable (and limited) table space, is rather unacceptable.
So, if you know the software to use to open these files externally Russ, outside of FTM or FAV, please do tell, as I will purchase it or find an open source software version thereof as soon as time permits.
Vince
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