I was delighted with GENViewer and said so in this newsletter. You can read my most recent article about GENViewer by MudCreek Software at: www.ancestry.com/library/view/columns/eastman/5241.asp. In turn, that article refers to some earlier articles that I wrote about the same program.

MudCreek Software also has produced a second free version of GENViewer designed to be used with genealogy CD-ROM disks that you create. This version is perfect for individuals who want to create family genealogy CDs and distribute those disks to others. Also, this version can be used by genealogy societies that want to publish genealogy information for society members.

One of the problems you face when creating genealogy CD-ROM disks is that you may not know what software the recipient will be using. You might create your data by using Personal Ancestral File for Windows and then publish your data on CD-ROM in that format. However, if the recipient does not have Personal Ancestral File for Windows installed, he or she will be unable to read your data. In order to reach the maximum audience possible, most people publish their genealogy CD-ROM disks in one of four formats: HTML, Adobe Acrobat (PDF files), ASCII text (TXT files) or Microsoft Word (DOC files). Each format has some drawbacks. None of them offer true database capabilities with the ability to search on multiple fields.

GENViewer’s CD-ROM version solves the problem for you if you assume that the recipient is using a Windows PC. GENViewer will convert your Personal Ancestral File for Windows database or any genealogy information in GEDCOM format to its own format. GENViewer then adds a free Windows "viewer program" that is used to display the genealogy data on the recipient’s PC. As a result, the person who receives your CD-ROM can quickly search for data in your database or print out specific records.

I found a number of nice features about GENViewer. First of all, it can be configured to automatically load a genealogy file at startup from the CD-ROM. The person who receives your genealogy disk simply inserts the disk into his or her CD-ROM drive and then sits back. The disk will automatically load the required software and display the opening screen of your database on his or her screen. There is no installation procedure for the viewer program; simply insert the disk and go.

The GENViewer software is not installed on the recipient’s computer, and nothing is written to the recipient’s hard drive; all files remain on the CD-ROM disk. The viewer program itself is very small; it only adds about 700 kilobytes to the CD-ROM, a rather trivial amount on a disk that can hold about 660 megabytes of data. The GENViewer software is written for the Windows operating system; it will not operate on Macintosh or Linux computers.

GENViewer’s CD-ROM version is an excellent free program that will be useful to anyone who wants to distribute genealogy information to Windows users. It also is an excellent method for genealogy societies to publish their information without the need to purchase commercial software for distribution purposes.

MudCreek Software apparently makes this program available free of charge as a form of advertising; they hope that you will like it so much that you will be motivated to come back and purchase their $19.95 program that has even more capabilities. I suspect that many people will do just that as the GENViewer CD-ROM program is very useful.

Do not confuse the CD-ROM version of GENViewer with GENViewer Lite that I wrote about in another newsletter article. Both programs are free, but they serve different purposes.

To learn more about the CD-ROM version of GENViewer, look at: www.mudcreek.ca/cdrom_version.htm. You will probably also want to view MudCreek Software’s main page at: www.mudcreek.ca.

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