Software to read Scottish Church Records CD

[Gordys]

Hi Folks

Our local FHS changed computers a number of years ago and now I am unable run the above Family Search CD as there appears to be no software to run it. The CD contains a database file with an .001 extension which looks like it is part of a set. What were the other CDs?

The 1881 Census CDs and the British Vital Records CDs both from Family Search have their own viewer, Resource File Viewer.

I see that Archer software sell LDS Companion and it's predecessor IGIRead which read the 1881 Census, British Vital Records and the Scottish Church Records. Did the Scottish Church Records CD come with a program CD from the LDS and if so what was it and where can I obtain a copy?

I realise that these records are all supposedly online but I would still like to check out the CD.

I can run it on virtually any windows version so that won't be a limitation.

Any advice greatfully accepted.

Gordy

[Lesley Robertson]

Have you asked the LDS? I would have thought that one of their FHS centres would be able to help...

[Gordys]

Hi
Apparently the LDS don't have these CDs locally as supposedly all info contained in them is now online. The LDS can't help me online. However I will contact my local FHS which is now only a shadow of what is was pre earthquakes and only opens on Tuesdays. I will need to find somone who has been at the FHS for some time.

I was right, this is part of a set of 5 msdos based CDs. It contained: 1881 UK Census, Ancestral File, IGI, Scottish Church Records, US Military Index and US Social Security Death Index.

Gordy

[Ken_R]

Try restarting your computer in Safe Mode with Command Prompt.

I think MSDos is still there on most MS based computers but gets pushed to the back by all the modern progs.

[Gordys]

Hi Ken

The problem is not the ability to find a way to run in dos mode but the fact that the Scottish Church Records CD has purely data on it. There is no program to view the data and it's format doesn't allow viewing in any conventional program like an editor etc.

Gordy

[Allan F Sparrow]

If what is on the CD is a database, with no software provided, it was probably made with a database program that was very commonly used at the time. Have you tried opening it from within any database program?

[Gordys]

Hi Allan

I have tried the database in MS Works and Microsoft Access in Office 2003. I don't have the likes of DBase3 or 4. Any suggestions of what I could try?

Gordy

[Allan F Sparrow]

Being an Apple Mac man, I have only limited knowledge of Windows programs, I'm afraid!

That it won't open in a Microsoft program is a bad sign.

Have you tried using a spreadsheet program on it? Some databases will open as spreadsheets, though they may not be so easy to use in that format.

[Gordys]

Hi Allan

Yes I tried spreadsheets and word processors, but none will open it. The only thing that will open it is a plain editor but the result is a meaningless list of hexadecimal. You would assume that the file coming from that time period wouldn't be very sophisticated.

The search continues.

Gordy

[Allan F Sparrow]

Sorry my contribution was not more helpful.

Allan