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pat3761

Restoring recovered Data and installing TMG

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Hello.

I have a very big problem that I hope you can help me with. In 2008, my Gateway computer died. I was running the master genealogist Version 5 or maybe Version 6, at the time; more on that later. I was able to recover the data off my hard drive onto an external hard drive. However, I replaced my Windows machine with a Mac. At the time I didn't know how I was going to handle the problem since the master genealogist doesn't work on a Mac and I didn't really want to install Windows on a partition on my hard drive or run a virtual software program.

Recently, a person contacted me about some genealogy data he had that I might be interested in. So this fired up my genealogist juices again. Much to my dismay, I discovered that the master genealogist has been discontinued :-(

What I have right now is:

Recovered Data on an external hard drive

The master genealogist CD Version 6 that I found, not even open yet with the Version 6 registration key :-)

Windows XP CD – Home edition

So what can I do to fix this? Is it possible? How can I get the data off the hard drive if I don't have the program installed? Can I get the program installed with what I have right now? I am somewhat computer savvy but I am baffled by this. Need some help, PLEASE.

Here are some of my thoughts. If I do partition my hard drive and install Windows XP CD, can I install TMG Version 6? Will I need the registration key?

I am not sure how this works between the OS, software, hardware, the website Etc.

Then I suppose the other option is to somehow get the GEDCOM. But how? If I find some one who runs the master genealogist program, could I import the data on their computer and then export it to a GEDCOM file so I can use it in some other program?

I hope that my fellow genealogists will empathize with my plight and be able to help.

Thank you so much. :-)

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Pat,

 

I can't help you with installing Windows XP on your Mac, but others here probably can.

 

Assuming you can do that, you should be able to install TMG6. It will operate as a 30 day free trial if you don't enter the registration number. If you do, be sure you enter your name and email address as you were using them at the time - the serial number is probably keyed to them.

 

You should be able to copy the TMG Project files from the external drive. Be sure you copy all of them - there are something on the order of 40 of them, all with the same name but with different extensions. If you do this, you just Open the project from the File menu. As long as the project was not used with a later version of TMG 6 than is on the CD you will be fine.

 

Alternatively you may have copies of backups (...SQZ files) on the external drive. If so, you can Restore them.

 

Once you have it open you have some options:

  • You could continue to use TMG 6.
  • You can update to TMG 9 - at last report there were still serial numbers available from a couple of sources.
  • You could import the data into one of the other programs that now has direct import from TMG. But you would need to check whether they can import from TMG 6 - you may need to update to TMG 9 for that to work.
  • You could export the data to GEDCOM and open it in many apps.

Note that the last two options will likely result in the loss of some data - just how much depends on how you used some of TMG's more advanced features.

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... I didn't really want to install Windows on a partition on my hard drive or run a virtual software program.

All versions of TMG will only run on Windows operating systems. Partitioning your hard drive so you can reboot into either Windows or Mac, or running a program on the Mac that provides virtual partitions for hosting another OS such as Windows, are your only two options for running TMG on a Mac.

 

Many TMG users successfully run TMG on a Mac using the virtual program Parallels. Search for posts with the term "Parallels" in this "Older Products and Versions" Forum, or start with the post of running the latest version of TMG under Parallels here.

 

Hope this gives you ideas,

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As others have mentioned the only way to run TMG is in a Windows operating system.

You didn't mention if you had a TMG backup .sqz file or not. If you did perhaps someone locally would be willing to do a restore and create a GEDCOM for you.

If you only need to use TMG long enough to get your data out in the form of a GEDCOM and you can't find a local TMG user willing to help you, you can use Boot Camp to create a partition on your Mac drive, that will make your system dual boot and enable you install Windows XP & TMG 6, be sure to put a copy of the GEDCOM on the external drive, then when done you can delete the Boot Camp partition.

You've been without TMG since 2008 and it doesn't sound like you want the hassle of two operating systems so I wouldn't recommend the virtual machine route. The only reason I'm using a Parallels Virtual Machine and Windows is to use TMG, TMG Utility, SecondSite and one other Windows program. There is some decent Mac genalogy software, Reunion, does a good job of importing a TMG GEDCOM, see http://gilbert-genealogy.info/otherwebs.html for my experiences with importing. Mac FamilyTree looks like a good program, and there is a Mac version of Family Tree Maker.

 

I'm writing this on my iPad, my MacBook is off for the night so I can't look, but I believe you'll find Boot Camp in the Mac Disk Utilities.

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TMG6 and TMG7 WILL install on linux using WINE. Since OSX is basically an implementation of Unix, there are WINE implementations around. If you want to go through that effort, you can possibly get a working version of your software running on your mac, though there might be features which aren't working.

 

I've got mine running on WinXP, in a Parallels virtual terminal for now. But, am planning on importing it into Rootsmagic, since they seem to have the most robust importation feature right now. Their software is licenced for Winodws AND OSX simulainously, and they've got an installer for the OSX version so you wouldn't have to worry about installing WINE, or any of the other emulators/wrappers to run it.

 

Plus, they're running a XMAS special for $20 which includes the RM7 book!!

Edited by robertjm

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