I get an error message about Family Origins 7.0 is linked to COMCTL32.DLL and the program won't start

You need to update your copy of COMCTL32.DLL. Click here to download an update program. Then run the downloaded program and follow the instructions. Family Origins should then run fine.

What limits does Family Origins have on people, notes, etc?

The number of individuals, families, facts/events, sources, and notes are basically unlimited (actually 2 billion of each). Each note is limited to 30,000 characters (about 12 pages each).  Spouses per person, children per family, and sets of parents per person are each limited to 200.

What does "Packing" my database do?

When you delete a person or family, Family Origins doesn't automatically reuse the space in the database where the deleted record was. The "File, Pack database" command will rearrange your data files (pack them) to reuse this empty space.

I just got a "CodeBase" error in Family Origins. What does it mean?

CodeBase is the database engine which Family Origins uses. If you get a CodeBase error, it means that something may be wrong with your data. Each CodeBase error will also have a negative number associated with it that tells what type of error occurred. If you receive CodeBase error -40, or -120, you probably don't have enough free disk space to do whatever
function you were trying to do (like importing a GEDCOM file). Error -60 means Family Origins couldn't open one of your files. This could either be because the file doesn't exist, or because you are trying to open two copies of the database at the same time. Any other error most likely indicates a corruption in your database. If this occurs, try the following:

1.Delete the FOWIN.INI (or FOWIN32.INI if using the Win95 version) file from your WINDOWS subdirectory.
2.Delete the xxxP.CDX data file (where xxx is the name you gave your database). For example, if your database is named SMITH.FOW, delete the file named SMITHP.CDX.
3.Run Family Origins and open the database. This will rebuild all the indexes. Check if this fixes the CodeBase problem.
4.If you still have problems, try exporting the database to a GEDCOM file, then importing the GEDCOM file back into a new database. You may lose some information (like photo
links), but it should clean up any problems with CodeBase errors.

How do I enter unmarried parents?

Just use the "Add, Spouse" or "Add, Parents" command, but don't add a marriage event when asked. It's just called Add "Spouse" for convenience… Family Origins won't assume they are actually married unless you add a marriage event.

How does Family Origins handle adopted children?

Family Origins gives the ability to allow a child to have more than one set of parents. This allows you to track both the birth line and adoptive line for
this child. You can add an "Adoption" fact to the child’s Edit Individual dialog and specify which parents the child was actually adopted by.

How can I enter foreign characters with accents (diacritics)?

If you are only interested in entering accented characters like áàâéèëêôöõñç etc., they can be entered with only two keystrokes in any Windows 95 program including FO. To enter á, press ' followed by the letter a. To get a single ', you just follow it with a space or by a letter for which it does not
apply.

BUT FIRST, you must do the following

Go to control panel

Then to keyboard

Then to the tab labeled language

It probably says Language: English (United States) and Layout: United States

Click on Properties and change the layout to United Stated-International

Now you will be able to enter accented characters as described above.

Click here to access another Family Origins FAQ maintained by Bjorn Graabek.