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General => Technical Help => Topic started by: Elsa-Mary on Monday 22 February 16 17:52 GMT (UK)

Title: Downloading from Ancestry - Blank document what did I do wrong ?
Post by: Elsa-Mary on Monday 22 February 16 17:52 GMT (UK)
 :) Hi,
 Took the free access to Ancestry this weekend--AND I BELIEVE  I found my Alexander Robinson-  WORLD WAR 1   record,---sooo excited,it did not allow me to print docs but said download,which I did.
Now I have downloads that have NOTHING in them.(just blank screen) :o

Is this deliberate-or did I screw up?
I stupidly did not make many notes-as I thought the docs would be there for me to continue my research.
So more or less back to square one ::)

Would be interested to know if this has happened to anyone else.
Thanks
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry
Post by: youngtug on Monday 22 February 16 18:53 GMT (UK)
I also downloaded some documents, although I have no trouble seeing them. The fault could be at your end.
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry
Post by: DavidG02 on Monday 22 February 16 21:00 GMT (UK)
Hi Elsa

Mine are there as well. I know I DO have trouble when downloading. I usually get a message saying '' you don't have permission to view this '' etc and I download again and its there. I don't know why but its annoying enough that I check.

Is this similar or are they blank as blank can be?
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry
Post by: Elsa-Mary on Monday 22 February 16 21:13 GMT (UK)
Hi David, :)
Well when I tried to open them all I got was blank-tried to open  using media-but still blank,so I guess I have lost them :(
Thank sI will have to wait on another free access-and try again.
Elsa-Mary
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry
Post by: Rena on Monday 22 February 16 21:44 GMT (UK)
aw hard luck Elsa!

I've stopped downloading images since the time I spent ages going through old films on familysearch.org and downloaded several pages of the parish records which I saved to my desktop.  When I eventually had time to view them not one of the images on my desktop was of the names I'd been looking at when I downloaded them.

I too took advantage of ancestry free offer this weekend and I saved images to my computer by using the control key plus "print screen" key.  Iusually use "Irfanview" and the images are acessible by clicking on the "File" tab then scrolling down and click on "Paste" - bingo - the image pops up and I can do what I want with it before Isave it.
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry
Post by: Elsa-Mary on Monday 22 February 16 22:40 GMT (UK)
 :)Thank you,
Good to know that it is not as straight forward as I thought,I did not realise that I would have to download something to open images-Duh!
Thanks
Elsa-Mary
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry
Post by: mike175 on Tuesday 23 February 16 08:15 GMT (UK)
When I view an Ancestry image and click on SAVE, it is saved as a .jpg file and viewable like any other JPEG image.

What system are you using? (eg: Windows 7, 10, XP, etc.)
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry - Blank document what did I do wrong ?
Post by: maddys52 on Tuesday 23 February 16 10:23 GMT (UK)
How frustrating! What file type are the images saved as, I mean what suffix comes after the file names - is it .jpg, .pdf ...? I'm sure as mike175 says mine are automatically saved as .jpg.
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry - Blank document what did I do wrong ?
Post by: DavidG02 on Tuesday 23 February 16 10:26 GMT (UK)
I'm sure as mike175 says mine are automatically saved as .jpg.
Yes they are


Another thing I check is my download section. ie I download an image and it opens from the jpg. I also then check its lodged into my download file section. Maybe paranoid but I check :)
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry - Blank document what did I do wrong ?
Post by: Elsa-Mary on Tuesday 23 February 16 11:57 GMT (UK)
 :)Thank You,

I did not check downloads--because I didn't really have a lot of heart-my little dog died on Saturday,and I was not really concentrating,as I also have huge concerns with our other dog--who is huge! 60k--and has now developed cancer.
She has also almost lost use of rear leg-due to an operation sometime ago-so had an eye on her--needs.
Elsa-Mary
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry - Blank document what did I do wrong ?
Post by: Rena on Tuesday 23 February 16 18:20 GMT (UK)
Commisserations for your loss and also for the worry Elsa.
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry - Blank document what did I do wrong ?
Post by: marktod on Tuesday 07 February 17 09:32 GMT (UK)
I had the same problem.  I have found that if you right-click on the image and then save you just get a blank, but if you click on the down arrow in the saved box in the top right hand corner and then click 'save to your computer' it works properly.   If this still doesn't work, use PrtSc in the top row of keys on the keyboard and it should either save the screen image in a file called 'Screenshot' or give you a screen image which you can paste onto Paint.
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry - Blank document what did I do wrong ?
Post by: BushInn1746 on Tuesday 07 February 17 18:16 GMT (UK)
If you can save documents as "Save As" check that the last image/s downloaded appear as thumbprint tiles (not blank tiles) in the "Save As" window.

What I discovered, is that if you change a document image reference number to a title, to find it easily on the pc search later, it will sometimes download blank. Also download to one file, they are easier to find, rename and move to where you want later.

If you find an important, but difficult to find image (or document in an archive, or archive catalogue reference) accidentally, it pays to back-up details in a Bound Notebook, or have a ring binder folder, for that purpose, because you never know when a Hard drive might fail either! Or your power supply goes off during a large update and your pc battery goes flat.

I've found items in the British Newspaper Archive, but because the OCR is poor for some editions/ dates, it can take some time, or be impossible to find it again later, so always worth taking notes.

Mark
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry - Blank document what did I do wrong ?
Post by: mike175 on Wednesday 08 February 17 08:53 GMT (UK)
Not sure if it makes any difference but I've always saved downloaded images using the Ancestry/FindMyPast filename, but I often edit the name later to suit my own system. I don't recall having any blank images among the thousands I've saved.
Title: Re: Downloading from Ancestry - Blank document what did I do wrong ?
Post by: StevieSteve on Wednesday 08 February 17 10:13 GMT (UK)
I think it's the right-clicking on the image that's the problem - should either use the green Save button or, my preference, the Tools then Download icon on the RHS