I recently found I could not view most of the census images on Ancestry so I complained bitterly and this is the response that I got. If others are having trouble with the census images, this may help you out. It did not work out exactly like the instructions say, but I managed and I can now handle them on IE. Netscape is another matter. I can read them but not manipulate them as easily on Netscape. Bette We apologize for any frustration this matter may have caused. From your description of this issue, it appears you have recently installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Following are the System Requirements for the MrSID viewer, created by LizardTech.com. Compatible Operating Systems: Microsoft Windows 95 Microsoft Windows 98 Microsoft Windows 2000 Compatible Processors: 200 MHz PC processor (or faster) Compatible Internet Browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher Netscape Navigator 4.7x At this time the MrSID viewer will not function with the Netscape 6 or 7 internet browsers. It is also not fully tested and supported for Windows Millennium Edition (ME) or XP. While MrSID may function with these settings, if you experience errors there are no current fixes available. Please note that the MrSID plug-in viewer was created by LizardTech.com and is offered only as an additional viewing option for the 1830-1860 and 1890-1920 census images. Ancestry.com cannot guarantee that the MrSID viewer will properly function with your specific internet browser and/or operating system. Thank you for your patience. You should always be able to fully access the Census Images Online using the HTML Viewer that was created by Ancestry.com to be compatible with all systems. To switch from the MrSID viewer to the HTML viewer simply click on the "View This Image With The HTML Viewer" link that is located below any census image. We are currently working on other viewing options in an effort to improve our services. If you wish to continue to use MrSID, you will need to download from LizardTech.com the Windows XP-compatible version of MrSID (now called ExpressView). To download and install the MrSID viewer (now called ExpressView) from Lizardtech.com, please do the following: 1. Go to http://www.lizardtech.com 2. In the lower left corner of the page, click on the MrSID Plug-in icon 3. Near the bottom of the following page, click on the "ExpressView Browser Plugin 3.0" olive-colored link 4. On the following page, read through the License Agreement and then click the "Yes, I Agree" button 5. On the following page, click on the silver-blue button labeled "Install" 6. When prompted, simply follow the default settings by click the Next button at each step (you will need to click Yes when prompted again about accepting the license agreement) You are now ready to use the MrSID/ExpressView plug-in you have installed. If you find this is not recognized by our site, simply click the "Already have the plug-in? Click here!" link in the bottom center of the page where the Census Image appears. Once you have installed ExpressView, please follow these steps when viewing a census image from the 1830-1860 and 1890-1920 Census Images Online: 1. When you receive the "Error decoding image" or "Error downloading image" error message, click OK on the message box 2. Click "Switch to Detail Mode" and you will see the image. 3. If you wish to view it in Full Screen Mode, you may do so. You may still receive some errors while you are doing this. When you return to the previous screen, Ancestry.com's image window displays a portion of whatever was displayed on the previous screen. You should be able to reaccess the same image without any further difficulties unless you empty your temporary internet files. If there is anything else we can assist you with, please let us know. Matt Customer Solutions Ancestry.com "Connecting and Strengthening Families through the World Wide Web" Ancestry.com Technical Support: <http://ancestry.custhelp.com> Original message follows: ------------------------- Excuse me. Did you actually read the message? It said that I get a downloading error on everything EXCEPT the 1930 census. I tried again this morning. I get this message "Error decoding image" "Error downloading data from server" on EVERY image I try to access for the 1830, 1840, 1850, 1860, 1900, and 1920 census. I am using Windows XP. Internet Explorer 6.0. I have the Mr. Sid plug-in installed. ____________________________________________ Check out the Bunker Family Association. http://www.bunkerfamilyassn.org. If your name is Bunker and you are a male, consider joining our surname DNA project.