Hi Pat (hope this is ok to send to you via the list for others also), Pat Connors wrote: > I've had a few questions on the Heritage Quest census cds, so I will > send this to the list. > > You can go to > http://www.heritagequest.com > and get all you questions answered. They cost $20 if you are not a > member. Membership costs $30 per year but will end up saving you lots > if you buy lots. If a member they cost $15. > > The images are better than what I've seen on the microfilm and yes you > can print them with many options (zooming in and out). My only > disappointment is you can't save to file but you can print and then scan > to file. Can't save to a file? Your stated method of printing and OCR Scanning the data might be the only way to go. However, you have piqued my computer curiosity, to be sure. Unless they use some type of ghost-image technology streaming process -- like FLASH, that information has to be either been downloaded unto your computer's hard drive os is contained in your computer's ram memory somewhere, somehow either in a graphics image or a text file. My guess is that it it started out as a microfilm/microfisch image, that it is probably still in some type of graphics format. Libraries often use this new digital format method to store and display data, but you can't copy the actual words since it is merely an on-screen image.. GRAPHICS IMAGES: Let's say for sake of argument that this is what is happening. Here is what I would do, if you don't have it already, download the shareware graphics viewing program called ACDSee, probably version 3.1 by now (found at http://www.acdsystems.com/index.htm). ACDSee has a free trial period, or you can buy it over the net for a few paltry bucks or try it out for free of use it for free under certain conditions. It is known to be one of the very best graphics viewing programs available, and can do all sorts of things like save-as change between formats, adjust color/lightness, flip/flop images, do slide shows, etc., etc. (I use it all the time. Well, that's enough for advertising.) After it is installed on your hard drive, open it and browse for internet browser cache files directory under either: (1) C:\windows\temporary internet files; or (2) C:\windows\temp; or (3) your internet browser's cache directory ... Netscape's is: "C:\program files\netscape\users\default (or your name or initials)\cache" ACDSee has viewing window options that you can set. Default settings should show all three windows, (1) file tree to the left, (2) file image directory to the right, (3) and a preview window somewhere in the mix. These are expandable and contractible windows, or you can move them around. In ACDSee's file viewing preference menu, click in either view by name, size, date, extension type, to get an idea (guess at) what the lay-out might be grouped under. My first guess is that they are .gif, or maybe .jpg files, so look for that extension name. Play around a bit, if you looked at a lot at once, they will be grouped together under file date, etc. ACDSee also has different image file viewing preferences: Thumbnail, Large Icons, Small Icons, List, and (File) Details. If you have a great many files, start out with Details, not Thumbnails. You can still see the file image in the preview screen, one at a time. Or try thumbnails and see all at once. If you hit enter over an image file, that will cause the viewer to select that file for full view; page-up/page-down will move forward or backward through the images. When you reach pay dirt, copy/move the image to and preferred directory for safe keeping. Another method: Another method to see all the file names used is Control "I" -- or Open Page Info method (found under Netscape - IE has its own method). A split screen Page Info Viewer will appear showing all the separate frames and image files used at the present URL location -- in the top window. Access the one you want to see and it will show in the bottom window. Click on it in the bottom window and it will appear. If the data you want is in a image file format as first described above, it should give the name of the image file. TEXTUAL FORMATS: If all this fails to show the images as described above. Possibly they are actually in text format (but I doubt it). Try this method. If you use Netscape, as I usually do, bring up the URL page with the desired data on screen. Under Netscape's Command Menu choose View/Page Source or simply press Control "U" for the same results to bring up the Source Code Viewer. A html code viewer will appear and spill all the contents of the current web page unto your screen. Scroll/browse down through the html code for the desired text, which should be easily identifiable amongst the html codes. Codes are couched in <...> brackets. Control "F" will bring up a "find" window. (When done, you can easily close the source code viewer with Alt F4.) For web pages with frames and sub-frames that only show a little bit, and not the whole page, try this. Right-click over the sub-frame area you want to capture into the Source Code Viewer. If in fact there are sub-frames, a mini-mouse menu should appear and should include at the top: "Open Frame in New Window" Select this option and open the desired sub-frame in separate browser window, then try the Source Code Viewer thing again (as described above -- Control "U"). OTHER METHODS: Windows "Find Files or Folders" search utility: Another method is to use your Windows "Find Files or Folders" search utility, found under the Start Menu. Open it and enter either one unique key word sure not to be found i a lot of other files, or three or four conjoining words of the exact text, but no more. (Caution: Make sure you enter the search data in the proper window called: "Containing text," not under the file or folder "Named" window.) If the text data is present somewhere in a file on your computer, it should show up using this method. ZtreeWin: One other very powerful way is to use a file management utility shareware program that I am "married" to, called ZtreeWin (or Ztree), found downloadable under http://www.ztree.com It is a 32 bit Windows version look-alike of the very famous and popular DOS-based file manager called XTree Gold. Try it out, it's shareware and VERY powerful. Costs only $30 if you decide to keep it. Menu and hot-key driven (and easy to use). Ron Myers San Diego ________________________________________________________