DNAGedcom FAQs and Troubleshooting Guide

What is DNAGedcom? DNAGedcom is a free 3rd party site that offers downloads of complete DNA files and data (in text *.csv format) from FTDNA and 23andMe. It also supports GWorks, formerly the DOS based GedComUtility (GCU), for gedcom comparisons; JWorks and KWorks for triangulation and ICW segment comparison with your matches; the Autosomal DNA Segment Analyzer and sponsors Autosomal DNA online classes. Their email address is support@dnagedcom.com. The website address is http://www.dnagedcom.com

If you are having trouble with DNAGedcom, please try the following steps which may solve your problem.  If you continue to have problems please contact support2@dnagedcom.com or by hitting reply to this message. Please be sure to include your login information so we can quickly review your account.

I am getting blank or empty files:

1. Log in to DNAGedcom.  Click on the "Members" tab, then "View Files".  If there are any downloads there they will show as folders in the left hand column. Click on the folder you want and the individual files will appear in the right hand column.  Double click on the file and it will download as an individual file to your computer.
2. If the files are still empty of data, please check your log in information for the account you are trying to download.  Bad passwords, incorrect user IDs are the main reason you will receive an empty file.  Go to the home page of FTDNA or 23andMe and make sure you can log in there first, using your user ID and password.  User IDs for FTDNA will be a number (i.e. 123456 or B1234 or N1234); user IDs for 23andMe will be an email address.

I cannot log in:

1. Remembering your DNAGedcom user ID and password is essential. You can try to reset your password if you have forgotten it by clicking on "Reset Your Password Here" on the Log In page. You will receive an email sent to the associated email address for your registration with a new password. Check your spam folder as these reset emails sometimes go there. Remember also that your user name most likely will NOT be your email address, your FTDNA log in or your Gedmatch kit#.
2. If this does not solve your problem, please contact us at support2@dnagedcom.com.

Zip file downloads:

1. The download will be in a *.zip file format.  Depending on your operating system, it may try to open it prior to saving.  Please just save it to a location you can remember.  Right click on the *.zip file and select "Extract all".
2. If you still can't open it to extract the files, you can click on the "Members" tab, then "View Files" at DNAGedcom.  If there are any downloads there they will show as folders in the left hand column. Click on the folder you want and the individual files will appear in the right hand column.  Double click on the file and it will download as an individual file to your computer.
3. Gedcoms placed in the Gedcom folder can be highlighted, right click, select download and will also be downloaded as a zip file.

Ashkenazi DNA

We wish we had better news for you but I am afraid that many with Ashkenazi heritage have a difficult time in getting their files that contain all their matches' information because they are so large. Some time ago we had to revise our timing with the program in getting the files in order to adhere to FTDNA protocols. The problem now being time outs on your browser or time outs from the FTDNA servers. Also you should be aware that spreadsheet files will only import 1.04 million lines of data. And most Ashkenazi files are much larger than that. Many of these files can be three times as large. It then requires an additional program (such as CsvSplitter.exe) so you can split out that large ICW.csv file into smaller files, sort to eliminate the smaller segments and combine into one Excel spreadsheet that is more manageable to work with.

The only current work around is to attempt to download your files using a minimum cM amount of 15 cMs. Anything less usually generates files too large also. We are currently working with our programmers to somehow try and resolve this problem. We also understand that FTDNA has begun working on some solutions also.

RadUpload, Ajax and 500 server errors

A while back we had to modify the FTDNA downloads to comply with FTDNA processing of the data. This has occasionally caused “time out” issues which may show an error while downloading. We are currently working on a fix for this. When this happens, the files are placed in a “Building” folder under the account. It may appear that the download failed but actually it is continuing to process in the “Building” folder. This can also happen if you have very large files such as those with Ashkenazi heritage. Suggestions to either prevent this or to follow up if this happens to you:

A.      We recommend using the Google Chrome browser as it seems to have fewer time out issues.

B.      Do not attempt to re-download the files when you get these errors or move from FTDNA to the 23andme download page, you should only download one account at a time. Wait at least 30 minutes to an hour (sometimes longer if you have large files, we have seen the processing last 3 hours or more). Then click on the “Members”, then “View Files”. If there are any downloads there they will show as folders in the left hand column. Click on the folder you want (including any “Building” folders) and the individual files will appear in the right hand column. Double click on the file and it will download as an individual file to your computer. Or highlight them all, then right click and select download. If you get an error again, they have not finished processing.

How do you know when they are through? If you can download the files from the “Members” tab, then “View Files”, they have completed. If they are still processing you will get an error. If you get that error, come back later and try again. Sometimes it can take several hours for the files to finish processing.

ADSA

If you have a more specific question about the ADSA and still have questions after reading the manual http://www.dnagedcom.com/adsa/adsamanual.html.php, please contact the developer, Don Worth, at ASupport@dnagedcom.com

GWorks

GWorks Directions - http://dnaadoption.com/uploads/DNAadoption/DNAadoption_files/DNAadoption/Gworks_Directions.pdf

Support issues regarding GWorks should be sent to GSupport@dnagedcom.com

Check the directions to help you find any output files.

If you are searching on multiple fields, remember that if you used a field and then removed a variable from the field you must have it set to no filter.

If you are searching on the given name field, or the places, be sure you use the Contains filter. Give name equal to Mary, will not get A. Mary, Mary Ann, Mary J. The same is true for the place field. Place search on California with an EqualTo filter will not get things like Los Angeles, California, or California USA. The filter must be set to Contains again in this case.

Other

What is a Gedcom? A Gedcom (an acronym standing for GEnealogical Data COMmunication) is a plain text file (with the extension *.ged) containing genealogical information about individuals, and is used for exchanging genealogical data between different genealogy software.

What is Gedmatch? Gedmatch is a free, “do-it-yourself” genomics website that allows DNA testers to upload raw data from FTDNA, AncestryDNA, and 23andMe to compare with a large database of data that has been voluntarily uploaded by other testers. Their email address is Gedmatch@gmail.com. The website address is http://www.gedmatch.com

We strive to respond to messages as soon as possible. If these tips don't help, please resend a message to support2@dnagedcom.com with your login name and any other pertinent information so we can strive to help you as soon as possible.

Updated August 28, 2014

© 2014 DNAGedcom.com