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Family Tab Problems and Solutions

Updated on 09/13/2023

Some Windows computers have issues displaying the FT4web Family Tree in the Family tab. The information below will mitigate the Windows issues causing the family tree problem.

Step 1

  • Do all Windows updates and then reboot. Don’t go any further until this is done.

  • FastTrack has problems with family names that contain spaces. This is due to it’s MS-DOS heritage when Windows prevented file names with spaces.

    1. View the files in the folder C:\FT\USERDEF. Use File Explorer in Windows 10 and 11.
    2. Chances are good that you have many families that are too old to be of value. Delete them.
    3. Rename .fam files whose name includes a space. Replace a space with the underscore “_”.

Step 2

Jump to Windows 8-10 Jump to Windows 11

Windows 11

Disabling the Windows Touch Screen Device is necessary to fix on Windows 11. This will disable your computer's touch screen. As of 4Q2023, this is the only known solution for Windows 11.
  1. Open your start menu and search for "Device Manager"
  2. Expand the "Human Interface Devices" node and find the "HID-compliant touch screen" (or similar) item. Right click and "Disable disable".
  3. Restart your computer and open FT4web. The issue should be resolved.

Windows 8-10

Stopping and disabling/stopping the Windows Service "Touch screen keyboard and handwriting panel”. If you actually use your on-screen keyboard, then buy a real keyboard instead.

  1. Users of Windows 8 and 10: Open up the Services menu by pressing the Windows icon + R on your keyboard at the same time (shown in the extreme, lower, left corner in this illustration). Windows allows you to put the button in a different place. Look for it.
  2. Windows now auto-magically opens lots of windows to sell ads. These can cover important parts of your start-up screen. Close them.
  3. Type “services.msc” in the box and click OK.
  4. In the Services menu that pops up, click on “Name” in the header of the leftmost column to sort the services alphabetically
  5. Scroll to “Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service”
  6. Double-click that line
  7. Right click and change the Startup type to Disabled.
  8. Click Apply and OK if available under "Service status"
  9. Click “OK” then, reboot your computer. The change should be permanent. Your Family Tab should work.
If this does not solve the problem, complete the next step
  1. Right-click the Window button, then select Run
  2. Type "sc delete TabletInputService" (no quotes) and press Enter.
  3. Reboot your computer.
When all else fails, call tech support at 866-295-0166 x 2. If asked to leave a message, please do so we can help you quickly.

RoboForm

There is one other cause of the FastTrack Family Tab problem. Installing a program called RoboForm which fills in screen forms as you type online. It installs the Touchscreen driver even if you have a keyboard.
The newest versions of Roboform can be temporarily shut down. Right-click the RoboForm icon in the taskbar and select "exit".