Step-by-step installation on Windows (STLM)

This page shows step-by-step how to install Ancestris on a Windows system.

The sections below are independent and do not all need to be done.

Screens shown might look different from those of the current Ancestris web site or the current Ancestris software version.

Knowing which Java version you use

Java Control Panel

Open the Windows Control Panel and then the Java Control Panel.

On its General tab, click 'About' to check the installed Java version.

On its Security tab, untick 'Enable Java content for browsers and Web Start applications' to improve security.

 

Command prompt

Alternatively, these steps let you identify which version of Java is running on your system.

1 - Open a Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell command line window.

2 - Type java -version in at the promp. You will obtain a display as below, which shows that Java Version 8 (aka 1.8) 64-Bit is installed.

java version "1.8.0_221"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_221-b11)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.221-b11, mixed mode)

3 - Type  exit to close the command window.

 

Install Ancestris version 10 or 11

Follow the instructions below from your Windows system.

 

Go to ancestris.org, click on 'DOWNLOAD' in the Menu, and then click on 'Windows', or in the Daily version panel, click on 'DOWNLOAD' to start downloading.

 

Downloading may take 2 to 3 minutes as it is about 78 MB.

 

Ancestris does not need to be installed as it runs directly from its .exe file.
So right-click the downloaded 'ancestris-latest.zip' file, choose 'Extract All' and select a destination folder where the .exe file can run.
On Windows 7, unzip into the 'C:\Program Files' folder otherwise Ancestris won't run.

 

In the destination folder, open the 'ancestris' folder and then the 'bin' folder; there the 'ancestris64.exe' file will run Ancestris on a 64-bit system, while the 'ancestris.exe' will run it on a 32-bit system.

 

Right-click on the 'ancestris64.exe' or 'ancestris.exe' file and choose 'Pin to Start' or 'Pin to taskbar' to add a shortcut to the Start menu or the Taskbar.

 

Click the shortcut and Ancestris then starts.

 

The Welcome screens then appears. You are now ready to use Ancestris.

 

Install prerequisite Java version

Ancestris requires Java to be installed. For Ancestris 64-bit ensure the Java 64-bit version is installed, and similarly for 32-bit.

 

Install Java Version 8 (aka 1.8)

Java Version 8 is recommended as it supports all Ancestris features.

Download and install Java Version 8 (aka 1.8).

For full details see JRE Installation for Windows.

 

Install Java Version 11

Later versions up to Java Version 11 support most Ancestris features.

Download and install Java Development Kit (JDK) Version 11 Windows .exe file.

For full details see Installation of the JDK on Windows.

 

 Java Control Panel

Open the Windows Control Panel and then the Java Control Panel.

On its General tab, click 'About' to check the installed Java version.

On its Security tab, untick 'Enable Java content for browsers and Web Start applications' to improve security.

 

 Knowing which Java version you use

Use the Java Control Panel 'About' method shown above.

Alternatively, these steps let you identify which version of Java is running on your system.

 

1. Open a Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell command line window.

 

1. Type java -version in at the prompt to obtain a display as below, which shows that Java Version 8 (aka 1.8) 64-Bit is installed. Type  exit to close the command window.

java version "1.8.0_221"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_221-b11)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.221-b11, mixed mode)


 

Swap between different Java versions

You will need to create a BAT file for each Java version you want to keep. Create the following BAT files using your favourite text editor. Then put them in a folder included in your PATH.

JAVA8.BAT

@echo off
echo Setting JAVA_HOME
set JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_221
echo setting PATH
set PATH=C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_221\bin;%PATH%
echo Display java version
java -version


JAVA10.BAT

@echo off
echo Setting JAVA_HOME
set JAVA_HOME=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.10.0_11
echo setting PATH
set PATH=C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.10.0_11\bin;%PATH%
echo Display java version
java -version


When you write these files, make sure you use the correct file names for Java in the JAVA_HOME lines above. It will depend on the Java versions installed on your system.

Then, when you want to swap between versions, you will just run the corresponding Java BAT file: JAVA8 for Version 8 (1.8), or JAVA10 for Version 10. The set Java version will appear in the command window.

To check whether the alternative Java version has properly been set, you can check the default version yourself as explained above.