Vital Records Index CD ROMs

BillMartin

I have two sets of Vital Records Index CD ROMs. Will there be anything on them that is not now available online? If everything is now available online, I can give them to charity.

CDBurk

@BillMartin

You have asked what would be on the CD Roms that is not available online, and since access to these is limited to much older operating systems, if you can still access the information, you are welcome to compare what you find on the CD's with the collections that are available at the FamilySearch website.

There is no documentation that I am aware of that compares what was on the CD's with what is now available through FamilySearch, a great place to search is the FamilySearch catalog. The catalog contains information about all of the microfilms that we have created with the permission of record owners from around the World.

To check the catalog, click Search, then catalog and type United States. When you click Search, you will find several pages of films including these collections that are specifically related to Vital Record.

The same process for Canada also generates several pages of films including many Vital Records collections

Not all films can be viewed online, however, searching in the catalog and clicking on specific films will allow you to find films whose images are available online. The film notes will indicate the status for viewing the films.

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/what-are-notes-or-film-digital-notes-in-the-catalog

Also new to FamilySearch is access to digital images through the Explore Historical Images option mentioned in this additional article. Currently over 4-billion images are available online.

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-do-i-use-the-explore-historical-images-feature

We hope this additional information about doing research online will be helpful.

CDBurk

Hi @BillMartin

It has been some time since FamilySearch provided support for any records on CD. Most of the information from the old FamilySearch CDs is now available online in our records collection.

To learn more about the collections that are available at FamilySearch, please go to Search, then Records, and on the new Search page, click the Browse All Collections link.

If you have any issues with the Search page, some browsers still show a Feedback tab at the right so that you can share your concerns about the recently updated Search Historical Records options.

While you can give away your CD's please keep in mind that they cannot be used on current, upgraded operating systems, therefore, they might not be useful to others.

BillMartin

Thanks for the response but it would be useful to know what would be found on the CD ROMs that is not available online.

MaureenE123

I am not connected with Family Search, but I think it is likely that all the data that was on the CD is now available in some form in the databases currently available on FamilySearch.

BillMartin

Thanks. Yes, that is what I would hope so confirmation would be very useful, allowing me to add them to my decluttering pile!