FreeREG logo WinREG.

Welcome to WinREG, the very latest Windows based utility for entering Baptism, Marriage and Burial information from church registers for the FreeREG project.

There are currently two versions of WinREG. Version 1 and version 2. Version 1 was designed to run on Windows XP and earlier versions. Version 2 is a newer version designed to run on Windows XP and Vista. For information on Version 1 go to Information on installing WinREG 1


General Information about WinREG 2

WinREG 2 is the very latest Windows based utility recommended for entering Baptism, Marriage and Burial information from church registers for the FreeREG project.

If you have WinREG 1 installed you are not required to change to WinREG 2.

If you have not installed any version of WinREG then install WinREG 2.

If you are planning to move to or buy a computer with Windows Vista we strongly encourage you to install WinREG 2 and avoid a number of installation and usage headaches.

We do strongly urge you to make the change to WinREG 2 if you are experiencing the IO32 fatal error condition.

Finally WinREG 2 does have a large number of interesting features that make it a better product and do encourage a transition to it by all users over time.

The WinREG 2 software was written by Mike Fry, an active transcriber. If you encounter what appears to be a bug there is a bug reporting email address under the Help Taskbar. If you run into problems using the software get in touch with either your Country Coordinator or file a bug report.

This program was developed as a Windows based application to assist transcribers prepare their records for submission to FreeREG. It replaces the WinREG 1 and SpeedREG which had been in use for a number of years. It is expected that users will find that WinREG 2 is more compatible with their activities as a transcriber since it was designed by transcribers and written by a transcriber. It provides a modern platform that can be improved and augmented over time.

WinREG 2 offers:-

WinREG 2 Index

Major Differences between Versions 1 and 2 of WinREG

There are some major differences between Version 1 and 2 that you MUST be aware of when starting to use WinREG 2. This section does not describe all of the new features ONLY those that are different between the two versions.

WinREG 2 Index

Installing WinREG 2 on your PC

You do not need to uninstall WinREG 1 before proceeding.

If you have a version of WinREG 2 already installed on your computer, it is necessary to uninstall that version before installing a new version. Follow the instructions below to uninstall the current version. You should also delete the version of the WinREG 2 installer that you downloaded previously. Doing this will NOT delete your settings for WinREG 2and/or transcriptions.

To download WinREG just click on the "download WinREG" link below. The file is quite large, approximately 1 Mbyte, so it may take a while to download if you have a slow speed connection. Be patient the program is worth the time investment.

Windows will ask you to specify a folder (directory) on your hard disk in which to save the file.(You may use any folder such as c:\received files\ or alternatively you may want to save it to a c:\FreeREG\WinREG\ folder). Remember to make a note of the location. You will need to go to it later in the installation process.

The downloaded file will have a name like WinREGSetup.msi

The installation process itself is similar to any other installation process under Windows and is quite self explanatory. However, you may want to briefly review the steps in the process that are explained below before starting the download.

Download WinREG 2

As noted above the installation process itself is similar to any other installation process under Windows and is quite self explanatory. Assuming you saved the file on your computer use Windows Explorer to go to the folder (directory) where you saved the install file WinREGSetup.msi. Double click on the file name and that will start the installation process and lead you through the installation process. It is self explanatory and really very fast!

Then, or if you told Windows to execute the file without saving it, the installation process then asks you to identify where the program is to be installed. The default folder (directory) for the location of the program files is provided. Just tap the Next button if you wish to use this location and we do recommend it; but you can define any directory on any drive that is accessible to your computer. (Use the Browse button to locate the location you wish to use)

Select Next and on the subsequent page, select Install. The program is them installed on your computer.

At this point you may receive a message "WinREG for Windows cannot be installed on systems with .NET Framework earlier than 2.0". If you do follow the steps outlined in Updating your .NET Framework and then restart the WinREG 2 installation process.

When this is complete you are asked to finish the installation. During this phase the installer will ask if you wish to create a Program Group under WinREG for Windows (You will see that under the Windows START button in the list of installed programs), if you wish to place a shortcut on your desktop and if you wish to add the program to the Quick Launch menu to make it easier for you to start the program itself. The default of these options is yes. Lastly you will be asked if you wish to have WinREG 2 always open your CSV files, it will then create a transcripts folder under your Documents folder to make it easier for you to access your transcripts. The actual folder is located at Documents\FreeREG\WinREG for Windows\Transcripts\

WinREG 2 Index

Updating your .NET Framework

If you received the message "WinREG for Windows cannot be installed on systems with .NET Framework earlier than 2.0" you will need to update the .NET Framework software. The .NET Framework is a standard suite of software from Microsoft that is used by applications such as WinREG for Windows; unfortunately the normal updating process from Microsoft does not keep this the .NET Framework up to date.

To update the .NET Framework go to the Microsoft download site, link to be provided in a few lines, Click the button Download it now under the note ".NET Framework 3.5 SP1". This will take you to another Microsoft page. Click the Download button and follow the instructions from Microsoft. Please be aware this download and installation process may take up to 30 minutes. When it is complete go back and re-execute the WinREG for Windows Installer. Now go to the Microsoft .NET Framework Download Site

WinREG 2 Index

Starting WinREG 2 for the first time

Double click the shortcut on your desktop, (it looks a bit like a register and has the name WinREG for Windows at the bottom). If you have deleted the shortcut from the desktop then click the Windows START button, go to All Programs, highlight the FreeREG group, the the WinREG for Windows Gruop and you will see the WinREG program. Click the WinREG for Windows Icon and away you go.

The first time the program asks you to identify your, name, e-mail address and the county you are working with. (If you have already installed an earlier version of WinREG 2 the program will use those settings.) Please make sure this is the same information that you have used when you registered as a transcriber with FreeREG. You may change this information at any point in the future by selecting the Settings/Options menu in WinREG 2.

If you are an exiting transriber then it is essential that you follow the next step. Copy all of your previous transcription from the old transcripts folder to the new transcripts folder. This will ensure that the files are named correctly by WinREG 2 and thereby avoid problems with duplicate file names when you go to upload.

To do this go to the existing transcripts folder. It is usually stored at C:\Program Files\WinREG\Transcripts Go to the Edit menu at the at the top on the Task Bar ans select the Select All option. This will highlight all your files. Then go back to the Edit menu at the top on the Task Bar and select Copy. Now go to the new transcripts folder. It is at Documents\FreeREG\WinREG for Windows\Transcripts Again go to the Edit menu at the top on the Task Bar and select the Paste option. All your files should now appear in the new Transcripts folder.

WinREG 2 Index

Uninstalling WinREG 2

Click the Windows Start button, go to Control Panel, in Windows XP select the Add/Remove Programs Option, in Windows Vista select the Programs and Features Option. Navigate down the list of installed programs to the WinREG for Windows prgram. Either highlight the program and select the Uninstall option at the top or simply double click on the name. Windows may ask if you wish to remove the program, if so say yes. The WinREG for Windows uninstaller then proceeds to remove the program. It WILL NOT remove the transcripts or the folder in which they are located.
You may also wish to delete the downloaded copy of the installation package before downloading and installing WinREG 2.

WinREG 2 Index

New release of WinREG 2 on 15 Dec 2008

A new version of WinREG 2 was released on 15 December 2008. This fixes a number of bugs as well as adding some improvements requested by transcribers in the past month. Specifically: All transcribers are strongly urged to upgrade to this new version to take advantage to the corrections that have been made.

To do so Uninstall your current version of WinREG 2 and then Download and install WinREG 2 from the server.

WinREG 2 Index


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Last update. 15 December 2008 /DKD