AQ2Go!

This feature is available for Ancestral Quest when running on Windows Logo Windows.

With the AQ2Go! feature, the Ancestral Quest program can be placed onto a removable drive, such as a flash memory (“thumb” or “jump”) drive or portable hard drive. This lets you take AQ wherever you go. Just plug the drive into any compatible Windows computer and start up Ancestral Quest from the drive.

Here's how you can get this new feature:

Have Ancestral Quest version 16, 15, 14, 12.1 or 12.0.
If you have purchased an earlier version of AQ (11 or earlier), you can purchase an upgrade either as a download for $24.95, or to have a CD sent for $29.95 plus s/h.
If you do not yet have any version Ancestral Quest, you can purchase it online either as a download for $34.95, or have a CD sent for $39.95 plus s/h.
You can also order either the full product or the upgrade by phone, if you prefer. Call the AQ Order line at 1-800-825-8864.

Basic Installation Steps

Here are the basic instructions to best set this up (more detailed steps are available, below):

Download the currently available release of AQ, which has this new ability. If you have just now purchased and downloaded the program (full or upgrade) you should have this current build. See the links near the top of this page to perform this step, if necessary.
Install the program to your hard drive, like usual, taking all the default settings. (This step must be completed in order to place the newest build containing the AQ2Go! feature onto your hard drive).
Copy the AQ program folder from your computer's hard drive to your flash/external drive.
Go to the flash/external drive and run the AQ program from the drive.
A notice should appear asking if you want to copy the settings file... click the Yes button. This should copy your Registration Key to the drive.
Close AQ.

That is all it takes.

Once you insert the device into a computer, double-click to open the Ancestral Quest xx folder on the device (where xx represents the version of AQ that you have installed), then double-click on AncQuest.exe to start the program. Note: Depending on your Windows settings, the ".exe" part of the name may be hidden. Just run the "ancquest" application from that folder.

Important Notes

Here are some things to be aware of:

Using the steps outlined above, you can install AQ both to your hard drive (typically the "C:" drive) for your normal day-to-day usage, and you can also have it installed to the removable drive.
In the future, if you update to a newer build of Ancestral Quest, you will need to repeat this process to copy the new build to your flash/external drive.
There are two features of AQ that will not run from the removable drive: Collaboration and printing to a PDF file.
- In order for collaboration to work, you would have to install the collaboration support onto the computer in which you insert your removable device. Since this will only add a couple of entries onto that machine, it should be no problem.
- In order to create PDF files from the computer on which you are running AQ2Go!, you would have to have a PDF print diver installed on the computer.
Tip: You can copy the installation file for AQ onto your removable drive so you can easily install these onto the remote computers, as needed and where permissible.
You will need to be very careful with your database(s) to be sure that you are always working with the current version of the database. You have a few options in order to accomplish this:
- You can keep the main copy of your database on your computer's hard drive, then just copy the database to removable drive prior to taking it with you to go. This can be easily accomplished within Ancestral Quest.
  Go up to the menu bar in AQ, and choose File then Save As (Version 15/14) or Copy (version 12.1). The Save As window will appear. Here you will navigate to your removable drive. You can give the database a different name, if desired (like Smith 2go.aq). Click the Copy button, and a copy of the database will be placed onto the removable drive. If a database file with the same name already exists on the removable drive, you will be asked if you wish to replace it. Remember that replacing the existing file will erase that database and replace it with the database that you are copying from the hard drive.
  Once you have used the database on the removable drive and have come back to your own computer, you can use the tools within My Computer to copy the database back to your computer's hard drive.
- Another option is to keep your main database file on the removable drive, with the program. This way, regardless of whether you are working on your main computer or on another computer while on the road, your data file will always be on the removable disk, and will always contain the latest changes. Make sure that you always use the same file from the removable drive, so you don't end up maintaining two different sets of data.
  Please be aware of two very important notes, if you choose this option:
  - Be sure to always close AQ before removing the flash drive from the computer. Failure to do so could result in the loss of all of your data. The best procedure would be to close AQ, then use the Safely Remove Hardware tool in Windows. Then finally remove the flash drive from the computer.
  - You will want to backup your data to the hard drive or to a separate removable drive.
- If the computers on which you will be using Ancestral Quest will have access to the Internet, and you have the ability to install the Collaboration Support system onto the remote computer where you will be running Ancestral Quest (see the note, below), you can use a Collaboration file. Even though you are not collaborating with others, you are wanting to always have the most current data, and a collaboration file could allow you to do that. You can read more on the Collaboration feature on our website.

Detailed Installation Steps

Here are the detailed instructions to set up AQ on your removable drive:

Download the version of AQ which has this ability (Ancestral Quest for Windows version 16, 15, 14, or 12.1 build 20 or later). If you have just now purchased and downloaded the program (full or upgrade) you should have this version. See the links near the top of this page to perform this step, if necessary. Choose the option to Run or Open the file that you are downloading.
Run the install file of the program that you just downloaded (if it does not start automatically). During the Installation, choose all the default settings -- do not change anything. So just click "Next" "Yes" "Next" "Next" "Next" ...and so on. This will install the program to your hard drive.
If this is the first time for you to ever install AQ:
1. Shutdown and Restart Windows.
2. Once Windows has finished loading up, run Ancestral Quest.
3. If you have just purchased AQ, enter your Registration Key; if you are using the free AQ Basics program, click Use Ancestral Quest Basics.
4. Exit out of Ancestral Quest (the program must be closed in order to perform the following steps).
Go to the Ancestral Quest xx program folder on your hard drive:
1. In Windows, click the Start button, then click on (My) Computer.
2. Double-click the C:\ hard drive.
3. Double-click on the Program Files folder.
4. Double-click on the Incline Software folder.
Click once on the Ancestral Quest xx folder with the right (secondary) mouse button (where xx is the version of AQ).
Click on Copy to copy the folder.
Insert your flash memory or other drive onto which you would like to place the Ancestral Quest program.
In a blank area of the screen displaying the contents of the removable drive, click the right (secondary) mouse button once
Click on Paste to paste the program folder here.
Open the newly created program folder on the removable drive and double-click on AncQuest.exe to start the program. Note: Depending on your Windows settings, the ".exe" part of the name may be hidden. Just run the ancquest application from that folder.
A notice should appear asking if you want to copy the settings file... click the Yes button. This should copy your Registration Key to the drive.
The Ancestral Quest program will then open; it is running from the flash/external drive.
Go to the menu bar and click Help, then click Register Ancestral Quest.
Confirm that your correct Registration Key is displayed. If it is wrong or missing, you can type in the correct key.
Click Save and Continue or Register and Continue to save the information and close this window.
Close AQ.

The program has now been copied to the removable drive.

Once you insert the device into a computer, double-click to open the Ancestral Quest xx folder on the device (where xx is the version of AQ), then double-click on AncQuest.exe to start the program. Note: Depending on your Windows settings, the ".exe" part of the name may be hidden. Just run the "ancquest" application from that folder.