Is anyone else having problems with Find My Past? For the last few days I have been trying to look up newspaper articles (I have a subscription). I use it fairly regularly and am used to it but for several days I have not been able to narrow down the searches. I get as far as being able to select what I want but then I am unable to apply my choices like I normally do i.e. I cant narrow it to Somerset. Is it just me and can anyone suggest what I can do about it? With thanks Elizabeth
Not just you - I had problems this morning when I was on the site but thought it was me! I will try again tomorrow to see if any glitch has been sorted. If not, I will report it.
It's particularly with the newspapers for me, it seems the system is unstable, apart from not being able to narrow my searches I often cant move through the pages without loosing all the search details. it strikes me this has been intermittently going on for a couple of weeks. I wouldn't mind but there is never (it seems) an explanation, which would save people so much time from trying others ways and trying to reset the computer. Getting the newspapers is not cheap and I am disappointed. I think this search in FMP is about 80% of my using their services. I am now wondering is there a different way, a cheaper way of accessing the newspapers. OK rant over. Sorry for that.
Well @Amle. I have been with FMP for years, but because at the time we had a lot of bills going out monthly I wasn't able to afford an annual sub all in one go - so I've only ever paid monthly on manual re-new and sometimes had to let the renewal lapse by a few days if too many outgoings. This means I have paid a heck of a lot more for my subscriptions annually than most other people. Ancestry - I've had over eight years rolling monthly subscription there... that's a lot of dosh. This means that where FMP was concerned, I wasn't eligible to have the 1939 register when they released it (yes, it still smarts) and whereas I'd always enjoyed newspaper access as part of my subs they re-jigged it to include in the new, more expensive package - aaand I was half a day late in renewing one month so lost my access. On principle I will not pay the extra per month to get the newspapers back, even though I can afford it now. Welsh newspapers are free online via the National Library of Wales - I have found a lot of stuff in there. Libraries have their own online newspaper access, although I haven't found that as useful as the BNA, if I'm honest (some libraries you can access online at the moment if you have a card). Otherwise, I tend to make a list of names I want to search for and take out a monthly sub with the BNA every so often. And of course there's always Trove. I was missing an ancestor from Kent who vanished off the face of the earth. Where was he? Droving sheep in the outback! (I found a notice in a personal column from his family, who were also trying to find him).
Odd. If I use my tablet (kindle fire) then I can narrow down the searches. However, if I use the laptop, the 'save' button disappears below the edge of the screen and will not stay in view.
I'm still going mad as I contacted FMP and they have said it is my computer problem, as they cant replicate it.
If you use the zoom +/- on your browser bar (on Chrome its the drop-down where the three dots are) then you can reduce to say 95% and the 'Apply Filters' button is visible again. I suspect it may be linked to the latest windows update, though how FMP can't replicate it I don't know, as lots of people are reporting the same problem
I used FMP two days ago and had no problems, other than not finding anything of use, mind you I wasn't on there long so I might just have hit a good spot.
I've not had a problem like this, and I search the newspapers almost daily. I'm using the Chrome browser with Windows 10 on a desktop PC with a separate monitor. HOWEVER, I have just tried to do the same on my iPhone and there, like others, I cannot see or click the 'Apply' button to narrow down my search. There doesn't seem to be a 'fullscreen' or zoom option available in Safari to help? I can pinch the screen to make the button visible, but then cannot press it! My much newer iPad has a flat battery right now, but I'll try on that tomorrow and report back.
I have been having trouble with FMP and its searches too. Not just in newspapers (although they are really starting to do my head in). Also some of their results make no sense. I did a search yesterday for a marriage in Clun, Shropshire. I got 3 hits. One was in Clun, Shropshire but the other two were for marriages in Lancashire. I went into the latter two and nowhere on the certificate did it mention Clun.
I have now tried the newspapers search and filtering on my newer iPad and it is working fine there. I wonder if this particular issue is manifesting only on older devices / browsers?
