Fix for the Family Tree Maker 2008 Autentication Error

I've been a happy user of FTM 2008 since it was first introduced.

But yesterday when I opened Family Tree Maker 2008 and tried to access Ancestry.com through the program, I got the dreaded "authentication with the server failed" error. This was a problem with FTM2008 when it was first introduced, but I thought it had been fixed with a patch.

The error was generally caused by a user's computer clock being set at the wrong day or time. Since this was the first time I opened FTM since we changed the clock for Daylight Savings Time, my thought was " Uh-oh, I have the authentication error because my computer clock got out of sync when the clocks got changed for DST".

Here are the steps I took to fix the problem for me. It only took a few minutes.

• In FTM, I went to the Help > Check for Update to make sure I had the latest updates for FTM. When I clicked on this, my progam told me I had all the updates. But if you get the authentication error and do not have the latest update, download it now. There was a patch introduced to help solve the problem.
• On the computer where I am running FTM, I went to Control Panel > Dates, Time, Language & Reginal Options > Date & Time to make sure my computer clock was set to the correct day and time. Mine was, but if you have gotten the authentication error, and your clock is incorrect, set it to the correct day and time now. You can simply double-click on the time in the lower right hand of your computer screen. Be sure to check both the day and time. This is the major cause of the authentication error.
• When all else fails to fix a computer problem, I reboot my computer. So I closed all my programs, turned off the computer, waited a few minutes and then turned it back on. This time, when I opened FTM 2008 and tried to search, I no longer received the authentication error. The computer reboot fixed the authentication error for me.

One other thing to check is if you connect to the internet using dial-up and you are using an accelerator, you may get the authentication error until you deactivate the accelerator .

If these steps still haven't fixed the authentication error for you, your next step should be to call tech support at 1-800-ancestry.

Here are many of the features I found in FTM2008 when I first tried to program - FTM 2008 Thoughts