Surgeon General's Family History Initiative

Download Now (See instructions below)

Instructions for installing My Family Health Portrait:

1. Print this page for an offline reference if needed.

2. This version of My Family Health Portrait only works on computers running the following Windows operating systems: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows 98, Windows NT. Windows NT 4.0 requires Service Pack 6a.

3. For Windows 2000 and Windows XP users, you must have administrator privileges on the computer you are using to install the Surgeon General's Family History application.

4. All versions of the Windows operating system also must have the Microsoft .NET Framework installed. To see if the .NET Framework is already on your computer, click Start on your Windows desktop, select Control Panel (it is under Settings in the older operating systems), and then double-click the Add or Remove Programs icon. When that window appears, scroll through the list of applications. If you see Microsoft .NET Framework listed, the latest version is already installed.

5. If Microsoft .NET Framework is not installed on your computer, you can download it for free from Microsoft. Go to Microsoft Windows Update Site to do so.

6. For more information about installing the .Net Framework, please visit the Microsoft Web site.

7. We recommend you review the User Security Guidelines ([DOC - 40KB]) prior to downloading and installing the application.

8. Download the My Family Health Portrait software by clicking the Download Now link (above), and then follow the instructions in the dialog boxes to save the "MyFamilyHealthPortrait.zip" file to your hard disk.

9. Windows XP Users:

   • Find and double-click the "MyFamilyHealthPortrait.zip". In the window that opens, click Extract all files
   .
   • Click Next.
   • In the Select a Destination panel, select the location where you want the program to be placed, for example, the Desktop. Click Next.
   • In the Extraction Complete panel, select Show extracted files. Check Finish.
   • Double-click the "MyFamilyHealthPortraitSetup.exe" file to start the installation program.

10. Windows 2000 and Earlier Users:

    • You will need the WinZip utility to use zipped files. You can download a trial version or purchase a full version at the WinZip website.
    • Once Winzip is installed, double click on "MyFamilyHealthPortrait.zip" and WinZip will open the file.
    • Follow the instructions in the dialog boxes to save the "MyFamilyHealthPortraitSetup.exe" file to your computer.
    • Find and double-click the "MyFamilyHealthPortraitSetup.exe" file to start the installation program.

11. Follow the installation instructions to complete the installation of My Family Health Portrait.

Privacy and Security

The information you enter in this family history program is your information. This computer program only stores information on your personal computer. No information entered into My Family Health Portrait is sent to any other computer, including any computer system operated by the federal government. How safe this information remains depends on how well you protect your computer from spyware and other programs that attempt to hack into your system. Keep your operating system up-to-date and use anti-virus software and personal firewalls to protect your computer from unwanted intrusions.

Information entered into this computer is intended to be printed out and given to your family physician to help you assess any health risks that may arise from disorders that run in your family.

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