Is Ysearch web site dead?

Question

I cannot add myself as a new member and cannot email an existing member that I want to contact. It appears unusable.

i emailed support and got this response from Family Tree DNA - 

"Thank you for your email.  Ysearch is still hanging on, it is a very buggy site and I have no time frame as to when, if ever, any of the issues will end up being corrected.  I am sorry for the inconvenience this causes."

I would like to use my recent DNA test results to look for possible matches, any advice on alternatives to YSearch is appreciated.

Comments

If you have had no success creating a new account at Ysearch.org, the workaround is to choose a 4-digit password (anything longer causes an error). This will allow the account to be created. You will then get a blank "confirmation" screen. Look up in the address bar and your newly assigned UserID is the number right after "uid=". Write that down as you will need it to login. I had tried and tried to create a new Ysearch account with no luck until I did the above. Apparently, this has been a problem since last Fall.

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I have had exactly the same problem.  Thank you for the work around Tracelines :-)

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Likewise.  After wasting hours the damn site doesn't take anything.  What a pathetic experience.

 

Ridiculous

Answer 1

No, YSearch is not dead;-)

Since at least Oct 2014 YSearch sometimes (always?) generates an error message after you create your YSearch account. If you created your YSearch account by using the Upload to YSearch button at the bottom of your Family Tree DNA "Y-DNA Matches" page, then a work around is to enter in your Web browser: http://www.ysearch.org/search_start.asp?providerkey=

and then your Family Tree DNA kit number - e.g.:

 

http://www.ysearch.org/search_start.asp?providerkey=18349 

 

Then you will discover the YSearch ID you created. Then be sure to add your YSearch ID for your Y chromosome results to your DNA Tests page.

 

Credit for this work around goes to http://www.isogg.org/wiki/DNA_databases#Ysearch_tips

Comments

 

No, YSearch is not dead;-)

I'm not so sure about that. :)   We just got some surprising results back on ftdna nd very much want to look around on ysearch. We can't even create an account, let alone use the URL hack to find it.

I find it astonishing that we're passing around this information in the URL, and I do have general concerns about the way the software works (or doesn't) on the flagship site. Another question for another time, except to say that my already shaky confidence in ftdna's engineering is not being steadied by this.

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Hello Kathryn,

I encourage you to politely ask Family Tree DNA to fix YSearch so the error does not occur. 

Let me know the kit number of the male whose results you attempted to upload from his myFTDNA page.  I may be able to get the " http://www.ysearch.org/search_start.asp?providerkey= " to work for you.

Sincerely, Peter

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Problem still exists. I called Family Tree DNA about it and they told me that no one is maintaining the site. I asked who was responsible for it and he said he would contact another department to see if they would allow him to tell me who is responsible. I asked him if they would be more responsive to subpoena from the Texas Secretary of State. No reply. He took my email and said it could take days for him to get an answer. I am not holding my breath.

There is a HUGE opening for competent YDNA testing that will be administered and supported by a company who is actually interested in providing CUSTOMER SERVICE for the services they offer and SELL to people who BUY their services.

Right now, I think FTDNA is engaging in willfully negligent FRAUD to claim they support YSEARCH and continue to include links to upload when there have been problems doing so for at least two years!

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Well... I guess I am surprised I received a reply from FTDNA which I just did. I had asked him why FTDNA continued to link to YSEARCH.org when it was broken and seemed impossible to store new data.  "Fernando" just wrote an email to me that that basically says, "We are the only YDNA testing service that matters, so you can get all the results from us." Pretty odd answer given the fact that a number of the results matching on ysearch.org have clearly claim to have data sources other than Family Tree DNA such as:

• Ancestry.com

• DNA Heritage

• GeneTree

• Oxford Ancestors

• Relative Genetics

• Other

• Other - 23andme

• Other - CaBRI

• Other - Cayman Biomedical Research Institute

• Other - Dixie Regional DNA

• Other - DNA Consultants

• Other - DNA testing direct

• Other - Ethno Ancestry

• Other - Exceed MDx

• Other - Forensic DNA service

• Other - Forenzní DNA Servis

• Other - gaskin forensics

• Other - genebase

• Other - Geneticka laborator KU

• Other - Gentract-Billab

• Other - igenea.com

• Other - ISFG

• Other - lakehead university paleo dna laboratory

• Other - NNLBKP

• Other - Research

• Other - SMGF

• Other - Sorensen Molecular Genealogy Foundation (SMGF)

• Other - Sorenson

• Other - YSEQ

Here is the reply from "Fernando":

"Thank you for contacting FTDNA. I have received an answer to your concern with the YSearch.com link. The link to the site has not been removed because a lot of our customers still use it to access the information that they have previously uploaded to that site. Due to the lack of other companies that offer Y DNA testing the site is no longer needed since all Y-DNA tests can be accessed through FamilyTreeDNA.com. This is why you are having issues with creating a new account. Again, I apologize for the inconvenience but no more accounts will be able to be created on YSearch.com. Please let me know if you have any questions."

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Due to the lack of other companies that offer Y DNA testing the site is no longer needed since all Y-DNA tests can be accessed through FamilyTreeDNA.com.

WHAT???

Will someone hand me my fainting salts? Seriously, FTDNA? 

I've become pretty happy with the "worthless" services of the affordable and extremely knowledgeable YSEQ. And a decent first pass may be had at 23andme, which have recently lowered their prices if you forego the health reports, and they have updated their ISOGG naming scheme to boot. It's a start - enough to let an R-M529/L21 male know that he is not directly descended from the same fellow that Mr. E-P252 claims. 

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Great work around. Thanks.

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Simple:  Why have a free site where other test results from other vendors can be entered when Ancestry can force you to buy a duplicate test from them?  It's all about the money with these crooks!

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Jon

I am not aware that Ancestry.com does YDNA testing of the same type that FTDNA does. You seem to believe otherwise. In any case, I am having difficulty with the logic of your premise given the facts:

FTDNA used to support Y-Search to allow comparison of YDNA tests from all providers (similar to GEDMATCH.COM) but now they don't because they (arrogantly) conclude there are no other YDNA test providers who matter. Since Ancestry.com never did YDNA tests in the first place and, as far as I know, still don't, I do not understand what profit motives FTDNA would have in forcing people to buy another test from Ancestry.com.

Please help me understand if I have missed the gist of your point, because, right now, it makes no sense to me.

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I believe that ancestry.com used to support Y-DNA testing.

I myself did not do Y-DNA testing with ancestry.com.  However, I took my Y-DNA results from Family Tree DNA, and manually entered those results into my sister's account at ancestry.com.  Those results are still visible there.

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BTW, there is no link on that page in FTD Tree DNA a huge waste of time and money.  Huge

Answer 2

Peter Roberts posted a good response to a similar question on May 15, as follows:

 

YSearch is currently the only practical Y haplogroup database.  For awhile there was also YBase but the company that hosted YBase was acquired by Family Tree DNA.

 

There is also YFiler haplotype databasehttp://www6.appliedbiosystems.com/yfilerdatabase/  and Ymatchhttp://www.dna-fingerprint.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=ymatch but they are not much of an alternative. YFiler uses only 17 markers and only has 11,393 entries (only 4,114 are Caucasian) and Ymatch only has 1,340 entries.

 

YHRD http://www.yhrd.org/ and SMGF http://www.smgf.org/pages/ydatabase.jspx don't allow input from the general public. 

 

An alternative is to not have the haplotype in a database but simply manually entered on a Web page in a table with "matching" haplotypes such ashttp://home.comcast.net/~libpjr1/bahamasdna.htm#RobertsI-Z59

 

Surname projects at WorldFamiles http://www.worldfamilies.net/ can display haplotype comparisons and most surname DNA projects hosted Family Tree DNA display results but it is difficult (if not impossible) to link to an html "anchor" for a specific haplotype comparison.

 

That is why YSearch is currently the best alternative because it allows you to search for any close matches for a haplotype.

Comments

The only remaining problem is that you can't contact the manager of the matches you find on YSearch.  The messaging system is broke and causes an error when you try to send a private message, thus making the site useless IMHO.

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Ysearch isn't so great when the login doesnt work.

 

Waste of time, actually.