Customer Reviews
If you use a Mac, you're stone out of luck 
2007-08-04
The previews on this set are JPGs, so why did NG use some form of encoding for the main maps that makes them unreadable on a Mac? Other "Windows-only" CD collections don't, which means that even if we cannot access the interface (and, say, the search function), at least can see the content.
Shame on NG for excluding the rest of us in this way!
WORKS FINE WITH XP 
2006-09-18
NG Maps works fine with XP and XP Pro. In both, the user can
select a compatibility mode to emulate any MS OS from
Windows 95 to Windows 2000 and everything in between. The only
con with the program is it runs in low res mode. For people
who enjoy maps, swapping the disks won't be a problem. If you don't
know how to change the compatibility mode, try the "Help". All in all, the maps are great.
Avoid this product until it is fixed. 2005-12-28
Beware!!! You will NOT be able to use this product on XP or XP Pro.
Don't waste your money 2005-10-30
I've tried installing this on two different computers. It "successfully" installed on my old HP laptop, but the software was absolutely terrible--unstable and very difficult to pull up maps when it wasn't crashing. The program just plain won't install on my new desktop (Athlon X2 3800+ dual core CPU, Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe mobo, 2GB RAM, Windows XP Pro). All I get are error messages. If I could give this negative stars, I would. As a geographer, I'm sorely disappointed with NG for putting out this garbage.
What a disappointing experience! 2005-09-11
These are some of the most wonderful maps in the world, especially from a historical geography perspective. But of what use are they in this format? It is difficult to search, impossible to browse effectively, and there is no way for an educator to present these images in any sort of useful format. I would suggest buying this collection only if you have hours of free time with nothing better to do than switch back and forth between 8 CDs for mild (but frustrating) entertainment with a nice glass of wine.
Difficult to use 2005-05-07
National Geographic Maps: The Complete Collection takes you on a tour of the world by presenting you with a century's worth of vibrant, informative maps!
NG Maps and XP 2005-04-12
I have had this collection since 2002 and never had a problem until today: I was aghast when I inserted the install CD into my spanking new XP setup, only to be informed by the dreaded popup that 'National Geographic Maps Will Only Run Under Windows 95'! Then a furious search turned up the following on the NG website:
"XP has the Program Compatibility Wizard which can help XP run programs developed under previous versions of Windows. To activate this feature:
Click on the Start button.
Go to All Programs then Accessories.
Select the Program Compatibility Wizard.
Select for it to look into the CD drive.
Choose for it to run in Windows 98/ME mode.
Another alternative would be to make a dual-boot partition."
The first solution worked instantly for me, even without setting it to a lower screen resolution when given the option.
I love this collection. Yes, the maps are scanned. Yes, the disk swapping is extremely annoying. Yes, the most recent version of the map of Britain I was looking for turned out to be from 1979! But searching through a couple of disks sure beat the time I spent earlier hunting down a map online, and then rejecting those I found because they were copyright/expensive/not detailed/low resolution etc. At least England hasn't renamed any major cities recently...
What a horrible piece of software 2005-01-07
This is just a bunch of map scans, with absolutely horrible software access/navigation.
The maps themselves are well-made, and if presented in a printed atlas, or with good navigation software, this would be a worthwhile product.
But the nav. software is awful (as noted in other reviews), and feels like something from 1995. For the $20 or $30 this costs, you can buy a good printed atlas instead.
Based on US policy 2004-12-10
The only problem I see in these maps are that they have attempted to rename Middle eastern regions such as Persian Gulf to arabic names. I don't accept that.
http://www.payvand.com/news/04/dec/1014.html
Does not work with Windows XP 2003-12-26
Do not buy if you do not have Windows 95. National Geographic has not updated its software for newer versions of Windows. There is nothing you can do or even get support from National Geographic to fix this problem.
