Backup Files, what you SHOULD remember

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

I HAVE SAID THIS ELSEWHERE BUT MAKE NO APOLOGIES FOR REPEATING MYSELF

Whatever software you use make a regular backup copy of your file, and more importantly do not rely on your hard drive as the only place to store the backup file.

There are several ways to store the file, depending on your computer system, your computer abilities and the software you use you should consider the following methods

CD copies of the file,

A device which you can remove from your PC, (ie a memory stick or removable hard drive)

Less desirable but worth a mention are;
Internet Backup options, available for certain software packages (but they do rely on an internet connection, third party storage, working servers etc)

Whichever system you choose please make sure that your backup copy has transferred to the disc/stick etc before you close your genealogy programme.

It takes years of research to find the information and just a minute to save it and a minute to check the backup file has been safely transferred.
Please don't take a chance , spend two minutes backing up and checking, it could be the best two minutes work you ever do.

ALWAYS VERIFY THE BACKUP FILES HAVE BEEN STORED, A QUICK CHECK IS TO OPEN A BACKUP FILE, IF IT OPENS AND HAS YOUR LATEST INFORMATION INCLUDED IT HAS BEEN A SUCCESSFUL COPY.

Several questions about creating backups have been asked recently, people have experienced some problems when attempting to backup to CD,a troubleshooter for CD backup problems can be found further through the thread, see post #5

[Elaine ..Spain]

I would like to support what Glen has said above - but would like to emphasise - DO NOT RELY ON ONLY ONE BACK UP - a CD or memory stick can fail as easily as your hard disk. Can I repeat what I have posted on another thread.

There is a standard recommended backing up method called Grandfather, Father and Son! In other words you have three discs (or external back up facilities) - it might be easier to rename them as backup 1, backup 2 and backup 3.

The first time you back up you use backup 1 (grandfather!) - the second time you back up you use backup 2 (father!) and the 3rd time you back up you use backup 3 (son!) - 4th time use backup 1 again, 5th time use backup 2 again, 6th time use backup 3 again etc etc.

You are thus spreading your backups evenly (at regular intervals) over all three discs/memory sticks/external drives (whatever method you prefer) - if one fails then you can go back to the previous backup version.

If you don´t want to go to the bother of using three backup facilities in rotation, then I would certainly recommend that you use at least two.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

I won't name a name but recently on one of the other threads there was a graphic example of how much you can lose without checking a backup file has been stored.We all learnt a lesson through this one, and it is something i wouldn't wish on anyone.

Two years worth of data was lost in error, images, photographs, census returns etc all gone. It isn't a nice situation to find yourself in and you can't turn the clock back. Back up files had been created but there was a problem, it went unchecked and that still meant data had been lost.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

CD Backup Troubleshooter

It seems a few people are having trouble creating CD backup copies of FTM files, there are several reasons why this may occur, a few common reasons/resolutions are listed below;

Apologies if it sounds technical, it might be advisable to print this reply so you can refer to it whilst creating copies of your files.

If you are having problems creating a backup using the FTM facility try creating a backup outside FTM via the software within Windows XP.
(basically copy the file on your hard drive to a CD instead of using the backup option direct from FTM.)

Windows XP has a built-in CD mastering software which works with many types of CD burners.

If you wish to back up your file to CD using Windows XP's built-in CD mastering:

Insert a CD-R or CD-RW disc into your CD recording drive.
Right-click on the family file you wish to backup to the CD.
Select Send to and then CD-RW Drive.
If the notification feature is enabled on your computer, you will see this message in the notification area of the taskbar:
You have files waiting to be written to the CD. To see the files now, click this balloon.
If you see this message, click the balloon when prompted.
If you do not see the notification message, click the Start menu, choose My Computer, and then select your writable CD drive.
Windows displays a temporary area where the files are held before they are copied to the CD.
Verify that the file that you intend to copy to the CD is displayed under Files Ready to Be Written to CD.
In the left task pane, under CD Writing Tasks, click Write to CD.
Follow the steps in the CD Writing Wizard to write the file to the CD.



Some people have found that although they cannot back up to a CD-RW, they have been able to back up to a CD-R.[/B]First try using a new blank unformatted CD-RW/CD-R. [/B]

Use a custom backup location:
From the File menu, choose Backup Family File.
In FTM 2006: From the File menu, choose Backup.
In the Backup Family File dialog box, click on the Change button.
Navigate to your writeable CD drive.
Click OK twice, then check the CD to verify that the backup has been created.
(If you have more than one writeable drive, you might try this step again with the second drive).


Specify your rewriteable drive in the FTW.ini file:
Open FTM
Hold down the following keys: Ctrl-Alt-B
Write down the number at the end of the device (X:X:X)
Open the FTW.ini file using the steps below that apply to your FTM version.
For FTM 2005 and lower: Click on the Help menu and choose System Information. From the Run dropdown menu, select FTW.ini.
For FTM 2006: Click the Help menu and select About Family Tree Maker. Click the Advanced button. The FTW.ini file should open in Notepad.
Locate the following line: ;BackupCD=X:X:X
Enter the number you have copied and remove the semi-colon (;).
The resulting line should read something like this: BackupCD=0:1:0, where the 0:1:0 is replaced by the number you have written down.
Save the changes and close the INI file.
Click OK on the System Information or About Family Tree Maker dialog box and close FTM.
Reopen FTM and try backing up to CD again.


Install the ASPI drivers:
Close FTM.
Navigate in My Computer or Windows Explorer to the folder where Family Tree Maker is installed, such as C:\FTW or C:\Program Files\Family Tree Maker 2005. Double-click the ASPI folder, then double-click on ASPIKIT.
After it has completed installing the drivers, reboot your computer. Then return to FTM and try backing up to CD.


Update your rewriteable CD drivers:
The method for doing this will vary based on the manufacturer of the hardware. You can usually find an updated driver on their website which can be downloaded and installed.

Using the same disc more than once?

You can quite happily use the same disc several times but make sure that you use the same filename each time. If you attempt to change filenames FTM will use an inbuilt safety feature to protect your existing data. A new filename would normally cause the old data to be overwritten (and permanantly lost), FTM does not allow this to happen so you must be consistent with filenames.eg
mytree#1.FBC and mytree#2.FBC might in reality be an old and new version of the same file but FTM will not understand this. To prevent overwritng #1 the backup attempt of #2 will not work.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Saving to floppy disc

Another alternative would be to use floppy discs in place of CD's.

There are a couple of points to remember;

The amount of storage on a floppy is far less than a CD, a file may be larger than one disc can store so you may need to use two (or more) discs to save an entire file.
If this is the case you must make sure that the same filename is used on each disc,

if for example disc 1 has a file called Smithfam#1.FBC and disc 2 has a file called Smithfam#2.FBC you will have problems if you try to restore the file from backup.

Although you know that it is just one file spread over two discs FTM will look at the filenames and decide that there are two unrelated files.

Reusing floppy discs

It is possible to re-use a floppy disc but again you need to be aware of an important point, (the same applies to any format of disc/stick and is an inbuilt safegaurd FTM provides.)

You should make sure that if you wish to re-use a disc that the filename you wish to add is the same as the filename already on the disc. This allows FTM to overwrite the information safely. If you attempt to use a different filename then FTM will not allow the backup copy to be made. This is a safety feature to prevent you accidently overwritng a file and losing it for good.

[Patty]

Backing Up

I back up my family history files, family tree, census files, document and photograph files on a regular basis, exactly as mentioned above. Now I have never had to run the back up files but is it possible for someone to give me step by step instructions on how to open these files up again, i.e. if this had to be on a new hard drive (in the event of losing the old one). I don't know what to expect of a back up, will the files just open up and be able to be saved to a new hard drive?

[marylou]

I make sure any info I get is put onto floppy disk and also printed out so I have a copy to hand. That way if I had problems and was without a computer I'd have the actual pages to read through and add photos and stuff like that. If I lost what I'd got and had to start again..........well I don;t think I could

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Pat, take it you mean on FTM? In which case if you lost your hard drive - you just reinstall your FTM program onto the new one, put your cd in your puter and click on File and then Back Up and then CDR and away it will go and add the info back to the program.

[Patty]

Backing up

Hi, thanks for the replies. Yes I do have FTM and I can back up on CD and then transfer to new hard drive. I also have files saved to my C Drive on computer i.e. photographs, documentation, census etc, which I back up regularly. Heather you are correct in saying that I could transfer all the saved stuff on CD and then reinstall on new hard drive. I think I have been confusing myself regarding backing up, thinking that what I had backed up was going to be hard to access. I now have two new memory sticks so I will also use those to transfer my information to.

[Heather Positive Thinker]

And dont forget for about a fiver a year you can back up to internet storage (this ISNT your family website page). In which case you could restore from that.

[borobabs]

ONCE again I have lost all my files due to letting a teenager use my comp ;;
she messed up my webcam so I had to remove and then put back on, so I decided to put Nero on comp as lost it when it crashed;;;

When I did it , it ate up half of my desktop which included my FTM;;;
had to do System restore and Lucky for me had backed up on 28/12/06 so all I have lost is 1 generation and 5 census files ;;;


The Moral
ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR FILES;; YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN SOMETHJING IS GOING TO GO WRONG;;;;;;

This is 3 times in last year I have lost them ;;
DO NOT BE LIKE ME the 1st time I lost nearly 3 yrs of hard work ;;;

[Len of the Chilterns]

I make sure any info I get is put onto floppy disk and also printed out so I have a copy to hand. That way if I had problems and was without a computer I'd have the actual pages to read through and add photos and stuff like that. If I lost what I'd got and had to start again..........well I don;t think I could

Marylou

This is a valid point - keep print-outs. I am coming up to 83 and, although I intend living to 146 one never knows.
It would be infuriating, having departed this life, to be aware that no one can (or wants to) get into my pc and it is dumped together with all my work. I would be haunted !
With it all on paper,though, it has a better chance of survival and being passed around the family.

[sue1950]

Glen
I have everything printed out so that it can be understood if I go tomorrow. I back it up on the computer but I also back it up on floppies the thing is though I am now on my 5th floppy if for any reason I did loose everything on computer, how would I be able to get it from 5 floppies, sorry to sound a bit dim.Would I have to put them all in the computer?
I have also tried to copy my paf onto a disc but for some reason I can't any advise on these two questions please.

[sue1950]

Another thing I have done is sent a lot of my photo's to my yahoo address and family history stuff, I have put them in folders also that way I can get them if I need to.

[dribla]

Hi all, Well thank you so much for bringing to my attention of backing up at all, I have not done it in the past, just printed off after each month. boy I think if I lost everything I would just die,

Diane

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Glen
I have everything printed out so that it can be understood if I go tomorrow. I back it up on the computer but I also back it up on floppies the thing is though I am now on my 5th floppy if for any reason I did loose everything on computer, how would I be able to get it from 5 floppies, sorry to sound a bit dim.Would I have to put them all in the computer?
I have also tried to copy my paf onto a disc but for some reason I can't any advise on these two questions please.

Sue

Apologies for not replying before.

Yes you would need to put the discs into the computer and open them with the same programme that created them. (ie FTM or Legacy, Family Historian etc)

Have you got the file spread over 5 different floppies or is each floppy an updated version of your research?

If the file spreads over several discs then you must make sure that the same filename is used on each disc as this will tell your Family Tree Programme that the files over several discs all belong to the same tree.

Re your query about PAF, it is not something i have ever used so i really couldn't say.

================================================== =
Saving your files as a gedcom file reduces the filesize and allows you to open the file with another programme (ie create the file in FTM and open it with Legacy) but you will find that you can only transfer text, pictures and images will not be transferred in a gedcom file. There is also a possibility that any notes you have entered will either not transfer or may transfer with errors if you use a different programme to open the file.

[Laird]

cheap as chips to install a 2nd hard drive on most PCs .... call it D: (or Fred) and just use it for your data* - leaving your Windows OS on C:

You should then also employ the other techniques mentioned to maintain a 2nd or 3rd level of backup (called generation archiving)


* 'your data' should also include Email, XL spreadsheets, Word Documents and graphics files ....

You can get an 80Meg Hard disk drive (Seagate quality) from EBay or other online sources, including the ribbon cable to connect it to your PC and the existing C: drive for about £30 inc postage.... your PC will already have the power cablkes and plugs in its loom waiting for you.

Laptop or dont want to explore your PC's internals ? Get an external 'portable' hard-drive...

[sue1950]

Glenn
Thankyou ..I have the back ups on 5 different floppies but when I back up and say to back up on floppy it is the same so should I be ok then
?

[Rosie Knees]

Sue


================================================== =
Saving your files as a gedcom file reduces the filesize and allows you to open the file with another programme (ie create the file in FTM and open it with Legacy) but you will find that you can only transfer text, pictures and images will not be transferred in a gedcom file. There is also a possibility that any notes you have entered will either not transfer or may transfer with errors if you use a different programme to open the file.

Bearing in mind what Glen says above, how should I be saving my info from FTM? I usually back up my ftm file (the usual 'working' file) to a disc. I took my disc to work the other day and when it opens it says 'read only'. Should I be saving my Gedcom to disc?

Sorry if this has already been clarified elsewhere.

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Bearing in mind what Glen says above, how should I be saving my info from FTM? I usually back up my ftm file (the usual 'working' file) to a disc. I took my disc to work the other day and when it opens it says 'read only'. Should I be saving my Gedcom to disc?

Sorry if this has already been clarified elsewhere.

Hi Rose, apologies for the late reply (been busy elsewhere on the site :D )
Presumably you don't have FTM installed on your pc at work? This could be the reason the "read only" status is still there;

The (backup) files are copied as "read only", in theory they should open as normal when copied back to a hard drive but sometimes it doesn't happen.

There are a couple of solutions on the FTM helpcentre, you can find them at;
File opens as "read only"
Answer

Removing "read only" attributes
Answer

If you were to use a gedcom file to your pc at work (either saved on disc or sent as an e-mail) then you would need some software that can read a gedcom file installed on your work pc to view the file(s).