Family Tree Maker

[Sue1]

I have had problems with FTM since day one - I was using it on 3 Trees.

At some point it must have stopped working and today, wanting to safeguard one of the three Trees (it is no longer connected to one of the three because it said it could not upload pictures) I tried to upload what I have done in recent days to FTM - I do not do much on this particular Tree very often.

I was surprised to see that absolutely nothing happened - had a look at the setup for it and not only is it probably no longer working but wherever it says "pictures" whichever one I click on I see pictures of Trees, Wars and the Wild West - I have never seen any of these pictures before and there are absolutely loads of them and it looks very much as though the whole thing is corrupted. Since it is damaged I wondered about completely removing it from the computer but am wondering how safe I am in doing this? Or ............. is it safer left completely alone I wonder.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Sue - I am not into things technical on a computer by the way

[Anne in Carlisle]

The pictures you are seeing may possibly be in your computer's browsing cache abd showing up for some reason.
Anne

[Elaine ..Spain]

Re the pictures - you may be looking at images that supplied on the installation disc.

Your data and images should be in My Documents - in a folder labelled Family Tree Maker.
You should see two types of files - one will be name of tree (FTM family File)
.. another will be name of tree (FTM backup file)
.. and you should also have a folder for each tree which will be called name of tree Media. This folder should contain any images you have attached to your tree.

Can you see those?

[Sue1]

Many thanks.

Elaine: What I am seeing is in My Documents under FTM. None of the Trees are named and as far as I can see the wretched thing is defunct but connected and each Tree itself says it is connected! I can find nothing else on the computer related to FTM.
There is nowhere to update the Trees. I have a shortcut on desktop to it also with same result.
Not entirely sure what has happened BUT it certainly is not working.
I think I am probably NOT happy to have it "working" again - it has been a pain ever since I had it i.e. one Tree would never upload to it (my main Tree unfortunately).
All three trees continue to say they are connected to it but none are.
I know it is possible to "work" from FTM on the Tree but that access is not available - wonder where that went.
Do not have a bug (or at least don't have one that McAfee can find).
The question is really - ?remove or leave well alone. I can copy the Gedcom of all Trees at intervals but losing MY pictures from the Trees is my main worry - many/most will be irreplaceable.
I suppose the next question is ...............is there any way of saving separately (just in case) the pictures from each Tree or do I have to go from picture to picture saving each one again individually?
Sue

[Elaine ..Spain]

Sue - just so I understand correctly, can you confirm that you usually work on Ancestry and download or synchronise your tree from time to time with FTM (or at least you would if you could!).
If that's the case, does everything look OK on Ancestry?
Which version of FTM are you using?
When you open up FTM on your computer, is it working - that is, does it open OK?
What can you see in the FTM folder in My Documents?

[JudithM]

I'm confused (this happens easily). You mention "uploading" to your FTM tree. Does this mean that in fact you are uploading to an online tree on Ancestry rather than saving on Family Tree Maker files on your computer, or are you building a tree on Ancestry and then trying to download the data to FTM on your computer?

[Elaine ..Spain]

Same here Judith. It's the use of the term "uploading" which is confusing me, hence asking for clarification! I think Sue means she wants to "download" a tree from Ancestry to FTM.

[Anne in Carlisle]

I'm wondering if Sue actually has any version of FTM on her computer? If she can only find files but nothing else??
Annr

[Sue1]

Ann: I am wondering if anything is left of FTM on my Tree except the pictures/mountains that I have never seen before. That is all I can find of FTM.

[Sue1]

Sue - just so I understand correctly, can you confirm that you usually work on Ancestry and download or synchronise your tree from time to time with FTM (or at least you would if you could!).
If that's the case, does everything look OK on Ancestry?
Which version of FTM are you using?
When you open up FTM on your computer, is it working - that is, does it open OK?
What can you see in the FTM folder in My Documents?

Yes, paragraph one is what I do or would if I could. Have to admit I don't do the "downloading" to FTM as often as I should have been.
Tree looks OK except I noticed one photo has disappeared off the face of the earth but other than that all looks OK.
At the moment I can't find nor remember where I put the FTM disc and box to check which version but it is not that old - ?2012/13 - you helped me to put it on.
When I click on FTM documents all I can see is photo after photo of the Trees/pictures of Korean War etc, that I have never seen before and are certainly not on my Tree.
Originally the FTM was loaded onto computer but ceased to work (can't remember in what way) - then was re-loaded. I have 3 Trees - when reloaded although it says it is connected to my main Tree on ancestry, FTM itself said it could not upload the pictures and therefore it didn't function at all for that Tree but did for the other 2.
It is not working on one of the two Trees it should be working on - not sure about the second actually (will check) BUT I cannot see anything other than "documents" for FTM and those documents are the "tree pictures"!
I can't have done anything wrong because I haven't uploaded ?downloaded from ancestry to FTM for a while i.e. December 2014.
Normally there is a place where you can go into FTM and work from FTM itself on the Tree if that is what you want to do (I never have) but it no longer appears to exist.
Not too worried FTM isn't working what I am worried out is that it may put the Trees at risk or corrupt them.
McAfee has done a recent full check (yesterday - I asked it to do a repeat check).

Sue

[Anne in Carlisle]

Sue maybe it would help us to help you if you said, step by step, what you actually do if you want to add someone to your tree. Tell us what you do right from turning on the computer.
I don't use FTM myself but I think if you describe what you do it will help those who do use it to help you. At the moment we're a bit confused!
Anne
Edit: sorry, cross posted!

[Sue1]

Ann:
Open the Tree on ancestry.co.uk that I want to work on (3)
Go to "search records" on the page of person I want to update
Search
Find (if lucky) what I want and add to Tree.
That's it unless uploading a picture which I do in the normal way from "my pictures".

After typing E-mail before this I went over the computer closely again - and, although I have managed to lose it again, I found FTM setup i.e. documents file, pictures file, etc. It referred to one of the Trees it should be working on BUT is not. Haven't seen reference to second Tree that it should be working on.

Basically, I think I don't really mind that it isn't working - it was a backup for the Trees, nothing else and it is not actually doing that. I did consider trying to remove it but it is definitely corrupted and am afraid I may do more harm than good by removing it. I can save all the Gedcoms (last done in December) but I cannot save the pictures.
Equally I am not really sure how safe it is left where it is. Sue

[Elaine ..Spain]

Sue - we need to confirm that FTM is actually installed on your computer and is working on its own - don't worry about what or what is not showing at the moment - just that the program functions.
Do you have an icon on your desktop to start FTM? If so, click on it - does it open up the FTM program?
If there is no icon showing then go to Control Panel >> Programs - can you see FTM listed there - this should also tell you what version you are running.

Forgot to ask - are you on a Windows operating system or Apple? If Windows can you tell me which version - e.g. Windows 7 / Windows 8 ... or other?

[Sue1]

The Shortcut on desktop takes me to the previously unseen aforesaid pictures - headed FTM then subheaded pictures.
I am on windows7
FTM not amongst all programmes but actually did find something which I cannot copy and paste - relates to FTM - some of it is obviously corrupted. I did notice that it said it was reinstalled. - at least that is what I think it said because it just disappeared.
I then found FTM (the file - not quite sure where I found it) - clicked on it and it said "this file does not exist". The other file I found is under Win7 and has some FTM files - cannot cut/copy and paste - it won't allow. I notice when I went in there McAfee asked for a scan.
Perhaps it will sit there quite happily and do no damage - I didn't after all realise it wasn't working on any Trees but I knew it had said it couldn't upload pictures to main Tree at the time of re-loading FTM and had accepted it wasn't going to work on that particular Tree.
I am sorry I can't be more technically forthcoming.

The Icon still appears on my Trees.

Sue

[Elaine ..Spain]

If FTM is not showing in Control Panel >> Programs .... then it would seem the actual program has been removed from your computer. You may well be seeing odd (old) FTM files still left on the hard drive, but without the actual program nothing is going to work.

Leaving the FTM files on your computer is not going to harm anything.

If you want to start again, then you need to find the disc and reinstall the program. If you decide to do that, and then need help syncing the trees, then let me know.
In the meantime, make sure you download regular GEDCOM files from Ancestry as a means of backup - but as you are aware, these will be data only and will not contain images and attached documents.

[Sue1]

Have just come across something that may be relevant - the programme appears to be installed and is definitely corrupted BUT it tells me it is not working because it has not been designated a place to function!
I have also remembered something that may have some bearing on all of this - my husband's computer died earlier this year and he got a new one and because it has a bigger screen which is easier to read he gave me the new one and set it up -I think it might be his fault!!!!!!!!
Do you reckon it is safe just to get rid of FTM altogether off the computer?
Sue

[Sue1]

Sorry, we seem to have posted simultaneously. I don't think I will re-install.
Since it doesn't seem to be causing any problems I think I should just leave it alone probably? Sue

[Elaine ..Spain]

If it's not causing you any problems Sue, then I would leave well alone.
.. just remember to do regular backups from Ancestry!

[Sue1]

Many thanks, yet again, for all your help! Sue

[Sue1]

Elaine, You asked me if my Tree was OK ...............sadly pictures have been replaced (some) - what I attaché was a picture of Astbury Church - that picture was NOT lost, just replaced by a Tree! Now what on earth am I going to do? I haven't looked further ..................I daren't:
[can't upload what is on my Tree as a picture as it is not saved to "my pictures" and cannot copy and paste a picture onto here]
I give up - was beginning to go off all this research anyway.

Sue