Genealogy Data Backup - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

Recommended Software?

440PerfectPitch — 2012-10-12 00:48:15Z

As a Mac user, I am very disappointed with the lack of integration with my online tree and FTM 2 for Mac. The program is essentially useless as it crashes constantly and always before a full backup is completed. Although I will run a disk utility to see if this improves things, I am assuming this is a bug, and I am not optimistic. I am essentially ready to scrap the software.

Not only does this mean that I don't have the most recent files on my HD, but it also denies me the sorting and classification possibilities within the tree itself that are not possible in the online tree, e.g.,merging multiple listings for the same person.

Therefore, my question is two-fold:

1. Does anyone know if a Mac-friendly software program exists that would allow integration with my Ancestry online tree OTHER than FTM?

And

2. Since I'm unable to create reliable backups in FTM, I am guessing that I should then back up to removable media. Can anyone tell me if, when I do so, all of the associated media will be exported as well?

Thanks in advance for any assistance,

Susan

Re: Are you storing your research online?? Please heed ----

Kirk_Sellman — 2012-07-11 12:46:26Z

I couldn't agree more. Create an email account with a letter in the Draft folder that has instructions for what you want done with your research, and id's and passwords for all of your accounts, and then put in your will what the account is with the password. Use a safe deposit box to store your will and your work will be preserved and available for the next person to continue your work.

Re: Are you storing your research online?? Please heed ----

patmob — 2012-07-11 10:03:34Z

Best way to ensure your research is to print it out. Hard drives fail, computers get stolen, technology changes.

If you were to disappear tomorrow, who would know your passwords or websites?

No matter how many times you copy it, electronic data is only temporary.

Re: Are you storing your research online?? Please heed ----

Kirk_Sellman — 2012-06-30 13:55:44Z

I'm also in the habit of uploading all important documents to my email account as self-addressed drafts. Whatever it takes to preserve my work.

Re: Are you storing your research online?? Please heed ----

g8ksh — 2012-06-30 13:45:39Z

Hi Kirk,

It doesn't sound like over-kill as I do similar:

PC used to do all on-line searches is backed up to internal and external drives daily.
Laptop used to keep off-line database (roots magic) and copies of documents, again internal and external hard drive daily back up.

Weekly - back up laptop to PC external drive and vice versa, and ensure ancestry is updated.

Most important though: if the house burns down and all computers and hard drives go with it, duplicate laptop back up and keep in another location (USB stick at work)

can't beat a good system crash to make you realise how big the basket is and how many eggs are in it!

Obituaries

CarolHuff17 — 2010-03-15 23:32:35Z

I am curious as to where researchers are putting obituaries on their Ancestry files.
I have, in the past, just put it in as a "story". Was wondering if, in spite of the fact that the obituaries are lengthy, they should be included as a "note".

Re: Are you storing your research online?? Please heed ----

Kirk_Sellman — 2010-02-24 19:33:53Z

Here's what I do for backing up my tree:

I use Family Tree Maker 2010, and it's on my C drive.
I backup the whole FTM to my D drive.
I copy the backup to two portable harddrives, my E and F drives.
I then copy that backup to my laptop.
I use Mozy to back up the backup on my D drive.
I also create a GEDCOM backup to each of those drives, and I upload that GEDCOM to Ancestry.com at least once a week as a private tree.

I've learned from hard experience that backing up is a very serious part of genealogy. My method may seem like overkill, but I've had to restore more than once because of computer harddrives crashing and it works.

Re: Are you storing your research online?? Please heed ----

spammerbait — 2009-01-13 08:47:33Z

Good warning; but there again everyone backs up their really important data and stores it in multiple places don't they ? Don't they ?

Are you storing your research online?? Please heed ----

DonnaMcCrearyRod — 2008-12-15 16:48:35Z

I ran across a blog last week that was pretty much filled with complaining customers.

It seems that their research and websites had been stored "safely" on the host's servers.

And then ...... with no notice, the host shut down. The subscribers lost pre-paid money, but more importantly, had lost years of research which they were maintaining on their websites and which they had uploaded to their websites for storage. They--understandably--believed that online with a reputable host was a safe place to keep data.

This is a true tragedy, as we in family research well understand.

Please---backup, backup---and don't consider your reputable online service as the safest place to keep your research.

I am thinking about this particularly because of the blog I ran across---and also because I had a crash this weekend. Luckily I had backed up my research on my external hard-drive and did not lose the hundreds of photos and document images stored on my computer.

Just a caution to store online if you wish, but to backup everything--and keep it updated--in multiple places. Losing our work is a tragedy to us and also to the research buddies we help.

And don't think a data loss won't happen to you. As the old-time users know, it's not a matter of **if** there will be a major crash---it's only a matter of **when**.

Warmest Regards for the New Year---

Donna

Re: New Message Board

mlfamilytree1 — 2007-10-03 06:04:14Z

Now I am really confused. When using ancestry.com program isn't the information in that program..and not stored on your computer? Is there still the need to back up? If so, how do you do it? From where?

Re: New Message Board

new9841 — 2007-08-17 19:35:22Z

I have not been able to backup to FTM even though I paid for that service. They cannot tell me why and just offer me my money back - big help. I have an external hard drive but would like something reliable off site. I cannot send my file by email to my son. Can anyone tell me why it will not go through?

Backing Up Family Tree

johnson692 — 2007-02-12 22:08:42Z

I'm having a problem backing up my family to a tumb drive. The error indicated that the device has data on it and request to insert another device. I have tried blank tumb drive. It will not backup data for some reason. I can backup to the hard drive with no problem.

Any solutions to this situation?

Re: New Message Board

nmfa1 — 2006-09-07 10:27:13Z

If you are worried about cost, just think of it terms of the amount of hours you spent entering all the information: apply a working wage, even at minimum wage, and it quickly pays for itself.

There are generally two kinds of geneology data: the unchanging, such as scanned photos, certificates etc and regularly changing such as your family tree etc. I back up the latter every time it gets altered.

There are numerous options for backup, but you really need to make sure you keep them separate from your PC if possible, in case of any real world problems (fires/magnets etc. can happen as well as hard drive crashes). I have a second hard drive for immediate backups, but this will only ensure against a disk crash. I also back up onto CD/Zip.. Bear in mind that writable CDs degrade after a few years (quicker if they are cheap quality) so that any data you've backed up, such as photos etc, will not last indefinitely.

There are a couple of other options you may not have considered: online storage (you'll need a fast net connection though, but has the advantage of being offsite) and flash disks. The latter isn't much use for storing large quantities of data permanently (too expensive), but they are very good for backing up the tree every time it is altered and, being small with a USB plug, make transferring data between PCs extremely easy.

NickA

Re: Backup solutions

2006-04-27 22:36:21Z

There are plenty of solutions out there. Are you looking for a specific brand? EMC & NetApp are frequently requested. I work for Berkeley Communications http://www.berkcom.com/NetApp/ which is a platinum authorized NetApp (Network Appliance) reseller</a>. However, we also have many other solutions, including custom jobs. We've got a bunch of SAN, NAS, filers, hard drives & disk drives, etc., check out our website. The homepage is http://www.berkcom.com which is slightly different than the above link for NetApp specifically. In case you aren't too familiar, NetApp and EMC are competing heavily for the computer storage & backup market. They are considered the leaders in this specific industry.

Re: New Message Board

Marsha_Mott — 2006-04-26 02:20:31Z

Thanks, Nicholas, for posting a reply. It's been a while since I posted the message to which you're replying...since then, I have been backing up to CDs from my desktop computer and I'm anxious to try the newer flash disks out now because they hold more data than earlier ones. However, I don't have a clue as to how to choose the right one for the job. Quality and endurance are important and I want to make sure the one I choose will do the job. Any advice you might have would be appreciated.

Re: ADVICE FROM ALL YOU OLD SCHOOL GENEALOGISTS!

texastee100 — 2006-04-18 20:59:40Z

I'm very sorry to hear about the crash. It happened to me about 10 years ago. I didn't back up often back then.

I now have an external hard drive along with the one in the computer. I save my information on both. I also burn a CD at the end of the month, 2 CD's actually...just in case. On each CD I also burn the entire file of other items, birth, marriage, death certificates as well as obit and a the newspaper articles, wills, and other applicable items. Essentially I burn everything I have on a CD. I keep about 3 months of CD at one time.

I've been told there are places on the web where you can upload your information as a back up for about $30 a year. That's not to say it's available for all to see, it's just an offsite storage facility.

Re: ADVICE FROM ALL YOU OLD SCHOOL GENEALOGISTS!

texastee100 — 2006-04-18 20:59:40Z

I have uploaded my info to a laptop without a problem. If you just access the material off the CD without actually uploading it, (restore from backup) then you cannot add information as it hasn't been uploaded. I know this works cause I've sent two family members info on CD and they've uploaded it and it works fine.

I do not generally print out group sheets etc. I will print what I many need if I'm working on a specific family to write in any findings. I don't care to lug the laptop. I do keep paper copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates as well as obits and property records, wills, and any newspaper articles. If a distant relative returns a family group sheet with a variety of info filled in, then I will keep those sheets but I don't keep countless binders of group sheets, etc.

Backup Software

2006-01-05 08:05:10Z

Unfortunately, we hear too often about a tragic lost of hours, days or even years worth of work due to a hard-drive failure. I wanted to let you know about a solution I have found which provides a simple and relatively inexpensive solution to the problem. I recently installed a USB potable mini-drive coupled with backup software called "BounceBack". I am sure that there are other companies out there as well that provide similar solutions but if you are interested in the company that handles both software and hardware, here is a link to their site http://www.cmsproducts.com (http://www.cmsproducts.com/product_bounceback_express.htm is the site for their software) . The thing I like about their solution is that it is extremely easy to set up the hardware and software. They also have a feature within the software in which you can schedule backups automatically, so you don't have to worry about whether or not you backed up a genealogy or e-mail file. It also has an auto restore feature which I have fortunately have not had to use yet. I think I paid about $100 for the hardware and software at Best.

************** Obligatory caveat - I am in no way associated with CMS Products and this message should not be considered as an endorsement for their products. Rather it is only a friendly suggestion on ONE possible solution to the loss of valuable data due to hard-drive failure.

Jim Houston
Fort Worth, Texas

Re: ADVICE FROM ALL YOU OLD SCHOOL GENEALOGISTS!

RMadigan — 2005-12-19 23:12:56Z

What I have done is simply buy a couple of these memory stick ($60 at Staples) and back up the pertinent files on them and copy to my other computer. this way they are in 4 differeent places. But if you have a fire or other disaster at home, that will not do you any good, so I also periodically copy the files to my daughter's computer, at her house.

i have found printing not to be very economical, since you tend to make that obsolete, rather quickly as you go along.

Richard

ADVICE FROM ALL YOU OLD SCHOOL GENEALOGISTS!

szumbarb — 2005-08-26 00:36:53Z

AT WITT'S END HERE! I had my PC crash, and when I went to re install the "saved" info from the floppy, it only saved the bare minimum, NO TEXT! So, I am in the process of re-entering all my ancestors on a NEW genealogy program and a NEW computer. My question is this............... How do you all save keep your info, (family group sheets, etc)? Do you just enter it on your computer? Or, do you print it out so you have a hard copy? If so, WHAT do you print out? If you don't print things out, how do you know what info you need to research? PlEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, give me some advice on this! How do YOU do it? It's driving me NUTS! Thanks in advance!

Re: ADVICE FROM ALL YOU OLD SCHOOL GENEALOGISTS!

szumbarb — 2005-08-26 00:36:53Z

Thanks for the reply! So, you burn your info on CD? I was told that when you do this that when you re install it, you cant re-enter new info.I was all set to go buy an external floppy drive! Is this true? So, you don't print out your information also?

Re: ADVICE FROM ALL YOU OLD SCHOOL GENEALOGISTS!

szumbarb — 2005-08-26 00:36:53Z

thanks so much for the advice!

Re: ADVICE FROM ALL YOU OLD SCHOOL GENEALOGISTS!

szumbarb — 2005-08-26 00:36:53Z

thanks for the advice!

Re: ADVICE FROM ALL YOU OLD SCHOOL GENEALOGISTS!

2005-03-26 13:39:24Z

Back when I started, I didn't have a computer, so everything is in notebooks. I'm very structured and organized, but have 12 volumes at present.

I also had a crash, and luckily, I had joined genserv - a genealogy sharing website. I had sent my information there, so I was able to retrieve my own files. Unfortunately, they were not the most up to date, and I still had to add information from much of the hard copy information.

I also burn cd's now - every few months, when I have new information that I've added. Works fine for me.

Good luck - I do share in the frustration.

btw - www.genserv.com if you want to take a look.

Backup solutions

2003-11-14 00:38:43Z

Hi

I was wondering if anyone knew where i can get good back solution products. I was searching on the internet and i found this site:

http://www.bltrading.com

I wanted to know if this is a good one or does anyone else know a better place i can go to find it.

Re: New Message Board