Welcome to The Briercliffe Society Forum

I have just been playing around with FTM. It does appear that it will not let you backup to a USB/flash drive.
The only way I can see it is possible is as Charon says and to 'export' the file.

When trying to back my file up to my USB drive, I got an 'error' message telling me that there is info on this floppy drive.

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

I've been getting the same error message as you about the floppy disk, Mel.

Charon, thank you for your suggestions. I'm making some progress in that I've saved a file to the flash drive, the following way:

open family file to family page
(I wasn't able to save here as the word 'save' wasn't highlighted)
went straight to export
entire file
(Had to miss your next step as I couldn't click on 'save')
flash drive

So it's saved on the flash drive but I'm unable to open it. I think I'm doing something wrong in naming the file because I get this message:

You cannot use a Family File while it is on a removable disk. Please click OK and use the following dialog to copy this Family File to your hard drive.

Maybe version 16 has been modified from version 12. I'll keep trying.

Joan

I don't know what version this one is but it says 2006? I don't use it to be honest as there are things I am able to do with PAF (like a simple backup it seems!) that are not possible with FTM.

Joan, I think I would be tempted to contact FTM via their website and raise this query. Many people use USB drives and external hard drives today as means of a backup, CD's are becoming quite old hat. I find it hard to believe that there is not a simple way to do this.

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

OK...I've been playing again.

It will allow me to backup to my desktop. The only thing I can suggest Joan is that you do your backup to your desktop and then copy or move that file onto your Flash drive. Long winded but a solution!

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

Thanks, Mel, I'll try this. Like you, I think there must be an easier way. FTM backup menu does indicate it can be done.

I've heard that PAF is easy to use, aside from being free to download. Several of the volunteers at our local LDS Centre use it. I've also heard good things about Legacy, but haven't tried it.

A friend gave me FTM one Christmas, which is why I'm using it. I haven't found any difficulties except with this backup.

Joan

I think it is what you get used to.
I have always used PAF. I was given FTM but never got to grips with it.

I also bought Family Historian a few years ago and that was even worse. I just cannot get the hang of that one so I stick with the old faithful.

All these programs do pretty much the same thing and it is purely personal preference.

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

I've been playing too....

Joan, it's difficult to make helpful suggestions in detail without knowing how your folders and files are organised, but this is how I was able to open the FTM file I have on my flash drive. I have a folder named Ancestors in My Documents.

When you get to the point where you're told to "use the following dialog", click OK, then choose a folder to save the file to (in my case, a sub-folder in my Ancestors folder), and Save it there. You can then open it from there in the usual way.

If you don't have folders, save the file from the flash drive to your desktop. When you've saved it to your desktop, simply clicking on the icon on the desktop should open the file in FTM. (What's the point? well, it's still backed up on the flash drive and away from your PC)

If this doesn't work, I shall shut up and retire to lick my wounds! But I must say I agree with Mel - the program that works best is the one you're used to. I get on very well with Family Historian, or at least those parts of it that I've managed to learn. But I admit it seems to me to be like Photoshop - lots of quite advanced tricks that you don't need very often, and forget how to use in between!

(I once saw a book called Photoshop in a Nutshell. It had 800 pages!)

Charon

Finally success!! Charon, my folders are organized in a similar way to yours. In My Documents I have a folder Family Tree, not to be confused with FTM, with separate family files within it. I made a new sub-folder within Family Tree and followed the steps you outlined to save a file to it, after renaming it. Not sure if I needed to do that. So far, so good.

I inserted the flash drive and reopened this file from the new sub-folder and went through the following steps:

open file
file menu
export file
entire file
save in (removable disk G for me)
filename (same as in sub-folder)

It seems to have worked. Now I can open the file from both the new sub-folder and the flash drive. There must be an easier way, though.

Charon and Mel, thank you both for your help. I couldn't have done it without you.

Joan

Joan, Mel,

together we did it! Today we conquered FTM, Tomorrow the World. (Thought for the day?)

Charon

This is for you Mel!

West Coast Times, Issue 11203, 30 January 1899, Page 2
TWO GIRLS DROWNED
(PRESS ASOCIATION.)
(Received Jan 29 at 5 p.m.)
NEWCASTLE, Jan 29.
Two girls, Sutcliffe and Burrowston, both 14 years of age, were drowned while bathing on the beach.
Burrownston’s body was recovered but Sutcliffe’s was eaten by the sharks.

Crikey! Shame it doesn't give full names.

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

Sharks ???

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

Is the West Coast Times and Australian paper?

I saw Newcastle to begin with but the chances of someone being eaten by a shark in Newcastle under Lyme.....

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Mel

Searching for lost relatives? Win the Lottery!

The West Coast Times was a New Zealand paper, but I think this is reporting an Australian incident.

Sigh of relief. I thought Newcstle-on-Tyne. But then that's east coast now I think about it.

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at