How to record information

[Alexander Bisset]

I couldn't even begin to organise my data on paper, there are just far far too many cross-references between different families to try to record it on paper. As I've mentioned elsewhere on this forum I use Family Tree Maker 2012, I have well over a thousand certificates on paper, along with hundreds of census printouts but I don't try to organise them beyond 5 categories births, marriages, deaths, census, other; with each category in year order.

The computer organises and cross-references my data, produces maps, links to websites, interfaces with my mobile devices and gets backed up offsite so I can never lose my research. Paper is vulnerable to fire, flood, loss etc in a way that remote data storage simply isn't. Plus these days when the amount of remote storage that holds all my 8000 people in my tree is completely free, it ought to be available to anyone regardless of their budget.

BTW for everyone that uses a computer when is the last time you took a backup that is NOT stored on the same computer as the original? If the backup is on the same computer as the original its not safe. If your computer gets damaged you lose your main and your backup.

As an IT professional I often get people asking for home computer help, sometimes that involves someone who has lost some files or has files corrupted. My first question is always "Is the data really vitally important to you?". If the answer is yes then I say "Oh that's a relief, we can recover it from your backup then!!". Anyone who then says they haven't got a backup quickly realises their error when I say "Well the data couldn't have been vitally important if you didn't bother taking a backup".

PS. No I'm not quite that harsh but the story does send a message, there typically is very often no magic an IT guy can perform to recover your file if you damaged or lost it. Typically we rely on a good backup. Think about that and take a backup today.

PPS. I've nothing against paper record keeping, only I'm rather a hoarder and have various piles of disorganised paper so a paper based family history record would be a nightmare for me. I am personally in awe of those that manage to keep their records well organised on paper an amazing achievement in my book.

 

[MarionK]

BTW for everyone that uses a computer when is the last time you took a backup that is NOT stored on the same computer as the original? If the backup is on the same computer as the original its not safe. If your computer gets damaged you lose your main and your backup.

I'm a bit paranoid about losing my years of research stored on my computer. Every time I finish a session in TMG (The Master Genealogist), I create a backup. That backup is then copied to a memory stick & then again copied to my netbook. Every couple of days I add a TMG backup file to my Nortons online backup, which runs regularly in the background. Once a week, I back up my documents & pics to an external drive (I have 3 which I rotate) & upload my latest TMG backup (& other documents/pics) to Skydrive. Some may say this is over the top. I don't care, as long as all my data is protected.

 

[Alexander Bisset]

I've stopped using memory sticks in favour of Dropbox which acts like a regular folder on my machines then automatically copies the data to my online backup. This then gets automatically copied to all my other machines the next time I turn them on.

 

[Shayne]

One of the tips I would recommend for those who utilize computers effectively is to occasionally go back to your paper, especially for brick walls. When I first started, I know I wasn't able to harvest and/or utilize all of the relevent clues from the original record.

Going back to the original marriage certificate on one of my lines allowed me to figure out that the wife's married sister had been one of the witnesses for the marriage. I was able to confirm that I had the correct Griffiths family in Pembrokeshie, Wales by tracing the sister and finding the widowed mother living with them in a later census...very satisfying that my instincts were bang on.

I had wondered if the sister was a witness but I didn't have the skills at that early stage to engage in the search I later completed.

 

[AndyMick]

To add to Alexander's note, a backup to an external drive that remains plugged in to a computer counts as being on the same computer, as if the power fails, there is a small chance it could take out both computer and external drive. I too have my genealogical data on DropBox.

 

[AdrienneQ]

As another computer professional I also keep a second backup of all my data. Do you begin to get a bit of a theme here, with all of us having more than one backup.
I have a couple of external hard drives by Clickfree (as the name suggests they are very easy to use).
One backs up the whole of my hard drive and updates the backup every night.
I keep another at work and bring it back once a month to backup the data.
The 1st backup is important as it lets me do a quick restore but I think that the 2nd is the more important as as if there was a fire, burglary or other incident at home all would not be lost. There is a rule that this backup should be more than 3 streets away from home. If you cant store it that far away at least get it out of the house.
As well as these prime backups I have data in the cloud and on other devises but that more for ease of use.

 

[Mike]

I'm also in the computer business and agree in general with what has been said but would also suggest that low tech manual paper based backups are worth considering. At least do a few print outs and stick them in the loft!

Think about what a burglar is likely to take. All your small easily carried external hard drive/usb sticks, laptops etc. Would they really bother making off with a load of heavy boxes marked family tree?

Do you really want to trust your backups to a free online service. You usually get what you pay for.

Also from experience of working in an IT dept I would say that checking your backups are restorable is very important and will fail more often than you would expect especially in the long term. We had a very robust backup plan with offsite storage etc but it failed us due to changes in technology. Those cupboards full of magnetic tapes looked pretty useless once management made the decision to get rid of the tape drives that were needed to read them. Also we struggled because the people who took the backups were Unix experts and years later the new Windows experts were asked to retrieve a file and didn't even know what commands to type. So along with your backup write some clear instructions on how to retrieve the files. e.g. at least along the lines of this is a Gedcom 5.5 with the following non standard features intended for use on ... Remember it might not be you doing the restore on these backups.

 

[Jacqueline]

Paper and computer. I'm equally paranoid about committing everything to paper and the house burning down/ everything on the computer and its crashing. so I use both. One file per family and associated sub-branches filed in surnames groups, then under first name and date of birth for all certificates, PRs print-outs, newspaper cuttings, photocopies of letters, photos and also addresses of known "Cousins" etc. When the contents in a file grow too big for it, I split off the last 2 or 3 generations and put them into a new file. I include latest FTM printouts of individual reports and family reports, replacing the old one with the updated one. I must admit that the line of files in the book case in the dining room is getting rather long.
I occasionally back up FTM on to memory sticks (Memo: go and find memory stick now and do it). Latest version gets carried to France when we go on memory stick and installed on the computer there.

 

[Jennie]

I've stopped using memory sticks in favour of Dropbox which acts like a regular folder on my machines then automatically copies the data to my online backup. This then gets automatically copied to all my other machines the next time I turn them on.

I am fairly consistent with my backup of all my work and have even invested in an external floppy-disc reader to be able to access my original findings, unnecessary I know, but just in case! I use a Seagate Replica 500GB External USB 2.0 Desktop Hard Drive on a daily basis, and a strict rotation of memory sticks. I have a large bookcase of Family History folders of printed copies of my work, that despite various schemes employed in endeavouring to keep updated with each and every addition and alteration are still out-of-date and found that their upkeep was as lengthy as the time I spent on actual research.

I have just been on your Dropbox link, thank you, and before I sign up may I ask, please, is the upload/download time compatible with the very basic broadband speed only available in my rural area? I may be incorrect in thinking that as I sometimes suffer from some videos on iPlayer being terminated because of insufficient broadband speed due to program updates etc running at the same time, this may corrupt or halt Dropbox?

 

[Tim]

I have just been on your Dropbox link, thank you, and before I sign up may I ask, please, is the upload/download time compatible with the very basic broadband speed only available in my rural area? I may be incorrect in thinking that as I sometimes suffer from some videos on iPlayer being terminated because of insufficient broadband speed due to program updates etc running at the same time, this may corrupt or halt Dropbox?

Hi Jennie,

The upload/download speed won't corrupt the files that are being transferred. The file you upload should only ever be a copy of your original. You're using Dropbox as insurance, as a backup, just in case something happens to your local file.

You (and I) will get some extra storage if you are invited to join Dropbox, so if you PM me with your email address I'll send you an invite.

 

[chrissy1]

I am purchasing a new external hard drive, but the one I want says it is only compatible with USB 2 or 3. (The one I originally ordered which would have been compatible is no longer available.)

I have looked up the specifications of my computer but still don't know if USB 2 or 3 will work, as I am not sure what USB I have. I have looked under 'Device Manager' and 'Universal serial bus controllers' and it says:

Intel (R) IH9 family USB universal host controller (x6, nos 2934 - 2939)
Intel (R) IH9 family USB2 enhanced universal host controller (x2, nos 293A and 293C)
USB composite device
USB mass storage device (x3)
USB printing support
USB root hub (x8)
I am extremely confused.
There are 4 USB ports on the front of the computer and my OH says there appear to be 4 on the back if this helps.........

However, I have begun to wonder if some ports are different specifications to others (or some don't work properly!) as my phone works intermittently for downloading photos and the back up to hard drive has never worked in the past 6 months, yet out of the blue yesterday it backed up all my files! I wondered if it was plugged into a different port yesterday? However, it has downloaded all my photos with no problems and my FTM backup OK.

Can anyone tell me what all this means or what type of external drive specification I need? My current Lacie share external drive doesn't have any obvious specifications on it apart from AR25U3 and N2870, which doesn't seem to help, as I can't find the same model at DABS.

(Also, I may be upgrading my computer fairly soon.......)

 

[PhilGee]

From:

Intel (R) IH9 family USB universal host controller (x6, nos 2934 - 2939)
Intel (R) IH9 family USB2 enhanced universal host controller (x2, nos 293A and 293C)

it seems you have 6 USB and 2 USB2 connections. It is possible that two of the front mounted are USB2 as there will be two cables each with two ports from motherboard headers.

You will need to inspect the manual and, possibly, open the case to determine what is where.

Phil

 

[chrissy1]

Thanks, Phil. My OH will look inside later as this comment seems to make sense to him.........as for the manual - what manual? I am not sure if Dell ever provided one but if we did I have no idea where it might be as the computer is pretty old.

 

[Bryman]

Try looking for a manual on the internet. Give the make and model and there is a good chance that you will find something relevant.

 

[Alexander Bisset]

A Vista machine is incredibly unlikely to have USB3 as its a relatively new technology. USB3 ports have a blue middle bar USB1 &2 are white.

 

[chrissy1]

Seems as if I have 4 USB 1 ports at the front and poss USB2 at the back so I can't buy the external hard drive I wanted as I guess it won't work. I think I will need to find one that is USB1 compatible as our other computer seems to have similar ports and we need a hard drive that will suit both computers - and preferably also fit a new computer when I get one. My ports seem to have a black middle bar.

Can a USB 1 external hard drive fit a USB3 port and can a USB3 external hard drive work in a USB1 port?

Does anywhere still sell USB1 external hard drives? I can't seem to see anything except for USB3 online, but I am not entirely sure what I am looking for.

 

[Bryman]

Can a USB 1 external hard drive fit a USB3 port and can a USB3 external hard drive work in a USB1 port?

A USB3 device can be plugged into a USB2 socket but will work at the slower USB2 speed while so connected. Enter "USB 2 and 3 compatibility" in a Google search for further details.

If you buy a USB3 external hard drive now, it should work with your current system and can then be used at a faster speed when connected to your new machine.

 

[chrissy1]

Thanks, Bryman. What about plugging it in to a USB1 system? Will a USB3 work with that?

There doesn't seem to be anything other than USB3 available for purchase.

 

[PhilGee]

I doubt it will work with USB1 - none of the information I have seen indicates that, only that USB3 will work in USB2 compatibility mode. I would suggest "finding" the USB2 port(s) and using an USB extension lead to connect the drive (one for each machine, then the connection is "identified").

Phil

 

[chrissy1]

Anyone know where I can get an external hard drive that would be compatible with USB1 as the ports which are USB2 both appear to be at the back of the computer and occupied by other leads? I have a Lacie share at present and wanted to get another - got the other a couple of years ago, but only just learnt how to use it.

I got a new pen drive 2 weeks ago and that appeared to work OK, but it's so small it will get lost, but I want a larger capacity as the pen drive wouldn't store a fraction of my photos, let alone any FH data and I am told an external hard drive is less easily corrupted.