On Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:53:02 -0500, "Barbara" <bschwart...@twcny.rr.com> wrote:
>I thought I had to back up >each time, not realizing that Legacy zip file kept the records without >"backing up". You should backup each time. Either use File > Backup Family File whenever you feel the need to backup, or follow the backup prompt that Legacy provides when you exit the program. Legacy updates your database as you enter data, but you still need to back things up to protect against a disaster. My backup strategy: 1) I create at least one backup each day I do any updates to my database. I name each backup yyyymmdd.zip (I have only one family file) and place it in its own folder in My Documents. Once a month I delete all but the latest backup. 2) I copy My Documents to an external hard drive on a weekly basis, appending yyyymmdd to the name of the My Documents folder on the external hard drive. When the external hard drive nears capacity I delete some of the older copies of My Documents. 3) I copy the latest Legacy backup to a private folder on my website once a week. This behaves like an "off site" backup. Others have their own backup strategies. How you do it and how often you do it depends on how valuable you consider your data. If you only have 250 individuals in your database, my method might be overkill. But as the number of individuals grows, you need to consider the work it would take to re-enter your data if disaster strikes. You might also try testing a backup every once in a while to make sure you are doing things properly. You do this using File > Restore Family File. Give it a different name (like "testrestore.fdb") when prompted. Then verify it contains what it is supposed to ... maybe look at the number of individuals in the database to see if it matches the source database. You will also find some backup tips at http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/Tips.asp. -- Dennis Kowallek (LTools) http://zippersoftware.com/ltools/index.htm Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup@legacyfamilytree.com/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
