Let me start all over and use the correct nomenclature. They are replacing the tower which I assume means "the whole thing". I am computer-challenged. At age 78 I do not have a peer group I can talk to about such things. Not an excuse but an explanation. Floreda -----Original Message----- From: Joyce Ragels [mailto:jragels@comcast.net] Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2003 11:43 AM To: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [FO] CPU replacement I know, but if a person was just replacing the CPU there should not be any loss of anything. We should all think of the CPU (Computer Processing Unit) as the box or outer covering of the other stuff. Being picky is how new terms are learned. You were not wrong in pointing that out. J Henry Terhune wrote: > Not trying to be picky but... a CPU is not the hard drive. > > >>Varick wrote: >> >>>We are replacing the CPU on this computer (just got this one in July and >>>I lost lots of stuff - particularly my address book when we installed >>>this one). >>> >>> >>> >>>Floreda >>> >> > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > PLEASE remove as much of the Original Message as possible when replying to a List Posting. Include only that part of the original message important to your reply. > > -- Joyce Ragels Tucson Arizona USA Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. - Mark Twain ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== My very basic Windows beginners help: http://freepages.computers.rootsweb.com/~adelr/index.htm basic HTML: http://freepages.computers.rootsweb.com/~pasher/

I just began to absorb the discussion on CD-RW 's. It sounds as if it is not realistic to feel safe on backing up to a CD-RW. What is the best way to back up FO information? I have 'burned' photos into CD-RW and read them on my regular CD drive OK, also I have sent them to family. I am missing something here, what is it? I really am not too computer literate. My PHD is the "push here dummy" sort.

GEDCOMS can be zipped.... -- Jeffery Scism, http://blacksheep.rootsweb.com/ International Blacksheep Society of Genealogists Homepages: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~scismfam/

In a message dated 1/1/2003 11:45:53 AM Eastern Standard Time, hjterhune@earthlink.net writes: > Not trying to be picky but... a CPU is not the hard drive. > > I bought a new laptop last February and had it less than 24 hours when the hard drive crashed! Fortunately I was only in the process of transferring info, so didn't lose a thing and went back to transferring when it was returned to me with a brand new hard drive. Anne (Percival) Kruszka

Now, I am going to get picky. The CPU is the Central Processing Unit, It is the most expensive chip on the mother board inside the computer case. The power supply, motherboard, hard drive, floppy drive, sound card and video card, modem, network adapter and probably a CD drive or two are installed in the computer case. That is the computer. It is not the hard drive or the CPU, it is the computer. The keyboard and the monitor are just computer peripherals, like the printer, scanner and speakers, but, in my opinion, a little more important. Alfred D. Eller http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~adelr/ ===================================== ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joyce Ragels" <jragels@comcast.net> To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2003 10:43 AM Subject: Re: [FO] CPU replacement > I know, but if a person was just replacing the CPU there should not be > any loss of anything. > > We should all think of the CPU (Computer Processing Unit) as the box or > outer covering of the other stuff. > > Being picky is how new terms are learned. You were not wrong in > pointing that out. > > J > > Henry Terhune wrote: > > Not trying to be picky but... a CPU is not the hard drive. > > > > > >>Varick wrote: > >> > >>>We are replacing the CPU on this computer (just got this one in July and > >>>I lost lots of stuff - particularly my address book when we installed > >>>this one). > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>>Floreda > >>>

One way to avoid data loss is to get another new hard drive. A brand new Western Digital or Maxtor 40 GB drive is just $99. Make the new drive your C: drive and leave your old drive electrically disconnected. Install all you can on your new drive from the disks on hand. After being satisfied that all is working OK, then reconnect your former drive electrically, it will become your D: drive. At this point you have a working computer and you can take what ever time is needed to find and transfer over (by copying) such data files from the former drive to the new drive as desired. My own former drive is presently connected but not being used and it holds anything me or my son missed. There are other ways via software, Norton Ghost, DriveCopy etc, but if you are replacing the CPU on a warrantied computer, in effect you are sending the existing drive away when you send the whole box. Someone should be able to copy the entire existing drive to a new drive at a local establishment. Preferred for me, physically keep the present drive, unless the drive is the problem. Another possibility, if a laptop with sufficient excess drive space is available, then transfer everything to the laptop into a special directory using a cable between the two computers. I am about to get a 40 GB drive for my laptop ($120) to make sure I have enough space to do this kind of transfer. It helps to get a return on those educational dollars you spent on the kids. <g> When I sent my laptop to Dell for warranty, I removed the hard drive and sent a machine without any hard drive. That was OK by Dell for keyboard replacement purposes. Paul Studly Cleveland/Chesterland, OH paulstudly@studly.net -----Original Message----- From: Varick [mailto:tallygators@earthlink.net] Sent: Wednesday, January 01, 2003 7:19 AM To: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [FO] CPU replacement >We are replacing the CPU on this computer (just got this one in July and I lost lots of stuff - particularly my address book when we installed this one). >The one thing I am most careful about is my FO - that is the first thing I "transfer" and it made the move much more gracefully than did I. >Please, kind computer experts and others, how do you manage to make the move and not lose anything? Floreda ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== PLEASE send personal replies and "THANK YOU" message privately. All messages on this list are archived and archiving takes up valuable space.

CDRW work fine - most of the time. CDR work fine - almost all of the time. I have used floppies, tapes, zips, CDRW, and CDR for backup. In this day and time, I use only CDR for long term storage. I believe any of the other mediums are still fine for short term or specific storage. The sad ending to this story is to reach for something you thought was secure and find out it wasn't. CDR are just more reliable. J Stinylouroy@aol.com wrote: > I just began to absorb the discussion on CD-RW 's. It sounds as if it is not > realistic to feel safe on backing up to a CD-RW. What is the best way to > back up FO information? I have 'burned' photos into CD-RW and read them on > my regular CD drive OK, also I have sent them to family. I am missing > something here, what is it? I really am not too computer literate. My PHD > is the "push here dummy" sort. > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > FAMILY ORIGINS - Ordering, UPDATES, books, FAQ, FREE DEMO, Newsletter, etc. http://formalsoft.com For the 8.03 and 9.02 PATCHES and what they fix, go to: http://formalsoft.com/files.htm > > -- Joyce Ragels Tucson Arizona USA Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. - Mark Twain

I know, but if a person was just replacing the CPU there should not be any loss of anything. We should all think of the CPU (Computer Processing Unit) as the box or outer covering of the other stuff. Being picky is how new terms are learned. You were not wrong in pointing that out. J Henry Terhune wrote: > Not trying to be picky but... a CPU is not the hard drive. > > >>Varick wrote: >> >>>We are replacing the CPU on this computer (just got this one in July and >>>I lost lots of stuff - particularly my address book when we installed >>>this one). >>> >>> >>> >>>Floreda >>> >> > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > PLEASE remove as much of the Original Message as possible when replying to a List Posting. Include only that part of the original message important to your reply. > > -- Joyce Ragels Tucson Arizona USA Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. - Mark Twain

This may not completely answer your question, but here is the way I have accomplished dealing with the death of a hard drive. First of all, you should always be prepared for your hard drive to crash and be totally unrecoverable. New hard drives come naked. The operating system and all programs must be installed. I think of a hard drive as being divided into three sections: operating, programs, and data. When people talk of loosing everything, they are really talking about the loss of data. All of your data should be backed up on a regular basis. You should determine how often you back up in direct relationship to how much time you want to spend reentering all that is gone. Keep all original program disks in a safe place - along with codes and numbers necessary for installation. Make a backup of all free programs or updates you have downloaded from the net. Make timely backups of all data. While these things can never prevent a crash or the desire to replace an existing hard drive, they will make your transition easier. I've done it both the easy way and the hard way and easier is better. :) J Varick wrote: > We are replacing the CPU on this computer (just got this one in July and > I lost lots of stuff - particularly my address book when we installed > this one). > > > > The one thing I am most careful about is my FO - that is the first thing > I "transfer" and it made the move much more gracefully than did I. > > > > Please, kind computer experts and others, how do you manage to make the > move and not lose anything? > > > > Floreda > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > PLEASE send personal replies and "THANK YOU" message privately. All messages on this list are archived and archiving takes up valuable space. > > -- Joyce Ragels Tucson Arizona USA Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry. - Mark Twain

Not trying to be picky but... a CPU is not the hard drive. > > Varick wrote: > > We are replacing the CPU on this computer (just got this one in July and > > I lost lots of stuff - particularly my address book when we installed > > this one). > > > > > > > > Floreda > >

We are replacing the CPU on this computer (just got this one in July and I lost lots of stuff - particularly my address book when we installed this one). The one thing I am most careful about is my FO - that is the first thing I "transfer" and it made the move much more gracefully than did I. Please, kind computer experts and others, how do you manage to make the move and not lose anything? Floreda

<it will be of interest to other graveyard stompers. Is a GPS precise enough to get me back to within a few feet of a grave? < Is a GPS useful in finding "lost" cemeteries? How close does your guess have to be? I have a description of a cemetery which begins with a house which is probably locatable. The cemetery location is described as "down a lane behind the house, past the edge of the field, in a grove of trees," etc. The description is 25 years old, and there were visible stones then. Now, I'm told, the grove has been turned into a field. Would a GPS help locate any gravestones which remain? Thanks, Doris Waggoner Seattle

First, what is the name of the file you are trying to import, Diane? Second, tell us exactly what steps you are executing in an effort to do your import? Maybe we can spot what you're doing wrong. Good Hunting! -- Paul aka Graveseeker on Geocaching.com where YOU are the search engine. ----- Original Message ----- From: <Dianesowden@aol.com> To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 7:24 AM Subject: [FO] WHY CAN'T I IMPORT A GEDCOM FILE > Could sks please tell me why I can't import a Gedcom file? I can EXPORT > quite easily, but not import - why? > > From > > Diane Sowden > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > The "Family Origins® Wish List" http://formalsoft.com/wishlist.htm > ??? FAQ ??? -- http://www.graabek.com/fow/fofaq.html >

If there are any old maps of the area and you can trace that route on the map, you could come up with some coordinates and the GPS could get you to that location even if the lane, house, field and grove of trees are all gone. It would only be as accurate, however, as the map you start with and your ability to follow the directions (e.g. I doubt that the grove of trees would be indicated on the map {shrug}). Good Hunting! -- Paul aka Graveseeker on Geocaching.com where YOU are the search engine. ----- Original Message ----- From: <doriswaggoner@juno.com> To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 5:42 PM Subject: [FO] GPS for '"lost" cemeteries > > <it will be of interest to other graveyard stompers. Is a GPS precise > enough to get me back to within a few feet of a grave? > < > > Is a GPS useful in finding "lost" cemeteries? How close does your guess have to be? I have a description of a cemetery which begins with a house which is probably locatable. The cemetery location is described as "down a lane behind the house, past the edge of the field, in a grove of trees," etc. The description is 25 years old, and there were visible stones then. Now, I'm told, the grove has been turned into a field. Would a GPS help locate any gravestones which remain? > > Thanks, > Doris Waggoner > Seattle > > > > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > The "Family Origins® Wish List" http://formalsoft.com/wishlist.htm > ??? FAQ ??? -- http://www.graabek.com/fow/fofaq.html >

GPS will tell you very precisely where you are. It will not look for or find anything. If you know where a headstone is, and you stand at that point, then the GPS will help you or anyone who has the coordinates find that exact point again. But if you can't find a headstone, GPS won't help. You will need a low level ground radar or sonar or something else like those which will 'look' beneath the ground and image items hidden from view. You might try an old USGS topographic map for old landmarks. USGS topo maps, especially older ones, will show orchards, fields, often rock croppings, etc which may now be hidden or even removed. They might even have the cemetery marked for you! USGS maps is how we used to navigate before GPS -- and they still work. Allen ----- Original Message ----- From: <doriswaggoner@juno.com> To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 6:42 PM Subject: [FO] GPS for '"lost" cemeteries > > <it will be of interest to other graveyard stompers. Is a GPS precise > enough to get me back to within a few feet of a grave? > < > > Is a GPS useful in finding "lost" cemeteries? How close does your guess have to be? I have a description of a cemetery which begins with a house which is probably locatable. The cemetery location is described as "down a lane behind the house, past the edge of the field, in a grove of trees," etc. The description is 25 years old, and there were visible stones then. Now, I'm told, the grove has been turned into a field. Would a GPS help locate any gravestones which remain? > > Thanks, > Doris Waggoner > Seattle > > > > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > The "Family Origins® Wish List" http://formalsoft.com/wishlist.htm > ??? FAQ ??? -- http://www.graabek.com/fow/fofaq.html > >

I viewed his phrase < program to automatically mirror > as something other than Norton Ghost or DriveCopy. RAID 1 is automatic mirroring to another drive, albeit more than just a directory. In any event Windows 2000 and XP have some built-in mirroring function I am told. At $99 for another 40GB HD and maybe a few more bucks for another hard drive controller, hardware failure loss would be minimized cheaply. Physical loss from a fire is something else. The elegant solution IMHO, a service that calls your computer and downloads all changes to its own computer storage which is offsite of course. Some small law firms do this. Paul Studly Cleveland/Chesterland, OH paulstudly@studly.net -----Original Message----- From: hummers [mailto:hummers@rcn.com] Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 11:10 AM To: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Fw: [FO] Backing up Files to CD-R RAID may not be what everything you think it is or what was asked for. RAID will dynamically replicate data from one disk to another. It will, in some forms (check the raid level), protect you from a single disk failure in that the 'slave' copy will stay true. However it will not protect you from data corruption of a database. If a wrinkle gets into those bits (be it fat-finger or data corruption) on the 'master' then that corruption will be faithfully be reproduced in the 'slave'. Keep doing those backups folks! Perhaps the original requestor was looking for some means of doing a periodic trigger of a copy from 'primary' to 'secondary' disk? This way one can validate the database, then trigger the replication. Even then - keep doing those backups. Disaster planning is a business of it's own. People that do this for a living think of the data backups, data storage, how the data gets from there to here and back again when needed, fire, equipment failure, transport vehicle accident, earthquakes, tidal waves, terrorists, thieves, and even weapons of mass destruction. As someone once said - Keep doing those backups - AND get them 'off site'. \s\Rick -------------------------------------------------WRT------------------------ --------------------- > Try searching for various RAID functions. > search <google> using <raid drive mirror> or merely <raid> > ... -------------------------------------------------WRT------------------------ -------------- > Does anyone know of a program to automatically mirror a directory to another > hard drive? > >... ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== GETTING THE MOST OUT OF FAMILY ORIGINS by Bruce Buzbee - FO DEMO http://formalsoft.com NO WEB ACCESS? Write to FormalSoft@aol.com for ordering information.

A few comments on these: Joyce Ragels wrote: > Be careful of backing up on CDRW IF you plan on > using it on a different computer. CDRW will sometimes > not work on a different computer at all. > In my opinion, this makes for a poor choice of > backup. > > J I exchange backups among other users and other machines (I have several). There have been no problems reading backups copied to CD-RWs on all the various machines. The only problem that did occur was trying to use a CD-RW that was formatted for "packet writing." Most of the machines could not read those CD-RWs. Arthur Pollock wrote: > If you backup to a CD-R, once it is burned you cant > reburn it. Why not backup to a CD-RW and you can > use it over and over as your files change. > > Art Pollock This is true if the CD-R is "closed" when it is created. However, it is also possible to create a multi-session CD. The multi-session method allows the user to put additional files on the CD-R. NOTE: I haven't priced CD-RWs recently but when I purchased them a couple of years ago it cost $10 for a 3 disc package. It was possible to purchase 100 CD-Rs for the same price. A CD-R has a 700 MB capacity. If the backup file is ~1 MB, the following results would be possible: ~2 years of daily backups. ~13 years of weekly backups. ~60 years of monthly backups. Something to consider is whether there will be a functional device to read these backups, in the future, due to changing technologies. The price of DVD burners are dropping and those devices have approximately 10 times the storage capacity of a CD-R. Also there are Thumbdrives which may be much easier to use as a backup or file transfer medium. The one thing to remember is no matter what media is chosen, backup, backup, backup... The more paranoid you are in this area the better the chances of recovering from a major disaster. FL Rose

RAID may not be what everything you think it is or what was asked for. RAID will dynamically replicate data from one disk to another. It will, in some forms (check the raid level), protect you from a single disk failure in that the 'slave' copy will stay true. However it will not protect you from data corruption of a database. If a wrinkle gets into those bits (be it fat-finger or data corruption) on the 'master' then that corruption will be faithfully be reproduced in the 'slave'. Keep doing those backups folks! Perhaps the original requestor was looking for some means of doing a periodic trigger of a copy from 'primary' to 'secondary' disk? This way one can validate the database, then trigger the replication. Even then - keep doing those backups. Disaster planning is a business of it's own. People that do this for a living think of the data backups, data storage, how the data gets from there to here and back again when needed, fire, equipment failure, transport vehicle accident, earthquakes, tidal waves, terrorists, thieves, and even weapons of mass destruction. As someone once said - Keep doing those backups - AND get them 'off site'. \s\Rick -------------------------------------------------WRT------------------------ --------------------- > Try searching for various RAID functions. > search <google> using <raid drive mirror> or merely <raid> > ... -------------------------------------------------WRT------------------------ -------------- > Does anyone know of a program to automatically mirror a directory to another > hard drive? > >...

Thanks to all for the info on GPS devices. This definately sounds like the way to go. -Les ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lester L. Noll lnoll@netnitco.net http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/lnoll

John, Try Folder Watch (http://www.diginaut.com/shareware/fw/download.htm). It will back up to a local or network drive. You can have it overwrite the backed up file or create multiple backup copies. It's shareware, I think $20. I own it and like it. By the way, I definately agree with the CD-R side. It may seem like you save a few cents by reusing CD-RW's but since you never can be sure your CD-RW will be readible on another machine where is the gain? -Les ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lester L. Noll lnoll@netnitco.net http://ww2.netnitco.net/users/lnoll ----- Original Message ----- From: "John S. Wilkinson" <jwilkins@twcny.rr.com> To: <FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 6:51 AM Subject: RE: [FO] Backing up Files to CD-R > Does anyone know of a program to automatically mirror a directory to another > hard drive? > > Have A Great Day > > John S. Wilkinson > WILKINSON, McCOTTER, GREENWELL - Maryland > DELAMAR, McCOTTER - North Carolina > mailto:jwilkins@twcny.rr.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: Joyce Ragels [mailto:jragels@comcast.net] > Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 1:43 AM > To: FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [FO] Backing up Files to CD-R > > > Allan > > All your arguments are true except for one - again rare occurrence - the > failure of the cd writer itself. In that case you still have magnetic > scarecrows. > > I used to use both CDRW and CDR. With the cost of CDRW so cheap, I save > to zips and then burn to CDR. I'm not sure there is a sure fire method > of being totally safe. Most of us screw up from time to time and then > pay the price. I haven't backed up many of my file except for FO since > the first of Nov even when I know that a hard drive can blow at any time. > > You still have a good system because you sound like you are doing it > often. So on any medium, that fact alone will safe most of us. > > J > > Allan Plucinik wrote: > > Yes, it is true that CD-RW media is usually only readable on the same unit > that burned the CD. But I still think it is a good backup. Because even if > the worst case scenario happens where my PC is dead as a doornail, all is > not lost. I have two options: > > > > 1. Eventually my PC is going to be repaired so I'll have access to my > hard drive again or even if I lost all data on the hard drive, at least I > still have the data backed up on the CD-RW disk. The CD-RW drive will be > operational again. > > > > 2. I buy a new PC or use another PC that is available to me. In which > case I remove the CD-RW drive from the old PC and install it in the new PC > including the same CD burning software. There shouldn't be any problem > restoring the data. This might seem like a lot of work, but this type of > scenario should be a very rare occurrence and hopefully unlikely to happen > anyway. > > > > As for needing a CD-R disk in order to share data with others, yes the > CD-RW disk won't be very useful. In that situation I would simply burn the > data to a CD-R on an as-needed basis. The data on CD-RW disk is intended > for my own personal backup & restore, not for sharing data. > > > > Allan Plucinik > > Colorado Springs, CO > > > > Tom Longman wrote: > > > > > >>One important reason to use CD-R instead of CD-RW is that CD-RW media is > usually only readable on the same unit that "burned" the CD, and often times > requires that same program as was used originally when writing the CD. This > can easily preclude sharing the CD with others, but also means that you > might not be able to read your CD on your CD-ROM drive, should you have to > replace the unit for whatever reason. > >> > >>Tom > > > > > > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > > GETTING THE MOST OUT OF FAMILY ORIGINS by Bruce Buzbee - FO DEMO > > http://formalsoft.com NO WEB ACCESS? Write to FormalSoft@aol.com for > ordering information. > > > > > > > -- > Joyce Ragels > Tucson Arizona USA > > Let us so live that when we come to die > even the undertaker will be sorry. > - Mark Twain > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > GETTING THE MOST OUT OF FAMILY ORIGINS by Bruce Buzbee - FO DEMO > http://formalsoft.com NO WEB ACCESS? Write to FormalSoft@aol.com for > ordering information. > > > > ==== FAMILY-ORIGINS-USERS Mailing List ==== > Searchable ARCHIVES - > http://listsearches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=FAMILY-ORIGINS-U SERS >