Good explanation, Linda, and one that many, including Betty, probably need to heed. Another good place to "save" your PAF data is within the PAF folder (where you have the program installed). Just create a DATA folder in there and direct PAF to store all your data files there. Then you don't have to search all around your hard drive for them. You have all your PAF "stuff" in one place :-). I have several genealogical programs. They are all on one drive. Each has its own DATA folder within the parent folder for each program. For IMAGES, I do have one "common" IMAGE folder in which I save all of my family history related images used by all the programs. I just "tell" each program where the images are (in that folder). The trick with Windows, Betty, is to remember you don't have to follow the path it suggests for saving something. You can browse to an existing folder anywhere on your computer or create a new one if needed. Windows just suggests things like MY DOCUMENTS by default. It is up to you to take charge and make the decision as to what happens on your computer. Lance P. S. Check out Legacy Family Tree today! This full featured genealogy program can be downloaded FREE at http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Index.asp?mid=52583ii -----Original Message----- From: Linda [mailto:geneamarm@if.rmci.net] Sent: Monday, 28 March 2005 11:02 AM To: PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [PAF-5] Path mystery Here's my guess(es): Way back when you first started using PAF and really didn't have a clue to where things were going (I'm not insulting anyone, I've been there, done that!) you saved your file, but not having told the computer where to put it, it shrugged its shoulders and put it where it thought you were telling it to. Second, you probably didn't set your preferences for where files are to be saved. If you have not done this, you need to do so--go to Tools-Preferences-folders to set this up. Once you have this set up, you don't have to type in the entire path to find the file you want. PAF will know where to look. Then you need to move the smith file over there. By the way, just a personal preference, I prefer to create a Family History folder under "My Documents", then have all the PAF databases saved there. This is designated in the Preferences, so when I want to work on a file I haven't used for awhile, when I select "Open" in the PAF menu, it goes straight to that folder. All my PAF names and other family history documents are there, without any other files not related to family history. Linda >>>-----Original Message----- >>>From: betty [mailto:ashleybvm@netptc.net] >>>Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2005 11:46 AM >>>To: PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com >>>Subject: [PAF-5] Path mystery >>> >>>I'm getting too old for these mysteries! >>> >>>I decided to work on a particular file which has been dormant for a while >>>- I'll call it Smith. >>> >>>First I click on PAF5 shortcut and get a list of files with path as >>>follows: >>> >>>C:\Documents and Settings\Betty Ashley\My Documents\surname.paf (several >>>different surnames) But NO Smith file comes up. By the way I don't like >>>this long, long path but because I don't know what I am doing, that is >>>how my computer did it. >>> >>>So I did a search and up comes the following along with all the other >>>long surname paths: >>> >>>Simply C:\Betty.paf !!!! How did this happen? I clicked on it, >>>and there was my Smith file! How did it get in my root directory? Of >>>course it does not come up with the others with the PAF shortcut ... As >>>far as I know, it used to be available when I clicked the PAF shortcut. >>> >>>Can anyone explain this mysterious happening? And does everyone have >>>such a circuitous path to their files? Thanks ..... Betty >>> >>> >>> >>>==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== >>>PAF-5-USERS Mailing List Search >>>http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=PAF-5-USERS ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== PAF @ FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service http://www.familysearch.org/eng/paf/ -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.8.4 - Release Date: 2005-03-27

----- Original Message ----- From: "Lance" <lance.b.4u@gmail.com> To: <PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2005 6:14 PM Subject: RE: [PAF-5] Path mystery > Good explanation, Linda, and one that many, including Betty, probably need > to heed. > > Another good place to "save" your PAF data is within the PAF folder (where > you have the program installed). Just create a DATA folder in there and > direct PAF to store all your data files there. Then you don't have to search > all around your hard drive for them. You have all your PAF "stuff" in one > place :-). I have several genealogical programs. They are all on one drive. > Each has its own DATA folder within the parent folder for each program. For > IMAGES, I do have one "common" IMAGE folder in which I save all of my family > history related images used by all the programs. I just "tell" each program > where the images are (in that folder). > > The trick with Windows, Betty, is to remember you don't have to follow the > path it suggests for saving something. You can browse to an existing folder > anywhere on your computer or create a new one if needed. Windows just > suggests things like MY DOCUMENTS by default. It is up to you to take charge > and make the decision as to what happens on your computer. > > Lance Having dedicated places to save data is worthwhile. My preference however is to NOT have each of them as sub-folders within the specific programs. Rather, I like to create a single Data folder on either the C drive or another drive, and make the sub folders within it. Some advantages I see are: 1. Never having to drill down more than two layers to get to a file and not having to remember the sometimes unintuitive program folder names 2. Easy automation for backups. It is much easier to configure a program (I use Karen's Replicator, free at www.karenware.com) to only have to copy the single Data folder to another location rather than making separate jobs for each data file I want to copy. 3. No worries that data might be lost if a program needs to be uninstalled and reinstalled, usually not a problem but I never trust programmers ;-). The downside is that some programs balk at having their data files in some other place. Gary Templeman

Just my 2 cents. I wouldn't save data files in Program Files, (where PAF-5 installs by default). When I back up I never include Program files. If all your data that changes on a regular basis is in My Documents or a sub folder within My Documents you only need to backup that folder, maybe including your Desktop, Registry, and Email. Regards, Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lance" <lance.b.4u@gmail.com> To: <PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2005 9:14 PM Subject: RE: [PAF-5] Path mystery > Good explanation, Linda, and one that many, including Betty, probably need > to heed. > > Another good place to "save" your PAF data is within the PAF folder (where > you have the program installed). Just create a DATA folder in there and > direct PAF to store all your data files there. Then you don't have to > search > all around your hard drive for them. You have all your PAF "stuff" in one > place :-). I have several genealogical programs. They are all on one > drive. > Each has its own DATA folder within the parent folder for each program. > For > IMAGES, I do have one "common" IMAGE folder in which I save all of my > family > history related images used by all the programs. I just "tell" each > program > where the images are (in that folder). > > The trick with Windows, Betty, is to remember you don't have to follow the > path it suggests for saving something. You can browse to an existing > folder > anywhere on your computer or create a new one if needed. Windows just > suggests things like MY DOCUMENTS by default. It is up to you to take > charge > and make the decision as to what happens on your computer. > > Lance > > P. S. Check out Legacy Family Tree today! This full featured genealogy > program can be downloaded FREE at > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Index.asp?mid=52583ii > > -----Original Message----- > From: Linda [mailto:geneamarm@if.rmci.net] > Sent: Monday, 28 March 2005 11:02 AM > To: PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [PAF-5] Path mystery > > Here's my guess(es): > > Way back when you first started using PAF and really didn't have a clue to > where things were going (I'm not insulting anyone, I've been there, done > that!) you saved your file, but not having told the computer where to put > it, it shrugged its shoulders and put it where it thought you were telling > it to. Second, you probably didn't set your preferences for where files > are > to be saved. If you have not done this, you need to do so--go to > Tools-Preferences-folders to set this up. Once you have this set up, you > don't have to type in the entire path to find the file you want. PAF will > know where to look. Then you need to move the smith file over there. > > By the way, just a personal preference, I prefer to create a Family > History > folder under "My Documents", then have all the PAF databases saved there. > This is designated in the Preferences, so when I want to work on a file I > haven't used for awhile, when I select "Open" in the PAF menu, it goes > straight to that folder. All my PAF names and other family history > documents are there, without any other files not related to family > history. > > Linda > >>>>-----Original Message----- >>>>From: betty [mailto:ashleybvm@netptc.net] >>>>Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2005 11:46 AM >>>>To: PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com >>>>Subject: [PAF-5] Path mystery >>>> >>>>I'm getting too old for these mysteries! >>>> >>>>I decided to work on a particular file which has been dormant for a >>>>while >>>>- I'll call it Smith. >>>> >>>>First I click on PAF5 shortcut and get a list of files with path as >>>>follows: >>>> >>>>C:\Documents and Settings\Betty Ashley\My Documents\surname.paf >>>>(several >>>>different surnames) But NO Smith file comes up. By the way I don't >>>>like >>>>this long, long path but because I don't know what I am doing, that is >>>>how my computer did it. >>>> >>>>So I did a search and up comes the following along with all the other >>>>long surname paths: >>>> >>>>Simply C:\Betty.paf !!!! How did this happen? I clicked on >>>>it, >>>>and there was my Smith file! How did it get in my root directory? Of >>>>course it does not come up with the others with the PAF shortcut ... As >>>>far as I know, it used to be available when I clicked the PAF shortcut. >>>> >>>>Can anyone explain this mysterious happening? And does everyone have >>>>such a circuitous path to their files? Thanks ..... Betty >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== >>>>PAF-5-USERS Mailing List Search >>>>http://searches2.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl?list=PAF-5-USERS > > > ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== > PAF @ FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service > http://www.familysearch.org/eng/paf/ > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.8.4 - Release Date: 2005-03-27 > > > > ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== > FreeBMD - Free Access to England and Wales Civil Registration Index > Volunteer as a Transcriber Today! > http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ > >