When you back up your PAF files, do they always go in a GED format? How do you just copy them to a CD? Mel Richard Rands wrote: > At 02:09 PM 3/9/2005, alanjones10@cox.net wrote: > >> I think you asked is there a reason to prefer CD-RW over a floppy for >> back-ups: >> >> The answer is Floppies hold 1.44 MB, CD's hold 700 MB. >> Also Floppies are magnetic so a magnet can erase them, CDs are >> optical it would take a laser to erase them. >> >> I save my files like JONES2005-01-01 and then JONES2005-01-02, etc. >> They sort nicely and I can tell by the title what and when it was. >> >> > > This is an excellent naming convention. I would even insert an > underscore between the file name and the date: Jones_2005-01-02 > > Regarding floppies vs CD's, there is a concern that I have already > encountered. CD devices have become the target of virus creators. > There is a known virus out there now that causes a CD device to lock > up, and there are other viruses that cause CD devices to force your > system to reboot every time you try to eject some kinds of CDs. Also, > it seems wasteful to backup a 10Mb PAF file on a CD, so there is a > tendency to backup many versions on the same CD. That can be a > disaster if the CD becomes unreadable because you can lose a whole lot > of backups all at once. Since a CD does not come in a permanent > protective case as does a floppy, it is very easy to scratch one and > render it unreadable. > > Furthermore, there are several different CD read/write formats. And > you have the issue of leaving the CD open for adding more files to it > or closing it off to further additions. All these issues make CD's > something that can and will cause confusion. > > So what's the best way to backup? It really depends on how you work, > how big your file is, and what kind of system or systems you use. I > recommend using a mixture of several different methods to cover your > bases. The little USB thumb drives (flash drives) are coming down in > price so much that I strongly recommend using them. Unfortunately > they are hard to label since they are so tiny, but a 64Mb device can > be purchased for under $20 in quantity. The major advantage is that > there are NO moving parts and they are fast and reusable. I am > considering buying them in bulk and making them available to members > of the Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group at cost. > > Richard Rands > > > > ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== > Having trouble with the software? Check PAF 5.x Information > http://www.ausbdm.org/p5uinfo.php > >

When you use the backup procedure from within PAF you get a .zip file. You can also create a direct copy of your .paf file and burn it to a CD or save on other media. In neither case would you end up with a GEDCOM file. If you wanted, you could export your entire database as a GEDCOM file and burn it to a CD (or tape drive, or even a floppy if it would fit). All three of those file would be *types* of backups in the generic sense, but only the .zip would be a "backup file". The GEDCOM route is more complex and takes more time. The .zip file created by PAF can span multiple files and that is what I use for my routine backups. I have appended below my message of 2/27/05 regarding backups which might give you some additional information Gary Templeman A typical problem I find when working with patrons at our FHC is they try to *open* a backup file rather than *restore* a backup file. When opening doesn't work they think the file is corrupted. The difficulty comes about because we mix terminology. The PRINCIPLE of backing up can be fulfilled either by creating a *backup file*, which is a specific file and uses a .zip extension, OR by creating a *copy* of the original .paf file. By the same token, the terms open and restore have precise meanings but are often used or interchanged incorrectly. If the*backup* is a copy, then it should be *opened*, using the same program that created it. If the *backup* is a true backup file then the way to retrieve it is to use the *restore* command. If you try to restore a .paf file, or try to open a .zip file, neither will work. It therefore becomes essential to specify and understand the differences between a backup copy and a backup file. The second most common error I see with patrons is thinking they are saving their backup (of whatever type) to a floppy, only to arrive at the FHC with a blank disk. Invariably they actually saved the file to their hard drive. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Gagne" <MaryEllen@satx.rr.com> To: <PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 4:13 PM Subject: Re: [PAF-5] CD and/or floppy > When you back up your PAF files, do they always go in a GED format? How > do you just copy them to a CD? > > Mel >