Happy you asked because I am a backup proponent. There is no single way to back up your files that is totally safe but you can achieve maximum protection, (as good as it gets). Back up your database any way that is most convenient for you. PAF-5 creates a zip file that compresses your database about 10:1. You can restore this but only with PAF and it will overwrite your current database of the same name. You could also unpack it with Winzip or Windows XP zip utility and rename it, giving you a whole new database. You could also archive your current database using the zip utilities mentioned and it would be compressed to about 10% of its original size. You could export your entire database or any part of it as a new database and archive it using one of the zip utilities. If you select Other GEDCOM 5.5 when you export it could be opened in nearly any genealogy program, (not just PAF). That is the technical part. The important thing for maximum protection is, write your backups to several CDs. Then, send them to friends or relatives to hold for you and put one in your safe deposit box at your bank. You could also contribute one to your local library. If you just keep them at your home they could be destroyed or lost by theft, fire, flood, earthquake, or any other disaster. Personally, I don't trust floppy disks as about 1 in 3 of my older ones are no longer readable. Technology advances tend to make many of the things we trust now obsolete but CDs seem to have some future, at least in the short term. I'm sure I've given you much more information than you requested but when you have invested much of your life in creating a database that couldn't be duplicated protecting it is paramount. Regards, Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Grace Inman" <Grace@eufaula.rr.com> To: <PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:02 PM Subject: [PAF-5] Backup files > Could someone please explain to me in real simple baby steps how to make > the best kind of backup files? When I click "Backup" on the File menu of > PAF.5, I always tell it to overwrite the current file. Is that the way I > should do it, or not? If not, how should I be doing it to provide the > maximum protection for my file(s)? Please and thank you very much. > Grace in Georgia, USA > > In God we trust. > > > ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== > PAF @ FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service > http://www.familysearch.org/eng/paf/ > >

Thank you so much, Bill, for your prompt and thorough answer. I'm not sure that was exactly baby steps, but I think I can sort out all that you told me ... but it's gonna have to wait for morning ... it's after 11 p.m. here, so I'm gonna call it a day pretty soon. I have made some PAF CD backups in the past, but haven't passed them around the way you suggest ... will have to consider that. Also, at the moment, I'm waiting on a tech to replace my CD and DVD drives. DVD never did work, and CD only worked a short while. I let it go far too long, but they're under extended coverage warranty, so I guess it's free for me. S'posed to be done this week. After they're replaced and I can work with them again, I may have some questions about some of the steps and software you mentioned. Again, thank you. I appreciate all of the help that I get on the list ... sometimes I didn't even know that I needed certain info, but it turns out to be very helpful!!! :^ ) Grace in Georgia, USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Linn" <billinn@suscom.net> To: <PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:04 PM Subject: Re: [PAF-5] Backup files > Happy you asked because I am a backup proponent. There is no single way to > back up your files that is totally safe but you can achieve maximum > protection, (as good as it gets). Back up your database any way that is > most convenient for you. PAF-5 creates a zip file that compresses your > database about 10:1. You can restore this but only with PAF and it will > overwrite your current database of the same name. You could also unpack it > with Winzip or Windows XP zip utility and rename it, giving you a whole > new database. You could also archive your current database using the zip > utilities mentioned and it would be compressed to about 10% of its > original size. You could export your entire database or any part of it as > a new database and archive it using one of the zip utilities. If you > select Other GEDCOM 5.5 when you export it could be opened in nearly any > genealogy program, (not just PAF). > > That is the technical part. The important thing for maximum protection is, > write your backups to several CDs. Then, send them to friends or relatives > to hold for you and put one in your safe deposit box at your bank. You > could also contribute one to your local library. If you just keep them at > your home they could be destroyed or lost by theft, fire, flood, > earthquake, or any other disaster. Personally, I don't trust floppy disks > as about 1 in 3 of my older ones are no longer readable. Technology > advances tend to make many of the things we trust now obsolete but CDs > seem to have some future, at least in the short term. I'm sure I've given > you much more information than you requested but when you have invested > much of your life in creating a database that couldn't be duplicated > protecting it is paramount. > > Regards, Bill > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Grace Inman" <Grace@eufaula.rr.com> > To: <PAF-5-USERS-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:02 PM > Subject: [PAF-5] Backup files > > >> Could someone please explain to me in real simple baby steps how to make >> the best kind of backup files? When I click "Backup" on the File menu of >> PAF.5, I always tell it to overwrite the current file. Is that the way I >> should do it, or not? If not, how should I be doing it to provide the >> maximum protection for my file(s)? Please and thank you very much. >> Grace in Georgia, USA >> >> In God we trust. >> >> >> ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== >> PAF @ FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service >> http://www.familysearch.org/eng/paf/ >> >> > > > > ==== PAF-5-USERS Mailing List ==== > Replying to Posts > When quoting a post you're replying to, omit signatures and taglines that > are appended to the post. > >