FTM 2019 incoming

The folks at FTM said it was ok to go ahead and download 2019 so it is done, and sync to Ancestry went ok. However, I seem to have a free one year subscription to TreeVault services. What exactly is that? Do I want it or even need it?

Also, I now seem to have two trees at Ancestry with the same name; one uploaded today and the other updated before 2019 was available. Can older trees be deleted?

 

Probably should have just downloaded the original Ancestry tree rather than uploading a new one, but yes. Tree Settings on Ancestry has an option to delete the tree.

TreeVault is a copy of your FTM tree in the cloud (beyond Ancestry) which will also allow you to input a person to take over your tree if/when you die.

 

Well, I doubt anyone will want to take over my tree when I am gone, since none of my siblings or children really seem to care, and actually wonder why I do (sometimes I do that myself). Hopefully, they do not automatically charge me for it when the year is done.

 

I'm sure at some point someone will take an interest!

 

We are talking about MacKiev here, and yes most surely at the end of your "Free" period they will remind to continue requires commitment to a payment either a one off or a yearly subscription, both likely on an auto renewal basis. But never fear you will be able to cancel, just don't expect them to make that too easy.

I (and I'm sure others) accepted the 'free' TreeVault' for evaluation, and if I decide to cancel at the end of the free period it will be fun overcoming their -'are you really sure' ...' you could be making a mistake' lamentations, but exit I surely will.

 

Will someone kindly tell me why is it I keep running foul of FTM reporting the first time it is opened for the day, that it was not shut down properly the day before. Thus having to go through the backup/compact routine ad nauseum

Of course, occasionally, I do forget it is open in the Taskbar and power off and despite the annoyance of the 'failed to shut down properly' report next day, have to reluctantly accept the censure message. But NOT when utterly convinced I did shut down using the File/Exit procedure.

I admit sometimes during the day (perhaps when going out) I just close the laptop lid which puts it to sleep as instructed in settings. But on my return even if FTM is showing diminished on the Taskbar, I re-awaken the program without problem and when finished for the day, exit properly.

My question therefore is am I not doing something I should, thus causing the wrist slap for not shutting down. My sanity is at stake here.

 

Bob, I don't use FTM, but I did have a thought - do you power off the computer immediately after exiting FTM? Some programs seem to take a while to close down properly and unload items from the registry and/or memory. If you power off before this is all completed then it might make the program issue a warning that it hadn't shut down properly. If this is the problem, then just waiting a few minutes after exiting should solve it.

 

I use FTM and when I've finished with it I close it by using the cross at top right, then I see a flash of a message that tells me it's closing, or words to that effect. Once that message has disappeared it's safe to power off. I can't recall ever seeing anything to say it wasn't closed properly.

 

Do you know Pauline, you may just have hit the nail on the head. Leaving aside AhinNZ's advice which I shall respond to in a moment, I am so used to just closing Browsers and Programs and then powering off without problems, that I gave no thought to the fact FTM may need longer time to perform its closing hand shakes. I will certainly bear this in mind in the future. Mind you, I'm not sure about giving it 'minutes' but 30 seconds should do the trick. Thanks anyway.

 

This backs up Pauline's advice with the added note that I need to wait for a message to disappear before it is safe to power off. That seems good advice. However I admit to being surprised you just exit by using the X top right, as one does for closing down a browser. I would have thought that would give rise to an 'improper closure' but you say not. Even so I recall a MacKiev recommendation way back to close down using File/Exit, but can't remember anything about using the 'X' closure method (which doesn't mean it wasn't there but that I do not recall same)

However if that works for you and you do not get improper closure messages, than I will certainly give it a try, and of course wait for the closure message to disappear before powering off.

 

I'll have you know I am known to many in the family as 'Magic' Bob (I used to do conjuring and magic tricks for them as children, most now grown up with kids of their own with the name passed on to them) - and not 'Mad' Bob.

But there again I dare say some of the adults used to my eccentricities (some count being obsessed with Family History as one such) may well consider the shorter adjective more befitting. I just steer clear of people in white coats.

 

How long it takes will, of course, depend on the program, the speed of the computer, and how many programs you are exiting before powering off. I was erring on the side of caution - it helps preserve my sanity!

 

Whenever I go to close FTM, it always does a backup of whichever tree I happen to have open at the time. This takes from 1 second up to about 10 seconds (depending on the size of the tree) showing a 'progress bar' for the backup, after which the program closes. I wish I could disable this 'backup' feature as it isn't needed (I have regular automatic backups of all my files), but I haven't discovered how to turn it off! I never get any 'not closed properly' messages, but I don't power off before the program has closed.

 

First of all I have verified via FTM Help that shutting down using the X method is a recognised alternative to File/Exit. I opened FTM and exited a minute or so later (using the X method) without selecting a Tree. Closure was instantaneous..."whoof gone"! On reopening no error message and awaiting a Tree selection.

So I selected my own - by far my largest Tree - and when finally open I exited again using the X method. This time a couple of seconds passed before it finally shut down, but no slide bar or anything, just a sort of pregnant pause, and then closure. On reopening no problems reported so it looks like this will be my own method of exiting.

I do notice however that when reopened the 'Media' slide bar shows and moves quite slowly until finally disappearing. I do not see this when exiting.

 

How strange, despite my own problems about exiting FTM (and now seemingly resolved using the X closure method at least, and probably File/Exit and waiting a while to power off), NO automatic backups are performed. These have to be induced manually, either because I choose to, or MacKiev recommends same after an incorrect closure.

Logic tells me you have a 'perform backup when exiting' tick box checked although goodness knows where that exists, and I found nothing under 'Help' to even suggest this can be done; although clearly it can if it is happening to you. Perhaps, as often happens in the Forum, someone has the answer or I suppose you could always contact MacKiev. Good luck anyway.

 

You've absolutely hit the nail on the head there, Bob. I opened the Preferences window (don't know why I hadn't looked there before!) and lo and behold there was a 'Back up tree automatically' box which was ticked. I have now unticked this box and the program shuts down instantly with no backup. Many thanks, my problem now solved!

 

Nice to know 'logic' helped resolve your problem, although it has given me one when you say "I opened the Preferences window (don't know why I hadn't looked there before!)" . Is this a 'Mac' thing as I cannot for the life of me find a Preferences window. Where do I find such a thing?

 

Yes, I'm using the Mac version. I just clicked on Family Tree Maker 2019 in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and Preferences... is listed in the drop-down menu. Clicking on that produces a window with a host of optional settings with tick boxes. There must be something similar on the PC, maybe called something different (e.g. Options)? Maybe FTM users of the PC version can advise.

 

Yes there is an Options tag but it does not show 'back up tree automatically'. There are several option types and the nearest I can find is 'automatically backup family file'. Which incidentally I have ticked but this has no impact on closing down, so it must work behind the scenes. Perhaps others can comment further as you say.