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General => Technical Help => Topic started by: Peewee on Tuesday 25 June 19 13:31 BST (UK)
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I wish to announce the imminent death of my laptop (bits falling off etc). So, I have bought a new one! My old laptop has Family Tree Maker 2014 on in order to record my 15 years of research currently held on a memory stick. Apparently, I cannot move this programme to my new laptop. So, how can I access, maintain and update my existing records without paying an extraodinary large amount for the new version of this programme.
Is Uploading to an internet site the answer.
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You can use dropbox - which is what I did.
Upload FTM from your old laptop to dropbox.
Install the dropbox software on your new laptop and then download your FTM.
Worked for me with no trouble.
Pheno
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Thanks for your reply. I did what you advised but could not download onto the new laptop.
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Have you got an FTM disc? Maybe you need to install that on your new laptop before downloading from dropbox.
Pheno
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I'm not familiar with FTM, and happy to be corrected, but most software needs to be installed properly in order for the Windows registry to be set up for it. You cannot generally just copy the program to another computer, but if you still have the installation disk or downloaded installation file you should be able to copy that to the new one and run it to install the program.
Whatever you decide it would be wise to create a backup GEDCOM file which you could use to transfer your data to any other program . . . and do this before the old laptop dies ;)
Someone will hopefully come along with a fuller answer. Ah! I see Pheno types faster than me :)
Mike.
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Thank you all for your help. Still not installed.
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24 hours later !!!
I have installed the FHM on the C drive of the new laptop but I cannot get it to run. Any ideas please.
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So you ran the setup program from your original media. Did that mention any problems during the process?
What message do you get when you try to launch FTM from the Start Menu?
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It looks as if anyone with a registered copy of FTM can obtain a fresh download of the software from here:
https://www.mackiev.com/techsupport/ftm/check_registration.html
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Thank you so much Isabel and Andrew for taking the time to help me solve my problem.
I found the original FTM cd and loaded it on the new laptop. It loaded with no problems. But it will not run.
So, I tried another suggestion of "copying" the data from the old laptop onto a memory stick and then loaded it from the memory stick to the new laptop. Masses of data was transferred but again I do not see how to run the FTM programme.
I did see the link on Mackiev website Isabel but when I tried they told me that they cannot trace my "registration" although mine was a genuine CD which was registered.
I will keep trying.
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I don't know if what I am about to suggest still applies, as I switched from FTM to another program some years ago. However, I seem to remember that it stored the data files in the FTM program folder, on the C drive under Program files. Check the location of your data files and if they are not already in the FTM folder move them to it, and see if that solves the problem.
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Could this explain why Mackiev can't find your FTM registration? Apparently European users should have re-registered when they took over. If you haven't, it's probably still worth doing in case you need help in future.
https://www.mackiev.com/ftmeurope/index.html?ext=yes
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I found the original FTM cd and loaded it on the new laptop. It loaded with no problems. But it will not run.
So what happens when you launch FTM from the Start Menu? Does it produce any message?
If not, try right-clicking the icon in the menu, and select "Run as Administrator", then allow FTM to make changes to your machine. Things might be able to be tidied up in this mode and not as your normal user. Yes, there is a difference, even if your normal user is officially an administrator.
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When we copied FTM 2014 from the memory stick to the new laptop the multitude of files loaded onto "Local disc C - Programme Files (x86) - Windows multi media platform"
The multi media was the option it gave to open FTM 2014. But it also gave the options of Windows explorer or "search the microsoft store" or "choose another app"
We don't get the option to change to administrator and we cannot run the programme.
Any ideas my fellow rootschatters?
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The saga continues. Noticed that the number of files and folders on the old laptop did not reconcile to what was loaded onto the new one. So, deleted what we initially loaded onto new computer and reloaded. Success, the 2 figures reconciled.
But still cannot get the FTM on the new computer to run.
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The multi media was the option it gave to open FTM 2014. But it also gave the options of Windows explorer or "search the microsoft store" or "choose another app"
That sounds as if FTM can't see your data files and Windows is trying to open them instead.
"Local disc C - Programme Files (x86) - Windows multi media platform" - does that mean there is no FTM folder showing in the Program files? I'd expect it to have its own folder. Have a look at your old laptop and see where the files are installed on it.
Just as a suggestion, while your old laptop is still working it might be an idea to make a gedcom copy of your data. Then if you ever decide to switch to different, perhaps less expensive, software, it will be transferable.
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I think what has happened is that by trying to copy FTM over to your new computer and then installing FTM again from the install disc, you now have corrupted and conflicting files. My advice would be to uninstall all copies of FTM and then reinstall the program from the FTM program disc
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IT WORKS!!!!!!
How we managed it I have no idea.
I am so so grateful for all of the advice you clever people have given me. I would never have managed it without you.
very best wishes Peewee
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When we copied FTM 2014 from the memory stick to the new laptop the multitude of files loaded onto "Local disc C - Programme Files (x86) - Windows multi media platform"
It sounds like you copied the installed files rather than running the setup program.
The setup doesn't just copy files. It sets up a lot of rules about how those things fit together.
One of the last things it does is to add a shortcut to the start menu.
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Peewee,
I thought you might like to know that what I learned through trying to solve your problem paid off today when I was helping a friend who no longer had her FTM2014 CD. She had upgraded to FTM2017, which was lost when her computer suddenly failed. After your experience of being told there was no record of your registration, I didn't have much hope that we'd succeed in getting a replacement copy. However, having first re-registered her FTM2014, we were able to download a replacement installation file (FTM2017) from the Mckiev website. So, as you are in Europe, it would almost certainly be worth re-registering in case of any future problems.
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Thank you isabell, I'll give it a go
peewee