Where do you store all of your media items.......?

[AdamsHodgetts]

On the old PC, I used the Family Tree Maker and compiled most of my family tree plus printed some hard copies for the Folder. Luckily I did that as I lost my family tree when our old PC hard drive packed up a few years ago. As it was a 1988 model, the files couldn't be saved so the hard drive was scrapped.

I had to start all over again, this time using Ancestry.co.uk plus using Family Search to trace my ancestors. I also have a 2012 BMSGH CD containing records of baptisms, Banns, marriages, burials at St Peter Cradley (formally Cradley Chapel) and Park Lane Presbyterian Chapel from 1785 to 1835/1837, which is now not compatible with my laptop, a MacBook.

As I'm not sure if I can print off using my online Ancestry.co.uk Family Tree, are there any Family Tree Apps I could use and would I be able to transfer them all over to the Family Tree App without losing any of my ancestors? Then the plan is to print them all out and keep in folders.

[familydar]

My tree is locally on my desktop pc (Win7).  I use an old version of FTM, it's capable of having documents attached but I've never done that, just noted the sources.  It's not on Ancestry.  Basic pedigree trees are on FTDNA and GEDMatch. 

Look-up databases and to-do list (ms-works - anyone remember it?) are in their own directory (folder) on my desktop pc - a database for each census, one for baps, one for mars, one for burs, wills, military records etc.

Census images, photos etc are on a removable HDD, kept connected and indexed so I can find things quickly.  I use sub-directories and a naming convention I adopted years ago, it works for me.

New downloads are named as appropriate and go initially into the downloads folder

Once a month, religiously, I copy all updated files to cd or dvd then "file" my downloads properly.

Once a year I do a full backup (as in copy - I've never got to grips with proper backup software!) of EVERYTHING to another external HDD

I have physical copies of certs and some CMB pages (from the old days before you could get digital copies)

My to-do list tells me when and where I found each bit of info on it.  If I need to double check my notes I can because I've kept all the notes I've made over the years, they are filed according to which record office I made them at.

If the house burned down I'd admittedly lose the lot but as someone has already said that would be the least of my problems.  If there was time to grab one small thing it would be the external HDD. 

I've considered giving a second backup to a family member for safekeeping but have a nasty suspicion that if I ever needed it, they wouldn't be able to find it.  Probably cloud storage is the answer.

Jane :-)