My OCD Backup Plan

 

Being OCD, I can't even imagine what would happen if I lost access to all my research. It would my worst nightmare come true. So....I have a fairly robust backup plan...with backups of my backups.

My main tree is on Ancestry, but I use Family Tree Maker (FTM) as my desktop software. It's wise to remember record sets may be removed from your research site of choice at any time. Having downloads of media images is important if you want to be able to refer to them in the future (or if you take a break from your subscription). I take it a step further and take screenshots of indexed records (anything without an image) so I can see how I found certain facts. I sync repeatedly as I research (way more than a normal person....like after ever record I add...it's not as bad as it sounds, really!) and rename and save all media and screenshots as I go. 

When I'm done for the day, I compact to 0, create a manual backup, and do the auto backup provided by the program. Then, I copy these 3 files to my documents folder and sync to OneDrive. At this point, I have 3 copies of my active working tree files (2 on the laptop and one in OneDrive).

Since I keep a lot of working media files (not yet in my tree) on my desktop and I want to be sure I always have installation media available if necessary, I also backup my desktop and downloads folder to OneDrive in real-time as well. I also keep another copy of working media files in a duplicate folder just in case I accidentally delete something I didn't mean to on and have already emptied the recycle bin. 

I also have my FTM media folder sync'd to Google Drive. As I'm adding/editing media, those files are kept up to date. PLEASE NOTE: Syncing to Google Drive in real-time can cause some issues with media in FTM and it's not recommended. I absolutely do encounter instances where FTM thinks files are missing (they aren't) and I have to relink them. Since I rename all media files, I can easily find and correct these issues with just a few key clicks. If you aren't backing this particular folder up to a cloud location in real-time, you'll likely have less issues....this is just my preferred way to have an always up to date copy of my media (especially since it's the longest part of a restore if something goes wrong) and I'm willing to relink a few files every couple of days. But if you're not as OCD as I am, I wouldn't recommend this method for the typical FTM user.

Once a week, I sync all my FTM files, media folder, notes program and any other genealogy folders I've updated during the week to USB. 

Since my laptop is primarily used for genealogy research, I don't have a lot of extra programs on it, but I do take time to do a Windows disk image at least once or twice a year for good measure. And when I'm particularly motivated, I'll backup all my genealogy files to the external drive as one more layer of protection (but I admit, I only do this on occasion since I already have 3 locations for all my files).

I like to think being OCD isn't entirely a bad thing. In this case, it means I have a disaster recovery plan (with backups of backups). No one portion of my data is backed up only to one location (I don't like all my eggs in one basket). If the worst were to happen, I could be back up and running in a couple hours as if nothing had happened. Your backup plan has to be one you're comfortable with, but I strongly suggest a minimum of 2 distinct and separate storage locations for all your files. It's better to have too many backups than none at all!

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay