The Tools menu, has a great utility to do this, Compact File. The short answer is start with your genealogy software, in this case Family Tree Maker (FTM2017).įurther, that includes manually Backing Up our files, and from time to time, doing a test Restore from Back Up.
It is my opinion that WE, the User of this or any other genealogy software, need to take responsibility for our research. Why the difference in the Number of Media Files ? Here is a link to a Blog Post on this topic When that sent back up is restore, those Media files will be missing. IF you were to send a Back Up file, with Linked Media, those Media Files will not be included. Using the Linked option, will only include a LINK to that Media file. There is another reason from the above, and that is when you do a Compact and Back Up, the Media Folder, where that COPY is saved, will be included in that Back Up. The same goes when adding a new media file to Family Tree Maker. I have messed up in that past, and I am guessing others have as well, but that is OK, because I am working with a copy. I might want to crop that image, resize it, change it's looks.
When I take a photograph, scan an image, I do NOT want to touch that file again. It's another COPY of your / my valuable images. Reason: (and I have blogged about this before) Use the COPY option,when adding a New Media File to your FTM2017 file.