This is a VERY big headache for me. I'm working with FTM 2009, Windows Vista 64-bit with Service Pack 1, 2.1 gig dual-core processor, 4.0 gigs of RAM and 259 gigs free on my hard disk. My problem is sometimes, when I compact my file (I have over 28,000 individuals), some of my sources will unlink and some lucky person (in this case, my Great-aunt Beatrice--her death information in this case) will end up with literally hundreds of people linked to one person's information (such as one piece of marriage source information, like a book). Today, for example, I found I have over 400 people with my Great-aunt Beatrice's death source information and many unsourced links. Is there an easier way, other than to go through each link one by one (I have almost 7100 links for the FL Death Index, for example) and "break" the link from my Aunt Beatrice and link the correct information to the correct person? Right now, I'm having to go through each link, one by one, to find the unlinked information, then find the correct person to attach that information to, then "break" the link to Great-Aunt Beatrice.

All of my information is in the "Reference Note" field so I can save space. I can't run a Source Usage report for the one source because it isn't listed in the menu--it's all the sources or forget about the report. From "Manage Sources," there is no way to "save" a source usage report for the one source, never mind being able to link from the Source Usage report to the broken link. Almost 7,100 links is very time-consuming to do one at a time.

I could use a good stiff drink right about now. Or a life preserver. The inept developer that thought this was a "great idea" to yell at would be very satisfying to me--and it won't be satisfying to him/her to listen to me vent about their lack of common sense. I won't shoot the messenger, though. Promise.

Hey, Russ! Are you on tonight?

Would running, from the source panel, the groups by people give me a listing of the unlinked sources? That would make it easier to reattach the unlinked sources to the correct people.

notpickedfrome,

I am not sure how the Compact utility would link Source-Citations to someone at random. Which is what is sounds like you are saying.

The Compact utility re-indexes the file, correcting any miss-pointed records.

Do you have an much earlier Back Up file that you can look at to see if this problem has been around for a while?

Russ

notpickedforme,

Have you looked at the Documented Events Report OR the Source Usage Report to see how bad the problem is?

Russ

Sorry for the delay, Russ. Hey, I know you are on most every day helping out others, so no problem! Glad you were able to get a day off!

I usually don't run reports, because my file is so large. If I run reports in FTM 2009, I'm not able to export them. I DID run a Source Usage report for my FL Death Index citation, and that's where I got freaked out. A couple of them, like the ones that I have notated "Not listed" and "Not applicable," became grouped together, but I think that's because the compact file utility has determined they are all one source. The same thing happened one time before for a marriage source I used that didn't have any other notes, but somehow one got linked to a bunch of others and I found out when I went to enter a source and it already had someone else's information in the source when it came up.

I just deleted about two months worth of back ups, because I have been working with cemetery books and adding people and correcting relationships like crazy. As a matter of fact, some of the people that got linked to Great-aunt Beatrice were people I had done a couple of days ago.

You haven't heard of this problem before? Hmmm, why am I always the lucky one lol! Could it be a glitch in the saving process when the file is closed? I do know that sometimes the file won't open; for example, when I take a break from researching material and close the file for awhile. When I go to open the file again, the program won't open and I end up rebooting my laptop, which appears to clear the glitch and then I compact the file before working on it. Could that software glitch, which causes the file to not open, be causing the problem? I have checked for updates, but I get a window that says my program is up to date.

Oh, before I forget, when I delete all of the saved files, I keep on my laptop only the saved files for the current month and back a couple of weeks. Why does this program create a saved file for each day it is used? My older version of FTM had just like three files and only used those to save all of my current information.

Just asking.

notpickedforme,

I am still trying to understand what you are seeing.

What does "grouped together" mean?

Please be specific. Where, exactly, are you looking on the Source Work Space. Take one example, and describe what you are doing and what you are seeing.

IF you have a Source-Citation, and you entered 'not listed' or 'not applicable' you have put a source-citation on that FACT.

I don't think there is a glitch or that the Compact tool did anything more then what it should to. That is Reindex your family file.

Russ

notpickedforme,

Please provide details, from the program or your computer, when trying to get help. HOW are you seeing "Why does this program create a saved file for each day it is used?"

What three (3) files did your older version have? In Previous Versions of Family Tree Maker, there was a < filename >.FTW and the < filename >.FBK (the copy of the FTW file). What three files are you talking about.

Thank you,

Russ

Dear Russ,

When I look in the home file for FTM 2009, located in Documents > Family Tree Maker in Vista, for each day that I use FTM 2009, there is a separate backup file; for example: Dad 15032009_2009-03-22_2009-07-08 (26,984 KB); Dad 15032009_2009-03-22_2009-07-10 (27,145 KB); Dad 15032009_2009-03-22_2009-07-11 (27,042 KB); Dad 15032009_2009-03-22_2009-07-12 (27,102 KB), as well as the main family file Dad 15032009_2009-03-22 (64,826 KB), Dad 15032009_2009-03-22_AutoBackup (26,993 KB) and Dad 15032009_AutoBackup (25,144 KB). The other files in this Vista FTM folder are for any media files for the main file and templates.

The prior versions, as you noted in your next message, had only three total files that were created--.FTW, .FBK and .FBC.