Installing Family Tree Builder 5.0

Back in November, MyHeritage announced the release of a brand new version of Family Tree Builder 5.0. I had downloaded the previous version some time ago and after using it a few times had begun to use Legacy as my main genealogy software. The release of the new version got me excited aboout the software again so I decided to upgrade to version 5.0

Here's how I downloaded Family Tree Builder the first time:

• Go to the My Heritage website: http://www.myheritage.com/family-tree-builder

• Click on the download link

• Choose custom install

• Wait a few minutes..

• Product registration:

First name, last name, gender, email address, password

• Click next

But it wouldn't let me register since the email address I provided was already being used. Did I have an account with MyHeritage already? I couldn't remember so I checked my email inbox but alas no, I wasn't a member. This meant someone else had already used the same email address as me so instead I used my Yahoo email which was annoying cos I didn't really check emails from that account. How inconvenient!

This stuff was optional:

Birth year, address, city, country, post code, telephone

• Then click finish

Then it asked me if I wanted to upgrade to a premium account I clicked 'no' and then it asked to enable automatic publishing for online backup, I clicked, 'yes.'

So anyone else felt the urge to upgrade or to try out MyHeritage software?

Mohammed Ali Jinnah's 134th Birthday

134 years ago today,
Qaid e Azam -
Mohammed Ali Jinnah
was born in Wazir Mansion, Karachi district, of lower Sindh.

As we celebrate the birth of Jinnah,
I would like to wish all Christians in Pakistan and around the world, a very merry Christmas.

Remembering our shaheed .. 14

I'm posting more announcements of our shaheed (martyred) who are fighting for our country, our people and our freedom.

Thursday November 25th 2010

'Two personnel of Frontier Corps were killed and three others received injuries when their vehicle was targeted with a remote controlled bomb in Bara area of Khyber Agency on Thursday. ' (Dawn)

'A paramilitary soldier was killed and six others were injured when a bomb exploded in Sarmalo Kando area of Orakzai on Thursday. Hangu DCO Adeel Sadiq narrowly escaped the attack.

Official sources said that militants detonated the bomb with remote control when a convoy of 11 vehicles escorting the DCO was in the area.

The deceased was identified as Lance Naik Rahman Wali. One vehicle was destroyed in the attack.' (Dawn)

Note: I can only provide you with names if I find them in the news articles I browse. If you think something needs correcting, please do leave me a message. I try my best.

We should all pray for these men and their families and recognise their courage and sacrifice for their country.

Are you related to a soldier? Do you have memories of a loved one dying in a war? Do you have a message for the soldiers fighting? Leave me a comment.

How to Organize Your Files

Here is a website I found that shows you how to organize the bits and pieces of paper that you have regarding your ancestors. Fileyourpapers.com gives you a guide on how to organize your information so you can easily find what you're looking for without rummaging through piles of paper. It has a system for Ancestral Quest, Legacy Family Tree, MyTrees Online (haven't heard of that one) and Personal Ancestral File software. I would suggest looking through these guides just to see what kind of ideas there are to try, maybe something will appear interesting. I found the explanation MRINs AND RINs really interesting as I didn't know what they were before.

If you're like me and you don't have much papers to sort and pile (lucky or unlucky - you decide), then I wouldn't bother with this. I've not reached the stage where I have many same names where I get confused about who I'm looking for. Additionally, most of my work is on my computer which means I can search and find material quicker.

Things you'll need for this task:
* A genealogy software
* Binders/Folders
* Tabs
* Documents (sources etc)
* Time

Good luck to those trying to organize their work. Some day your children, grandchildren will appreciate your tidiness!

Data Backup Day - Mobiles

The 1st of every month has been nominated as Data Backup Day at Geneabloggers and rightly so. As genealogists we all need to take care of all that data we collect whether it's in genealogy databases, documents, scans or whatever because you never know when some incident puts your research back to square one.

Recently I mentioned I took a trip to Pakistan where I managed to make some progress with finding out more about my relatives. Well, I had been taking notes of details such as dates and names using a pen and paper but soon found I didn't have time to scribble it all down so I resorted to making short notes on my mobile which had a handy tool for doing exactly that. This was all going well until my mobile decided to succumb to overheating (I think!) and fall dead. I thought OK, maybe it's not so bad, maybe all I need is a new battery to get it working again. So I returned to the UK with the hope that my mobile would be fine with a new battery. Cut to a few weeks later, and I find out that even with a battery that works fine in a similar mobile, my mobile is definitely dead. Yes, I had lost the data on my phone along with non-genealogy stuff.

What I learnt:

* Technology, as amazing as it is, can fail.
* Using a pen and paper isn't so bad afterall.
* I need a new mobile (anyone want to gift me one?)

So all you genealogists out there, remember to back up your data wherever it is!

Note to self: Back up your genealogy database as you haven't done so since ages.