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General => Technical Help => Family History Programs, Tree Organisation, Presentation => Topic started by: ukmusic on Monday 21 May 18 10:00 BST (UK)
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After an enforced break from my genealogical research I now find my Family Tree Maker 2014 programme no longer syncs with Ancestry. I’m a bit miffed that they want £59.99 to upgrade to FTM2017, especially as it appears the programme is no longer fully supported by Ancestry.
Is it worth paying for this upgrade or should I buy different software? I don’t want to pay out for FTM2017 if it’s lifespan is already limited. Thank you. : )
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It really depends whether you just want a FH programme or whether you need it to synch with Ancestry. If the former, you could just stay with FTM2014. It might be worth checking to see if you are eligible for a free upgrade.
https://support.mackiev.com/317487-FAMILY-TREE-MAKER-2017-FAQ
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Thank you. I got a free upgrade to the 2014.1 version but that doesn't sync with Ancestry either. I have to pay £60 for the 2017 version. Annoying when I paid full price for the original version.
Do you know if any other programmes sync with Ancestry? I seem to recall that there is/was another.
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Roots Magic 7 also syncs with Ancestry, albeit that unlike with FTM you have to accept the updates individually. That said, its useful for checking that all is OK. The Free RM7 allows you to download a copy of your tree but you can't use it to sync after this, only download a new copy. May be worth looking at prior to paying for FTM2017.
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If you thought FTM 2014 was a useful tool and used the sync feature, then I would say that FTM 2017 is worth it.
People forget that without MacKiev picking it up and developing this new version, FTM would be a dead program with no syncing capability at all.
For me FTM 2017 was noticeably faster than 2014 and the sync feature is far more reliable.
You could look into RootsMagic as well, but do note that the sync feature is not the same as what FTM offers. In RootsMagic each altered fact has to be individually approved and then synced. Some people prefer this but obviously it takes longer.
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Hi All,
A bit late joining the conversation - but I also still have FTM2014 (Ancestry version) and did buy the 2017 Mackiev version before Xmas last year. However, I did not install it immediately, it was 3 or 4 months before I did.
I didn't realise that the new version automatically populated with the files from my old version and when I went to open one, I saw that the file had to be converted in order to be used on 2017. I didn't think anything of it, but had also not realised that I could no longer open that file on my old version.
At least temporarily, I had intended to keep my old version and run the new one separately with new trees but I don't quite see how I can do this now. Is it possible in some way to keep the old version working and delete the names of the older unconverted files from the new version? Or, will all files I have, new or old, still show up on the newer 2017 version?
I'm sure many will be asking 'why would you bother' - but until I feel secure in the working of the newer version, I am reluctant to consign the older one to the bin.
Also, another question - I see the latest advertised version of FTM 2019 has a feature which although free for the first year, will cost an annual subscription thereafter - is that feature compulsory does anyone know? It is called tree Vault cloud services.
Any advice appreciated - has anyone else managed to retain 2 versions for a while?
Many thanks,
Eliza.
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Mackiev are due to release an update - FTM2019
In May I received a notice with a reduced price offer on an upgrade of FTM from 2017 to 2019 due for release "later this summer" if I pre-ordered.
The pre order price was£29.95 (full price quoted £59.95)
Still no date yet though :)
mackiev were the original developers of FTM and "bought" it back from Ancestry,it is necessary to keep an Ancestry sub in order to keep the Sync function.
I do not think the Vault feature is compulsary,it is an option(I think!!)
Kim
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Thanks Kim,
Do you know whether it's possible to run two versions on your computer and keep them separate?
Fortunately I had made backups (per instructions) of all my files before installing the Mackiev version, just in case.
I had put off installing for a while because someone else I know well had done so last year and their trees installed incorrectly with sources and people mixed up. It took them a long time to correct the errors, although it is all up and running now - hence my caution.
Regards Eliza.
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Elizajb
I do not know if it is possible to run 2 versions but cannot work out how it would be from the same account as uploading a new version "uninstalls" the earlier one?
Perhaps take a Gedcom of the 2014 version a load it onto Rootsmagic and use the sync function on there to keep it updated?
You could ask mackiev
Kim
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Why do you need to have two FTM programmes to run two trees? I am currently run 8 different trees in my FTM 2017.
You simply close your tree from file tab top left hand drop down box and click close then click on new tree tab and start a new tree.
You then go through same process to open and close the tree you need to work in.
The list of your trees you have made are listed on left hand side of screen, you double click the named tree you want to work in.
I have been using this method for many versions of FTM its not a new feature.
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Hi Kim,
I have sent Mackiev a message so awaiting reply now.
That's a good idea about Rootsmagic - I did back up all my trees on the old FTM so that is worth a try. I mainly use other software as a form of backup anyway.
I tried to re-download a tree to RM yesterday but the programme kept disconnecting half way through.
I wrote to RM for their advice and they replied very promptly saying they were having some issues with the Ancestry sync right now and are in the middle of trying to sort it out.
At least I know it's not my computer!! Yay!
Regards Eliza.
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Thanks Suzy,
Yes I understand how it works, same as my old one on which like you, I have several trees.
However, in the short term, I wanted to retain my old trees on my old FTM (which has not been synced since Mackiev took over) and download a handful of them completely fresh from Ancestry onto FTM2017.
I never intended to use both programmes to open the same tree, just wanted to hold onto the old temporarily as insurance against any possible problems. It was only when I opened the first one after the file converted that I realised that it no longer existed on FTM2014.
So, have only opened the one at this stage.
Regards Eliza.
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In think the problem could be that when you downloaded FTM 2017, in reality you weren't downloading a new programme, you were updating from FTM 2014, so it overwrote everything on there.
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Yes that might be the case.
At this stage I can still open the old FTM and open the unconverted trees, but not the tree which was converted to the 2017 format.
I'm a bit undecided now whether I bypass 2017 in favour of the new 2019 which is due out soon. The advantage of upgrading from 2014 being that I can sync and download up to date copies of my trees periodically. I could do that on RootsMagic, as mentioned in a previous post, if the Ancestry sync on that was working properly but at the moment it isn't.
In the past, I have tended to use RM and FTM as backups really, in addition to backing up to an external drive. After the amount of work put into research, I'd hate to lose any of it just because I didn't have good backups.
Anyway, I now know that if I use a newer version of FTM, the files can no longer be opened on the old - so a matter of ditching the old once I'm confident the new one has no unforeseen bugs.
Regards Eliza.
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Hi All,
I emailed Mackiev regarding what I was trying to do and asked them whether it was possible to retain old files somehow, at least for a while, and also if there was a way of not having all my files show in the new FTM2017 tree list.
Happily, there is a way - so I am quoting here the text of Mackiev's reply to me in case it is of assistance to anyone else.
"First, you can remove it from the list in FTM 2017. Just go to tree list and select there "Remove from the List" option.
If the files were already opened in FTM 2017 they won't be opened in FTM 2014.1 so you need to export those in FTM 2014.1 format.
Select the file that should be opened in previous FTM version and go to "File" -> "Export" and there in "Output format" select "Family Tree Maker 2014.1" so the file will be converted in to FTM 2014.1 format."
I have now tried it and this has worked for me and I have been able to import the gedcom (which I re-named) into my old programme successfully. So - now I have both FTM versions and can open the files in both.
Bit pedantic I know, but I have done volumes of research over the past 10 years and I would be devastated if I lost any of it.
Many thanks again for everyone's input - much appreciated.
Regards Eliza.
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I must say that I’m impressed with Mackiev’s customer service - a quick and thorough answer.
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Yes - me too, I wasn't really expecting it, just hoping.
I had one further email from them with another comment and I must say, the feedback has given me quite a bit of reassurance about getting on and using my FTM2017, possibly upgrading to the newer one when it is released.
It's nice when you "win some".
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I have to say that the main problem with having two versions of the program dealing with your tree is figuring out just which of the databases is the CORRECT one.
I know which of mine are the up-to-date ones, because anything online is just a GEDCOM export, from the single version of software I have installed.
But is the best version of your data the Ancestry one, the FTM 2017 one or the FTM2014 one? There will come a time when you will accidentally make a major change to your tree in the OLD software. You will need to copy all those amendments to your later software, and that will not be easy.
So now you have seen how FTM 2017 works, it's probably time to convert all your trees to the new version.
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It depends how Elizajb works. If she works on Ancestry and downloads to FTM as a backup, it will only sync to the 2017 version and should do that every time it is opened. If she works on FTM again only the 2017 version will sync. So any changes made on the 2014 version will only be visible there.
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Yes, I work on Ancestry and just download to FTM as a backup.
I could work on FTM2017 and sync, but I find it easier just to work on one tree and use the other software to back it up.
I have re-named my old 2014 files and shifted their location to an external drive, so they will only open when I have the drive plugged in. There are a handful of notes and photos on those files which are not on my Ancestry trees (privacy precautions) and I will probably copy those to FTM2017 at some point.
I don't intend to make any further additions to 2014 and none of the databases for that version show on my 2017 now.
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FYI, I have been using FTM 2017 since it was released and still have FTM 2014 running also. I have not updated anything on it so it is out of date but I have opened it a few times to review some old files and it works fine.
I have paid the discounted price for ver 2019 and will use the free Vault for one year and then decide if it is worth the annual fee which is around 12 pounds. ($20 Canadian)