SMotteshard

Virginia, Just got off the phone with TMG tech support. They asked me to hold off on posting anymore about my backup issue until they could figure out why it's not working. They suspect it could be unique to my computer (and I agree with them) and the resolution would probably not be helpful to other TMG users. I've got every major genealogy software program loaded on my computer as well as many database programs that help me with client research projects. And, of course the anti-virus software too. Perhaps there's some sort of overlapping stuff going on? Again, thanks everyone for your attempts to help me. I sure like TMG and have used it off and on, depending on clients needs, since 1999 with no major problems until now. Any problems I had in the past could always be figured out by reading the "help", the TMG instruction books, and this forum. I don't remember ever posting to this forum or having to contact TMG tech support until this issue. I had no idea the Rootsweb TMG mailing list existed until now and it appears to be a great resource as well. Thanks, Steve

Virginia, Thanks for trying to help me. Anyone else willing to provide their opinion on copying the entire TMG v8 folder, which is a sub-folder of "My Documents" folder, as a substitute backup? Again, I won't need anything I created in TMG v8 for this particular client to transfer to another project. Thanks, Steve

Virginia, Thanks, I'll do that. This client's project will be completed by the end of May and then I'll delete the whole folder from my active hard drive and install a new TMG folder. I won't need anything I've set up for this client in any other project. Steve

Virginia, Yes, your comments are helpful and I hope to find the time to read your articles before I set up the next client project. Since you said it was "simple to copy the project folder using Windows Explorer" and had no other comments about this option (at least as far I could understand), I assume you don't see a problem if I were to copy the entire TMG folder at: My Documents / The Master Genealogist v8. Steve

I sure hope others are learning from this thread. It's a little disjointed on my part because I'm responding as I'm learning. I'm staying home from the FHL today to try find a resolution to this problem. It's costing me some billable hours, but I'm hoping this non-billable time will help me and others with this problem. While I'm waiting for a response I'm reading as much as I can. Perhaps others don't know about the Rootsweb TMG mailing list, but here's a link to a year-old thread about this very issue: http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/tmg/2011-05/1306546836 If I understand correctly, and if the posters can be trusted with providing good information, it seems the TMG backup wizard is limited, only 2GB – 4GB. External exhibits, which I think my project has, along with the data can easily exceed that size. For this particular client project I have to link every TMG event and citation to the digital image of the source. Then, I use Second Site to create an internal-use-only website. The client is a historical society and they dislike using computers and don't want to learn more than they have to about computers. So, the simpler I can make it the happier my client is. This client really likes the Wikipedia style website. So, I use Second Site to create a website that has basically the same display and linking style as Wikipedia. The client likes to see each event linked to the source image and they also like to see each citation linked to the source image. They don't want images cluttering up the website, they just want to click on the exhibit link when needed. They also don't want to spend the time to search for the image using a "good citation", because as we all know even if you put the URL path to an image found online, that URL path is likely to change tomorrow. They don't want to have to search for a "census" image, even with a good citation, because after all that's what they already paid me to find. They certainly don't want to have to find the image in some other folder I supply to them. They want single click access to an image if they so chose. They also want to select the link to the MS Word doc so they can open the doc when necessary. I can't (as some suggested in the TMG mailing list thread referenced above) limit the amount of external exhibit links. So, since the evidence indicates TMG backup wizard has size limitations, the work-around in my case seems to require that I make a copy of the whole folder located at: My Documents / The Master Genealogist v8. It's only 6.02 GB, so certainly not a storage limitation issue like we used to have with computers way back when. Does anyone forsee a problem with making a copy of the whole folder to use as a backup rather than trying to use the TMG backup wizard? Thanks, Steve

Jim, While I'm waiting for your response I ask the second and third questions. You said: >> Posted Yesterday, 05:07 PM You should not use TMG backup when you have multiple exhibit folders. The backup works fine but you can't restore the tree. All files will be restored to one folder. When you have an exhibit tree with multiple folders, you should manage your exhibits outside of TMG. I believe that this resolves your backup issue? >> Are you suggesting that I don't use TMG backup? If not, should I just copy the whole TMG folder: My Documents / The Master Genealogist v8. When you say "you should manage your exhibits outside of TMG" are you saying I shouldn't use the exhibit options in TMG? Should I be using TMG just for data and not linking to digital copies of sources, etc. Thanks, Steve

Jim, After conducting the Google search and reading through some of the hits, I found a Rootsweb TMG mailing list that I didn't know existed. You were/are a major contributor on that list along with this forum. You seem to know just as much as TMG tech support. I'd like to continue with your suggestions. First of all, PhilDee from TMG tech support replied with the following: << Posted 20 April 2012 - 09:45 AM Steve, If the External Exhibits box is greyed out in Step 3 of the Backup Wizard then you don't have any external exhibits. How large is the last backup file you have? Phil Wholly Genes Tech Support >> He's the person who resolved this same issue with another TMG user back in 2007, but he hasn't responded anymore to this thread. Since this error seems to be generated by exhibits I think that's the first thing I need to understand. Do I have external exhibits or not? If I don't have any external exhibits why does the VFI indicate: ""Validation complete. No problems found. 3627 external exhibit files were checked"? Steve

Jim, I just used Google search with the following search terms: "OLE exception error: Exception code c00000fd. OLE object may be corrupt" and found that this error is a Visual Foxpro issue. I'm surprised by how long this has been occurring with TMG. I also found another TMG thread that discussed this same problem back in 2007: http://www.whollygen...showtopic=7377. I wish now I would've done the Google search before starting this forum thread. It would've saved a lot of us a lot of time. I appreciate your help and the help from everyone else in trying to resolve this issue, but rather than spending anymore time speculating what's causing the error and trying different things, I think I'll just try to get this problem resolved with Tech support. Thanks, Steve

Jim, I would like to be able to back up just the TMG project without the exhibit files using the TMG backup wizard, but how do I do that? I can't uncheck the exhibits in the backup options. Instead of backing up TMG should I just "copy" the whole TMG folder, with it's multiple sub-folders? Thanks, Steve

Dave O. What is the size of a "large exhibit"? The external exhibits (PDF and MS Word docs) are stored in hundreds of individual folders. I maintain a "Windows" folder for each name and within that folder are stored the PDFs I created from online and microfilm images. I also create a short bio-sketch for each of those names using MS Word as required by my client. Within TMG I link the citation and the event to the PDF and then link the Word doc to a "note" tag for each individual. This way seemed to work just fine in TMG until around April 11, when I had approximately 3500 external exhibit links. I could go back and move all of those PDFs and MS Word docs to just one folder, but that would require hours and hours of work that my client will not pay me to do. I sure hope having multiple folders is not causing the TMG backup problems I'm having. Steve

Jim, I just ran Validate File Integrity using the External Exhibits feature and the following displayed in the TMG window: "Validation complete. No problems found. 3627 external exhibit files were checked." Steve

Jim, Yesterday, I had already updated to v8.2 and it didn't help. Today, TMG technical support suggested loading the Sample project and backing it up. It backed up normally. So, the problem appears to be in my working project. Steve

Virginia, Tried compression none and got the same OLE exception error. Copied the project folder and exhibits folder. Updated to TMG v8.2 Tried to backup and got the same OLE exception error. Calling it a day and will check this forum tomorrow. Thanks, Steve

I was able to exit TMG by using the exit in the File drop down menu rather than using the red x in the upper right-hand corner of the window. I sure hope Jim Byram or someone in TMG technical support can help with this. I'd sure like to backup and update. I'm hoping that updating to the latest version may fix these problems. Thanks, Steve

I just tried changing the backup compression to "slower" and got the same OLE exception error. However, after closing the OLE error window the TMG backup wizard window was still open, but nothing showed in the progress bars. I waited for about 10 minutes before closing the TMG backup wizard window. Now, as I try to close TMG a window pops up with "Cannot Quit Visual FoxPro". What do I do now?