I have Family Tree Maker 10 and it is not compatible with 8.1 - has any other genealogist here had

[jwirr]

this problem and what did you do about it. I am not savvy enough to understand what I am supposed to do. Thanks for any tips.

[polly7]

1. I have 10 and 6, but it's been a while since I've used either.

What happens when you try to open a family file in 10?

[jwirr]

2. A post comes down and tells me that my version is not compatible with the 8.1 version. I suggests

going on line for help (I did that and when I get in there they do not answer the question directly). The other option is to run FTM without fixing it. There I am afraid. I have a huge tree and would hate to lose it. I do have it backed up on a CD but just do not trust any of this tech.

[polly7]

3. Do you mean FTM 10 with Windows 8.1?

I'm sorry ... I was thinking you were referring to two different versions of FTM.

I know when I was worried about losing files between FTM versions I duplicated my trees by copying and pasting to a different folder and changing the name slightly, just in case. I'd try to run a copy without fixing and see what happens? Hopefully someone else has other options, it's beyond frustrating when something you've worked so hard on won't run right.

There are some super smart genealogists here who may have an answer:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1156

[jwirr]

4. Thanks for the advice. I guess I will have to wait for my daughter to come next month and help. She

at least knows how to deal with computers. It may just be a matter of finding out what version of FTM is compatible with the programs and buying it.

[cbayer]

5. If no one in the genealogy group can help, maybe you can get help in the computer group.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1095

[ucrdem]

6. Good advice.

Hi jwirr, I'm not sure whether you've solved this or not, but since software compatibility might become an issue to others upgrading from Windows 7/8 to 8.1 (I haven't, for that reason), I'll post a link to a Computer Help & Support group thread that discusses several possible fixes, chief among them to download and install a free "virtual machine" or emulator program, and then to install your old operating system (95/98/ME/XP/Vista/7) into the VM:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/109510515

Or to cut to the chase, you can download Oracle's Virtualbox VM here:

http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/virtualbox/downloads/index.html?ssSourceSiteId=otnjp

Once you've set up your "virtual machine" -- and it is a project -- you can transfer, copy, and/or install and run legacy software and data on it. However, I wouldn't recommend using a VM to store vital data, only copies. Save any material you need to keep in a folder on your hard drive in case your VM crashes, as it might take whatever data you've stored on it with it.