TreeShare Issues

Are you a RootsMagic user who at times likes to work on your genealogy from the comforts of your living room couch or recliner versus from your genealogy office? While I spend most of my time in front my desktop computer, I do want to use my laptop in the living room – particularly to do TreeShare.

Unfortunately, when I was uploading changes from my laptop, those uploads weren’t being recognized by my desktop. Thus, I couldn’t switch back and forth between computers to do the TreeShare uploads. Not wanting to be limited to my desktop, I started trying to research the issue.

After researching on both the RootsMagic Users Group in Facebook and the RootsMagic Community, I finally found a discussion on Facebook that shed light on the issue, Tree share anomaly. In the comments, one user provided the clue to the ‘why’ behind the TreeShare issues: the AMT folder.

Based on this comment, I tried an experiment.

Opened TreeShare on my desktop to see who needed to be transferred
Closed TreeShare and RootsMagic
Allowed my RootsMagic file to upload to Dropbox and then download to my laptop
Located the AMT folder on my desktop and copied it to a USB drive
Copied the AMT folder from the USB drive to my laptop, overwriting the existing folder and files
Ran RootsMagic on my laptop and performed several uploads in TreeShare
Closed RootsMagic on my laptop allowing it to backup.
Allowed RootsMagic file on my laptop to upload to Dropbox
Downloaded RootsMagic file onto my desktop computer
Copied the AMT folder from my laptop to the USB drive
Copied the AMT folder from the USB drive back to my desktop allowing it to overwrite the folders and files
Opened RM on my desktop
Ran TreeShare and VERIFIED that those individuals who were uploaded to Ancestry on my laptop were still uploaded on my desktop.

Thus, I was able to verify that the AMT folder contains TreeShare data that is NOT part of the RootsMagic file. While copying the folder back and forth between computers resolves the TreeShare issue, I will have to be diligent to make sure I’m keeping that folder in sync.

That’s why I’m intrigued about another comment in response to the issue, Rootsmagic.exe on the rootsmagic usb, posted in the RootsMagic Community. In this comment, I discovered that I could install RootsMagic on a USB drive. (Directions in the Wiki article: RootsMagic To-Go)

While I haven’t taken this step, I am intrigued by the possibility of being able to have everything, program, AMT folder, file, exhibits all on a USB drive.

So, where is this ‘magic’ AMT folder that stores the TreeShare data. First, on a WINDOWS PC, this folder is a ‘hidden’ folder which means one has to turn on the ability to see ‘hidden’ files before it can be found. To view hidden files:

Open Windows Explorer (hold down windows key and press E)
Look on the left side of the window and scroll down to find THIS PC
The AMT folder will be on the C drive unless the USER folders were moved. (Those who know how to move USER folders, should also know where the folder is located.)
Click on the C drive
Locate the three dots in the upper left corner of the explorer window and click on them to pull down the menu
Click on Options

Click on VIEW
Locate the section for HIDDEN FILES AND FOLDERS and click on the option to ‘Show hidden files, folders or drives.”

To locate the AMT folder

Look on the left side of the window and scroll down to find THIS PC

The AMT folder will be on the C drive unless the USER folders were moved. (Those who know how to move USER folders, should also know where the folder is located.)
Double Click on the C drive