* V6 Backup very large files

[deepdiver]

Mike

I have, a long time ago, installed the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings plugin, but never used it.

I must confess to some confusion about using it. I'm not clear whether I should use it regularly, as a kind of insurance policy to maintain my settings, or only if I'm planning to migrate to another machine (doing it just before I do that). Also, I'm afraid that the big red warning message that pops up when you run it has always put me off, so I have been nervous of using it, and have always clicked Cancel.

So should I run it on a regular basis and ignore the red warning? Or should the warning rather be about the dangers of NOT using it? I do run some of the other plugins regularly for specific purposes, so maybe that's why I thought it was only to be used when I wanted to do a specific thing. Sorry to be so literal about it, but sometimes I don't understand what is meant.

Andrea

[tatewise]

The red warning refers predominantly to the RESTORE operation, not the BACKUP operation.
Backup processes are inherently safe, but most restore processes carry some risk as they usually replace something.

Why do you backup your Projects?
It is presumably not because you are migrating to another PC, but simply as insurance against a PC crash.

The Plugin purpose is just the same, but only needs to be run after making customisation changes, which are typically less often than Project data changes. Read all about the Plugin in its Help & Advice pages at plugins:help:backup_and_restore_family_historian_settings:backup_and_restore_family_historian_settings|> Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings Plugin.

Andrea, as a relative newcomer may I refer you to how_to:key_features_for_newcomers|> Key Features for Newcomers and in the current context the Backup & Recovery topic, but do return to all the other topics later.

[jbtapscott]

Although Mike says "...only needs to be run after making customisation changes", I take the view that I may forget that I have made changes so I have Outlook (which contains my Calender) throw up a reminder every week to run the Plugin and the "Small Backup" option within FH - the output from both going in to a "Backups" folder in my Documents folder. The entire contents of the Documents folder, which also contains all the standard FH folders, as well as "C:\Program Files\Calico Pie" are backed up daily to both "the cloud" and to another desktop PC (which in turns backs up to an external drive). A lot of backups (can you ever have too many!!?) but only the FH actions need manual effort on my part.

[tatewise]

Brent, that is very handy advice, but since you are backing up entire Documents folder daily, including FH Projects, there is no point in performing a Small Backup (Gedcom Only) for several reasons:

1. It only copies the Gedcom file which is in the Project folder daily backup anyway.
2. The automatic Snapshots keep multiple Gedcom backups also in the daily backups.
3. It omits the Media folder and all other Project folders and files.

You also say you back up C:\Program Files\Calico Pie but that must be a typo, so do you mean:

1. C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie that is unnecessary as included in Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings.
2. C:\Program Files (x86)\Calico Pie that is only the Family Historian PDF installation files.
3. C:\Program Files (x86)\Family Historian that is the Family Historian installation files.

The last two are of little use on their own. To recover such files needs the program to be re-installed.
So what is better is an how_to:family_historian_installation_details#installation_archive|> Installation Archive.

[jbtapscott]

Thanks Mike. The Small Backup is purely "belt and braces" but, because I keep 4-5 months of them it does allow me to go back and look at an old one if I perceive something odd / wonder what some record used to look like, etc.

Yes, that was a typo - it is the C:\ProgramData\Calico Pie folder that is included in my daily backup. I also have, as you allude to, a folder in the Documents\Backup folder, a folder containing installation and upgrade files (plus registration keys) that is is also backed up daily.

Yes, perhaps some of this is superfluous / duplication but the cost of storage is negligible nowadays and, as I said, better too much than too little!.

[tatewise]

OK, that all makes sense. The Small Backup is more of a long-term archive than a short-term backup.