* Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

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PhilCon
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Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

I created a Family Tree using Family Historian 4.1 several years ago. I am now switching from a Windows PC to an iMac. I do not know how to transfer the Family Tree to the Mac. Indeed I am not sure how exactly to save the Family Tree itself, which I have always opened when I opened the programme. I have an external hard drive which I have used for transferring other files and folders. Also, is Family Historian compatible with the Mac platform? Somehow, I must not lose all this hard work! Detailed advice would be very gratefully received
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by tatewise »

Welcome to the FHUG Phil.
The first thing to say is that FH only runs in Windows and not natively in a Mac, so you should have considered those questions before deciding to jump ship!

However, there are Virtual Machines and Emulators that allow Windows software to run on a Mac. The Virtual Machines require you to purchase a Windows licence, whereas Emulators do not need a licence but do not guarantee full Windows capability, which means some FH feature may not work, so the latest FH V6 has some options to try and workaround some of those limitations. See how_to:family_historian_on_imac_ipad_android_etc|> Family Historian on Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, etc for full details.

Once you have FH running on the Mac, the method of migrating your Project is essentially the same as described in how_to:family_historian_migration_guide|> Family Historian V5 & V6 Migration Guide but you cannot use the Plugin to transfer Preferences and Customisations.
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PhilCon
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Thanks Mike for your prompt and very helpful reply.

I don't know about 'jumping ship': my primary motivation to make the considered change was because it will be better for my primary hobby of photography and the subsequent image management! The changeover has been relatively smooth with Family Historian being one of very few items where I have encountered problems.

You have offered me a means to achieve what I want (or most of it if I read you correctly), but it is clear that reading up carefully on it via the links you have indicated is required.

In the meantime, ideally I would like to close down and dispose of my PC which presently I am running in tandem on my (crowded) desk. To that end I have opened my FH 4.1, located my specific project and have copied it onto my external hard drive. Is there anything more I need to copy and save from my PC before its final run?
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by tatewise »

Yes Phil, see how_to:move_settings|> Move Family Historian Settings and Projects which gives full details of all the Customisations and other settings that are held OUTSIDE the Project folder that need to be preserved, and if you upgrade to FH V6 this is vastly simplified by a Backup & Restore Plugin (unless you choose the Emulator option below).

If any of that is not clear then please ask for further advice.

I think I would 'mothball' the PC until migration to the Mac has succeeded, just in case you need to retrieve any data.

FH V4.1 is getting rather outdated, and I would advise upgrading to FH V6, otherwise getting appropriate support and advice will become more and more difficult as fewer and fewer users have V4.1 running.

The 'safest' option on the Mac is to use one of the Virtual Machines with a genuine Windows licence, as any Family Historian (and Ancestral Sources) version should run OK including all Plugins, but you have the expense of a Windows licence.

The 'cheapest' option is to use Crossover/Wine Emulators, but even though FH V6 has improved things, it is more of a challenge, and currently some features still do not work (including AS V5 and the Backup & Restore Plugin).
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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PhilCon
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Thanks Mike

I can see there is a lot of work to do to get from my V.4 on PC to V.6 + transferred Tree on Mac, and quite a few risks.

Do you think it would be a good idea to upgrade to V.6 on my PC and then proceed with the transfer as you have described? I will of course have to install V.6 on my Mac (and I will not be able to transfer the licence (?) or buy an Upgrade version I guess). Total cost £66 less 2p., but perhaps worth it?!

I put in a lot of effort researching the family tree and I don't think my children will be pleased if I don't preserve it.....

Phil
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by RSellens »

Hi Phil,
If you go with a program like Parallels, to run windows on your MAC (which is what i do) one feature that is has is that if you link the two computers via a network (or i think you can use a USB cable now), you can completly clone the existing PC/Windows set-up as a virtual machine. This is a very simple way of changing over, but is does have the draw back of bringing over an old 'cluttered' windows install.


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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by tatewise »

Phil, it certainly would simplify things if you upgrade to FH V6 on your PC first.
There is a discount for the V4 to V6 Upgrade.
Also you can install that V4 to V6 Upgrade on the Mac at no extra cost, because the FH licence allows two installs.
You may also be unaware that the earlier versions do not need to be installed in order to install that upgrade.
See the Knowledge Base FH Installation Guide for full details.

Then you can follow the FH V6 Migration Guide including the Backup & Restore Plugin provided that you use a VM and full Windows licence. (That Plugin does not work in the Emulators.)
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Richard
Thanks for your advice.
You've hit the nail on the head about Parallels. I want to move on and beyond Windows and do not want all that 'history' of 20 years with a Windows PC to be carried over
Thanks anyway
Phil
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Mike, thanks for confirming my thoughts that the upgrading route might be the best way. I'm busy with other things for the next few days so I won't be trying it until the weekend. I hope my silence might be golden in that I will have made the move over without problems, but I will let you know, not if, but when I succeed
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Mike, I've just returned to this endeavour and have installed FH V.6 on my PC. I am not familiar with Windows licences but looking them up there is a Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit (which is what I have on my PC) at £19.95. Is that OK? Presumably I first install that on my Mac and then install my FH V.6 on the Mac?
I'll stop there for the moment since I won't get any further today.
To reiterate, your guidance is greatly appreciated.
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by tatewise »

I doubt if you can buy a legitimate Windows 7 licence these days, and certainly not for £19.95.
So it may be a scam, or you may be lucky, so it might be worth a punt for £20.

A legitimate Windows 10 Home licence will cost nearer £100 although I have seen them for about £60.

You have to first install a Virtual Machine on the Mac, as stated in how_to:family_historian_on_imac_ipad_android_etc|> Family Historian on Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, etc, where the most popular are Parallels, VMware Fusion, and Oracle VirtualBox. Then you install Windows into the VM and finally install FH and AS into Windows.

Try searching these Forums, and Google, for advice regarding Parallels, VMware Fusion, and Oracle VirtualBox. Maybe another Mac user here who uses a VM to run FH will offer advice.
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by mjashby »

Happy to offer any assistance required on installing a Virtual Machine using Oracle's VirtualBox software. VirtualBox is totally free to use, apart from any voluntary donations users care to make, as its continuous development is largely underwritten by Oracle's commercial users (Businesses).

I know there are Parallels Users here, but I decided to abandon Parallels when it moved to an annual licensing model. It seemed a little perverse to me to pay Parallels a not insubstantial amount as an annual license fee to use its software on a 'free' operating system (OS X) so that I can run Windows operating system software that I already own retail Licenses for and/or 'free' upgrades to Windows 10.

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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by Valkrider »

I too use Oracle VirtualBox with Windows 7 so will offer help where I can.
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Hello Mike and Mervyn and Colin

Thank you all for your replies.You have made me think again (not for the first time) and read around this.

What has emerged in Macworld (http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac/ho ... mp-3497251) and in Microsoft Support (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2647609) is that I can EITHER use e.g.VMware OR Boot Camp. Since Boot Camp is built into my new Mac, why should I not use that?

As regards the Windows licence, since I already use and am familiar with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, the best deal I can find, with a DVD included, is from Quiet PC (http://quietpc.com/windows7?gclid=CMjHj ... wgodG9IF4A) at £75. Does this look okay? The only thing it does not say is if it includes free upgrading to Windows 10 if I want to do this in the coming months.

I'm a pretty intelligent guy but deep computer skills are not a skill set of mine, hence wanting to get this right.

One final thought at this moment: my FH 6 Upgrade on my old PC was downloaded from the internet. You have said that I will be able to use this to install it on my Mac. Can I do this the same way, that is without a DVD?

Thanks all
Phil
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by tatewise »

The major difference between Boot Camp and any Virtual Machine is as follows:
  • Boot Camp only offers a dual-boot capability, so you can only run as a Windows PC or Mac OS X, but not both at the same time. You have to reboot to switch between OS.
    Thus you may need a Windows image editor, word-processor, etc, to avoid rebooting just to edit an image or document (assuming Windows files can be accessed from OS X).
    Boot Camp is free.
  • Virtual Machines allow both Windows and OS X to run simultaneously, and switch between them almost as easily as switching between programs.
    Oracle VirtualBox is free, but Parallels and VMware Fusion are NOT free.
Providing you understand the restrictions of an OEM licence, then the Quiet PC offer looks OK, and will probably upgrade to Windows 10 for free, but with the same OEM restrictions. i.e. You are restricted to your current Mac, and will need a new licence if you change hardware.

Yes, you can install FH (and AS) from the download file.
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by RSellens »

PhilCon wrote:Richard
Thanks for your advice.
You've hit the nail on the head about Parallels. I want to move on and beyond Windows and do not want all that 'history' of 20 years with a Windows PC to be carried over
Thanks anyway
Phil
Hi Phil, Just so you are aware you don't have to clone a PC you can do a brand new install in the virtual machine. The clone option is very useful though if you are not intending the use the 'pc' for much more that just supporting an odd program (like FH) that can't be used on the MAC.
Also the statement about an 'annual license' fee for Parallels in another post is not strickly true. You only have to pay to buy the new upgrade if you want to keep with the latest version of the program.

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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by Valkrider »

Phil

If you just want Windows for FH and AS then I would not bother with Bootcamp and would us the free VirtualBox.

I have just spent the afternoon using this exact setup on my iMac entering a load of non-conformist records from The Genealogist into my Surname Study. Doing the search and image storage on the Mac and then on my second screen using FH and AS to enter the data. I store the downloaded images on a shared virtual drive between the PC and Mac sides which is accessible to both and this works well.
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Hi Mike, Mervyn and Colin
Apologies for not following up over the weekend but other things arose.
I have now decided to go the Virtual Machines route with Oracle Virtual Box. Installing this is the first step, I understand. Is there anything I should know about this download, i.e. do I just go ahead and press the download button?
Looking backwards for a moment, as I have earlier said, I upgraded my old V.4 to V.6 the other day on y PC. Is there anything further with that I need to do?
Windows licence I am about to purchase from the source i mentioned earlier; that will take a day or so to arrive. How do I ensure that it downloads into the VM?
The final step I will come back to later for advice
Thanks again
Phil
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by tatewise »

You will need both your FH V4 and FH V6 licence name & key to install the Upgrade V4 to V6 download into Mac/VirtualBox/Windows. See how_to:family_historian_installation_details|> Family Historian Installation Details.

Before copying Project, etc, use the Backup & Restore FH Settings Plugin as advised in how_to:family_historian_migration_guide|> Family Historian V5 & V6 Migration Guide, and make sure you have identical latest free upgrade (V6.0.4 currently) on both computers.
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Mike, thanks for your reply.
You have bowled me a real googly I think, since I cannot find anywhere my FH V4 licence name and key. I don't know whether it was on the site of the FH V4 I had installed till a few days ago.... It is 5-6 years since I last used it and the only documentation I have from that time is the Quick Start Guide.
Any ideas?
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Mike
Panic over! The deep recesses of my mind suddenly told me where to find the disc - and the registration key with it!
Phil
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Mike
You advise that I should run the Backup & Restore Plug-in. To my recollection I had no preference settings and customisations. Is there a way I can check to confirm this? If indeed i had none, can I omit running this Plug-in?
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by tatewise »

If you really have never used any of the following, then you can omit the Plugin, but if not sure, then it does no harm to run it.
  • In Tools > Preferences adjusted any settings on any tab
  • In Diagrams or Reports used the Options to customise them
  • In Tools > Work with Fact Sets altered or added any Facts
  • In Tools > Work with Data > Places/Addresses adjusted any Columns
  • Added any custom Flags to Individuals
  • Customised any Properrty Box tabs
  • Created or downloaded any custom Diagrams, Text Schemes, Icons, or Reports
  • Created or downloaded any custom Queries
  • Configured any Records Window Columns on any tab
There is no easy way to check that none of those have been used.
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by PhilCon »

Mike
Thank you for that advice. I believe I just set it up to get all the basic info entered and did not go further.

I am now ready to install Oracle VirtualBox on my Mac.

You have been very kind and supportive and I can see from elsewhere in the Forum that you are very expert in many areas. Earlier on, I had 2 replies from Mervyn and Colin saying they had done an installation of OVB and offering to guide me through the process. Would you prefer that I accepted one of their offers or are you happy to see me through to the end?

The two immediate decisions I will have to take following the download will be, I think, how much RAM memory I should allocate and how much hard disc. I have 16GB of Ram and a 4TB hard disc. At this stage all I want it for is FH, where I could well double in size what I have now and I imagine i might find something else in Windows that I want to use it for.
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Re: Transferring a detailed Family Tree from a PC to a Mac

Post by tatewise »

Mervyn and Colin are Mac users and thus better placed to help you.
Don't forget to allow for Ancestral Sources to be installed too.
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