* Backup & Restore - not a new database

[stewartrb]

I've just returned from spending some time away from home, with my database updated on a laptop.

So... thousands of people, thousands of media files, I did a complete backup on the laptop.

I transferred the backup file over to my home computer.

As I understand it, this is supposed to be the way to transfer files from one PC to another. Backup, then restore.

Except it's not. It's treating the file from the laptop as a completely different data base now.

"Restore Project From Backup" says the pop-up window. Good.

"Original Project Name" is right.

"New Project Name" is ... what? No, I'm not create a new project from the backup. I'm restoring the old project from a newer backup.

If I edit the New Name to be the same as the old I get this error:

"There is already a file or folder with the specified project name at the specified location. Please choose another project name or another location."

Except it's not. I have one data base. So I want to put the data base on the laptop back onto the computer. I literally want to "restore" from the "backup."

But it won't let me do it. It is making me create a new data base from the restore file.

Technically, it's not a Restore, it's Create Another Data Base.

I don't want to use 3 plugins to get this done. I just want to use the built-in backup and restore function. (Because with 1,000s of files, just dragging over the _data directory *will* work too, (I just didn't have the patience to sit through the discovery period.)

I.e. Backup FamilyFileA, should restore to FamilyFileA, not give me an error and force me to create another database with 1,000s of files in it.

[tatewise]

I've moved this to the FH General Usage Forum as it is nowt to do with "Importing from or exporting to another genealogy program."

You are correct. As explained in glossary:backup_and_recovery|> Backup and Recovery under Restoring your Family History Data for Version 5+ that is how it is designed to work. I suspect it is to avoid accidentally overwriting an entire Project. If that is unsatisfactory then report to Calico Pie. You could simply Delete the Project before performing the Restore (use File > Project Window > More Tasks > Delete Project).

If you think about it, usually a Backup is older than the current Project, thus a Restore would move that data backwards to an earlier time, potentially destroying recent new data. Your example of moving forward is not what would normally be the case, and your assumption that is the best way to move from PC to PC is mistaken, except when priming a brand new PC from scratch.

Copying over the entire Project folder via say a USB memory stick would work the way you want.

Alternatively, synchronise the Project via cloud storage (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive) then quite quickly just the updated files get transferred across.

[stewartrb]

I was just confirming that I hadn't missed something.

To Restore something is not the same as making something new from a former copy of something. (Restore is not the same as Clone from a Backup.)

Conceptually, I am really trying to synch my database updates, currently stored on a laptop, with my "home base" data base. Whether I was in Aghanistan for two months, or the local library for two hours, if I have the opportunity to update my data base, that's a good thing. (I bought a laptop to be able to go work in a library, or on Bagram Airbase.)

I was just making sure I wasn't missing an easy "synch" feature or something.

Thanks.

[tatewise]

The easiest 'synch' technique used by many users is via cloud storage.
See fhugdownloads:synchro|> Downloads and Links ~ Synchronise and Backup Tools for Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive.
As soon as either PC is online it will 'synch' with the cloud.
So wherever your laptop happens to be, if it has Internet access, then a 'synch' copy will exist in cloud.
Then when at home your desktop will update from cloud as soon as it is online.

[victor]

I have just had a look at the Knowledge base for One Drive.

This states that the max load is 10GB. A message popped up on my PC the other day telling me the max is 2GB!

I have no idea why this popped up as my previous uploads were 10Gb. My latest back up exceeded this so I moved if off One Drive

Victor

[tatewise]

Google search for OneDrive max single file size states 10GB all over the place.

However, here we are NOT talking about a single Backup file, but synchronising the Projects themselves, where no single file is likely to be anywhere near 10GB, and in any case the free allowance is now only 5GB.

[trevorrix]

I too vote for syncronising via the Cloud. Simple, easy and fully automatic so long that the computer you are updating has an internet connection. I have used Dropbox for many years with no issues at all. No need to use manual methods such as Backup and Restore, except it's a good idea to use Backup periodically as an additional string to the backup bow.

[johnmorrisoniom]

I have experimented with One Drive, Google Drive and drop Box.
My findings were this:
One drive: OK with a small database but my large file took over an hour to synchronise.
Google drive: As with One drive but faster. Google drive also locks files when updating so I would get save errors whilst working.
Drop Box: Very fast sync at all times + bonus of local network sync.

Summary:
Although I got 1TB of One drive free with Office 365, I decided to pay for 1TB dropbox as it syncs far faster.
John

[tatewise]

With OneDrive try adjusting its Settings > Choose Folders to exclude the ...\<project>.fh_data\Cache folder, or at least the ThumbCache.dat file within, that is typically 10 times the size of your Gedcom file, and is probably the cause of the slow synch. It is not necessary to synch that image thumbnail cache file as it is automatically rebuilt by FH when needed.

If you Search the Forums for ThumbCache there are other threads with a similar story.

If that works for others, then I will add that advice to fhugdownloads:contents:microsoft_skydrive|> Utility ~ Microsoft OneDrive (SkyDrive).

[johnmorrisoniom]

I had already done that for all three tests mike.
I now use symbolic links to point to a local thumbcache on each computer.
The times achieved were after I had excluded the cache folder.