Family Historian User Group

Old computer used Windows 7 Home Premium and new computer uses Windows 7 Professional and Family Historian latest version is 5.0.11

When my computer broke down in the spring and I bought a new one I was unable to put in the files, projects etc normally. (Do I hear a huge sigh?) Instead I imported 2/3 projects and they seem to work mostly OK but there are some projects still to be imported. I have examined the file structure in Windows Explorer and find that I have 3 projects of my own ancestors with 280+, 312 and 320 individuals, the latter will be the newest. Some of the older ones have charts which I want to keep.

If I import the remaining projects can I merge old and new together and retain the charts, although some of the charts may be from version 3 or before.

If I cant do that, can I import the charts only into a project or must they be a product of a specific project?

My FH records need a huge reorganisation and I may be now biting the bullet to do this.

I propose to go into the old computer and compare the FH file structure in Windows Explorer with the replicate I made from the new computer last night and see if everything matches and to address any deficiencies found.

Unfortunately when I plug the old computer in - the next time I use it I need to replace the 5 amp fuse in the 13 amp plug - I have a stock of fuses at the ready!

Sorry for having to trouble you with this. Thanks for any help in advance.

If your old PC is that troublesome then I recommend you use the how_to:family_historian_migration_guide|> Family Historian V5 & V6 Migration Guide to transfer everything to your new PC immediately, BUT use a different Location for your Projects so they do not upset your current Projects.
i.e. Instead of copying to the default My Documents\Family Historian Projects folder, use say My Documents\Family Historian Old Projects folder.
Then you have the luxury of sorting things out on a reliable PC.

Unfortunately, Saved FH Chart files are unlikely to migrate into other Projects or even merged Projects. Those FH Chart files are tightly coupled to the Record Id of Individuals so if those are different in another Project then nothing works properly.

Hopefully you have learnt your lesson and now have secure external backups of everything on your new PC.

Thanks Mike for your help. I realize now that I was so uptight about this that I failed to explain the problem properly and want to apologise. As a result, I am afraid I have not followed your help.

I have not been doing input to FH for a long time but I hope to get started again.

I carried out the examination on the old computer comparing what was on each and it is pretty much as I expected. What I found in the new computer was that in Windows Explorer file system in My Documents that I have 2 folders called Family Historian and Family Historian Projects, the latter which I will refer to as the separate file but within the FH file there is another FH Projects file which file contains an "Anne's Ancestors" which uses Ancestral Sources and I would prefer to use that particular version. This GED file was last updated on 23 May 2015 and the one in the separate file was last updated on 19 Sep 16 but both are 106kb in size. Currently I appear to be using the one from the separate file in error.

The new computer was bought from a local computer shop which builds them and my Programs are on Drive C which is an SSD drive and my Data is on Drive D. They installed MS Office for me and also put in My Documents which included these FH files. When I installed FH it did not locate the Projects files and I imported the Annes Ancestors file from the separate file not realizing that I had 2 Projects folders. I would like to change the copy of Annes Ancestors to the one within FH File.

So far I have already deleted those Projects with less than 320 people in them.

Should I delete now the separate Projects folder and import the others from the only remaining Projects folder? I take it I would make these deletions from Window's Explorer?

You will be pleased to know that my new computer gets backed up now to a new external hard drive weekly!

Thank you for for your patience and help.

OK, Anne I shall ignore the old PC.
FYI: It is irrelevant you have used Ancestral Sources to enter data, as once the data is in the FH Project then AS is redundant.

The important concept to keep in mind is how FH locates its Projects.
The default folder that FH uses is specified in File > Project Window > Location: but that can be any folder on your PC.

Usually when FH is installed that Location: is the My Documents\Family Historian Projects folder on the C: drive.
But you have relocated that folder to the D: drive, which is perfectly OK.

To avoid future confusion I strongly advise you use the FH default as above, which is what you call the 'separate' folder.

I suggest you do NOT use Windows File Explorer if you can avoid it, as FH has safer commands to move & delete Projects.

Before you do anything else, check that both copies of the Anne's Ancestors projects are in good shape as follows:-

With File > Project Window > Location: set to My Documents\Family Historian Projects ensure that Anne's Ancestors dated 19/09/2016 is listed there and opens OK.
Use Tools > External File Links to check as in how_to:family_historian_migration_guide|> Family Historian V5 & V6 Migration Guide step 1).
Use File > Validate and Tools > Uncategorised Data > Find Uncategorised Data and expect 0 problems.

With File > Project Window > Location: set to My Documents\Family Historian\Family Historian Projects ensure that Anne's Ancestors dated 23/05/2016 is listed there and opens OK.
Then repeat the above checks.

If that is all satisfactory, then we can rearrange the projects so there is only one master copy.
But you must tell me where that master copy must reside.

Thank you for all your help, Mike.

I have carried out the checks to Anne's ancestors while set to My Documents/Family Historian Projects and in My Documents/Family Historian/Family Historian Projects and it either shows no links or no problems and there is no unrecognised data.

I also carried out the same tests on the Gow Family Project in the My Documents/Family Historian/Family Historian Projects folder with the same results.

All the files in both Project folders open OK.

At some point, I would also like to transfer the Gow Family Project from My Documents/Family Historian/Family historian Projects to My Documents/Family Historian Projects so the total would be three projects: Annes ancestors, Gow family and the FH Sample.

I would like my three projects to be in the My Documents/Family HIstorian Projects folder.

Look forward to hearing from you.

OK, so all the commands you need are in File > Project Window.

Set Location: to My Documents/Family Historian Projects.
Select Annes ancestors and use More Tasks > Rename Project to change it to say Annes ancestors unwanted.
OR if really certain about it use More Tasks > Delete Project.

Set Location: to My Documents/Family Historian/Family Historian Projects.
Select Annes ancestors and use More Tasks > Copy Project to D:\Documents\Family Historian Projects or wherever your My Documents/Family Historian Projects is actually located.
Select Gow family and use More Tasks > Copy Project as above.

Set Location: to My Documents/Family Historian Projects.
Double-check that all the projects are OK as you wanted.

When satisfied, set Location: to My Documents/Family Historian/Family Historian Projects.
Select Annes ancestors and use More Tasks > Delete Project.
Select Gow family and use More Tasks > Delete Project.
Set Location: to My Documents/Family Historian Projects permanently.
Finally in Windows File Explorer you can delete the empty Family Historian/Family Historian Projects folder.