Family Historian User Group

Hi all,

I could really do with some help. I have version 6.0.0. installed on a MAC running Sierra 10.12.3. It's installed using Wine Bottler and running reasonably well. However, I cannot work out how to apply the 6.2.3 upgrade.

I note the advice on this site:
"To install a Family Historian update in Wine it may be necessary to copy the update file to the virtual C drive and run the update exe file from there and apply it to the existing bottle."

I have moved the file to the virtual c: drive (does it matter where?) and run it by double clicking. It asks me if I want to "run directly in..." or to "Convert to a simple OS X bundle...". I have tried the former, running it in Wine. It brings up the set up wizard which runs and concludes that the Upgrade is complete. However, when I open FH, it is still at V6.0.0.

I particularly don't understand the bit about"applying it to the existing bottle". What does that mean and how do you do it?

Any ideas greatly appreciated.

Clive

It appears to be tricky, as discussed in Family Historian on Ubuntu 16.04 (14562).

Unfortunately, we have few users running FH & AS in Crossover, and even fewer using Wine.

This must be a recurring requirement for anyone wanting to upgrade any existing Windows program in a Wine Bottle.
It is not something that is unique to FH or AS.
Have you tried asking in the Wine community forums?

We would really like to crack this problem, because even Colin Valkrider, our most experienced Crossover/Wine user, cannot solve it.
The reference to applying it to the existing bottle I believe was gleaned from some Wine help page.

I just saw this and thought I'd fire up my Mac version (I happen to have just upgraded my wine installation). I was on version 6.2.2; it asked about an upgrade, downloaded and installed. It all worked, no issues and I am now on 6.2.3.

I think 6.2.2 was the first version I installed, following instructions on this site.

Not much help I know!

FWIW I am on Sierra 10.12.3

Thank you Tony, I guess you used the Help > Check for Updates command, and maybe that is the best advice for upgrading FH in Wine. Or perhaps FH automatically told you there was a later version - it sometimes does that.

But what if that command did not exist, and you had to download and install from http://www.family-historian.co.uk/downl ... ee-upgrade?

Likewise, AS has the Help > Check for Updates command, but what if only a download was available?

This must be a common scenario for Wine users.

If you can confirm the options, then I will update the Knowledge Base with the best advice.
I you used any particular commands or options in Wine to perform the download and install then please let us know,

I would be interested to find what @Tony did. I have a test version of FH under Wine and could not do the install from within the FH bottle with FH running. Doing the upgrade in Crossover works without issue.

Mike,

If a Mac/Unix user wants/needs to upgrade an existing FH 6 program installation to 6.xx, they just need to download the FH Update as normal and install it within their existing FH "WINE program package" ("Bottle", using Crossover terminology). For WINE users on Mac OS/Unix this is a very similar process to applying manual program updates in Windows, but their may be some slightly different steps depending on whether WINE is used 'directly', or through one of the available GUI Managers - Crossover/PlayOnMac/PlayOnLinux/Wineskin/Winebottler). I can help with the exact steps for Wineskin and PlayOnMac if required.

Mervyn

Mervyn

Instructions for all would be great to add to the Knowledgebase.

My test Wine install was created using WineBottler and just exists as an icon on my Mac desktop.

Colin,

I presume your test package is on Linux with a 'bare' WINE installation. You should be able to open your existing FH package through the WINE interface and then find an option to run a Windows Executable (exe) file in the existing virtual drive. - Navigate to and select the FH update file and you should be good to go.

Haven't had time to install and test on Linux, but might give it a go.

Mervyn

Mervyn

No mine is on a Mac.

I have opened Wine rather than the Winebottler but cannot find a Run command.

The attached screenshot shows all the options that I can see.

Mervyn, please post screen-shots of whatever methods you have found work, or be very specific about what commands work in what configurations.

As I said before, there must surely be method that allows any Windows program to be updated.

Thanks everyone. I have finally done it but it wasn't quite like anyone suggested. However, you gave me enough to get there.

I hadn't realised there was a separate wine icon at the top of the screen. I clicked on that and changed the current prefix from .wine to the long name (which was obviously the designation for FH.

Then I moved the install file directly to the C:/ drive (opening it from Wine Bottler) from the downloads folder and double clicked it there. I also had a version of the update file on the desktop but that seemed to have been modified in some way and didn't work.

That was all it took! I very much appreciate your quick comments but please continue to treats me of us like idiots as our knowledge of things like Wine and Winebottler is poor and we need to be spoon fed!

Thank you Clive - I will add that advice to the Knowledge Base ASAP.

Colin, with that advice, can you get the update to work?

Mike

Unfortunately not. I will have to do some more digging to see if I can get it to work.

Colin, do the FH and the AS Help > Check for Updates commands work?

Mike

Yes they do, FH is showing the update. Click on download closes the project then closes FH and then fails as Wine is no longer running when FH closes. As a result the normal update process does not work. Hence having to do it in the Bottle. Crossover is far easier to update than Wine as Crossover continues to run when FH is closed and so installs normally.

I will do some more experimenting with Wine tomorrow.

After trying several different ways of doing the Wine upgrade today I am going to have to give up. Not one of them has done the update on the existing version of FH. I suspect the only way forward for me will be to build a completely new instance using the update file and re-entering the licence keys.

It would help if those who have managed to achieve the update gave more details of how they created the Wine instance in the first place and then exactly what steps were necessary to perform the update. Also whether they have a 'shortcut' in Applications / Desktop etc to FH or whether they run from Wine itself.

Colin, you cannot install a free update on its own. It must be installed over an existing licensed installation.

Mike, that will be a problem then. Let's hope someone else replies. Good job it is only a test install.

Valkrider wrote:I would be interested to find what @Tony did. I have a test version of FH under Wine and could not do the install from within the FH bottle with FH running. Doing the upgrade in Crossover works without issue.

As somebody else said I just ran the process inside the application. As it happens my entire WINE configuration has now stopped working (a freetype problem I can't (yet) solve), so I can't run FH to do any more tests!

Tony, could you be more explicit than: "just ran the process inside the application".
What process and what application?
Please specify explicitly what commands and programs you used.

Do you mean you ran an earlier version of the FH application program and used its Help > Check for Updates process to install the latest free download?
Colin says he tried that method and it did not succeed because FH & Wine closed and the install failed.

Mervyn, your explicit advice would be welcome here.

Just returned from an intensive research project and have picked up on this again. There is very little guidance on updating Windows Apps under Wine, but the process is very similar to working on the original installation. I don't tend to use a 'bare' installation of Wine on Mac OS, as it requires the installation of the programming application, i.e. Apple's X-Code and, as that's a 4.5Gb download I prefer to use an alternative and less demanding route.

For Linux or Mac users using a 'bare' installation of Wine (and Winetricks), once the initial application, e.g. Family Historian, has been created applying program updates should be relatively straight forward, i.e.:

1. Find the installed application using the Linux File Manager
2. Right-Click on the application and choose to run Wine.
3. Select the Option to 'Configure Wine'.
4. Choose 'Add application'
5. Navigate to the previously downloaded 'Update' and choose to run it.
6 Done!

I'll post details for the Wine Front-end programs I've used shortly.

Mervyn

PlayOnLinux/Play on Mac:

The following screenshots should be reasonably easy to understand. To update existing installations choose either Wine - Configure Wine and choose to install an app (the Update already manually downloaded); or choose Miscellaneous > and the Option to "Run a Windows Executable..."

Mervyn

WinskinWinery (Mac Only)

1. Navigate to the Installed app.
2. Right Click on the app and choose "Show Package Contents"
3. Double Click on the Wineskin Icon/App and a Menu will appear as shown below
4. Select the option to Install Software and follow the normal onscreen instructions to select and run the update file.

Thanks for the screenshots although unfortunately that is not what I see on right clicking the app I am only offered Contents as per the screenshot. If I navigate up the tree I don't see an option for Wineskin.
It looks like I will have to try PlayOnMac.

Colin,

O.K., if your running a 'bare installation' of Wine on your Mac I think you probably need to run the Winecfg (Wine Config) utility from the Wine installation and select the Program installation you want to amend. This might help https://wiki.winehq.org/Winecfg but everything I've been able to find online tends to have been targeted towards Linux Users. I'm sure when I tried experimenting with Ubuntu, some time ago, it was possible to launch Wine and select an existing application for editing/configuring, but that was at least a couple of years ago, so...

PlayOnMac and Wineskin are certainly a lot easier to find your way around as, like Crossover, they are mostly GUI based.

Mervyn