Family Historian User Group

Whilst entering data into one of my family files, the program came up with an error message and had apparently crashed. When I tried to log back into the file, another error message came up. I then tried to go into backed-up files from the previous days but the same error message comes up, basically saying unable to open file and file not found. Is there any way I can recover this file which contains masses of data.

Use Windows File Explorer and navigate down through those folders until you get to where the Whitchurch-Bennett Ancestry (2017).ged file should be and you will probably find a ~fh***.tmp file where *** is arbitrary alphanumeric text.
It should be dated about when FH crashed.

Try using Windows File Explorer to Rename that .tmp file to the Whitchurch-Bennett Ancestry (2017).ged Gedcom filename.
Then FH should be able to open it.

If you have any doubt about the integrity of that Gedcom file then you have two options.

1. Use File > Backup/Restore > Revert to Snapshot which will revert your Gedcom to the date the Snapshot was taken.
2. Use File > Backup/Restore > Restore Backup but unless it is a small FH Gedcom Backup it will create a duplicate Project with a (2) suffix in its name, i.e. Whitchurch-Bennett Ancestry (2017) (2) as explained in glossary:backup_and_recovery|> Backup and Recovery.

That 2nd option will work from the Family Historian Sample Project or any other working Project.

BTW: You have posted many times before and we have given advice, but you rarely reply to say if the advice was helpful.
e.g.
List of individual record persons and their dates (13847)
Emailing a Family History project file (13103)
Adding a title to a chart (12578)
Layout of All Relatives diagram (9618)
Report wording problem - marriage (8286)

Thanks Mike. Successfully restored.

As a matter of interest, and for the benefit of others who may follow this thread, which technique worked?

Hi Mike The only option that would work for me was the Knowledge Base Backup & Restore option.

Sadly the exact problem has just happened again whilst entering data. Very frustrating. I hope to be able to catch the initial error message if and when it happens again, as clearly there is an underlying problem.

Thanks for your help again.