* Blank Project window

[heathermary]

Hi. I am in a state of minor shock just now. I opened FH as usual (I have version 6.2.5) and weirdly none of my gedcoms is listed in the projects window. I frantically searched my files and I do have a fairly recent back-up but first of all I am non-plussed by why this has happened (?) and secondly mystified as to why I can't seem to add a project back into this window. Am I just having a senior moment? It has to be easy, doesn't it?

[LornaCraig]

Don't panic. Does the Family Historian Sample Project still show in the Project window, or is it missing too?

What does it say against Location: (just below the panel where the list of projects should be)? This will show the location where FH is looking for the projects. By default this will be in Documents\Family Historian projects. Have you in the past changed the location of your projects? If something has caused FH to revert to looking in the default location this will be why they don't show up. Do you know where they are stored on your computer? If so, click on the location shown in blue in the project window, then Choose Location and browse to find the correct location. They should then be displayed in the project window.

[tatewise]

In an earlier posting you said you upgraded to a new Windows 10 PC with an SSD C: drive and 1TByte HDD probably D: drive.

I suspect you would have changed the File > Project Window > Location to use that 1TByte D: drive.
So you probably simply need to make the same change now, as Lorna suggested.

[heathermary]

Thank you Lorna and Mike. I have found the right location and the projects are back where they should be. Phew! What I don't understand is why this happened because I have regularly opened and used FH without this problem. I have not changed file locations or anything but I won't forget to do full backups after this so everything is definitely safe.
The forum and kind peoiple like you are sanity savers!

[tatewise]

Heather, that FH Project Location is held in a special data structure called the Windows Registry.
Sometimes, unfortunately, Windows 10 Updates affect the Windows Registry and is probably the cause of the upset you experienced.

No amount of standard backups will prevent or recover that effect.
( You would have to backup & restore that FH fragment of the Windows Registry. )
It is easier to just make a note of that FH Project Location and be prepared to reset it from time to time.

[heathermary]

That's interesting, thank you. I had untold problems with Microsoft trying to update my PC with the Creator's Update and it crashed my computer badly three times before it gave up so I rather think things went wrong then. I just wish I could opt out of the updates as I certainly don't want my software programmes, especially FH, affected again. I will keep notes on all this for future reference.

[tatewise]

It is important to keep Windows 10 up-to-date, otherwise sooner or later crucial security updates will not get applied.

There are more reliable methods for installing major updates such as the Creators Update and the current Fall Creators Update than using the default automatic method.

See Get the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and follow link to the Microsoft software download website for Windows 10. The Create Windows 10 installation media method is the most reliable. If that is all too technical then ask a friend or relation who is more PC literate or go to a local PC shop.

[heathermary]

Thank you for the helpful advice. I am fairly computer literate but don't like changing things in the registry. I have looked for help on these updates before and found that there are others who have the same build of Windows as I do and they have the same problem. My grandson, who built my computer, is going to look at it for me (when he has time). In the meantime I am happy to be using my FH files again!

[davidm_uk]

It is important to keep Windows 10 up-to-date, otherwise sooner or later crucial security updates will not get applied.

There are more reliable methods for installing major updates such as the Creators Update and the current Fall Creators Update than using the default automatic method.

See Get the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update and follow link to the Microsoft software download website for Windows 10. The Create Windows 10 installation media method is the most reliable. If that is all too technical then ask a friend or relation who is more PC literate or go to a local PC shop.

I've now used this method to install the Fall Creators Update and it seems to have worked well, with (so far) only the layout of icons on my screen to tidy and put back where I want them. Be aware that the update can take some time. The process on the MS web site first downloads an installer - this bit is fairly quick. You then run that installer which will check your PC and then start the download of the update itself. I have a 100Mb/s broadband connection and it still took just over 4 hours to download, ( the download seems go in bursts, followed by a period of heavy cpu and disk activity, then more downloading). At the end of this process the PC was restarted and then upgrade itself followed, which took another 30 minutes or so to then install it.

So if you're doing this, leave plenty of time and be patient, don't switch the machine off if it appears to be doing nothing (if you look at the Performance tab of Task Manager you can see the thing talking to itself for long periods even when there's no network activity)!

[tatewise]

Yes, see glossary:windows_10_upgrade_tips|> Windows 10 Upgrade Tips.

I know several people who have successfully used that technique.