* Reinstall after new PC = painful!

[stbaldock]

In a similar vain to 'Reinstall after catastrophe', I have recently upgraded my PC, and moved to Win 8.1 (x64).
Installing FH6 was fine; despite being an upgrade version, it recognised my v5 key, and (bar my misreading a zero for an O) I entered my v6 key and installed fine.
My previous PC is still alive, and I backed up the project, and the settings using the 'Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings' plugin by Mike Tate - but I chose not to restore Registry settings.
However, it highlighted how difficult it is to bring across customisations. The plugin did not appear to handle my custom Diagram flag condition icons, which I had to copiously recreate (although I did now properly move the icons into the program's Icon folder to be handled better in the future), and appeared not to handle Custom Sets. So I exported the set from my old setup, and imported to the new - now I have TWO Custom Sets listed in the new installation!
Running the program 'Family Tree Analyzer' v5.0.4.2 against the GEDCOM now also lists missing Fact Sets (I created some for Criminal Conviction, Estate Administration and commemmorated). I now need to remember where/how to recreate these!

Considering that various program areas enable a "Reset to Installation Defaults", it must surely be fairly easy to dump (or keep track of) user-created custom settings in, say, an XML file, which can then be easily migrated between installations.

Maybe I am misusing the Restore tool, maybe I should have restored Registry keys also (but the UserID differed between machines concerned me, to say the least), or maybe there is a better plugin....

I am wary about carrying on research again too far until I am 'happy' with my new installation.

Advice please?

[tatewise]

I agree it can be painful, which is why I wrote the Backup & Restore Plugin, and I am sorry it has not gone smoothly.
It has been on ongoing complaint that FH settings are not as well structured as they could be to simplify PC to PC migration.

Some important customisations are saved in the Windows Registry but most can be transferred with a little organisation as explained in plugins:help:backup_and_restore_family_historian_settings:the_faq|> Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings ~ Frequently Asked Questions under Can settings be restored without writing to the Windows Registry?

Those cases include the glossary:core_standard_diagrams|>Core Standard Diagrams that is probably why your Diagram Box Conditions are missing, coupled with Box Icon images outside the FH Icons folder.

I am surprised the custom Fact Sets did not appear to migrate, although since you now have two sets suggests perhaps they did, but perhaps FH needed re-opening to see them?

Family Tree Analyzer knows nothing about FH Fact Sets because FTA only loads the GEDCOM file and is largely independent of proprietary genealogy products. Fact Sets are NOT incorporated in the GEDCOM.

It sounds like you used a valid method to migrate, but the how_to:family_historian_migration_guide|> Family Historian V5 & V6 Migration Guide gives the full details.

Thank yourself lucky it was not FH V3 where all Media Links were absolute paths that would all need correcting after transfer. They were affected by Windows username Id differences, but now the Project Media Links are relative, Diagram Box Icon Links to the Icons folder are relative, and the Windows Registry data has always had unrestricted Permissions to everyone.