* Findmypast hints

[paulr1949]

I have recently started to try and catch up with citations. I download every document I find and save it on a cloud drive, but am remiss in that I don't always add sources to the record at the time.
Anyway, I thought I'd start by ensuring I'd got the references for BMDs from the GRO by looking at accepted hints for my direct ancestors. However, when I tried to do this, I find that most of them are not there. I have accepted numerous hints over time, some, I'm sure, more than once, eg my birth, my marriage, ditto for my wife, my parents' BMD and 1939 register - the only ones I can look at are the two for my wife (birth and marriage). I thought the idea was that you saved accepted hints so you could check them if needed in the future.
Does anyone else have this problem?

[LornaCraig]

Check your settings in Preferences>Internet Data Matches.

FMP settings.JPG (61.95 KiB) Viewed 6130 times

[tatewise]

Firstly, have you reviewed the advice in how_to:internet_data_matches|> Internet Data Matches?
There are various refresh techniques suggested.

You have been Recovering after a crash (17674) so that presumably needed FH to be reinstalled?
So I wonder if your User Credentials have been upset and thus lost synch with past 'hints'?

Have you a Backup & Restore FH Settings backup that can restore your original User Credentials?

[paulr1949]

Firstly, have you reviewed the advice in how_to:internet_data_matches|> Internet Data Matches?
There are various refresh techniques suggested.

You have been Recovering after a crash (17674) so that presumably needed FH to be reinstalled?
So I wonder if your User Credentials have been upset and thus lost synch with past 'hints'?

Have you a Backup & Restore FH Settings backup that can restore your original User Credentials?

I've checked through the KB article, and looked at the "refreshing" mentioned. I will try that shortly.
I have always had FH on my desktop and laptop, since earlier problems with synching hints I have used the same FH file location (on the desktop) over my network with no significant problems, obviously I can't do that at the moment because of the crash. The credentials file was backed up nightly with my cloud backup, so I will check that the one I am using with the program currently on the laptop is the one from the backup.

Thanks for your help

[LornaCraig]

Have you checked the settings in Preferences as I suggested? (Apologies if this is too obvious!)

From the FH help:
"By default, Findmypast will only show matches that are 'new' -that is, matches that you have neither accepted nor rejected. However, you can opt to see accepted or rejected matches instead if you wish"

[paulr1949]

Have you checked the settings in Preferences as I suggested? (Apologies if this is too obvious!)

From the FH help:
"By default, Findmypast will only show matches that are 'new' -that is, matches that you have neither accepted nor rejected. However, you can opt to see accepted or rejected matches instead if you wish"

Hi Lorna,

Yes I had changed the setting when I embarked upon this, although now I shall have to wait until I have installed FH on a new PC before I get any further - and until I have caught up with everythings else.

[tatewise]

I've never fathomed out the full relationships between the User Credentials, the Cache folder FindMyPastCache.dat file, the 'hints' from FindMyPast, and the Internet Data Matches settings; especially as some of them are just 'magic' codes.

I imagine the User Credentials are a unique code that identifies your 'hints' saved in FindMyPast.
A code is needed because the 'hints' (in various states) can be retrieved before you sign in to FindMyPast.
That is why it is imperative for both installed copies of FH to use the same User Credentials.

I don't understand what the Cache folder FindMyPastCache.dat file holds.

[paulr1949]

I have realised that when I started to try and update my sources was before the computer crashed, so it wouldn’t have been anything to do with a changed credentials file

[tatewise]

I am not sure I understand your logic.
If the FindMyPast source updates were performed before the crash, that would be with User Credentials 'OLD'.
Now after recovering from the crash and reinstalling FH, your User Credentials are 'NEW'.
So when FH now tells FindMyPast to look for 'hints' it will only find new ones for 'NEW'.

If you can recover the original User Credentials 'OLD' and ensure they are loaded in both copies of FH on both PC, then FindMyPast should discover the 'hints' status from before the crash.

[paulr1949]

I understand what you are saying, however I have not restored FH yet-I’ve had to order a new computer. Mind you, that might be a problem itself I do have FH installed on my laptop and I did check the “refresh internet data matches” box on that

Regards

[tatewise]

Yesterday, you mentioned a credentials file was backed up nightly and you were going to check that against your laptop.

Can you give more details about what you mean by a credentials file?
Is it the file produced by the File > Import/Export > Export > User Credentials command on your old desktop?

Have you ensured in the past that both desktop and laptop used that same User Credentials file?

If not, then the FindMypast 'hints' accepted from your desktop will not be available from your laptop.

Please post any questions regarding your new PC in a new separate thread.
I thought in Recovering after a crash (17674) you had got FH going again on your desktop because you were recovering from Snapshots, etc.

[paulr1949]

My FH projects folder was backed up nightly and I have restored that to my laptop. It is the file which is used day to day, not one produced by the export method above (which I have done in the past but am not sure where it was stored!)

Yes, they both use the same credentials file (FH User credentials.fhcrd dated 07/08/2019).

Because the version on the laptop accessed exactly the same files whenever I used it at home over my home network (eg if someone else was using the main computer - my wife maintains the church website) everything should be exactly the same, it's only when I take the laptop away or to a records office etc. that I have to fiddle around and make sure I've got everything stored on the laptop, then I ensure it is all transferred back to the desktop when home.
Thanks again for your help: I hope to have the new computer by the weekend, but it will be some time before I get everything up and running

[tatewise]

The FH Project Folder has nothing to do with User Credentials nor any of the customisations to such as Diagrams, Reports, Queries, Plugins, Property Box Tabs, Fact Sets, etc.

The FH User credentials.fhcrd file is not used by FH at all unless you import it using the File > Import/Export > Import > User Credentials command.
Only by exporting from FH on desktop and importing to FH on laptop would they be synchronised.
Just having the FH User credentials.fhcrd file sitting in the Project folder does nothing.
The User Credentials code inside that file must exist in the Windows Registry for FH to use it.

BYW: I hope you regularly use the Backup and Restore FH Settings Plugin to preserve all your customisations.

[jelv]

I'd been wondering about how to see the accepted matches as well. When all matches have been accepted or rejected for an individual there's nothing to click.

If I change the setting to accepted, yes it works for the individuals with accepted matches, but there's then no link to click for people with only new matches.