* Guidance for Upgrade to FH7?

[Sue036]

My apologies, I have tried to search for this information but the search function will not accept 'upgrade' as a search term and searching for 'FH7' now gives well over 600 results. I previously (a few weeks ago) found all the information re how to upgrade somewhere ... but where?

I currently have version 6.2.7. I couldn't find my licence details on the weekend I'd planned to upgrade but sent an email to CP and got them sent to me the following week. Since then other things have had a higher priority but I am now ready to tackle the upgrade again.

I have only ever used FH for simple family tree records, with no sources, because until very recently all of my main information was on paper. I am now 'going digital' to an extent, so that may change, but at present my FH projects only have names, dates, relationships, a few places and some notes and some customised flags and lists and I have one custom report. I have a handful of media items in one project. I only have two plugins: Export Gedcom File and All Pool Relatives Except Partner Ancestors.

I note with concern the loss of the connecting lines in descendant outline reports (the main output I use) but feel I still ought to upgrade in order to ensure I have a fully supported version. I made the mistake of not upgrading TMG and that caused many a problem!

I just want to make sure that I follow the correct steps to upgrade and that I don't lose any of my data or customisations.

I also believe I am entitled to a discount but, again, I can't recall where I found that information?

Hopefully someone can point me to the information I need. Thanks in advance for any advice and guidance.

[Mark1834]

Calico Pie manage discounts, so information on who is eligible and how to apply is on their website, in FH7 Upgrade.

The key steps are

• Obtain the FH7 installation or upgrade file from CP (download only, there is no physical product to purchase).

• Fully backup both your settings and every project.

• Run the installation/upgrade file to install FH7 on your PC.

• Activate FH7 the first time you run it (online only, the installation can be done offline, but there is no process for offline activation).

• FH7 overwrites any older installed version, and should inherit all your custom settings, although some tweaking may be required. Plugins in particular need updating to FH7-compatible versions.

• It is recommended to spend time familiarising yourself with FH7 prior to entering any new data using a copy of a project that you can experiment with and get your learning mistakes out of the way.

Detailed guidance of each step is available here, but ask if you are not sure.

This should be summarised in a KB page, but that has not been written yet (the section entitled Upgrade is actually about migration to a different PC). Does anybody have it in their "to do" list? I'm happy to do the first draft if not.

[ColeValleyGirl]

Mark, I have far too many things on my to-do list!. It would be great if you could draft a piece on installing/upgrading to V7!

[Mark1834]

OK - I'll get the initial version up sometime this week. It's a community wiki, so others can chip in and add anything I have missed.

[LornaCraig]

Mark, one minor omission is that the Activation Code is contained in an email sent to you from Calico Pie. That's needed for your fourth step to "Activate FH7 the first time you run it".

[Sue036]

Hi Mark,

That's great, thank you very much.

I have a couple of questions:

• How do I back up my settings?

• If I have selected 'full project backup' on closing FH, does that mean that my project is fully backed up, or do I need to do anything else?

Thanks again,

Sue

[Mark1834]

The easiest way for the general FH user to backup their settings (which includes all your customisations, as well as any downloaded features such as plugins) is to install and run the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings plugin. Help on using the plugin is included in the download.

"Full backup" includes all the files and data in your project folder, so no additional backing up is required prior to upgrade. It does not include anything outside your project folder, such as linked images, so they should be included in your general backup processes (remember the golden rule - any user file not backed up is a file you are prepared to lose).

The upgrade to FH7 will work without these steps, but without a backup it will be impossible to recover your current FH6 setup if anything goes wrong or you change your mind later and want to revert to FH6.

[Sue036]

Thanks Mark, I will set aside some time over the next few days to work through all of this carefully, as it would be easy to miss something if I try to rush through it in an odd half hour.

[Mark1834]

This has now been added to the Knowledge Base.

The KB is a wiki, so if any authorised editors note anything I have missed or is unclear , feel free to change it directly!