* Quick sanity check on backup and restore of AS settings

[ColeValleyGirl]

I don't use AS anymore... However, I'm helping somebody [let's call them X] for whom it may be the best option to re-enter all their data. (No sermons required about backup please (because it's irrelevant) -- in fact, no sermons required full stop, when nobody here knows the circumstances except me and X).

Either FH6 or FH7 (with generic sources) are an option as the target environment, but FH6 may be preferred because of familiarity.

If I set up AS (installed temporarily) to fit the way X wants to work, using FH7 and the latest version of AS, albeit with different paths for the settings/log file/backup folder, can I backup the settings and expect them to restore on X's PC if it's running FH6?

If not, what are the gotchas and how can I work around them?

Alternatively, is there an issue of both PCs are running FH7?

[jbtapscott]

I backup AS Options, Census Templates and AutoText every few months. My operating system just failed and needed a refresh so all programs, etc were lost. After reinstalling, I loaded each of the three backups and all were back to the way they were before the failure.

[BillH]

Helen,

I do similar to Brent. I backup my options on a regular basis. I also backup the entire Settings folder which includes autotext and census templates as well as source templates and associated individuals. I've never run into any problems when I've gotten a new computer. I just copy these to the new computer and all works as expected.

Bill

[RS3100]

The only issue as I see it is that various file paths are included in the Ancestral Sources backup .xml file. Rather than attempting to list them all, if you open the .xml file in a text editor and scroll through it you will see them. From memory, they include the AS backup and settings folder paths, the AS install directory, and the default and recent FH project files. If these happen to be different on the two computers, then problems could arise.

For instance, on my desktop PC, although FH and AS are installed on the C: drive, my FH projects and the AS backups, logs and settings folders are all on my E: drive. On my laptop, everything is on the C: drive.

If I wish to backup the AS settings on my desktop and restore them to the copy of AS on my laptop, I have to edit the desktop AS backup .xml file so that all the file paths included in that file reflect their paths on the destination machine (my laptop) rather than the paths on the machine that the backup was created on.

As long as that is done, and all the backup files are copied over to the machine that you wish to restore the settings on, it should be fine. That's how I accomplish the task between my machines when necessary.

[tatewise]

Nobody has answered the question about whether it matters if the AS Backup is on a PC with FH v7 and the AS Restore is on a PC with FH v6. There are many AS Options only relevant to FH v7 involving Source Templates, Rich Text, etc.
So I suspect they may need adjustment as well as the others mentioned.

I have both FH v7 and FH v6 on two separate PC but have not had time to investigate those issues.

[RS3100]

I would imagine that creating a backup with FH7 options enabled and restoring it to a copy of AS being used with FH6 may well cause problems, even if only that those functions might be effectively disabled, but Nick is probably the person who can answer that best.

But the various FH7 only options seem to be quite clearly marked as such in the various settings windows or panes, and it should be quite straightforward to configure the copy running on the FH7 machine with FH6 compatible settings for the purposes of creating a backup that can be restored on a copy running with FH6.

I suspect it's not a common backup and restore scenario for most users though, which is why no one has answered definitively.

[BillH]

Yes, I didn't answer that part for the reason mentioned. I've never gone from FH 7 back to FH 6. I only went the other way. I don't have FH 6 installed any longer.

Bill