Uploading GEDCOM to Ancestry

Diana_France · Post by **Diana_France** » 23 Jul 2012 10:22

I maintain my tree on FH but upload GEDCOMS to Genes Reunited to enable contact with others researching similar areas to mine. I want to do the same on Ancestry but when uploading a GEDCOM from FH, Ancestry gives the message 'your file does not appear to be a valid GEDCOM file' Of course this is nonsense, as FH is purely GEDCOM!!!

Has anyone else succeeded in doing this? I don't have any media attached, I keep the FH file text based.

I'm not intending to maintain my file on Ancestry - I dislike Ancestry, but it is a useful means of pooling information.

ID:6410

RogerF · Post by **RogerF** » 23 Jul 2012 11:14

I do exactly the same as you, Diana, without any difficulty. Having signed on to Ancestry, I select Family Trees > Upload a GEDCOM, and then use the Browse dialog box to locate the file on my PC. Are you sure that you're pointing Ancestry to your .ged file in your .fh_data folder, and not to the .fh_proj file or the .fh_data folder itself?

Diana_France · Post by **Diana_France** » 24 Jul 2012 09:36

Roger,

Thanks for your prompt response. In fact, I have done exactly as you describe using my live FH GEDCOM, both while running FH and after closing FH. I have also saved a GEDCOM copy to another folder and tried to upload that to Ancestry. I have checked that the GEDCOM file works by opening it in FH after Ancestry rejected it, so I am certain that it is a valid GEDCOM file. Ancestry, however denies its validity: Error: The file you have specified (ROWPIN26.ged) does not appear to be a valid GEDCOM file, please try again.

I deleted the original GEDCOM which I had uploaded from another program some time ago, and tried again from scratch. The same boring message comes up each time.

Im using FH 4.1.3

johnmorrisoniom · Post by **johnmorrisoniom** » 24 Jul 2012 09:45

How large is your file? Ancestry does have appear to have a file size limit.

Diana_France · Post by **Diana_France** » 24 Jul 2012 13:06

John, thanks for responding - my file is an enormous 2177kb, quite a long way from the stated maximum of 75Mb.

btw I have tried creating GEDCOM files from the File; GEDCOM file tasks options and also via File; Import/Export; Export. No difference either in size or result.

I find this very frustrating, more as an experienced database technician and former Helpdesk manager than as a genealogist! I really should be able to solve this myself but I'm completely flummoxed.I know when I do solve it I'll feel a complete twit.

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 24 Jul 2012 13:22

Can you confirm you are uploading a stripped down file.

At a minimum you should be removing media records, and personally I remove all sources, repositories etc and most facts other than BMD and Census, all of which can be done with the export tool.

Ancestry, tends to expect FTM exported gedcoms, which as you may know are in many cases not to the standard and does not accept files with custom tags from other programs.

See the links I posted on this other recent question.

http://www.fhug.org.uk/cgi-bin/index.cg ... y&num=6409

Diana_France · Post by **Diana_France** » 24 Jul 2012 13:28

OK, now I probably should feel like a twit, but I haven't yet worked out why.

This is probably an option that only a Helpdesk person would have thought of trying because we tend to know which straws to clutch at:

I copied the GEDCOM file to my husband's laptop via wifi across our home network. Then I logged in to Ancestry from his laptop and uploaded the GEDCOM from there. It worked fine.

The only difference is that he is connected to my ethernet network by wire and I only connect by wifi. Both machines use the same internet router.

Any Networks experts out there? My only guess is that it has something to do with Cookie settings and my laptop is tighter than his.

Anyway, for the moment my problem is solved if not explained, with only the puzzle remaining. Thanks to Roger and John, and good ancestor hunting to all.

johnmorrisoniom · Post by **johnmorrisoniom** » 24 Jul 2012 13:42

Uploading via WiFi could have caused a time out error.
Cable connection to your router is at 100Mb/s wheras wireless connection is only (usually) at about 2Mb/s, 50x slower.
In normal use this would not matter, but does when it comes to transferring large files.

YouTube · Post by **Jane** » 24 Jul 2012 14:40

John I don't think that should matter, as the upload to the net will probably be no more than 512Kbs, unless it a cable router.

Diana_France · Post by **Diana_France** » 24 Jul 2012 15:27

I think John has a point, although I think it is a pretty small file to cause problems, so the slower wifi speed shouldn't matter.

Jane, you are right (and I wish more companies would remember this when designing web pages). In fact, despite living out in the sticks up a mountain in the wilds of France, we enjoy fibre optic connection right to the router and regularly get upload speeds of 85, which is beyond most people's wildest dreams. If we can't upload fast enough for a web page then nobody can!

Thanks again - I know where to come if I get stuck again.

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