How to (Re-)install Family Historian

It is becoming more and more likely that someday you will update Windows or buy a new PC and need to re-install Family Historian.

When this happens you may need to repeat the Family Historian installation sequence using the CD & Download Software and Registration Keys you used before. However, the Upgrade V4 to V5 product has vastly simplified the process.

You will also need to carefully transfer all the essential Family Historian data and settings from the old PC set-up to the new PC set-up.

The flowchart below summarises the steps needed to install or re-install Family Historian.

Each Bought product whether a Full Version or a Version Upgrade should have an Installation CD or Software Download, and from Version 3 onwards, a Licence Name and a Registration Key. Without these you may not be able to re-install the software without having to buy a new licence.

Unlike previous Upgrades, the Upgrade V4 to V5 product does NOT need the preceding Versions to be installed. It only needs the Upgrade V4 to V5 Licence details, and the previous Full V4 or Upgrade V3 to V4 Licence details.

The Licence Name is often your name, and the Registration Key is several groups of 6 alpha-numeric characters such as 0001H2-VKQ2AZ-TP4MC5-V0B59C-PYF6EN-7BUZ0Y.

Full details of the CD-backed installers are given in How to Install on 64-bit Windows 8, 7, Vista, or XP.

The free version downloads are identified in the Family Historian Upgrade Options.

The techniques needed to recreate your data and settings are in the Move Family Historian Settings & Projects section.

For other installation options see Can Users of Earlier Versions Install the 30-Day Trial of Version 5?

It may be possible to simplify this installation process, especially if your new PC is a Netbook with no CD drive. Calico Pie Limited may be prepared to sell a Full V4 Licence for the difference in price between the Upgrade V3 to V4 Licence and the Full V4 Licence as mentioned in Forum thread Upgrading V3 CD to V4 on Netbook.

To install the Upgrade V4 to V5, you must use the Installation CD or Software Download provided. You cannot enter the Upgrade V4 to V5 Licence details into the Family Historian Version 5 Free Trial. If you have the Free Trial installed, then install the Upgrade V4 to V5 over the top. You are likely to be asked for both your Upgrade V4 to V5 Licence and the previous Full V4 or Upgrade V3 to V4 Licence details in this case.

To allow the above installation process to be repeated at any time, it is important to maintain an archive of the necessary details.

So create an archive folder such as …\Family Historian Archive\ in which to save all the Software Downloads and Licence Details.

For each Bought product Full Version or Version Upgrade, save its installation Software Download file.

Also export each associated Licence Details E-mail as a text file, or type in the Licence Details from a CD boxed set, and save them too. This makes it easy to Copy & Paste the details during the installation process and avoid typing mistakes.

You could also save the Latest Free Upgrade Download to avoid the need to download it again.

Include this archive folder in your regular backups, or save it to an external drive, CD, DVD, or cloud storage, in case of disk failure.

If you do lose your Software Download or Licence Details then see below.

If you have mislaid your Licence Name &/or Registration Key where might they be found?

If you purchased a Software Download, then E-mail support@family-historian.co.uk and ask Calico Pie Limited to resend your Licence Name & Registration Key, or Software Download. Include as many details as possible, especially your E-mail address at the time of purchase if it has changed.

If you bought an Installation CD your Licence Name and Registration Key will be printed on a paper slip or label that came with the boxed set.

What might cause Family Historian to say your Licence Name and Registration Key are not valid?

The most common reason is you have tried to install a Trial Version and not the Software Download listed in your Licence E-mail.

If this is the case you must start the whole installation from scratch, and use the Software Download from the link on your Licence E-mail (or your archive backup of this file).

If Family Historian requests the Licence Details to be re-entered every time it is run, then try running as Administrator.

Right-click on the ƒh icon and choose Run as administrator from the dropdown menu that appears (the exact details may vary with different versions of Windows). You may have to enter an Administrator password. You will need to re-enter your Licence Name and Registration Key, but should find that thereafter, the details have 'stuck'.

For more details on these and other installation issues try the Family Historian Frequently Asked Installation Questions.

One common solution is to right-click on the installation file and choose Run as administrator from the dropdown menu that appears (the exact details may vary with different versions of Windows). You may have to enter an Administrator password. It may also be necessary to temporarily disable your anti-virus software, or to use Windows Safe Mode.

When installing V2, you may get the message Error 105: Setup is unable to find installation languages in D:\FH\SETUP.LID file (where D: may be a different drive letter). This is caused by an early 16-bit installer trying to run on a 64-bit PC.

Full details of the CD-backed installers solution are given in How to Install on 64-bit Windows 8, 7, Vista, or XP and in the Family Historian FAQ at I am trying to install version 2.1 or earlier, and it isn’t working.

If the Upgrade V3 to V4 gives Error 123: The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect, try the fix given by I Get An Error Message When I Run the Upgrade Program.

Are you getting Error Code 2: Download and install Service Pack 2 from Microsoft. Error while unpacking program, code 2. Please report to author.

This has been caused by a Windows Update that affects a range of programs, including Microsoft's own Money program, and Family Historian. Assuming you have Windows Vista installed and not Service Pack 2, you can fix this problem by installing Service Pack 2 that can be downloaded from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/dd262148.

If you have a strong reason for not installing SP2, you may also be able to fix the issue by un-installing the following fixes from Microsoft: KB2507938, KB2533623, and KB2555917.

If you get the error message Family Historian has stopped working. A problem caused the program to stop working correctly it is probably due to the Data Execution Prevention (DEP) Windows feature. Try the fix explained by The installation works but Family Historian won’t run.

This error message has also been caused by anti-virus software such as BT Net Protect or McAfee. For full details see the article The McAfee Saga - Family Historian disappears.

If the message only occurs when viewing Diagrams then it may be a printer driver problem. First use Control Panel > Devices and Printers, select the Family Historian PDF pseudo-printer, and choose File > Set as default printer. If this resolves the error message, then install or reinstall the latest driver for your printer, and reset it as default printer.

If downloaded using Internet Explorer then the installation file may produce standard warnings such as This type of file could harm your computer or The publisher of Family Historian couldn't be verified, but these can be safely ignored. You may need to select options such as Actions or More Options or Run Anyway.

If the install produces an Open File - Security Warning window due to an Unknown Publisher, then right-click the downloaded file, choose Properties and on the General tab click the Unblock button followed by the OK button.

Especially on Windows 8, when attempting to install a downloaded file, the following SmartScreen message may appear due an unknown publisher. Simply click More info and then Run anyway to continue with the installation.

Family Historian may install OK, but when run, a Windows busy icon appears for a second or so, and then nothing happens. This may be caused by some NVIDIA graphics card OEM drivers. Go to the NVIDIA site where there is an option to detect your graphics card and send you the correct drivers.

Sometimes, even if it has worked before, the Save Diagram/Result Set/Report As > PDF File options fail. Try the following solutions in turn.

1. In Family Historian use File > Print Setup, set printer Name to Family Historian PDF, and try Save…As > PDF File again.
2. Re-install the latest version of Family Historian over the existing installation to update the Family Historian PDF (novaPDF…printer).
3. Use Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features (or Add/Remove Programs in XP) and uninstall every Family Historian PDF (novaPDF…printer), then re-install the latest version of Family Historian.

If in the Individual Property Box the Copy Fact(s) and Paste Fact(s) buttons do not work, then it is possibly a conflict with an Internet browser add-on called Skype ClickToCall. The problem only arises while the Internet browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, is running with the add-on. See the FHU Mailing List - Paste Fact failure posting for more details.

If an early version of Family Historian is installed on Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 then the Help buttons will not function, because the 32-bit Help (.hlp) files are not supported.

It is vital you use Internet Explorer and no other browser, to visit the web page I cannot open Help that was created in the Windows Help format (WinHlp32.exe). Choose the correct version to download, and follow the Genuine Windows Validation and Install Instructions to add support for these old Help files. You may need to enable Active-X controls to complete the process.

Bizarrely, the Windows 8 version requires the English (US) language pack. So if your PC only has the English (UK) pack, follow the How to install a language pack instructions, and set English (US) as the preference. Beware that some keyboard symbols will now be different. After successfully installing WinHlp32.exe, use the same instructions to restore English (UK) as the preference, and optionally uninstall the English (US) language pack.