* Moving Project and settings from V6 to another laptop with V7

[PyreneesPirate]

Hello and Seasons Greetings to all FHUG users,

I have decided to keep my V6 ruled off project on one computer and will instal full V7 on another laptop for the time being.

I have backed up locally and remotely my database on V6. I downloaded the Backup Restore Settings plugin on V6 laptop and run it to store on a memory stick /FH Settings dir. Everything seemed to be going fine then I get the following error (below)....

Has it fully completed or is the error valid please?

When I have stored the V6 settings on the stick, I assume that I download Backup Restore Settings plugin on V7 and restore the settings from the stick. Is it easy to export the my Project from V6 and Import the same Project to V7, or are there other things I need to be aware of?

Many thanks,
PP

[tatewise]

It sounds like this is the first time you have ever run the Backup and Restore FH Settings plugin.
The error is serious and many Tools > Preferences and core standard Diagram settings have not been backed up.

The error is reporting the Windows Registry settings cannot be exported using the REG EXPORT Batch CMD.
I built that error detection into the plugin but have never seen it reported before.
Is your V6 laptop an entirely conventional Windows installation or is there any reason why a CMD prompt style Batch command script would not run?

Since the backups will all be FH V6 compatible they need to be restored into an FH V6 program.
If you try to restore into FH V7 it will do its best but there will be many 'discrepancy' messages and can't vouch for the outcome.

So I would advise installing FH V6 on the other PC and migrate everything in FH V6 mode.
Then install FH V7 over the FH V6 installation, and that will automatically inherit the FH V6 settings & Projects.
You must then take account of the FH V7 Help about upgrading settings from FH V6 as discussed before in these forums.

[PyreneesPirate]

Hi Mike,

Laptop was originally Windows 7, but upgraded to Windows 10 approx 18 months ago....so no non-standard settings I believe. You are correct about the Backup, Restore Settings, it is the first time that I have downloaded it and tried to use it. Not sure why it is not working.

I assume then, I have to uninstall the trial version of FH7 on my other laptop 2 (Dell) as a start point, try to find the Vers 6 executable on laptop 1 (HP) and move it to laptop 2 (Dell) and reinstal, then Restore from my most recent V6 backup on laptop 2 (Dell) but without the special settings?

Upgrade laptop 1 (HP) to V7 hoping it will keep my settings.

[tatewise]

Is F:\FH Settings your usual FH Backup folder?

Please run the plugin again with your usual FH default Projects Backup folder.
i.e. The default folder in Tools > Preferences > Backup
Does the same error get reported?

What happens if you run the plugin on FH V7 on the other laptop?

Yes, you will need your original installation media and licence keys to install FH V6 on laptop 2.
Then migrate the plugin settings backup and all Projects to laptop 2.
The whole process is as per the KB Family Historian Copy and Migration Guide including Ancestral Sources.

[PyreneesPirate]

No,

I have set the path to where my Backups are... G:/ etc etc. Now I get a different error....

My backups are in my own path on C: Drive, plus on a G: Drive detachable for obvious reasons.

I don't have full FH7 on my Dell (just trial) and no special settings either.

I have many executables for FH starting from V4 to V6.2.5, I assume I use 6.2.5? I have my licence number for V6 I think.

[tatewise]

Oh dear!
That has gone to the other extreme and that whole path length is probably greater than the Windows 250 character limit.
Please choose somewhere else.

BTW: If you only have the FH V7 30-Day Trial you cannot run Plugins at all.

To install the FH V5 to FH V6 Upgrade you need the installation file downloaded from Calico Pie.
i.e. upgrade_fh_v5_to_v6.0.0-dl.exe and MUST end in -dl.exe
You will also need both the FH V5 and FH V6 licence keys supplied in the Email.
See KB Family Historian Licence Problems if anything is missing.
https://www.family-historian.co.uk/supp ... icence-key will retrieve your FH V6 licence key but not the others.

Finally when FH V6 is installed upgrade to FH V6.2.7 from https://www.family-historian.co.uk/down ... ad-archive.

[ColeValleyGirl]

BTW: If you only have the FH V7 30-Day Trial you cannot run Plugins at all.

Mike, this is wrong. You can install plugins and run them. Calico Pie no longer need to hobble the trial version by excluding functionality as they can now time limit the trial!

[PyreneesPirate]

Hi Mike and CVG,

My wife just came through from the kitchen brandishing a credit card saying Happy Christmas just upgrade the b software!!! I think I wore her down by blasting the Christmas lights too much!! (Great idea by the way Jane) So, I've bitten the bullet and upgraded to FH7, got a fairly good discount and it went through smoothly. I have taken new backups straight away and set up new Backup directories, shorter in length and easier to remember.

On first showing I am missing the Military, Census and Wills tabs on the Property Box (probably down to the settings thing we were trying to sort out), but I assume I can reinstal that a sometime in the future.

It's quite exciting really, having a bran new clean version of the program to go at. Here goes.......

Many thanks and Merry Christmas

[ColeValleyGirl]

https://www.family-historian.co.uk/help ... users.html which you were shown when you first upgraded covers restoring property box customisations.

[tatewise]

Helen, I though the 30-Day Trial versions were always time-limited and did not run after 30 days. So what is different?
However, it makes life easier if the trial supports everything.

[tatewise]

PP, I may at long last have a solution to the long file path problem with the Backup and Restore FH Settings plugin.

When testing, it is important to use a long backup folder path similar to that posted here on Wed 23rd Dec 2020 15:14.
i.e. more than 256 characters when the backup folder path is added to the program data backup file path as was happening with your Research Planner files before.

Please confirm you have NOT edited the Windows Registry for the key to allow very long file paths:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\LongPathsEnabled

The first plugin to try is Version 3.0.3 attached to Re: Backup and Restore Family Historian error messages.
This bypasses the Lua file management by directly calling the MS FileSystemObject:CopyFile(...) method, which is needed to handle very large files but may also handle very long file paths. It will produce a popup error message box for any failure.
Just click OK to continue until all the long path cases have been bypassed.

If that still fails, then try Version 3.0.4 attached below that substitutes cryptic short filenames for the long paths and translates between the two.

It would be nice to see a screenshot that includes the very long path, either an error message box or Windows File Explorer.