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Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 09:45
by Johnr65
Since I bought a new pc (as the old one crashed the motherboard), my project doesn't appear to be backing up and syncronising with Google Drive. In fact the pc main drive which is now just C doesn't show Google Drive? I can see from Chrome that I have Drive but the tree is outdated.How can I fix this?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 10:21
by Jane
Have you installed Google drive on the new pc?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 10:34
by Johnr65
Yes today but it shows on C drive as Google but isn't showing or syncronising as it used to do on the toolbar?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 10:37
by Jane
Have you set up the folders you want to sync in the settings for Google Drive?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 10:47
by LornaCraig
...and have you actually moved your FH Projects folder into the Google Drive folder ? Then in the FH Project window use 'More Tasks' to point FH to the new location of your projects.

The steps are set out in the Knowledge Base here: Synchronising Family Historian between 2 PCs Scroll down and open the section on Google Drive, where the paragraph headed 'Family Historian Synchronisation' lists the steps.

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 10:53
by Johnr65
I've forgotten how to do that?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 10:56
by Johnr65
Can I do it from the project window?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 11:12
by Johnr65
I can't find where the project is stored other than on FH7?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 11:14
by Johnr65
I can find Google Drive as part of Gmail and see my old files in there-would be best to delete them and reinstall Drive?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 11:43
by Johnr65
Going from bad to worser, the project isn't showing in the project window but it still loads when I click on the icon on my desktop?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 12:14
by LornaCraig
When you open FH, what does it say at the top of the screen? Does it say [project name] - Family Historian Project- ? If not, you are not opening a full project but just a Gedcom file. You need to start by finding out where your projects are currently stored on your laptop. Click the magnifying glass icon near the bottom left of the taskbar and type the name of your project to search for it. Make a careful note of the exact location.

In the FH Project window, next to Location: what is displayed in Blue text? This is the location where FH is currently expecting your projects to be.

Your aim is to move your projects into the Google Drive folder and then point FH to the Google Drive folder.

In an earlier post you said you had installed Google Drive on the new laptop today. Can you see the new folder Google Drive folder in My Documents?

The section I referred to in the Knowledge Base tells you how to move your projects into the Google Drive folder and then point FH to the Google Drive folder. These are the relevant lines:

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Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 15:12
by Johnr65
When I open FH7 it shows the project name FH project. I downloaded Google Drive for desktop on my pc and although it supposedly downloaded, I can only find a shortcut and not the actual folder to put my project into? So no GD isn't in My documents!

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 15:59
by LornaCraig
Did you definitely install it, or just download the installation file? Remember you need to click on the downloaded file to install it.

I don't use Google Drive myself so can't give specific advice about the steps to set it up, but it should be fairly straightforward and the folder should be created automatically.

Did you manage to find where your FH project is located on your laptop? (The default location is C:\Users\UserName\Documents\Family Historian Projects). If it is not showing in the FH Project window you must have changed either the location of the project or the location where FH is looking for it.

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 17:25
by mjashby

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 19:41
by Johnr65
I've redownloaded GD and am now uploading my project to it -taking about an hour but there are nearly 32k people on it.
The project window on FH7 shows no projects within it but it loads the correct project and the blue location shows the correct root.

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 15 May 2022 21:47
by deckie49
Another option I have found useful is using "FreeFileSync" to directly backup to Google Drive without the need to have Google Drive app installed on your system. The program is well developed, very configurable and free.

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 17 May 2022 08:29
by Johnr65
deckie49 how does that work?

Re: Google Drive

Posted: 19 May 2022 16:59
by deckie49
Good morning,
I'm writing this from memory, so bear with me.
In general...
1. Download the program from www.freefilesync.org. The site has lots of tutorials
2. Sign in to Google Drive and create a destination folder to store your family history backup.
3. Open FreeFileSync.
4. On the left side choose the folder on your computer that holds your Family Historian backup. You can also add any other folders you wish. One folder per line.
FFS1.jpg
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5. On the right side, choose the Cloud icon and enter your Google Drive account information including the "directory on server" folder you created in step 2. Follow the prompts to set up permissions.
GD.jpg
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6. Choose the Sync Comparison settings if needed on the blue cogwheel, and the type of sync on the green cogwheel.
7. Save your configuration.

That's it. Now you can open freefilesync and run your backup. Another option is you can save your configuration as a batch file and run it from your desktop.

I hope you find this useful.