* 'default GEDCOM file doesn't exist' error

[wkelley]

Hi friends,
I have been away from Family Historian and Ancestral Sources for a bit as I was involved in setting up a new Network Area Storage. I have left all my program installation files on my local drive and moved all other documents to the NAS.

Now as I try to resume my family research, there is an issue with Ancestral Sources continuing to look to the old location for the GED file. When it fails to find the GED file, it says it will create a new log file folder, then the error message goes away and Ancestral Sources never actually opens, so I can't manually adjust settings or default folders.

I see the same error messages whether I am trying to open Ancestral Sources as a free-standing application or as a plug in through Family Historian.

Screenshot 2024-10-01 143119.--1.png (10.57 KiB) Viewed 207 times

Screenshot 2024-10-01 143014.--2.png (7.27 KiB) Viewed 207 times

To troubleshoot, I have updated Family Historian, I have uninstalled and reinstalled a fresh download of Ancestral Sources. To no avail, I still see the same error messages.

Thoughts?

[tatewise]

I'm surprised that running the Ancestral Source Data Entry plugin from within FH does not supply the correct GEDCOM file path as that is exactly what it is designed to do.

Please confirm that opening AS "as a plugin in through FH" does involve the plugin specified above.

[BillH]

Are we sure they are using the plugin. Many of us start AS directly without the plugin.

Edit:
Oops... I missed the line that said they tried to open AS both directly and with the plugin. I'll leave it to Nick and Mike to figure out what is going on with each.

[NickWalker]

So just to clarify, do you mean that the "log file does not exist" message appears, and then you press OK and nothing at all happens afterwards? No other message boxes appear and the main Ancestral Sources screen doesn't appear at all? If so then I can't understand how that could happen.

If you open up File Explorer and click on the pinned Documents folder on the left, can you see the Ancestral Sources folder in your documents and within it the sub folders and files?

[wkelley]

Hi -
Troubleshooting I have tried:
1. uninstalled and clean reinstall of Ancestral Sources
2. start AS directly from computer program
3. run Ancestral Sources Data Entry plugin v 5.0.2
4. run Ancestral Sources Launcher plugin v1.0

Each of those options return the same error messages.

Seems if I could just get into the AS program, I could adjust the folder location to the NAS

[NickWalker]

HI Wanda

Please can you answer the questions I asked? This will help me to give you the best solution.

Thanks

Nick

[wkelley]

Hi Nick - You understand me correctly that the "log file does not exist" message appears, and then I press OK and nothing at all happens afterwards.

I do have an Ancestral Sources document folder in my documents. I do notice that the message reference an F drive. I no longer have an F drive. Those files were moved to my NAS.

Thanks for your time, Wanda

[NickWalker]

I do find this very strange as I can't see how the program could just end following that message without displaying a further error message, I wonder if something isn't quite right with how your documents folder has been redirected. Ideally I'd like to spend time with you working through this slowly to see what's going on but I expect you wouldn't want that and I'm also a bit busy at the moment so I'm hoping the following will work.
1. First make sure Ancestral Sources isn't running
2. Work through the following steps very carefully and if in doubt ask as making changes to the registry can have unintended consequences.
3. From the start menu run regedit.exe.
4. Select HKEY_CURRENT_USER then the sub-key Software and then the sub-key Ancestral Sources
5. Right-click on the Ancestral Sources sub-key and select Rename and then change the name to Ancestral Sources.old
Before Rename:

image.png (22.39 KiB) Viewed 129 times

After Rename:

image.png (9.3 KiB) Viewed 129 times

6. Try running Ancestral Sources again. If this works then you will need to reapply any changes you made to the Ancestral Sources options when you were using AS previously.

[wkelley]

Nick,
I followed your instructions. My screenshot

Screenshot 2024-10-02 084250.png (10.07 KiB) Viewed 88 times

When I tried to open Ancestral Sources as a standalone and through the plugin, I got no response at all from Ancestral Sources. No error messages, just nothing. I did a reboot and tried again, same results.

I do see an Ancestral Sources folder in the software folder of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

Screenshot 2024-10-02 084726.png (10.22 KiB) Viewed 88 times

Next steps? Should I now uninstall/reinstall Ancestral Sources?

[NickWalker]

There must be something on your PC that is stopping AS from functioning so that's difficult to trouble shoot... Can you look at the event logs on your computer. Try running AS again and In the Applications event log, see if there is a corresponding error.

Can you also look at Task Manager on your computer and check that AS isn't still running in the background somehow.

I'd find it easier to continue this conversation via email so please can you respond via nick AT ancestralsources DOT com?

Best wishes

Nick