* Attach Media

[tmwgray]

Using FH v 6 with latest update. Win 10 Pro x 64 with latest (Nov) update

In the last couple of days the following issue has started occurring.
Process 1 description is the normal and has been working ok.
I first put the media item (JPEG) in to the media folder of the project.
When in the Records window and trying to add the media item to the individual I select media tab then Add Media from file. That opened the media file (full screen) within the project so I could type in the search box to search for the required Media item to double click on and enter it to the individual’s record.

Process 2 description of problem
I first put the media item (JPEG) in to the media folder of the project. In the Records window and trying to add the media item to the individual I select media tab then Add Media from file.
Now a small file explorer window pops up with media items in it. This window has no maximise/minimise button at the top and in the search box there is a small arrow pointing to the right. It shows media items from the correct project media folder but when I type in to the search box at the top it does not search and a message “FH is not responding. Windows will close the program and report to Microsoft” and the program closes.

After restarting FH and going through the same process up to the point where the small file explorer window pops up but instead of searching in the top box, I navigate through the folders oh the left until I get to the project folder media folder, click on it and it opens (full Screen) and I can use the search box and follow the same process as in 1 described above.

Any ideas what has caused this change or how it can be resolved

TMWgray

[tatewise]

It may be something to do with the Windows Search Index but not sure.
Actual names of windows would help, or even better screenshots.
e.g. The window I get is called Insert pictures or other media and has no buttons top right except X Close.
To create and attach screenshots see the info:forums#posting_topics|> Posting Topics advice.

[tmwgray]

Tatewise,

Thanks for taking an interest in this issue.

Any media I am trying to add into a project is always added to the appropriate media folder before hand.

Screenshot 1 is what I get now, but manipulated by navigating the folders section, to as near as I can to show what I used to get.
When going through the Media/Add from file selections it opened the Media folder within whatever project I was working on, in this case Gray Tree, and in a full screen with the min/max options at the top right as normal.
In what I used to get the “Insert pictures or other media” box shown in the screenshot was the Media folder from the project, full screen with min/max options showing.

Screenshot 2 is what I get now.
You will see in the folder list that it shows as opening in Desktop. It does not open in full screen mode nor show the Min/Max options. The detail in the search box is the last performed search. I can type in new searches but have to click on the blue arrow pointing to the right to show the results. On several occasions, clicking on the blue right pointing arrow makes the “Insert pictures or other media” box freeze and I get Screenshot three.

Instead of doing that I can navigate through the folders on the left to the Gray media file (where it originally opened) however when I click to open the media folder it also opens in a small window with no Min/Max option. You will see from Screenshot one that there is no blue right arrow box and any search results show when typed in.
Screen shot one shows that using this option also occasionally ends up with the screen freezing and the programme requires to be closed.

Screenshot 3 shows when the screen freezes and I have to close the programme and restart.

Apart from the Win 10 Nov update I have not downloaded any other programmes or updates.

I am not very technical but hopefully this gives a better explanation of the issue.
All I really want is to get FH to open the appropriate project media folder so I can select what I want to add to the project or individual.

TMWgray

[tatewise]

I have NOT yet performed the Windows 10 ~ 1909 update.
My Insert pictures or other media window only has the X Close button.
So could you be mistaken that it had Min/Max buttons before? Anyway that is unimportant.

When adding Media, the folder presented by FH is usually the last Windows folder it used.
That is not necessarily the Media folder of the current Project.
I think that folder path is remembered in the Windows Registry and in your case my have been upset.

So, use the Add Media > Insert from file option, and navigate to the desired Media folder as in your Screenshot 1.
Proceed to add the media as normal, and hopefully that will reset the Windows Registry entry or whatever.
Then I suspect on next using Add Media > Insert from file everything will behave correctly.

[tmwgray]

Mike,
What you are describing is exactly what it used to do. After moving media to relevant project media folder I could go add/from file and navigate to project media folder, search, double click on media file and it was added to the individual. If I repeated that process for another media item I did not have to negotiate to the project media file as FH as you say opened the last folder used so I could search again.

I have tried the above as you suggested but each time I have to navigate to the relevant project media folder as shown in screenshot 1. So FH is NOT opening the last folder used.
After trying several times I also find that if I search in the top box for say a file name beginning with 1881 I get a drop down menu from which I can choose from. The choices shown are of previous searches I have typed in to the box and not relevant to the current search. However if I click on the one I want to show all files starting with 1881 nothing happens. I have to click on the blue coloured right pointing arrow and a list of files starting with 1881 appear in the viewing pane on the left from which I can then choose the one I want.

I think that previously when going through the add media/from file it was the Documents folder that opened showing all the folders within it and from where I could navigate to the project media folder required.
Now going through that process it is the Desktop folder that opens.
I also see that there are two Desktop folders and have attached a screenshot. Is that how it should be?
The one at the top shows as you would expect what is on the desktop. The one inside the This PC folder is empty.

In File Explorer I have changed the default opening folder to This PC instead of Desktop thinking that might be causing it but it makes no difference.
On opening File explorer it now opens at This PC but when going through the add media/ from file routine in FH the File explorer opens in the Desktop folder.

Do you think this is a FH issue or maybe an MS problem?
I installed the MS update on 13 Nov and am wondering if I uninstalled it (to see if it fixed this issue) would I lose any data added in between then and now?

Thank for the trouble you are taking over this annoying issue.

TMWgray

[tatewise]

I would be surprised if the cause is the Windows 10 1909 upgrade, as unlike earlier years, it is a minor update.

Have you used the OneDrive > Settings > Back up > Manage Backup to include Desktop, Documents & Pictures?
If so then that results in two Desktop folders (and similarly for Documents but oddly not Pictures):
Original in C:\Users\<username>\Desktop that is dormant
Backup in C:\Users\<username>\OneDrive\Desktop active folder

I cannot explain why FH is not remembering the last folder used within FH.

The Search problem would seem to be an MS File Explorer issue.
I know the settings in MS can get a bit tricky.

I suggest you report this to Calico Pie using their how_to:about#problem_reporting|> Problem Reporting Support Centre Ticket System.

As a matter of interest, I use a different working practice.
I download images to a folder outside the FH Projects such as Work In Progress or Downloads.
There the image can be 'improved' with a photo editor and if necessary renamed.
Then in FH the Add Media > Insert from File invariably opens that Work In Progress folder.
After choosing file, the Add Media to Project dialogue Copy File(s) to lets me choose the Media sub-folder and adjust the Save File As filename if necessary.
Once all the FH updates are finished and backed up, the temporary download files can be deleted.
The above method avoids drilling down in to the depths of the Project folder to find the Media sub-folder.
It seems wise to let FH manage the Project folder and avoid going there manually.

[pwe]

Similar to Mike I download images to a separate folder. I use the "public" folder that is within FH. This has the advantage that it is part of the FH back-up regime and so does not get lost.
Pater

[LornaCraig]

Like Mike I download images to a folder outside the FH Projects (called Work In Progress) where I do any cropping or other editing needed and re-name the file. But rather than letting FH make a copy I then move a file into the appropriate Media sub-folder before linking it to FH. This means that I don't have to remember which files need deleting from the Work in Progress folder. Anything still in that folder is still to be processed.

[tatewise]

Is anybody else experiencing the problems that TMWgray is having?

[tmwgray]

Folks
I am or rather was doing much the same as yourselves.
Instead of a Work in Progress folder I downloaded media to the default Download Folder, adjust, edit, crop etc and saved it still within Download folder.
I then moved it to the relevant project media folder (drag and drop). More or less what Lorna and PWE are doing.
I then went through the add media/from file sequence and the media folder opened so I could search select and add to an individual in the project.
I have been going through the Microsoft Community and it seems that there are some problems with File Explorer but not sure if the 1909 upgrade is involved.
Have never used One drive.

I will keep an eye on the MS Community to see if there is any more issues with File explorer .

Be interesting if any others are having the same issue.

TMWgray

[tatewise]

I cannot explain the two Desktop folders unless it is to do with BT Cloud.

To be clear, only Lorna moves the media file to the relevant project Media folder like you.
Both Peter and I leave the media file in the download folder and let FH move it to the relevant project Media folder.
The pros and cons are that yours and Lorna's method leaves no doubt about which media have been added.
Peter & my method makes finding the media file easier without needing to navigate and search.

[AdrianBruce]

I haven't been following the detail of this so may be missing the point but, based on the huge statistical sample of one machine - my own - there are always (at least) two Desktop icons / folders in Windows 10 File Explorer.

Annotation 2019-11-28 203908.jpg (21.69 KiB) Viewed 11374 times

The "top" Desktop folder & icon appears to really mean "everything". Then I get things like Dropbox, OneDrive, my-user-name, "This PC", etc, etc, including "Network", below that.

"This PC" has various things below that, including the utterly superfluous "3D Objects" and another "Desktop" folder & icon.

And since I've got my "Desktop" folder stored in OneDrive, there's another "Desktop" folder under OneDrive - though without the special icon.

While I would really like to tidy a lot of this away, I believe that the fixes include registry edits and I'm getting less enamoured of such things as the years pass!

NB - I just found a screenshot of Windows 95 File Explorer and the top icon was indeed Desktop with "My Computer" below.

[tatewise]

Yes Adrian, there may well be more than one entry for any folder, especially in Windows 10 File Explorer.
However, the Desktop that often appears in Quick access may be the same folder as your default Desktop, which in your case is the one inside OneDrive. But in your case (the same scenario as mine) there should be another Desktop folder where the original one existed before backing up to OneDrive.

The crucial test is whether the contents of each such folder is identical, in which case they are one and the same.
In tmwgray's case the two Desktop folders had different content.

Not sure what you mean by the special icon. The usual Desktop icon is the blue rectangle as in your screenshot.
Folders & files saved in OneDrive have many adjusted icons depending on their file status as explained in What do the OneDrive icons mean?

However, that is all subsidiary to the Add Media dialogue problems.

[AdrianBruce]

... Not sure what you mean by the special icon. The usual Desktop icon is the blue rectangle as in your screenshot. ...

Indeed - that's what I meant by "special icon" - the icon that looks like a PC screen. The one inside OneDrive is - in my case - an ordinary folder icon.

... But in your case (the same scenario as mine) there should be another Desktop folder where the original one existed before backing up to OneDrive. ...

I can't actually find any original. I assume it would have been in C:\Users\Adrian, alongside the 3D Objects folder, but there's no sign of it. Since I transferred it to OneDrive very early in my rebuild process, it would have been a fairly clean system so maybe it successfully and genuinely moved it. Different contents of Desktop folders sound dodgy (to state the obvious) - all the versions of Desktop folder that I've found appear identical - except for that one at the very top of the hierarchy, which has DropBox, OneDrive, etc all in and isn't really the Desktop that I see on my screen but is my Desktop PC (which is a laptop anyway...)

... However, that is all subsidiary to the Add Media dialogue problems. ...

Indeed.

[tatewise]

I suspect you manually migrated the Desktop folder into OneDrive before the built in backup option was available.
That process seems to have lost its special icon but you can rectify it by right-clicking the Desktop folder and choosing Properties > Customise > Change Icon where you will find the blue PC screen icon.
The OneDrive recent built in Settings > Backup > Important PC Folders option retains the special icon but does leave C:\Users\<username>\Desktop behind, dissociated from the active Desktop folder, and without any OneDrive status.

[AdrianBruce]

I suspect you manually migrated the Desktop folder into OneDrive before the built in backup option was available. ...

I migrated it only about 2w ago as a consequence of rebuilding my laptop from scratch, including a full reinstall of W.10. The OneDrive Settings > Backup > Important PC Folders option - which I did use - didn't leave a C:\Users\<username>\Desktop behind - and I've checked by showing hidden and system files! Sounds like a pure W.10 of the latest build behaves differently (better, I think) to what you've seen in the past.

As for its icon inside the OneDrive being the standard folder - when I right-click that Desktop, choose Properties, I don't see a Customise tab - though I do for "ordinary" folders in OneDrive. However, various of the tabs for the Desktop do show the blue PC screen icon, so it is sort-of there - it's just not shown for the Desktop folder itself in File Explorer. I suspect this may be a "feature" of OneDrive - IIRC there's a limit to the number of "overlay icons"(?) that can be accomodated and I think Dropbox has grabbed most of them in my set-up. Whether that limit has affected these custom icons I dunno.

An "interesting" puzzle but fortunately with little impact for me.

[tatewise]

You are correct about the OneDrive Desktop folder not allowing Customise (all other folders I tried do allow it).
Such are the mysteries of W10 and OneDrive

[tatewise]

I have come across this Windows 10 1909 KB4517245 Update Causes File Explorer Issues.
Windows 10 1909 integrates Windows Search into File Explorer and that sometimes misbehaves.
That sounds like it might be similar to the symptoms described by tmwgray?
The solution is to use Start > Settings > Update & Security > View update history > Uninstall updates and uninstall KB4517245 to remove Windows 10 1909, which should not harm any of your data and just reverts to Windows 10 1903.

[tmwgray]

Folks,

Tatewise you just pipped me to it.

There are definitely issues with the 1909 upgrade on the MS Community web pages. Most appear to be related to the search function and file folders which seem to be similar to the issue I have.
I have been going through various offered solutions like the repair functions for search and folders none of which seem to have worked. The issues has also been brought to the attention of MS by the Community forum.
One workaround was to close File explorer and re-open it but the issue returned very quickly.

What I have done is uninstalled both the Nov updates of Cumulative for version 1903 KB4524570 and the Feature Update to version 1909. I tried the process of using Add Media/from file and it was back to what it was before with the exception that the window still did not have the option to maximise/minimise which I may have been wrong about.
Next day I was again offered 1903 Cumulative update which I installed but oddly the update to 1909 was not offered. Things stilled seem to be working OK. Following day I was offered the 1909 update as being available but did not accept it.
It seems that you can delay the updates for 35 days for some systems in my case Win 10 Pro. However after that as far as I am aware the update will be installed whether you want it or not.
I have chosen to defer updates for that period in the hope that MS resolve by that time.

Thanks for all the input to this and hopefully it might help others.
Also hope it is resolved within the 35 days.

TMWgray

[tatewise]

This How to delay the Windows 10 November 2019 Update while still getting updates says you can postpone the 1909 update for a year.

[mjashby]

Users could, of course, use an alternative to File Explorer to avoid the problem. There's no shortage of free alternatives which mostly offer additional features that Microsoft continually neglects to add.

Mervyn

[tmwgray]

Tatewise,

Thanks for pointing out the delay options for updates.
MS are not known for resolving issues very quickly so I think I will use the longer options.

TMWgray

[tatewise]

Mervyn, I don't think an alternative is feasible in this case as it is a file selection popup driven by Add Media inside FH.

[LornaCraig]

I've just revisited this thread and realise that I omitted to mention something simple which might be useful to TMWgray even though a solution to the original problem has now been found.

As I said in my earlier post, I move a file into the appropriate Media sub-folder before linking it to FH. I then leave that sub-folder open in Windows Explorer, and in FH I open the Media tab of the record (Individual, Source or Place) to which I want to link the image. I then simply drag and drop the image file onto the Media tab. There is no need to go through the 'Insert from File' route, so the whole business of the pop up windows misbehaving doesn't arise.

[mjashby]

For anyone still concerned about the current Search Bug in the Windows 10 File Manager, there's some information on an update fix (currently undergoing testing) here: https://news.softpedia.com/news/next-wi ... 8661.shtml

I didn't answer Mike Tate's comment earlier, but do agree it isn't feasible to use an alternative File Manager with the media search process in Family Historian, as that forces the use of Windows File Manager even if an alternative File Manager has been set as the default. However, as Lorna has already ably outlined using 'drag and drop' having already navigated to the appropriate media folder can be much quicker. I very rarely use Windows File Manager because of the absence of Folder Tabs/multiple Folder Panes and usually refine my workflows in Windows by using a dual/quad pane file manager, which enables the easy relocation and selection of files far more quickly than a monotonously repetitive process of moving new Files/Media and then using the Add Media > Insert from File... procedure. But that's all down to personal preference.