{"id":11949,"date":"2021-03-09T17:35:24","date_gmt":"2021-03-09T17:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fhug.org.uk\/kb\/?post_type=kb_article&p=11949"},"modified":"2025-04-07T11:09:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T11:09:23","slug":"family-historian-copy-and-migration-guide","status":"publish","type":"kb_article","link":"https:\/\/www.fhug.org.uk\/kb\/kb-article\/family-historian-copy-and-migration-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Historian Copy and Migration Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/h2>\n

This page describes the process for copying or migrating \u0192h<\/span><\/span> (version 5 upwards) from one PC to another.\u00a0 It can be used when upgrading to new hardware, installing a second copy of \u0192h<\/span><\/span> as permitted by the licence, or re-installation on the original PC following maintenance.<\/p>\n

In the description that follows, the PC that already contains \u0192h<\/span><\/span> is referred to as the source<\/glwrap> PC<\/em>, and the PC receiving the new copy (either as a hardware upgrade or additional installation) is referred to as the target PC<\/em>.\u00a0 When re-installing on the same PC after maintenance or an Operating System upgrade, source<\/glwrap> and target can be the same PC.<\/p>\n

The standard \u0192h<\/span><\/span> Licence Agreement<\/a> permits two copies of \u0192h<\/span><\/span> to be installed on different PCs, provided they are both owned by the same person and not used simultaneously.\u00a0 For \u0192h<\/span><\/span>7, each installation is logged against the users \u0192h<\/span><\/span> account.\u00a0 If you are simply adding a second installation of \u0192h<\/span><\/span> (say to a laptop PC) or migrating from an old to new PC, the second installation is automatically logged against your account on activation.\u00a0 However, the standard licence does not permit a third installation, even temporarily.\u00a0 If you attempt to register a third installation, the activation process will ask you which of the existing two is to be deactivated. Once an installation has been deactivated, it can only be restored by Calico Pie, so switching a licence backwards and forwards between different PCs is not possible.<\/p>\n

Deactivation does not delete \u0192h<\/span><\/span> from your PC, so you can still access its configuration files directly from Windows.\u00a0 However, you cannot access or process them from within \u0192h<\/span><\/span>, so it\u00a0is vital to ensure that the steps described below under Preparation and Copying Program Settings are completed prior to deactivation.<\/p>\n

A detailed account of all the files and storage locations used by \u0192h<\/span><\/span> is given in the KB article\u00a0Understanding the Scope of Features<\/a>.\u00a0 While it is not necessary to be familiar with this level of detail to copy or migrate \u0192h<\/span><\/span> successfully, the more advanced user may want to understand what is happening in more detail.<\/p>\n

An alternative to the procedure described here for more advanced PC users is to simply follow the guidance given for backing up Family Historian<\/a>, and restoring the backup to the new PC.<\/p>\n

Preparation<\/h2>\n

Ensure that \u0192h<\/span><\/span> on the source PC is updated to the latest release for that version. \u00a0For \u0192h<\/span><\/span>5 and \u0192h<\/span><\/span>6, these are 5.0.11 and 6.2.7, respectively, and both are available as free upgrades from the Family Historian Download Archive<\/a>.\u00a0 The latest release of \u0192h<\/span><\/span>7 can be downloaded from the Family Historian Installation Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To determine your release and version of \u0192h<\/span><\/span>, select  > Help > About Family Historian<\/a> from the main program menu.<\/p>\n

If you are upgrading your \u0192h<\/span><\/span> version (e.g. from \u0192h<\/span><\/span>6 to \u0192h<\/span><\/span>7) at the same time as changing hardware, the recommended approach is to install the old version on the new hardware initially and copy across your data and settings as described here.\u00a0 Once you are confident everything is working correctly on the new PC, upgrade it to the new version as described here<\/a>.\u00a0 This will ensure that your data and customisations are correctly carried across to the latest version, as it is difficult to reliably copy settings between different versions of \u0192h<\/span><\/span> on different PCs.<\/p>\n

Copying Program Settings<\/h3>\n

If you have made any changes to \u0192h<\/span><\/span> installation settings, or used any custom features such as plugins, fact sets, or user-written queries, these will also need to be copied to the target PC.\u00a0 Unfortunately, \u0192h<\/span><\/span> stores its settings and customisations in many different locations, so copying settings is slightly more complex than copying user data and requires some preparation on the source PC.<\/p>\n

The easiest way to copy \u0192h<\/span><\/span> settings is via either the Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings<\/a> plugin or the new Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings via Windows<\/a> plugin.\u00a0 The two plugins are compared in the accompanying page on\u00a0Backup and Recovery<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Both plugins collect preference settings and customisations of Diagrams, Reports, Queries, Plugins, Fact Sets, etc, into a backup folder that is selected in the plugin menu.<\/p>\n

When running the plugin to backup the settings of the source PC, you can either store the backup directly on portable storage ready for transfer to the target PC, or to a suitable folder on the source PC (e.g. \\Documents\\Family Historian Projects\\Backup<\/em> or similar) that you then copy\u00a0 to the target PC along with your project data.<\/p>\n

Media Files<\/h3>\n\u0192h<\/span><\/span> can store its media files either in the relevant project folder directly, or external to the project in any other location either on the local PC or attached network.\u00a0 While the former approach is generally the more straight-forward, many more advanced users choose to store their media outside \u0192h<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0 Wherever the media are stored, it is recommended to ensure that all file links are correct prior to migration to simplify setup on the target PC.\u00a0 In each of your projects, select Tools > External File Links\u2026<\/a> from the main \u0192h<\/span><\/span> menu to display the Work with External File Links<\/em> window.\u00a0 Correct any broken links marked with a red X.<\/p>\n

Diagram Icons prior to \u0192h7<\/h3><\/summary>

If you have used your own Custom Icons in Diagrams, then they could be located anywhere on your PC.<\/p>\n

View the Diagram and use Diagram > Options > Boxes<\/a>, select the Condition<\/em> and Edit Features<\/em> button. In the Icon section, click the <<Select button<\/em>, and the Select Icon<\/em> window will identify the folder and Icon filename. Repeat this for each Condition that has an Icon. Now you know what Icon files need to be copied to the new PC.<\/p>\n

If not already there, it is advisable to move those Icon files into the C:\\ProgramData\\Calico Pie\\Family Historian\\Icons<\/em> folder. The Diagram Icons will then need to be reselected. The explanation is that Icon files in that folder will not need to be selected again after migrating to the target PC, and in \u0192h<\/span><\/span>7 that is the only folder allowed for Icon files.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/details><\/div>\n

If you wish to save your Internet Data Matches<\/a> for \u0192h<\/span><\/span>6 or later and have not used the plugin to backup settings, you should use File > Import\/Export > Export > User Credentials<\/a> on the source PC to save the \u0192h<\/span><\/span> User Credentials.fhcrd<\/em> file to a suitable backup location as described for the plugin above.<\/p>\n

If you have not already done so, you can now install the latest release of your version of \u0192h<\/span><\/span> on the target PC, so that the identical program is now on both PCs.\u00a0 As described above, you may have to deactivate your old copy of \u0192h<\/span><\/span>7 in order to activate the new one.\u00a0 If you are re-installing \u0192h<\/span><\/span>7 on the same PC, the Calico Pie activation process should recognise the hardware and not require separate activation once you have logged into your \u0192h<\/span><\/span> account (this is similar to the way Windows 10 activation is linked to your hardware and Microsoft account).<\/p>\n

Copying Project Data<\/h2>\n

Define the folder that the target PC is to use for \u0192h<\/span><\/span> projects.\u00a0 The installation default is the Documents\\Family Historian Projects<\/em> folder.\u00a0 To change this on the target PC, select File > Project Window > More Tasks\u2026 > Project List > Choose Location for Projects\u2026.<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Projects are stored in the selected folder, with one subfolder per project.\u00a0 It is also possible to store ad-hoc projects in any other location, but this is not recommended, as they will not be listed in the standard Project Window.<\/p>\n

Copy the entire contents of the projects folder on the source PC to the corresponding location on the target PC using either intermediate storage such as a USB stick or portable hard disk, or via cloud synchronisation (OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.).<\/p>\n

If the source PC has its \u0192h<\/span><\/span> media files separate from the projects folder on the source PC, also copy these files to the target PC.<\/p>\n

If you have backed up your projects to a location other than the projects folder and you want these backups to remain accessible, copy the relevant files and folders to the target PC.<\/p>\n

Restoring Program Settings<\/h2>\n

To restore \u0192h<\/span><\/span> settings, ensure that your preferred plugin is installed on the target PC.\u00a0 The new Backup and Restore Family Historian Settings via Windows<\/a> plugin can restore backups from either plugin, but the original plugin only restores its own backups.<\/p>\n

Follow the help instructions for your preferred plugin to restore settings data.\u00a0 The detailed sequence is different in the two plugins.\u00a0 In the original version, select the backup location and tick Allow Restore Registry Data\u00a0<\/em>in the options tab.\u00a0 Return to the Restore tab to start the restore process.\u00a0 Close \u0192h<\/span><\/span> manually to allow the Registry to be restored to complete the process.<\/p>\n

In the new plugin, simply click on Restore from the main menu.\u00a0 Select the folder containing the backup.\u00a0 The plugin closes \u0192h<\/span><\/span> automatically, and completes the restore with no further user input required.<\/p>\n

If you have not used the plugin to restore \u0192h<\/span><\/span> settings and wish to maintain your Internet Data Matches<\/a> for \u0192h<\/span><\/span>6 or later, you should use File > Import > Import > User Credentials<\/a> on the target PC to load the \u0192h<\/span><\/span> User Credentials.fhcrd<\/em> file described above.<\/p>\n

Restoring Media Files<\/h2>\n

If your media files are stored within the relevant \u0192h<\/span><\/span> project, they are copied along with the rest of the project in the steps described above.\u00a0 However, if you use external media, and the path on the target PC is different to that on the source PC, you will need to re-establish the file links as described below.<\/p>\n

Completing the Migration<\/h2>\n

On the target PC ensure the File > Project Window > Location:<\/a> and Tools > Preferences > Startup > Default Startup File<\/a> and Tools > Preferences > Backup > Default Backup Folder<\/a> are specified correctly as these settings are NOT included in the migration data, because they may be unique to the new PC. However, these settings will often mimic those on the old PC.<\/p>\n