I do not quite understand when this problem occurred. You did not have any duplicates before you packed the database? Do both of your backups have the duplicates? Then you must have had the duplications before the backups were created. Are the record numbers the same on the two instances of the same person? =========== I would restore one of the backups to a NEW, EMPTY folder and see if it is ok. Then if it is, I would try packing that. (The original backup remains intact through a Restore operation, so you shouldn't need to backup again.) Alfred D. Eller http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~adelr/ ========================== ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carol and Alf Barrie" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 11:02 PM Subject: [FO] FO V.7 duplicate persons problem > Hello all > > I have had a problem when packing one of my databases. Despite having made TWO backups (on on hard and one on floppy), there seems to be corruption of data. > > I now have two identical people on most of the entries (as well as duplicated sources). The programme will not let me merge two records which are the same person. It also appears some of the sources have been mixed up with the wrong people???? > > Any help out there? > > Thanks in advance > Carol BArrie >

If I recall correctly, this was the procedure I followed: 1. Made two backups - one to floppy and one to hard 2. Then I packed and compressed my database as I believed this would overcome some problems I was having with the programme. I then found that I had two of most people. 3. So, I restored from the backup - but with the same result. 4. I opened another database (empty) and restored from the other backup. I now have one database where most people are duplicated, but because they both have the same record number, I cannot merge them as they are the 'same person'. On the other database, it appears all the trees have become unlinked, and the sources are jumbled with the wrong people. What a mess!! Carol Barrie ----- Original Message ----- From: Alfred Eller <[email protected]> To: Carol and Alf Barrie <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, August 03, 2002 2:54 PM Subject: Re: [FO] FO V.7 duplicate persons problem > > I do not quite understand when this problem occurred. > > You did not have any duplicates before you packed the database? > > Do both of your backups have the duplicates? > Then you must have had the duplications before the backups were created. > > Are the record numbers the same on the two instances of the same person? > > =========== > > I would restore one of the backups to a NEW, EMPTY folder and see if it > is ok. Then if it is, I would try packing that. (The original backup > remains intact through a Restore operation, so you shouldn't need to > backup again.) > > > Alfred D. Eller > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~adelr/ > > ========================== > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Carol and Alf Barrie" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 11:02 PM > Subject: [FO] FO V.7 duplicate persons problem > > > > Hello all > > > > I have had a problem when packing one of my databases. Despite having > made TWO backups (on on hard and one on floppy), there seems to be > corruption of data. > > > > I now have two identical people on most of the entries (as well as > duplicated sources). The programme will not let me merge two records > which are the same person. It also appears some of the sources have > been mixed up with the wrong people???? > > > > Any help out there? > > > > Thanks in advance > > Carol BArrie > > > >

"Carol and Alf Barrie" <[email protected]> wrote: >4. I opened another database (empty) and restored from the other backup. > >I now have one database where most people are duplicated, but because they >both have the same record number, I cannot merge them as they are the 'same >person'. Alfred suggested that you restore the database to a new, empty FOLDER, not to a new database. You cannot restore a backup to an existing database for the restore re-creates the database at the restore location. If you restore the backup to the same folder as the existing database, it will overwrite it with the backup .... at least it is supposed to. I don't remember whether FO7 would delete the existing database before it restored the backup or not. If it did not then that might explain how you are getting all the duplicate people with the same record number ... if FO7 is adding the restored database to the existing database rather than deleting the existing database first. But packing the database will not cause duplicates to appear. Since you had duplicates before you restored the database, that indicates you also had the duplicates before you backed up and therefore the duplicates are also in the backup. You might try exporting a gedcom file of your entire database and importing it back into a new database. (With a gedcom file, you DO create a new, empty database to import it into.) When FO imports a gedcom file, it ignores the record numbers in the gedcom, starts the first person with record number one and goes up sequentially with no duplicated record numbers. So, if duplicates are in the gedcom file, they should all have different record numbers in the imported database and you should be able to merge them. I can't imagine how FO allowed your database to get in such a condition. The only thing I can think of is if FO7 were appending a restore to an existing database rather than overwriting it. I vaguely remember old versions of FO might have done that and I don't remember if it was fixed by the time FO7 came along or not. Wayne League