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Problem with Gedcom Export - TMG v 9.01

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Dear Wholly Genes:

 

I have suddenly encountered a problem that I never had before, with v. 9.01 or any previous version. I have tried 3 different days in a row to create a Gedcom of my full TMG database. The export runs for hours (there are 76,000 individuals), but then the size of the file is only 1 KB and it is empty (when I try to import it into TMG again.) Each time I have carefully checked the parameters (including just selecting default). "All individuals" is selected, as always.

 

The last successful Gedcom that I exported from this database using this version of TMG was on April 17, 2014. It was 51,203 KB in size and worked fine. I typically export a Gedcom about every 2-4 weeks and they all worked find (for uploading to RootsWeb, Ancestry, or elsewhere).

 

I have made no changes to the TMG software that I am aware of (no updates since I installed the first release of 9.01). I'm basically doing everything I've been doing for years. The export seems to proceed as usual, doing individuals and families, etc. The length of time to complete seems about as usual; but the result is an empty file.

 

I have also encountered another gedcom related problem. When I uploaded the last good gedcom to RootsWeb and later checked it, I found that some of the parent child links were broken. They seem fine in TMG, but don't existing on the RootsWeb version. I have never had such a problem before (over many years of uploading TMG gedcom exports). Could this be related to a failure of some kind in the actual TMG gedcom export?

 

Have I hit some kind of size limit on gedcom files?

 

Do I need to reinstall or something like that?

 

By the way, my backups seem OK - at least the size (1,158,107 KB for the latest), though I haven't tried to restore one lately.

 

I can forward the latest failed Gedcom if needed (or the last successful one if you have the email capacity or a Dropbox-type route).

 

Greg

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Greg -

 

This is usually caused by another program running at the time. Make sure no other programs - including antivirus programs and cloud services like Dropbox - are running when you create the GEDCOM.

 

Virginia

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It is sometimes also caused, Greg, by creating the GEDCOM directly onto a remote device, like a thumbdrive, rather than directly into a file on the internal disk.

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Dear Virginia and Michael:

 

Thanks for your input.

 

1) Yes I have AVG and Dropbox running. However, I have been using these for about two years and never encountered this problem until this week. However, I'll disable them and try again.

2) My TMG program and my TMG Export folder are both on my main hard drive (C:). No remote drives involved in the export.

 

I'll let you know how disabling other programs turns out.

 

Greg

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The issue with other programs is usually caused if those programs can be touching the GEDCOM file while it is being created. If the file is being created in a folder which has automatic backup by Dropbox, that would be a potential problem.

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Greg,

 

I have encountered this problem several times with

- disk file indexers, like copernic etc.

- trash bin extensions / replacements

 

TMG creates and nearly immediately deletes a lot of temporary files during GEDCOM export. You should exclude the temp directory of the system (can be seen by set TMP and set TEMP from the command line) from such utilities.

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Thanks all, but I'm still having problems.

 

I stopped all of the programs that I could find (including antivirus and Dropbox) and tried again, but I still got a 1KB gedcom file after a couple of hours.

 

Here are my new ideas:

 

1. I noticed that there were some "string" files in the TMG export directory (from three months ago) so I emptied the directory. Perhaps I should redirect the export files to a new director somewhere else as a test?

 

2. Will TMG run in Windows SafeMode? If so, Perhaps I should try exporting the gedcom in safe mode?

 

3. I'll also try exporting just a small subset to see if that will work.

 

4. Based on Helmut's suggestion about disk file indexers, I'll also try to turn off Windows indexing (if I can figure out how).

 

5. I'm not sure about his suggestion to exclude the temp directory - "exclude" it from what? How do I get to the command line to "set tmp"?

 

Any suggestions for these or other things to try?

 

Thanks to all for helping me on this.

Greg

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greg,

 

4. Based on Helmut's suggestion about disk file indexers, I'll also try to turn off Windows indexing (if I can figure out how).

you may select the directories to be indexed in System Control (in German Systemsteuerung) / indexing options

 

5. I'm not sure about his suggestion to exclude the temp directory - "exclude" it from what?  How do I get to the command line to "set tmp"?

I mean do not index this direcory (with its subdirectories) and/or - if you have a trashbin extension like "Undelete Recovery Bin" or similar which extends the features of the default trashbin - tell this extension not to save files in and beyond the temp directos for later recovery.

You can see which is the temp directory by two ways:

1) open o comand window (Execute cmd.exe) and type

set TMP

and

set TEMP

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.3.9600]
(c) 2013 Microsoft Corporation. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

C:\Users\hl>set TMP
TMP=D:\tmp\hltemp

C:\Users\hl>set TEMP
TEMP=D:\tmp\hltemp

C:\Users\hl>

2) System Control / System / extended system configuration (or properties) / Extended / Environment variables

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I have had this same problem with both v 8 and v 9. I found that if I close everything, reboot the computer, and then open TMG and run export it will work. If I run anything else first, I wind up with an empty Gedcom file.

 

 

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I'm another who can't make a GEDCOM file with TMG v9.01. I've tried turning off everything, rebooting, all of it (well, not excluding the "tmp" files). Just can't get anything larger than 6kb.

 

I've tried using a particular person and also tried a "focus grou". Same thing. Nothing.

 

Anything else would be appreciated.

 

 

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2) System Control / System / extended system configuration (or properties) / Extended / Environment variables

 

I have no idea what this means. I've done the tmp temp thing (step 1) but 2 makes no sense. I'm using Windows 7 and I find nothing called "System Control".

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in Windows7 you may find it by right-click on the (My) Computer or System icon. Sorry, but I am using German language and may not know the correct English representation.

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I have this same problem and it's driving me nuts. I haven't been able to get a full GEDCOM since I upgraded to 9.01. I did not have this problem with vs 8. I've closed all of the other programs, redirected the export to a new folder, rebooted the computer, and tried again. Many times.

 

Any fresh ideas out there?

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Sadly, the update didn't help me. Still get a small gedcom file, even though it took awhile to export (so I was hopeful).

Edited by martielee

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