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Troubleshooting

This page collects solutions to common problems.

The program won't start

"Nothing happens when I double-click"

  1. Wait a little. The first start can take up to a minute while the database is set up.

  2. Check Task Manager. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc — is a pastpaths.exe process running? If so, wait. If not, try starting again.

  3. Antivirus. Some antivirus programs block new programs. Allow PastPaths in your antivirus and try again.

  4. Reinstall. Uninstall and reinstall — your data isn't affected (it lives in a separate folder).

"Error message on start"

The most common error messages and what they mean will be listed here. Nothing to report yet.

Import

GEDCOM import

"The import seems to be hanging"

Large files take time. A file with thousands of persons can take 5–10 minutes. If the progress indicator is moving — let it run.

If the indicator is stuck for more than 10 minutes:

  1. Wait anyway — images can be the slow part
  2. Check the logs under Settings → Import history
  3. If it's completely stuck — restart the program and try again

"Images didn't come along"

The GEDCOM file only points to the image files' names — the actual images need to be on disk when you import. Check that:

  • The image folders are alongside the GEDCOM file
  • The image files have the same names the GEDCOM file specifies

"Persons came in twice"

If you import the same file twice, or if different files contain the same people, duplicates can be created. Use the duplicate search in PastPaths to find and merge them.

→ More about duplicate handling

WordPress import

"Images couldn't be downloaded"

WordPress images are downloaded directly from your WordPress server. If the site is offline, or if the image has been deleted, it won't work.

You can still import the text — just the image links will be broken.

Backup

How do I take a backup?

PastPaths data lives in a folder on your computer. Backup = copy that folder somewhere safe.

Three levels of backup:

  1. Easiest way: Go to Administration → the Import/Export tab → scroll down to System backup and click Download backup.

The file is then saved at C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Downloads\pastpaths_backup_yyyymmdd_hhmmss.zip

  1. Manual backup: Copy the data folder to a USB drive or another folder on the same computer.

  2. Good backup: Copy it to an external hard drive that you keep somewhere other than at the computer.

  3. Best backup: Combine several locations — external hard drive + cloud folder + time machine/versioned backup.

Automate it

Set up the data folder to sync with OneDrive, Dropbox, or iCloud. Then backup happens automatically every time you make changes. Just be careful not to have PastPaths open on two computers at the same time if you're using the same synced folder.

Restoring from backup

  1. Close PastPaths.

  2. Copy the data folder back from your backup to the same location.

  3. Start PastPaths.

The whole folder, not just the database

It's not enough to restore just the database file — images and documents live as separate files in subfolders. Restore the entire data folder.

Performance

"The program feels slow"

Large libraries: If you have thousands of peersons or images, some views can become slow. Tips:

  • Use filters and search instead of scrolling through entire lists
  • Large images take time to render — consider shrinking images wider than, say, 4000 pixels

Display

"Images aren't showing"

  1. Close and reopen the program.

  2. Check that the image file is actually in the location PastPaths expects.

  3. Some formats may require extra software — JPG, PNG, GIF are always supported.

Something else is acting up

→ Report a bug