Re: [Gramps-users] Database loss of Environment - unable to open

[Enno B. <enn...@gm...>]

Hello George,
> On 12/01/17 03:44, gra...@li... wrote:
>> Re: Database loss of Environment - unable to open
> Do you have a recent backup?
> Does this mean that
> a) You know the answer to my question but wish to spread the word about backups.
> b) You do not know the answer to my question but wish to spread the word about backups.
I know the answer, and the answer is that you can safely ignore most of 
the advice given by Gramps, and with Gramps, I mean the software, not 
us. I say that, because the story about the old database is mostly not 
the cause at all, and the advice to revert to an old version of Gramps 
is useless too.

In some cases running the BSDDB tools may help, but that requires you 
finding the right versions, and using commands that very few here are 
familiar with. It's mostly a trial and error thing, and I never waste my 
time on that.

What you can try when you see an error like this is exit Gramps, start 
it again. If you set it to open the last tree automatically, it may give 
the same message again, and in that case I recommend that you ignore the 
babble, close the message window, and try to open the database from the 
tree manager, or whatever that window is called in your language (I'm 
Dutch). It may show you a locked or corrupted database, and when you try 
to open that, Gramps will try to use some built-in recovery options. 
When they are run, you may see a pause while Gramps digs through the 
proper database log(s), and when it works, you're lucky, and when it 
does not, you're not, and unless you're a true expert, or can find one 
in the neighborhood, its works way faster to simply get over it, and try 
the latest .gramps backup.

> I do have one but it is older than I would like. Does it help me recover my corrupt database?
No. If Gramps can't recover the database by itself, which is what it 
tries automatically when you try to open it from the tree manager 
window, you better forget about it. Running repair tools after a failed 
try is no use either, because they will only work if the database CAN be 
recovered at the BSDDB level. If it can't, it may look like the tools 
can be run, but when the open/recovery failed halfway, they will simply 
complain about a database error, and generate more confusing messages 
for you.

This is why regular backups are the only sensible advice, so I agree 
with Ron. I make regular backups of my Gramps data folder with 
FreeFileSync myself, and also create backups in .gramps format whenever 
I'm about to make some big change, or leave my computer for a while.

regards,

Enno