# Opening Database from 2010

**URL:** <https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [January 10, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764 "2025-01-10T20:05:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![azemon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/azemon/32/5744_2.png) [@azemon](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/azemon)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 8:05pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/1 "2025-01-10T20:05:06Z")

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I am trying to recover my wife’s family tree. The last time she opened it was 2010. I currently have Gramps 5.2.3 installed on Ubuntu 24.04.

When I try to open the tree, I get a popup reading:

> Low level database corruption detected  
> Gramps has detected a problem…  
> ‘str’ object has no attribute ‘decode’

What do you suggest? Should I reinstall an antique version of Gramps to fix the database and then reinstall 5.2.3?

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**Author:** ![Nick-Hall](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/nick-hall/32/95_2.png) [@Nick-Hall](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Nick-Hall)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/2 "2025-01-10T21:22:38Z")

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It looks like you possibly need the fix merged in pull request [#1758](https://github.com/gramps-project/gramps/pull/1758).

This will be included in v5.2.4 which should be released shortly.

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**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 10:36pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/3 "2025-01-10T22:36:17Z")

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> [@azemon](#):
>
> What do you suggest? Should I reinstall an antique version of Gramps to fix the database and then reinstall 5.2.3?

If you are eager to get started and do not want to wait for 5.2.4 to be released, then “Yes” you can try a [3.2.6 version](https://sourceforge.net/projects/gramps/files/Stable/3.2.6/) (covering the 3.0.x to 3.2.x versions of Gramps from that era). It still used the [Schema 14](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/History_of_Gramps). So you can sidestep the issue updating schema 14 to 16.

With any approach, the first step is to make a copy of the database folder for Gramps. Because every time the database is touched, the database backends update the file with an update to the connection history. Each experimental touch means a chance of corruption.

Once you backup and install version 3.2.6, set the database location (here is the [Database Preferences docs for the 3.2 family](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_3.2_Wiki_Manual_-_Settings#Database)), load the tree and export to the [`GRAMPS XML database`](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_3.2_Wiki_Manual_-_Manage_Family_Trees#Exporting_data) format. Gramps 5.2.3 will be able to import that into a new tree in the modern SQLite database schema.

## Link to the stable release archive on SourceForge:

> **[Gramps - Browse /Stable at SourceForge.net](https://sourceforge.net/projects/gramps/files/Stable/)**
>
> Gramps, the open source genealogy program

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**Author:** ![azemon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/azemon/32/5744_2.png) [@azemon](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/azemon)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 11:09pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/4 "2025-01-10T23:09:21Z")

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I’ll wait for 5.2.4. Thank you.

– Art Z.

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**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2025, 11:15pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/5 "2025-01-10T23:15:37Z")

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> [@Nick-Hall](#):
>
> possibly

Note that “possibly” in the 5.2.4 suggestion. The highest confidence is with version from the same 2010 era.

However, the 5.2.4 will be the highest convenience… assuming there are no more problems than that schema conversion.

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**Author:** ![azemon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/azemon/32/5744_2.png) [@azemon](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/azemon)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 5:01pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/6 "2025-01-16T17:01:33Z")

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Version 5.2.4 didn’t help.

The dates on the files are from 2010. I built an Ubuntu 14.04 VM and installed Gramps 4.0.3-1 from the Ubuntu repo (`apt install gramps`). I get an error when trying to open the database and it suggests repairing it. When I try to repair it, I get this error:

```python
76636: ERROR: grampsapp.py: line 114: Unhandled exception
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/bsddb/dbshelve.py", line 237, in _shelf_callback
    return realCallback(priKey, data)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gramps/gen/db/read.py", line 111, in find_byte_surname
    surn = __index_surname(data[3][5])
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/gramps/gen/db/read.py", line 138, in __index_surname
    surn = " ".join([x[0] for x in surn_list if not (x[3][0] in [
IndexError: string index out of range

```

Any suggestions?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 5:29pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/7 "2025-01-16T17:29:17Z")

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Version 4 is later (and for a different database schema) than the version [suggested in my post above](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/3). You said 2010 and that means an earlier version.

The link provided was to the 3.2.6 version files in the official repository on SourceForge. This included MacOS .dmg files, Windows .exe files, Debian .deb files, and build-from-source .tar.gz archive. As an Ubuntu user, you will [use the Debian package file](https://askubuntu.com/questions/40779/how-do-i-install-a-deb-file-via-the-command-line).

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/3/357649740b9e9353c18af61413d086059f2c3d6c.png)

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**Author:** ![azemon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/azemon/32/5744_2.png) [@azemon](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/azemon)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 8:58pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/8 "2025-01-16T20:58:06Z")

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_Success_. Gramps 3.2.6 won’t install on Ubuntu 14.04 because `python-central` is no longer available. But installing Ubuntu 10.04 (boy does that ring the nostalgia bells!) and then Gramps 3.2.6 allowed me to open the tree. I exported it and imported it into Gramps 5.2.4 and I have a smiling wife.

Thank you!

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**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 9:11pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/9 "2025-01-16T21:11:01Z")

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Now, be certain to set up the “Backup on exit” or Autobackup in the Preferences! (Automated backups use the “Exclude” Media option for the scheduled backups.)

And periodically make manual backups with “Include” option:

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/0/0a4c6d0ceeca44a4a4d528e5b8ccae6d0de43c76.png)

The automated backup is smart enough to NOT trigger where there have not been changes.

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/b/b0a3a719bed22bcb30d5cea533145306b92cdea7.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![azemon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/azemon/32/5744_2.png) [@azemon](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/azemon)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2025, 9:28pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/10 "2025-01-16T21:28:12Z")

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LOL so true. Backups are good! I’ve got a NAS for that. Backups were never the problem. Neglect was the problem.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/1X/2ac1e712b7adf612e31ca08a55419f4cf37c0158.png) [@system](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 15, 2025, 9:28pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/opening-database-from-2010/6764/11 "2025-02-15T21:28:14Z")

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