Thank you all for your help, using all your suggestions i have just managed to do it (i think!!)
Exported the laptop file as a GEDCOM so i didn't lose any pictures(cos there all on desktop one) then managed to import it into the desktop one.
After removing about 100 duplicates due to the rubbish merge system, its seems to be sorted.
Can believe that if you have a John James Smith and a John J Smith both with same spouses, parents, birth and death dates its doesn't recognise them as a match!!!
Thank you all for your help
Kev.
