How to Manually Reset Smart Reconcile?

This worked in the 2003 version. Manually change the clr column in a transaction to be marked reconciled. Enter. Now manually change the transaction back to blank in the clear column. You should get a warning... 'This will reset the Smart Reconcile option for this account'

1. I manually changed the clr column in a transaction to be marked a reconciled.
2. Enter.

1. Changed it back to blank.

2. Enter.

I am given the message, "Are you sure you want to change a reconciled (R) transaction?"

1. I click Yes.

This does not reset Smart Reconcile. What should I try next?

George, Did you try this action on an item that was previously reconciled? If not, that's the only way it works. It wont do it on newer transactions. You have to clear the "R" from the previously reconciled Transaction (this will ask are you sure?-say yes). Enter(save). The next couple steps will ask if you want to use automatic processes-say No. Manually change the column to "c". Enter. Then manually set to "R" again. This is when you'd get the "Reset Smart Reconcile" message if you're gonna get it. That will hopefully help, if not let us know. Rob

If "smart reconcile" (or re-reconcile) was in effect at this point, you should have been asked "Are you sure you want to manually reconcile this transaction? Warning: doing so will reset Smart Reconcile for this account."

If you did not get that message, I believe that smart reconcile had already deactivated at some time in the past - the message only appears once ... when you first deactivate smart reconcile for an account.

I have read and reread Quicken Help, and especially the Intuit Knowledge Base articles I can find on the subject. Either there is something I have missed, or the Help and KB are flawed,

If "smart reconcile" (or re-reconcile) was in effect at this point, you should have been asked "Are you sure you want to manually reconcile this transaction? Warning: doing so will reset Smart Reconcile for this account."

If you did not get that message, I believe that smart reconcile had already deactivated at some time in the past - the message only appears once ... when you first deactivate smart reconcile for an account.

I have read and reread Quicken Help, and especially the Intuit Knowledge Base articles I can find on the subject. Either there is something I have missed, or the Help and KB are flawed, and/or there is a serious flaw in the process of deactivating/reactivating smart reconcile.

The KB articles give a definitive method for deactivating smart reconcile: enter a dummy transaction with a zero amount and manually reconcile it. If you are smart enough to put something in the payee field or the memo field of that dummy transaction (or "test" transaction, as Intuit calls it), you may be able to find it again ... which you probably need to do because Intuit says that to turn smart reconcile back on again, you should delete that dummy ("test") transaction. If you handle this as suggested by Quicken, you will probably be ok.

But since manually reconciling *any* transaction is said to deactivate smart reconcile; what happens if you forget, or don't pay attention, and manually reconcile a *real* transaction and don't remember which transaction it was? Do you have to delete that specific transaction to turn smart reconcile back on? How would you find that transaction again?

Finally: I have been unable to get Q2006 or Q2005 to respond at all to smart reconcile. I think there may be a bug in the process; it's as if new accounts are created with smart reconcile off, so there is no way to turn it back on. I have even tried in a brand new file, adding one account, and entering a few transactions. No matter what I have tried; no message about resetting smart reconcile; nor do I get the message about "The total of the previously reconciled (or cleared) items in your register no longer matches with the ending balance of your prior statements" if I unreconcile a previously reconciled transaction and initiate a reconcile. I do recall seeing this work in Q2002, but not since then.

What is smart reconcile? Is it different from automatic reconcile against online balance?

It's the process that allows Quicken to (supposedly) note when something significant has been modified in a previously reconciled transaction ... and gives the user the opportunity to re-reconcile.

Yes.

Guess again.

It doesn't work. Is there a configuration file that I can reset? Usually software developers have some easy way to reset features in tools to facilitate automated testing using their configuration files, temporary registry settings, command-line settings, or hot-key-combinations. Feel free to email this capability if it is not desired to have this feature published to an open newsgroup.

I wish it was deactivated. I have tried two scenarios when reconciling:

Scenario 1:

If I set the starting balance and ending balance as designed by my bank statement and finish reconciling, I get the message:

"The bank statement opening balance that you entered to start reconciliation is different from the sum of the previously cleared items in your register by $1,582.00.

You may have Quicken create an adjustment to make your totals agree with the bank statement, or click Cancel to go back to reconciling."

But I don't want the $1582 amount entered into quicken or it will make the running balance wrong.

Scenario 2:

If I leave the starting balance unchanged and set the ending balance to the ending balance on the statement and finish reconciling, I get the message:

"The total of the items you have marked is $1,582.00 less than the total of the items shown on your bank statement.

You may have Quicken enter a balance adjustment in your register for this amount, or Cancel to go back to reconciling."

Again, I don't want the $1582 amount entered into quicken or it will make the running balance wrong.

As I said, if smart reconcile were active, you would have seen an additional message when you attempted to deactivate it. And, if smart reconcile were active, you would have been offered the "Resolve" button when you first initiated a reconcile if the Quicken thought the account was not properly reconciled ... as Quicken obviously does.

I believe your only choice is to unreconcile all your transactions are re-reconcile them. You can reconcile all transactions in one reconcile, there is no requirement to do them printed-statement by printed-statement.

Dude,

Unless you have a copy of Quicken 2002, you're screwed. The developers at Quicken royally screwed up all versions starting in 2003 and it became progressively worse. Each upgrade from that point created a series of "band-aids" for old data until one day, smart reconcile no longer works. I've been where you are.

Don't go and think that MS Money will be any better though. Just bite the bullet and devote your weekend to creating a new Quicken file. Trust me when I say that Quicken will behave much better after you have gone through this headache.

Hang in there,

-A