moving QB04 data to PC with Vista and QB07

Feb 11, 2007 5 Replies

I have a Win XP machine running QB Pro 2004. I have another machine running Windows Vista and fresh new copy of QB Pro 2007 waiting to be installed.



Can someone tell me the best method for getting my QB data from the old machine to the new one including the forms I made in QB 2004? I'm not sure if the export/import is the way to go or if backup/restore is the way, or some better way I haven't thought of.


To move your data you can either just open the file directly in 2007 or use the backup/restore method. Just make a copy of the qbw/qbb file in a safe place so that if you need to open again in 2004 it is still usable. I use the B/R method and my forms have also transfered to the new file. Just make sure you also transfer any image files (gif/jpg) files used for logos as I don't think these will be transfered automatically. You will need to open up the custom form and specify the location of the logo file to make the transfer complete.

Custom forms are stored in your company data file, so nothing extra to copy.

  1. Run a full "Rebuild Data" (found on the "File" menu under "Utilities") in QB04 on the XP machine. This is very important -- don't skip it. Then burn "yourcompany.QBW" to CD. That makes a permanent backup, and you can use the CD to copy the file to your Vista machine in step 3 below.
  2. Install QB07 on Vista and update it to the latest release, which currently is R5. Either use the online update, or you can get the manual patch here:
    formatting link
  3. Copy your company data file "yourcompany.QBW" to the Vista machine. QB07 on Vista defaults company data files to: \Public\Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files so you may want to put it there.
  4. Open your QBW file in QB07 -- it will update it.

Oops, Laura's right -- you need to copy any logo image files used on your custom forms as well.

Thanks, the logo was the issue I was most curious about. Wasn't sure if that transferred along with everything else or not, now I know.

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