Quickbooks 2006 multi-user backup

I need to back up the database for a Quickbooks 2006 multi-user install. I'm told that the last time they tried to dump it to a CD using the built-in backup, it told the main user to go to "single-user" mode and then it "hosed things up." I'm not sure exactly what that means, and I intend to find out. In the meantime, can someone point me to a "tutorial" on how to perform a backup in Quick Books? I'm not going to be a Quickbooks user, I just need to be able to support it as the network admin. Thanks... John

P.S. I'll be back to ask how to avoid/fix the problem with QuickBooks when I have more details.

Reply to
John Aldrich
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You can't "backup" to a CD.

Very few programs can write to a CD - programs that can write to a CD are super-special to handle the unique data storage methodologies of CD/DVD. For example, there are physically no "tracks," "blocks," or "sectors" on a CD; the data are transcribed in one giant honkin' spiral.

You must create a "backup" on the hard drive (using whatever method the software application permits), then, using a special program (such as NERO), place that backup file on a CD.

Be aware, also, that when the files are returned from the CD, they return in a READ ONLY form.

Reply to
HeyBub

Yeah... I'm aware of the "read only" problem... I have been looking on the QuickBooks Community forum and reading there. Apparently there's a built-in function in QuickBooks to perform a backup to disk and then burn the resulting "bkf" file to CD.

I was hoping someone could point me to a FAQ / tutorial on how to do backups in QuickBooks, as I know nothing about the software, other than it's an accounting package. :-)

Thanks.

Reply to
John Aldrich

From within a Quickbooks file, choose File > Backup and choose the backup location.

From outside of Quickbooks, choose your backup program of choice and include the Quickbooks file location in your backup.

I have QB set to remind me to backup every 3 days or something like that but I use Retrospect on my computers to run an automatic backup of my system each night.

-- Tara

Reply to
scfundogs

Not sure what you or they mean by "hosed things up" but you just switch to single-user mode, use File, Backup... Work through the dialog windo (pick destination folder - name backup file) back the thing up and switch back to muli-user mode. I do it a couple times a day and have never hosed up my database...

Reply to
Peace Frog

assuming that you have a CD-RW, couldn't you just:

  1. make sure everyone is logged off
  2. using windows explorer, just copy the quickbooks data file to the CD-RW using a copy and paste?
Reply to
GoBruins

I'm not sure either. I'm going to ask the main user (the general manager) when he comes in today. He's been out for a couple days, so I haven't been able to ask him.

Reply to
John Aldrich

Thanks! I tried posting in the Quick Books forum, but was ignored... So, I thought I'd try here... having a LOT more luck here than I did in the forum! Thanks to one and all who posted! Now, hopefully, I can help get things backed up!

Reply to
John Aldrich

Ok. The GM is in today, so I asked him and he says that, as best he recalls, it said you had to go into "single-user" mode to do the back up and then when he told it to go into single-user mode, it locked up Quick Books and wouldn't let *anyone* into it.

Any ideas on what happened and how to prevent it? Do you think it might have been that he needs to be a "super user"/admin to do that?

Thanks.

Reply to
John Aldrich

One thing to do is make sure the QB program is patched to the latest release. QB 2006 is currently at R8. You can have the QB user hit the F2 key in QB to display the Product Information, or you can check the file propertied for QBW32.EXE.

Reply to
klunk

Well, of course it locked up QB - it would not let anyone ELSE into the file SO LONG AS THE FILE WAS IN SINGLE USER MODE.

The requirement that the file be locked prior to backup is annoying, but understandable. It is a QB restriction - in order to backup a file from within QB you must be the ONLY PERSON using the file.

After the backup, the person who placed the file in single user mode must elect to place the file in multi user mode. Otherwise, the file will continue to be in single user mode - even after logging out. The next person who logs in will get a message, but if they are not paying attention, they will log in as a single user without even realizing it, and again, all other users will be locked out.

Reply to
Lisa C

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