Backup in Q2007

Could someone please explain to me how the backup procedure works in Quicken Basic 2007?

I manually backup after every use to a file I have created and named myself for easy identification. I backup to this same folder on a regular (daily) basis with no problem. Say D:\Vista Quicken for example.

On occasion I have to go back in time and open an old archived file I have in another folder. Say C:\XP Quicken. Then when I go back to my original file, D:\Vista Quicken, and I open it but then when I want to back it up again to D:\Vista Quicken where I always have before, I get a windows that says "Backup and Data must differ". I have to keep creating new folder names so I can continue to manually backup my file. I am running out of names! Why can I no longer backup to the same folder I always had before opening another file? I hope I made this clear. peggy

Reply to
peggy
Loading thread data ...

Hi, Peggy.

We review this subject a couple of times a year. Maybe it's time to do it again. Quicken's backup system has not changed significantly in several years, probably a decade or more, although there have been minor variations from year to year.

First, remember that what Quicken calls a "file" is actually a set of related files, so we in this newsgroup often refer to the set as a "fileset". The default name of the main Quicken Data File is QDATA.QDF, and the fileset always includes the QDF file. In addition, there will be up to a half-dozen other files, depending on how YOU use Quicken. These will always have the QDATA filename plus an extension like .QEL or .QTX, etc. You can change the QDATA default to a name of your choice, of course, such as Peggy.QDF, but I'll use the default here. Just recognize that when we say "Quicken file", we mean the full fileset.

Quicken provides for 3 kinds of backup:

  1. Automatic backup. Every week, Quicken automatically creates a backup of the full fileset in a subfolder of the folder that holds the working fileset. Quicken automatically creates that subfolder about a week after the Quicken installation and names it BACKUP (all CAPS). In my case, my data file is in E:\QuickenW, so my automatic backup folder is E:\QuickenW\BACKUP. The first week, it adds a "1" to the name of the file, so QDATA becomes QDATA1. The second week, Quicken first renames all the QDATA1 files to QDATA2, and then it creates a new QDATA1 set containing the current backup. In following weeks, each existing filename gets incremented by 1 and a new QDATA 1 set is created - until it gets to QDATA5. The next week - and every week after that - QDATA5 is deleted, QDATA4 becomes QDATA5, and the newer sets are incremented as before.

  1. Manual backup. We can create a backup of the entire fileset whenever we choose, simply by clicking File | Backup (or pressing Ctrl+B or by clicking an icon we can put on the Tool Bar). This opens a window where we can type in our choice of the destination folder for the backup. This can be in a different folder, a different volume or hard drive, or other media such as a CD/DVD or USB flash drive (or even a floppy disk if your Quicken file is not too large). We can make as many backups as we like, as often as we like, wherever we like.

  2. Reminded backup. This is really the same as the manual backup, but Quicken reminds us to do it when we Exit the program. Again, we can put the backup file wherever we like.

In Edit | Preferences | Quicken Program | Backup, we have 3 options. The first says "Remind after running Quicken ___ times". This is set to 3 times by default and it refers to the reminder in my "3" above. The second option refers to the automatic backups ("1" above) and specifies how many weeks' backup sets to keep; 5 is the default but you can set it to as many as 9 weekly backups. The 3rd option is a box to check whether to warn before overwriting old files; I turned this off years ago because it was just an unneeded extra click.

Quicken always handles the whole fileset (QDATA.QDF, QDATA.QEL, etc.) as a unit, whether you are using "File | Backup" or "File | File Operations | Copy". If you use any other software (like the Windows Copy command), you will need to remember to include the whole set each time.

Take a good look at the Quicken Backup window and read it carefully. (I'm using Q2008 now and the box has changed slightly from prior years, so I'm working partly from memory here.) The top line shows the name of the file that is currently loaded into Quicken. If you try to Backup to that same file in that same folder, you will get the error message you saw. You must send the new backup to a different location, and you can Browse to that folder. Note, too, that the box asks for the backup FOLDER, not the FILE name. Quicken suggests to "Alternate between two disks...", but I don't do that because I know that, even if I mess up this time, I have my weekly automatic backup to fall back on - and, even better, the current file is still loaded into Quicken and I can backup again to a different location. In fact, every week or so, I make two backups: first to my usual location and then to a second location on a different drive, and often a third backup onto a flash drive.

Vista has some new security restrictions that you may run into. It will not allow us to write into certain protected folders so we can't put our manual backups into the Root of the Boot Volume (usually C:\) or into the Program Files folder.

If you have questions, Peggy, you can check the archives of this newsgroup. As I said, we've discussed this quite often.

RC

Reply to
R. C. White

Great summary RC.

Another point for Peggy is that when you need to revert to a backup copy you have to use the RESTORE function instead of the OPEN function. Her multiple levels of folders is being caused by opening a backup file and then making another backup from there. Using the restore function will keep the folder structure intact.

Reply to
Laura

"Great summary" indeed RC. Thank you very much!

Laura,

I think you hit the nail on the head! I have been "Opening" the file instead of using the Restore function as you say, which I am assuming you are saying that if I use restore then I can indeed save back to that same folder? peggy

Reply to
peggy

The folder structure looks like this:

C:\Main folder >working files here C:\Main Folder\BACKUPS >backup files here

When you restore a file that was located in the BACKUPS folder a new file is created in the "Main folder". It is now a "working" file. When you go to backup this file, the backup is put into the BACKUPS folder.

By using the appropriate commands - you open working files and restore backup files - the folder structure is retained.

Reply to
Laura

Thank you both RC and Laura for the great explanations. Everything is working as it should now. Thanks again so much. peggy

Reply to
peggy

BeanSmart website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.