Am I correct that there is only one Data Backup Folder in Quicken which has a maximum number of files set in Edit-Preferences of 1 to 99?
If so, this can be a problem if one has multiple accounts with one being run very frequently compared to the others which then may "disappear" from backups. That chance could be eliminated if backup folders where. by account.
Comments please.
Quicken creates a BACKUP folder in every folder that holds a Quicken data file. So, if you don't keep all of your Quicken data files in the same folder (different filenames obviously), there will be multiple BACKUP folders scattered around your harddrive. The default name for a backup file is the current file's name with the .QDF-Backup extension. Automatic backups are stored (if Quicken is told to make them, Preference setting) in the BACKUP folder and have both the date and time added to their file's name to differentiate them. Manual backups are stored at a location of the user's choice at the time of backup and can optionally have the date added to the file's name. The restriction on the number of backup files kept is on the "base" (filename without time and date) filename and that number is also a Preference setting. You refer to "multiple accounts". Are you referring to multiple accounts in a data file or multiple Quicken ID accounts?
I an referring to multiple data (QDF) files.
Sorry, I left out an important word, Automatic, which was implied with the
1 - 99 limit. I prefer automatic and not relying on pressing a button and all automatic backups from all accounts appear to go into one file.I have three QDF files whose backups might then be deleted. I have a batch file to protect against this but it should be a Q standard to have backups by QDF.
FWIW, I can confirm that Qkn does, indeed, make its automatic backups in a Backup Folder in the Folder in which the QDF File resides.
So, if multiple QDF's exist in the same Folder then all of their auto-backups will go to the same Backup Folder. If, however, the multi-QDF's each lived in a Folder of its own then the backups will go to each separate Backup Folder.
For an nu-related reason I had a Qkn Copy File that I had made to a separate Folder for isolation.
After completing the the reason for the copy I then opened and closed that separate file over the course of the last several days.
Today, after reaching the auto-threshold, when I exited Qkn it created a Backup Folder in my separate Copy Folder and put it's auto-backup in that newly created Folder.
So have each Qkn File in a Folder of its own and have links (Desktop or elsewhere) to open each File.
Geo. Salisbury Long Valley, NJ
It seems to me that then each one actually then would start a separate instance of Q. Can you run two or more at the same time?
No, you can only run one instance of Quicken for Windows at a time.
G.Salisbry's suggestion to create different folders for each data file seems to be over kill to me. The only reason I could see to do that is if you are a professional doing other people's Quicken work for them to keep those records separate from each other, but there is no reason to do it for the proper functioning of Quicken.
As long as you name the data files differently, then Quicken should have no trouble keeping things separated.
Auto backup is into one folder. I now have 3 Q files for family, previously
FWIW, I have multiple QDFs in the same folder for various reasons (wife, kids, etc.). Every time I exit Quicken for whatever reason, I generate a manual backup in another folder on a separate hard drive (with date attached to file name) and manually delete at the end of each month a rolling 3 month archive. Additionally, I use NERO BACKUP product to maintain an image of my entire PC Drive C on yet another hard drive dedicated to Nero. Yes, I have literally hundreds of copies, but storage is cheap.
The Quicken automatic backups I also have, but if the main drive goes, so would they since they are on the same drive.
I also use DROPBOX and manually create an encrypted copy of my main Q file folder since since if the house goes,so do all the three physical drives described above.
Moral of the story is you can never have too many backups.
I agree. I also have many backups, as follows:
Lots of backups BUT if all automatic and one file little used compared to others it could still "disappear" unless remember to copy someplace else.
They are all in different places, on different drives. It's highly unlikely that they will all disappear at once.
It seems you missed what Ken was saying. His backups ARE copied "someplace else" - actually, multiple other places.
And it's a trivial matter to have software do that "copying" automatically - no need to "remember" anything.
Not trying to beat a dead horse but if your backups are never reused or written over OK. If they are reused eventually little used Q files will disappear and cannot be referred to. That is not a problem unless you need the data. That loss is not intentional but exists and the operator only finds out if the data is needed. Who routinely looks at "safe automatic backups" to check them as time goes by?
Wrong question.
Who blindly over-writes user-created backups NOT residing on whatever drive the Quicken data file resides? Or even in a different folder on the same drive where the Quicken data file resides?
When Quicken's automatic backups are themselves backed up to any other folder (but especially to an external USB or hard drive, or to a web-based location such as Google Drive or One Drive); those backups of backups are not over-written without the user explicitly choosing to do so. Those "backups of backups" can be just as "automatic" as Quicken's automatic backups - actually even more automatic since you need do nothing to create those backups but make sure your computer is running. In other words: there's nothing to "remember".
And if you feel you need your Quicken file automatic backups to each be kept in a separate automatic backup folder - a separate automatic backup folder for each Quicken file you have; put each Quicken file you have in its own folder - then it will be the only file whose automatic backups are in the Quicken "BACKUP" folder within the folder where your Quicken data file resides.
Zaidy036 -- You seem to be fixated that the entire contents of the BACKUP folder used for automatic backups is limited to one max number -- 99. I do not believe that to be the case. I believe each unique QDF file that gets automatically backed up into that folder is limited to the max number. Further, it could be a different number for each QDF file. So if you have three different QDF files with automatic backups going into that folder, you could end up with 99 x 3 = 297 backup files (automatic style) in that folder. You are not going to lose the file B.QDF and file C.QDF automatic backups because file A.QDF has reached its max (99) count. There seems to be some concern that the new-ish automatic backups associated with program version upgrades might break that counting routine. I am not clear yet on the resolution of that question. While I think the automatic backups are fine, I think the better strategy is to rely on manual backups.
Do you have some reference from Q that each file has its own backup limit up to 99?
Maybe someone on this newsgroup can confirm this from their experience.
On Monday, March 28, 2022 at 5:04:54 PM UTC-5, Zaidy036 wrote: ...
Apologies for missing your reply and question until now. I have no reference. I do know that was the case when auto-backups were first introduced and numbered with 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 appended to the filenames. In that scheme, filename-5 was always the oldest and it was deleted when a new auto-backup was created with the now again 5 files renumbered accordingly.
Also in that scheme, it was filename dependent. I could (would) have multiple files with autobackups in the same folder all numbered up to 1 through 5.
It defies logic (IMO) that the numerical limit would apply tp all filenames in the folder. If one filename has a limit of 3 and another sets the limit at 99, what controls? (I'll concede that something defying logic does not prevent Quicken programmers from trying it.)
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