FIDIR.TXT - again

OOPS, sorry. Meant to say there is no index.ini in the Banklist subfolder.

Received some files from Colin. Changed what I thought I needed to as I use Q06Dlx, and started Qkn without any warning messages. Good! Files helped me do a OneStepUpdate, which in turn updated the financial listing files. Also Good!!

LastUpdate date in index.ini shows today (was blank to start), and FIDIR.TXT has not disappeared.

HOWEVER, when I tried a download from couplfe of FI's, immediately started getting messages again - as before - when I wound up with the referral to Quicken.com on disappearance/corruption of FIDIR.TXT.

FIDIR.TXT still there.

Suggestions? I am beginning to see a Quicken Reinstall CD in the Easter Bunny basket.

THANKS!

Jay .

What were those messages again? And what were the fi's and the specific Quicken account types? And was there anything in common about the accounts that had download problems that was not common to the accounts that had no download problems?

I wish I had something useful to offer.

I don't see a reinstall as being something to fear, but I also don't see any evidence it will fix the problem. (That would not stop me from trying one: I have been surprised by what a reinstall will "cure" in the past.) But then, I also know nothing about Windows 2000 or NT.

It is curious that you did not have an index.ini file in the Banklist folder at all before. I'm not quite sure what to make of it, but I think it's possible that might relate to your problem. Now that you are seeing the problem again, do you still have that Banklist index.ini file?

If you do elect to do a reinstall, I would take some extra steps after you uninstall but before you install again. I would remove every folder/file with "quicken" in its name (taking care to put any Quicken *data* in a safe place before doing so ... and remembering that Quicken Home Inventory uses an obscure data file named QHI.IDB, usually found in the Quicken program folder ... unimportant if you do not use Home Inventory). I would also make sure no file named "qw.exe" remained anywhere on my pc.

Thank you for your input, John. Will hunker down and answer your questions first thing Monday after sending my pack of Easter Bunny hounds on appropriate search and isolate/delete tasks. I am aware that it is important to have intermediate steps documented here for the benefit of others instead of saying "I found a solution". (Oh, but that success were the case in my situation).

As to resistance to reinstall, it's a mixture of stubbornness, laziness and a modicum of fear (what's going to be left behind in the registry or as a hidden file untouched by imperfect uninstall programs). Unrelated to Quicken issue, I am still facing a reinstall of something else that's been bugging me for some years.

As I told my wife yesterday, I have probably already spent more time and effort searching for answers than if I just bit the bullet. Then again, how is one to learn?

Jay [P.S. - Thanks to Colin Hickey for forwarding his files. Details will be included in my answer to John tomorrow.]

.

I neglected to add that when I installed again, I would install to a brand new folder, one not present when I did the uninstall.

Well, let's see where to start.... This is going to be a long post.

This situation may be a reason for me to buy a new svelte computer with Vista and donate my Win2000 tower to a deserving relative, and or upgrade to Qkn Dlx 2007. Ah, dreams!

Reality: Running Qkn 2006 Dlx QA 5, on Win2000 SP4 FIs: Merrill, Amex, BoA, Wachovia.

1) Resorted to reinstalling Q from scratch.

Followed John Pollard's reminders (elsewhere in thread). - Moved QHI files out of the way. - Made usual data and registry backups to DVD. - Used Windows Control Panel to remove Quicken 2006. - Used software utility (Mutilate File Wiper 2.92) to overwrite contents three times with zeros and ones, and delete all files in old installation Quicken folders. - Searched entire disk for files beginning with "quick" and "qw". - Used utility to obliterate appropriate ones (i.e., not quicktime...) wherever I found them (mostly in Docs..\username\App... etc., some in \WINNT... ). - Reinstalled from CD running as administrator. - Reregistered. - Updated program to QA 5. - Granted power users Full Control of all Quicken program files files. Power users have always had Full Control over the Data files, stored elsewhere (i.e., other than \Program Files\Quicken\...)

2) As Administrator user - hereinafter "admin" - ran [I am always confused as to which way is "Web connect" and which is "Direct"] online update where Q goes to FI (Merrill) and all was well.

3) As admin ran online update where I go to FI's then choose Download to Quicken. Immediately got a Windows reinstall window which led me to have to have the install CD again in drive., then eventually online update completed satisfactorily.

4) As power user - hereinafter user - ran as in (2) above and all is well.

5) As user ran as in (3) above, encountered same hiccups but CD would not be recognized and ultimetely wound up with error message that source file coud not be found, also error message that I needed to go to Folder Options and assign the file to an application.

The QFX file has always been associated with Quicken Launcher (qw.exe)

6) As admin ran as in (3) above and ran into same issue, which process I interrupted.

During all this time FIDIR.TXT was in place in x:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINNT\Application Data\Intuit\Quicken\Inet\Common\Localweb\Banklist, the same as INDEX.INI and a couple of other files.

I am at a total loss. Help?

THANKS

Jay .

Scratch the new computer, etc.

FYI...

When using as Administrator, had Windows installer ask for program source, I pointed out the CD in the CD drive, and Q worked with download. Because as Power User Windows installer did not get to ask for source, download processing failed.

SO...

I copied entire CD contents - including .MSI file - to a root-level folder. Used Q as Power User, Windows installer went into expected conniptions, THEN APPARENTLY FOUND THE MSI FILE IN THE MENTIONED FOLDER, and download was processed successfuly.

Since then, either as Admin or User, download processing when initiated from the FI now work without any hiccups at all.

Jay

Thanks for posting back with this.

What would have happened if you elected to do one download while logged on as Administrator and allowed the install to finish?

John, I guess i didn't explain my steps correctly, so here goes another try...

a) As Admin, on starting the download processing, i) Win Installer kicked in, ii) Win Installer asked for source files iii) I put in CD, iv) Win Installer found the necessary files, v) the download was completed successfully.

b) As Power User, on starting the download i) Win Installer kicked in ii) Win Installer DID NOT ask for source (rights issue?) iii) download processing failed.

c) As Admin made the copy of the entire Q CD contents as described in earlier post

d) Immediately after step (c) above, when acting as Power User and starting download processing for the first time since step (c) above i) Win Installer kicked in ii) Win INstaller found what it needed iii) download processing completed successfully

e) SUBSEQUENT downloads (i.e., after step (d) above) - wether as Power User or Admin i) Win Installer DID NOT kick in ii) download processed succeessfully

Jay

Did this "power user" have the same Windows user name as the "Admin user" that did the install"?

I think the idea is to do the "extra" install using the same Windows user that will ultimately be using Quicken. You can do this by temporarily changing the Power user's capabilities to Admin user's capabilities for the install, then changing the capabilities back to Power user's capabilties after the install.

John, basic answer is NO.

Have for years installed applications/upgrades/updates as an admin user (not "Administrator" but a username with admin rights).

Actual "use" of applications in daily life is under a different user name(s) with Power User (or whatever the latest naming convention for limited-user-level-but higher-than-guest-rights users, which according to postings in your thread "Questions for Vista users" is apparently now known as UAC under Vista).

In any case, the "extra install" stage - if you mean the Win Installer prompted installation and not the complete reinstall of Q mentioned in earlier post - could not be reached as Power User. As mentioned earlier (had to go back and look) "wound up with error message that source file coud not be found" and was given NO chance to point to file source before clicking out of error messages and interrrupt processing of downloaded material.

Jay

My picture of the process is this:

1.) Change Power User to have admin rights 2.) Install Quicken (apparently this first attempt to install can fail to install everything ... hence the need for subsequent install. 3.) While still having admin rights, initiate a Quicken download 4.) When asked to insert CD for install, do it and allow install to complete 5.) When second install is complete, and download is complete, remove admin rights from Power user

This one I'll keep for future use as updates come along.

As I get Q "free" with yearly purchase of TTax, odd-year version software I install for a relative, even-year versions are for me (rather, for us, as my wife would have me say).

Thanks for your thoughtful analysis. Certainly made me rethink what I've done.

Jay