From flash drive back to hard drive?

Hi, Capt.

Quicken looks - by default - to the LAST .qdf file that was used. And since the last one loaded was on your brother's flash drive, Quicken is trying to find that file again. To choose a different file, there are at least two ways:

1. In Quicken, click File | Open and use the Explorer-like window that opens to navigate to the folder on your hard drive.

1. In Windows Explorer (outside Quicken), navigate to the folder that holds your .qdf file and click (or double-click) on that file. Quicken will start, with that file loaded.

In other words, divert Quicken's attention from F: (or whatever the flash drive's letter is) to C: - or wherever YOUR data file is.

Quicken's File menu has another option, Find Quicken Files... You can use this if you don't remember exactly where on your hard drive your data file is located.

If you still can't find it, post back.

RC

Silly me! I forgot about...

On Quicken's File menu, the bottom item (before Exit) should be a list of files most recently used. One of those (probably #2) should be your file. Just click on that.

RC

Hi Capt. Tuttle,

You backed up the Data on the Flash Drive. Therefore you should use the Restore Function from the Flash Drive in the future.

Since your own Data is on the Hard Drive and not on the Flash Drive, but thinks it is there, locate: Drive Letter:\Documents and Settings\Capt. Tuttle\Application Data\Intuit\Quicken\Config and delete Quser.Ini and QW.CFG.

When you delete the two files, Quicken should be closed. After you delete the files, open Quicken load your Data file from the correct location.

R. C. White submitted this idea :

I waited too long for your last suggestion. All the recent files are listed on the G (flash) drive. There was another suggestion to delete the Quser.Ini and QW.CFG files from the Documents and settings. I've tried your suggestions and that one too. It appears I have a (maybe) more serious problem. When I click on the data (QDF) file on my C drive from explorer Quicken tries to open and then crashes. There is also a HFC file that hasn't been mentioned. My final thought was to do a backup from the flash drive to the Quicken directory and then try a restore from that. Before I try that I have to ask: Do you think that will fix things? Or, do you have any other suggestions. Thanks for your help and suggestions. You would think after 30 years of using Quicken I would be able to fix this, but so far no luck.

Hi, Capt.

Inline...

Wow! How many different files did your brother use? I've forgotten the default, but I think at least 4 MRU (Most Recently Used) Quicken files are listed on that Files menu. And it doesn't matter how many times the same file is opened; it gets listed just once. I've been using Q2009 daily for about 3 weeks now, but it is listed only once. So your brother must have opened several different Quicken files. (How much do you trust your brother? I don't mean his honesty, but his computer ability, including his knowledge of Windows and Quicken.)

But that shouldn't really matter. Just use the earlier suggestion: File | Open, and browse to YOUR QDF file.

I don't think this is necessary - or helpful - and it might keep the other suggestions from working.

Sounds bad. You may have to re-install Quicken. But that should not be fatal, or even too traumatic.

What is an HFC file?

At this stage, you need two things:

1. YOUR QDF file, either a very recent backup or, better, the current file that was up-to-date before your brother used your Quicken. You apparently know where to find this, so just make sure that you preserve it and can find it again.
2. A working Quicken program. You MIGHT be able to repair your original, but at this stage, you probably should just re-install it from the CD. This should not disturb any of your data, but you will need to redo some of your settings and tweaks and re-register if you want to download quotes and transactions. You haven't told us yet which version of Quicken or which operating system you are using. Recent Quicken versions can be simply reinstalled again to the same folder as before; earlier versions required us to uninstall the old before installing the new, or to install into a different folder. If you need help on this score, please post back.

Once Quicken has been re-installed, I don't let the install wizard start Quicken for me. I just uncheck the "start Quicken" box and click Done. Then I click on my QDF file and it starts Quicken with my file loaded. From then on, it remembers MY file when I click on the desktop Quicken icon - until I use something like File | Open to load a different QDF file.

Wow! I've only been using Quicken since 1990, not yet 20 years. ;^}

RC

I just wanted to thank you again for trying to help. The problem is not in Quicken exactly. It works very well. It is just that I must continue to have the flash drive in the USB port so Quicken can find it. Any attempt to move the file back to my C directory has not worked. I've copied the files, moved the files, restored the files and no matter what Quicken will only read the files on the flash drive. If I reinstall Quicken I will still have to load the file from the flash drive and that is where Quicken will continue to look for it. Sooner or later maybe I'll find a combination that will work, but everything I've read and tried has not done any good.

Hi Capt. Tuttle,

You are wrong. Ideally, the Quicken Data that you work with every day, should be located in My Documents\Quicken. Also create My Documents\Quicken Backup. Do not move any files.

Before you uninstall Quicken, load your Quicken Data into Quicken. Do a manual backup of that Quicken Data file to My Documents\Quicken Backup.

Now quit Quicken. If you choose to uninstall Quicken, you must reboot the computer and use Explore to delete the remaining Intuit\Quicken folders that are located in Documents and Settings. Otherwise, you will be right back to square one. Also using Explore, delete all files and sub-folders in your \Temp Folders. Run Disk Cleanup.

Reboot and reinstall Quicken with out the Flash Drive attached. It is not going to find any Quicken Data on the computer, so you will need to Restore from the Backup, you created before you uninstalled. Once, restored, you need to open the File.

You will be all set, now, if you did exactly what I said to do.

Capt.

If you hold the cntl key while clicking on the Quicken Icon, it will start without opening any file. You can then go to the file menu item at the top of the Quicken window, and open any file you like. You should have a file in the "My Documents\Quicken" or "My Documents\Quicken Data" folder. Select that file, and it will become the default file for the program.

Hope this helps...

-- Jim

JimH wrote in news:p27Ik.4495$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe14.iad:

I may have missed part of this thread. Another solution is to make a shortcut to the qdf file that is part of the quicken file set that the OP wants to use (wherever he decides it should be located). Then double clicking the shortcut should open Quicken with that file. IMNSHO this is the best way to open Quicken files, especially if you are in the habit of regularly using more than 1 file set. Use separate shortcuts for each qdf file, and give them different icons.

Thanks Joe. It helped a lot!! With the Ctrl key I was able to open the file. I still had a problem, but I moved the Data, QEL and QPH file to the hard drive. I then loaded Quicken with the Ctrl key, picked out my Data file and opened it. It worked! I did a quick backup just to be sure and closed Quicken. I took the flash drive off and loaded Quicken. It still asked me where the file is located, but when I click on my latest Data file in the Quicken directory it opens fine. So, most of the problem is solved. I only need to know how to have the Data file open when I open Quicken. That is probably in the Documents and Settings file somewhere. For now I'm not going to mess with it again. Thanks again for your help.

Hi, Capt.

Glad you got it working. ; So, most of the problem is solved. I only need to know how to have the

This should be the easiest part. ; It still asked me where the file is located, but when I click on my latest

Now that you've loaded the right data file once, and Exited Quicken with that file loaded, you should be able to simply click on the Quicken icon on your desktop. It should remember the latest data file and load that automatically every time - until you load a different data file, of course, such as the one on your brother's USB flash drive.

RC

It happens that R. C. White formulated :

It "should" be, but isn't.

When I click on the Quicken icon on my desktop it continues to ask me to locate the file. If I tell Quicken which file to use (the data file on my hard drive) it loads and all works fine. If I click on my data file in the explorer it loads Quicken and that data is loaded fine. I must have missed something somewhere, but have no idea what to try next. I really don't want to try to install Quicken again for a number of reasons. I can live with this for now even though it is a bit of a pain.

It happens that R. C. White formulated :

It "should" be, but isn't.

When I click on the Quicken icon on my desktop it continues to ask me to locate the file. If I tell Quicken which file to use (the data file on my hard drive) it loads and all works fine. If I click on my data file in the explorer it loads Quicken and that data is loaded fine. I must have missed something somewhere, but have no idea what to try next. I really don't want to try to install Quicken again for a number of reasons. I can live with this for now even though it is a bit of a pain.

Change the properties of your Quicken icon to something like this: "C:\Program Files\QUICKENW\qw.exe" File.qdf Where file.qdf is the name of a valid file on your HD. Then clicking on the icon should open Q using that file set. Rename the icon as desired.

If you have more than one file set, copy the icon, change the properties and rename it.

In WinXP you can pin these icons as a start menu selection rather than having them on your desktop if they are in your start/programs folder. WinXP boots faster with fewer icons on the d/t.

Hi, Capt.

That's surprising. When I click that icon, it always loads the Most Recently Used data file.

Rather than re-install Quicken, just move that Quicken icon to the Recycle Bin, then create a new icon: With your file loaded, Exit Quicken. Then browse to your Quicken folder and right-click on qw.exe and right-drag it to the Desktop. Your options should include Create Shortcuts Here. Let it create the shortcut (don't know why it says "Shortcuts" plural). Then click the new shortcut to be sure that it works.

I'm not sure where the "magic" is in the shortcut, but I think it is in the "Start in:" box. This should show the folder where your favorite .qdf file lives. You actually can create multiple Quicken shortcuts, each pointing to a different .qdf file folder, and many users have reported here that they do that. (See Han's post earlier in this thread.) Windows automatically names the second one "qw.exe - Shortcut (2)", but you can easily right-click each icon and Rename it. You might like to have an extra icon available pointing to the folder on the USB flash drive where your brother's .qdf (sometimes) lives. When he visits, he can click his own shortcut and not disturb yours.

RC