from QD 2006 to QD 2008

Hi, Jeff.

There's always the chance of power failure or other glitch right in the middle of the upgrade, so be sure your data is backed up. Other than that kind of contingency, though, the upgrade should be very smooth - unless there's something you haven't told us about your computer.

RC

There is *always* a chance of "data mess-ups" when computers are involved, even if you don't do an upgrade. That's why you should always be sure all your important data is backed up.

That goes double for your financial data in Quicken.

1) Make sure you back up the data in a safe place 2) Make a copy of the database 3) Run several reports and print them 3) Validate the database 5) If validate reports problems (and fixes them), re-run reports and verify that data is still valid 4) Install Q08 5) Re-run the reports in #3 and verify data is unaffected.

When you install Q08, it will create *another* backup of the data. Once all is done and successful, you should probably clean up things..

Validate is an important step. A lot of problems with upgrades occur when there are problems with the database.

Thanks. I was also concerned that if 2008 had a radically different interface, it might take some getting used to and finding things....

Jeff

Just one persons observation: I have used (or worked with) Q2000. Q2001. Q2002, Q2004, Q2005, Q2006, Q2007 and Q2008.

I have never experienced any difficulty "getting used to" or "finding things" during any of the changes from one of those versions.

During the same period of time, I have read posts from several users (almost guaranteed to be a fairly small percentage of all Quicken users) who have expressed a difficuly "getting used to" or "finding things" when they "upgraded".

My observation is that those who experience difficulty "finding things" are usually basically lazy.

My other observation is that those who have difficulty "getting used to" newer versions exhibit typical human behavior: a response to change that varies from "foot dragging" to anxiety, fear and even anger at those who dared to introduce change into their lives.

I think that new versions of software - like new versions of any product/service - are intended to introduce change. So I assume I should be prepared for that change. I am almost always underwhelmed by the degree of that change in the case of my software.

I think it would be very difficult for a stranger in a newsgroup to provide you with the assurance you seem to be seeking.

[Nothing personal intended.]

Q06 --> Q08, not radical at all. Most changes are in the reporting area. Most things, you won't notice much difference at all (at least from the UI point of view)...

Is that what they call "tough love"? ;-)

I don't know if I'd use terms as strong as yours, but I agree that for the most part, the problems are usually minor and relate to finding one or more features. I disagree, though, about there being a lack of radical change. It's not often, but in the past decade, there have been UI changes that set me back on my heels for a few minutes until I figured them out. For many of us, interface changes are something we deal with every day and it actually keeps things interesting. However, reality is that for many people, it's disturbing and upsetting to see changes that they see as having no value add and only reduce their productivity.

Also, the thrill of meeting new people everyday kicks in which adds to the fun

The main reason I replied was because of the subjectivity of the "standard" for "getting used to" new software, and needing "warnings" to prevent disappointment.

I'll give you one example; it is one of a great many, but it clearly demonstrates my point that it's not likely that one can give/get effective "warnings" about things like the impact of the user interface on another user.

One poster in the Quicken Forums was in a rage (and I am not exagerating) about the color scheme of one (at the time) newly released version of Quicken. That person submitted several angry posts denouncing the color scheme, then posted it was so bad he was reverting to an older Quicken version. He continued to bombard the forums with reminders that the terrible color scheme had caused him to revert to an earlier version.

As I suggested, change itself can create negative feelings in humans, and it's not possible to anticipate the specifics that will create those feelings, nor which humans will be meaningfully troubled by those negative feelings. I believe that where there is change, regardless how minor, some people will have negative feelings about the change, and there is no way to to know ahead of time which changes will affect which users negatively.

[Fortunately for those who tend to experience those problems, Intuit has a 60 day money back guarantee, so there is really very little need to worry about such things before seeing for one's self.]

I certainly was not trying to say that all changes were of equal value, or that all changes were positive.