Home Network Use

Q 2009 I realize that this may not be recommended but I have a two computer home wireless network and I would like both computers to have access to my Quicken data files. How do I set this up?

Thanks in advance... Bob

Reply to
Bob
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From: "Bob"

| Q 2009 | I realize that this may not be recommended but I have a two computer | home wireless network and I would like both computers to have access | to my Quicken data files. How do I set this up?

| Thanks in advance... Bob

Via a standard network share.

If you don't know how to use NT Shares then plase take the time to learn based upon the OS (or OS') involved.

NOTE: Even when you have a NT Share setup to access the Quicken data, don't expect BOTH to computers to access the same data files at the same time.

Reply to
David H. Lipman

Bob wrote in news:249556de-53a7-4c26-92c4-320b7cb529d4 @w21g2000vby.googlegroups.com:

Carefully and with discipline. Quicken (in contrast to Quickbooks, I believe) is NOT set up to protect its database from corruption when 2 different instances access the same data. Also, if data transfer is interrupted or too slow, you'll get corruption. Therefore it is best to copy the file(s) from wherever they are stored finally to the local machine before they are worked on, then copied back.

However, I would walk upstairs or downstairs to work on Quicken on a single machine (or use remote desktop), then backup to another machine, but stay with 1 machine to do the actual work.

It's up to you, YMMV!!

Reply to
Han

This is why I store my Quicken data file on my desktop machine and then sync it between desktop and laptop. A local backup is performed before each "sync," so if something goes wrong, I can always restore from backup. In addition, I do nightly, weekly and monthly backups to both an external hard drive and a NAS.

My method is probably more complicated than most people want to deal with, but I can access my Quicken data (all my data for that matter) from either machine and have multiple backups at different intervals in case something goes wrong.

HTH,

Margaret

Han wrote:

Reply to
Margaret

That's my understanding too. Quicken was not designed for network access. I keep Quicken on my work machine (XP) and just use LogMeIn to access that machine if I need to work with Quicken but I am on one of my other machines. I'd rather use RA than risk data corruption.

Reply to
Laura

| That's my understanding too. Quicken was not designed for network | access. I keep Quicken on my work machine (XP) and just use LogMeIn to | access that machine if I need to work with Quicken but I am on one of my | other machines. I'd rather use RA than risk data corruption.

Well you can, I do and have done it for years. Never had data corruption either.

Just a matter of setting up a NT Share that is Read/Write and making sure no more than one platform accesses the file(s) at a time and its preferable to map a drive letter to the NT Share.

Many programs aren't designed to share data. Those that are have file locking procedures in place in case two or more platforms do try to access the data files at the same time. However just because a given application is not designed to share data, does not mean said application can't access the data across a network.

Reply to
David H. Lipman

"David H. Lipman" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news4.newsguy.com:

I guess I don't understand what "setting up a NT Share that is Read/Write" really means. Can you please explain more, David?

Reply to
Han

From: "Han"

| "David H. Lipman" wrote in | news: snipped-for-privacy@news4.newsguy.com:

| I guess I don't understand what "setting up a NT Share that is Read/Write" | really means. Can you please explain more, David?

It depends upon what the OS for exactly HOW a NT Share is setup.

Often it is as easy as Right-Clicking and choosing "Sharing and Security" or "share this folder" or something to that effect.

Then you have to assign permissions to accounts and/or password based permissions either as a read-only share or a Read-Write share.

Quicken needs to open the file handles for Read and Write.

Lets say that I have quicken data files on drive "D:" as D:\data\quicken of computer #1 I would Right-Click on the folder 'quicken' in Explorer and indicate I want this folder to be shared and I weant Read and Write access to the share called 'quicken'.

The share called 'quicken' can be found by browsing the computer it is shared on. Lets say the computer #1 is called Orange-PC and is Windows XP Pro. The share then is, using Universal Nameing Convention (UNC); \\Orange-PC\quicken

Lets assume there is an account called "David" with the password: ti$ez2do on computer #1.

Let us say computer #2 is a Vista platform. I would access \\Orange-PC\quicken and it would ask for a name and password. I give it "David" with the password: ti$ez2do and check the box to remember the name & password.

Now I can map a drive letter either through the explorer GUI or via command line. Command line: net use Q: \\Orange-PC\quicken /PERSISTENT:YES

GUI: Right-Click on computer and choose; Map Network Drive Provide the drive letter for "Drive" { example Q: ) Provide the UNC name to use for the drive mapping { example \\Orange-PC\quicken ) Check the box "reconnect at logon"

Now whenever I logon to the Vista PC I can access the "Q:" drive for quicken data files

All I have to do is point Quicken to the "Q:" drive.

Again, the text for the function and how it is to be done will vary from OS to OS but that's the basics.

Reply to
David H. Lipman

"David H. Lipman" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news2.newsguy.com:

OK, that I can do . But it doesn't address one of my concerns for this setup. If this is going to be accessed via WiFi, it assumes the Wifi is fast enough for a big database to be read and written to effectively, AND that the Wifi is secure enough for my financial data to be accessible.

In my case that mght be true, but it might not be so for everyone.

Reply to
Han

From: "Han"

| "David H. Lipman" wrote in | news: snipped-for-privacy@news2.newsguy.com:

| OK, that I can do . | But it doesn't address one of my concerns for this setup. If this is | going to be accessed via WiFi, it assumes the Wifi is fast enough for a | big database to be read and written to effectively, AND that the Wifi is | secure enough for my financial data to be accessible.

| In my case that mght be true, but it might not be so for everyone.

WiFi is another matter but if that is a worry, then use a wired network.

BTW: WiFi speed is a problem nor the size of the Quicken data set. It is the quality of service and the possibility of a disconnect.

Reply to
David H. Lipman

A freeware program called "Goodsync"

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can be used as a simple alternate to networking to have a backup PC ready to use with Quicken if the main PC quits. It can be set up to copy the QDF file to a USB drive automatically whenever the file changes. Plugging that USB drive into another machine with Goodsync set up properly automatically compares the QDF file on it to the one on that PC, and replaces the older version of it on that PC, in the proper file location (or wherever you wish).

Reply to
Richard Fry

"Richard Fry" wrote in news:icittr$agu$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

You would have to make sure that Goodsync is NOT trying to sync while you are accessing the Quicken data file!! (I have goodsync for another purpose and it works great for that).

Another freeware program is Karen's Replicator which you could instruct to do the synching while you are not using the machine.

Reply to
Han

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In my experience, when Goodsync is set up for one-way (backup) operation it does not copy the QDF file from the "main" PC immediately when Quicken is running, and changes are made in the Quicken data.

Evidently the data changes entered when a QDF file is open are not re-written as a QDF file until exiting Quicken.

Reply to
Richard Fry

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