Newbie Had To Restore Computer - really needs help..

Sorry - Quicken 2006 and Windows XP...

"Terri" wrote in news:YaydnT_S1_pyfBLbnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

Did you do the backups from within Quicken? The there are a bunch of files with the same name, but different extensions, such as (Mydata).qdf, .qel, .qph, .qtx, .idx. You will need most of them (I think you can do without .qph, but would include it as well). Once you have them copied to where you want them, it is easiest to make shortcut(s) to the qdf file(s) you will need to use. Starting Quicken by doubleclicking on the qdf is much easier than loading Quicken with the wrong file then having to search for the right one.

You can copy those files to any location on your hard drive. I have mine located in My Documents\Quicken for easy backup. Suppose your file is called "YOURFILE". You want to copy YOURFILE.* as well as YOURFILEofxlog.DAT and YOURFILEofxold.DAT. The primary extensions will be IDX, NPC, QDF, QEL, OPH, File open also looks for QDB & QDT files so if you have any of them copy them over too. Your backups probably will be found in a "BACKUP" folder. You might copy those over to the new hard drive too.

On your new computer just use the File>>Open option and browse to the location of your files. If you need to restore a backup then use the File>>Restore option. Just make sure that the files copied to your hard drive are not in a read-only attribute.

Can you do a search on the Maxtor backup? That might be the easiset way of finding them. Your exact location depends on how you originally set up the old computer. They *might not* be hiding in the C:\program files folder. Mine are not.

Laura: I am so upset - I had done the books for May in Quicken on my new hard drive but I cannot find the files and now they are opening to April - if I have to redo it, okay but shouldn't it have saved a copy somewhere? I cannot locate it.

I have several sets of books in Quicken and they all are showing up for the wrong months. Don't quite know where to start now...

Your advice sounds right but if I put them in My Docments|quicken then I should move the entire file there rather than leave it in program files?

Sorry for sounding so incompetent but can't help it..

I would move all of the associated files that begin with YOURFILE to a safe location. Make sure that your windows settings are set to show hidden files and folders. They may be in a hidden location - My documents is actually a hidden folder so files don't show up in a normal search. Also check your search option to include Advanced>>include system folders, hidden files and folders plus subfolders so that your entire drive is searched. A quick search of *.QDF should reveal the various locations on your hard drive. It sounds like you are opening up an older file. Keep searching is all that I can suggest at the moment. I'm on my way out for a few hours.

Terri:

Pardon me if I am stating the obvious, but as Laura suggested, make sure that under "More Advanced Options" you have "Search hidden files and folders" checked.

Also, do make sure that you are selecting your external Maxtor drive in the "Look in:" drop-down.

Bob

Hi, Terri.

Step 1: Don't panic!

Quicken always makes automatic backups every week (unless you've changed the defaults). It stores these backups in a subfolder that it creates and names BACKUP (note the ALL CAPS name) under the same folder where your data files are stored. If your main data file is QDATA.qdf, and you haven't changed the default, you should find your working fileset in C:\Program Files\Quicken and all your 5 most recent weekly backup sets in C:\Program Files\Quicken\BACKUP. You may, if you like, change the default location, but If you didn't change it, that's where the files should be.

As Han said, a Quicken "file" is actually a set of related files, all with the same name and different extensions. We often refer to the entire set as a "fileset". You need them all, and Quicken handles them all as though they were a single file.

Now, how to find the files on your hard drive if you've lost track of where they might be? When all else fails, we can always use the current version of the old MS-DOS command, Dir - for Directory, now called Folder. At the Command Prompt, or in a Run box, enter: dir C:\*.qdf /s/a

Dir - the command to produce the directory listing C:\ - starts in the Root (the top level) of Drive C:

*.qdf - lists all files with the .qdf extension, no matter what name /s - searches all subdirectories under the starting directory; since we are starting in C:\, it will search ALL directories (folders) on C: /a - lists ALL folders and files, no matter what Attributes are set, so it will show Hidden files, too.

You may have time for a cup of coffee - or even lunch if you have a large drive with lots of files. But when it's done, you should see a list of EVERY *.qdf file on your Drive C:. If you have multiple drives, you can repeat the process: Dir D:\*.qdf /s/a, for example.

For every .qdf file shown, carefully note the complete path to the folder. Then browse to that folder and look for QDATA.* files. In your Quicken folder, or other location if you've changed the default, you should find a single set of all those files. In the same folder, you should find a subfolder named \BACKUP; in that subfolder should be FIVE sets of files with names like QDATA1.qdf, QDATA2.qdf, etc. In other words, they should have your data filename with a numeral added, plus the .qdf and other extensions. The sets should be dated one week apart. The QDATA1 set should be the most current, and dated no more than a week ago.

You may have other .qdf files scattered around your hard drive, depending on how many times you've saved backups or other copies. You may want to hold onto all of them until your recovery is complete enough that you can delete any clearly useless ones.

When you have located the latest - or the most likely current - set of files, just click on the QDATA.qdf file. Since you have already reinstalled Quicken, that click should start Quicken with that particular Quicken file loaded. When you are satisfied that this is the file you want to work with, click File | Backup and browse to the location of YOUR CHOICE for keeping the backup. (This is in addition to the automatic weekly backup, which Quicken will automatically put in the \BACKUP subfolder under the folder where that .qdf file is found.)

If this is not clear, please post back with questions.

RC

Am trying your search in run for dir C:\*qdf/s/a and actually did a copy and paste from your post, however it cannot find that directory....any other ideas?

Double check that your search criteria was dir C:\*.qdf/s/a. Your message below is missing the period between * and qdf.

This should work fine. My search even showed the files found in the recycle bin plus my backup files. This search is even faster than using the classic search in windows explorer.

QDATA was just a suggested file name.

Try dir e:\*.qdf/s/a instead.

Sorry Laura that does not work either - I find one old qda file and that is it..... Am very frustrated as you can imagine - I had done all my books through May

31st and they are really nowhere to be found!

Terri said the following on 7/8/2007 11:21 AM:

Greetings Terri,

I've been reading your news posts and those from RC White and Laura. Have you thought about using Remote Assistance? This would allow someone you trust to log onto your computer from a remote location and then search for the files while you watch.

Don

Quicken can help you find its files. With Quicken open click "File > Find Quicken Files". I believe you can search any disk drive with this feature, one drive per search. Look for "All Quicken Files" and select the drive you want to Quicken to search. Be patient; it may look like nothing is happening, but if the "Open" button is greyed out, Quicken is still looking.

Mind you, I don't expect you to find any files you have not already found - if you followed the advice previously given, exactly - but you should be able to satisfy yourself that no further searches (on the drives you have already searched) will help.

For both the c: drive as well as the edrive? Can you tell if the edrive is a current backup of your hard drive? You may be out of luck if that backup is not a good one.

What operating system are you running?

Also, did you ever find the BACKUP folder on your hard drive? If you have not, then something is not correct with your search query.

Also, did you ever find the BACKUP folder on your hard drive? If you have not, then something is not correct with your search query.