Precautions before upgrading to Q 2014?

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Like so many others I am forced to update from my current Q Deluxe 2011 to the latest version 2014. So, I wonder if the experts have any advice bout what to do before I install the update.

Backup is obvious, but should I also do something else? Should I also for instance do a validate and repair? Will Q 2014 alter the data file used by 2011?

Ideally, I would like to keep both 2011 and 2014 installed on my Windows PC until I know 2014 has not messed somethings up. But when I started the install it wanted to delete the old version before installing the new one even though I suggested a different install folder. Is there no way to keep the old version and install 2014 in a different directory?

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A couple of thoughts.

1.) When you're ready to convert: make a Quicken Copy of your Q2011 file and Validate that Copy. That way you will have your regular Q2011 file and a Validated Q2011 file available for converting (and I believe the Copy sometimes makes the Validate more effective). Usually you only need to convert the unValidated file. Also get the free 7-zip application and use it to "unzip" your Q2011 data file. The unzip process shouldn't alter your Q2011 file, but I would make a copy of the Q2011 file anyway, and unzip that copy. The unzipping will produce several Quicken files that are basically the same as the old multiple-Windows files that used to make up your Quicken data before Q2010. One of those files contains your Quicken price history (the .QPH file). Under certain conditions, you may want to access the old price history, and there is a way to do that, should it become necessary. If it's not needed, it cost virtually nothing to do the unzip.

2.) Create a few PDF reports of your Q2011 data for use in verifying the results of the conversion. ___ A report of your Account List with balances and transaction counts. ___ A Banking Transactions report subtotaled by Account sorted by date. (You might find more than one such report valuable ... with different subtotals, etc.). ___ An Investing > Portfolio Value report, subtotaled by Account.

3.) While it is possible to have more than one year version of Quicken installed on the same pc at one time, it is generally not advisable. Different Quicken versions do not play well together. I am (almost) used to the problems and I have multiple Q versions installed on 2 pc's - I mostly test with the ones I'm not using regularly; and when it's time for me to actually upgrade, I am usually pretty familiar with the version I upgrade to. To prevent Quicken from uninstalling previous versions during the install process: hold down CTRL+SHIFT while clicking the first "Next" button you encounter in the install.

Thank you so much John. You are a wonderful resource and it is very kind of you to share your expertise.

Should I expect any problems upgrading from QD 2011 to 2014? Anything to look out for?

Thanks again

"Jeff" wrote

Should I expect any problems upgrading from QD 2011 to 2014? Anything to look out for?

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I converted my Q2011 test file to Q2014 with no problem.

But several users have reported problems converting older versions (including Q2011) to Q2014. To my knowledge no one has pinned down a reason for the problems.

I would wait until February (or even March) to purchase Q2014 - then you should be virtually guaranteed to have the latest patch to Q2014 to work with. If Q2014 poses some problem you can't live with, you can get a refund.

You're not required to have Q2014 to continue downloading and getting support: any newer version than Q2011 will still be good after the end of April 2014.

What problems have been reported, and where were they reported?

I'm going to have to make the move myself, compounded by a move to a new PC and new(er) operating system.

Thank you again. Jeff

There is one other thing I forgot to mention.

I believe newer Quicken versions have different file password rules than older versions - I don't use a file password, so I have not kept up with the details.

You may need to consider that when converting since if you convert a file that has a password that used to be valid in the old version, but no longer is in the new version; you may not be able to open the converted file.

The simplest way to address that is to remove the password from the old version file while you still have the old version installed. Then do your conversion and reinstate a file password on the new version file.

If you're concerned about having a Quicken file (the old one) with no password: make a copy of your old version file, remove the password from the copy, convert the old copy that has no password, then delete the old copy that has no password. And remember: when Quicken converts a file, it makes a backup of the old file and puts it in a folder named QnnFiles (where nn=the two digit year of the old version). Your old version file with no password would be in that QnnFiles folder.

I never realized the 2011 Quicken file was a zip file. Thank you for that information. You said,

Is there a utility that reads the QPH file? Thanks, Fred J.

I never realized the 2011 Quicken file was a zip file. Thank you for that information. You said,

Is there a utility that reads the QPH file?

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Yes. It's called "The QPH File Processor"; it's available online for free. Google for it.

The QPH File Processor can read a .QPH file and do a few things with its prices selectively (by security, by date, etc). One of those things is it can write a comma delimited file of the prices in the .QPH file - and Quicken can import that comma delimited file of prices. So The QPH File Processor offers a way to recover old prices. And since it will not write prices from corrupted .QPH file records, it can help get the good prices from a corrupt .QPH file.