questions about 2008 home and business

Yes, on the "Edit" menu select "Quicken Program" and click on "calendar and currancy". Check the box for "Multi-currency support" and click "OK" to exit. Next on the "Tools" menu, "Currency List" you can select your home currency.

Yes.

Brilliant - many thanks

Did you run the install as "administrator"? [Not the same as running the install as a user with admin priveledges.]

I don't know whether this means that you are using the UK version of Quicken, as opposed to living in the UK and using the US version of Quicken.

If you are now using the UK version of Quicken, you will probably have a bit more of a problem than the answers to your original questions would provide: The US versions of Quicken will not convert (upgrade) the data from any non-US version of Quicken.

To get your data from a UK version of Quicken into a US version of Quicken, you will have to export from the UK version to QIF files, then import those QIF files into the US version.

But it's even somewhat (or a lot, depending on who you talk to) more complicated than that. For starters, I believe you will have to manually establish the accounts in the US version of Quicken before importing their transactions from the QIF files.

You will also lose any UK specific capabilities such as VAT tax, etc.

And there are probably a few other problems that I have forgotten (I only know what those who have tried the UK-to-US process have posted ... and my memory isn't that great). You can search the archives of this newsgroup using Google, and you can check the Intuit Quicken Forums.

Luckily, Quicken has a 60 day money back guarantee; so if you can get your hands on a US version, you'll have a little time to try it to see if you like it.

Hi John

Yes I use the UK version in the UK

And yes I tried installing my old version as administrator, it just won't have it - a shame, because it does everything I want.

Anyway, I've installed 2008, and it converted my wife's business account in a snap, although showing $ instead of £. I went through the process of selecting sterling as the home currency but there seems to be a mixed result. In the Account Bar, each account still shows the amount in $, but the balance figure for the different groups (e.g. Personal Cash flow) shows in £. Is there a way to make each account's balance show as £. I could just use it anyway, but it irks!

I also tried converting the file for my home accounts, and it wouldn't!!! So now I'm going to try your idea of exporting a QIF file.

Thanks for your comments

Aaahh - no, I just realised that all the amounts in the accounts are in dollars, and only the balance is in sterling. I thought it was just the currency symbol that was differing. I think what I'm seeing is that I would have to start each account anew, setting each to use sterling. That's quite a bit of work. Will have to think again.

Anyway you approach it, there will be quite a bit of work.

When you export your accounts to QIF files, you will not "convert" your old file; you'll just create a new file, with accounts in the correct currency, and import the qif files into the appropriate accounts. QIF files have no ability to recognize anything about currencies.

An oversimplified description of the process.

1.) Create new Q2008 US file. 2.) Setup multicurrency support. 3.) Specify the appropriate "Home currency" 4.) Manually create each appropriate Quicken account, specifying the correct currency. 5.) Import individual QIF files into the appropriate Quicken accounts.

More detailed info about the process:

What you need to know about importing qif files into Quicken versions later than Q2004:

Thanks again John.

I fail to understand why 2008 converted the business file without a problem, but when I try to open the home file it tells me that it can't open European files. Both were created in the same UK version!

Anyway, with the business file it looks like I can continue, by living with the currency symbol as $ - I create a new file every financial (fiscal?) year, so come next April I will set up each account to be in sterling.

So now I have to dive into trying the QIF export/import approach, or just give up and start again with a new file, and archive the old stuff.

Thanks for the guidance and links on that - I suspect I'll be back with some specifics before long!!

I can offer only one suggestion and it may take some work and be time consuming but, if you have imaging software, make an image of drive C:\ or where ever you've installed Quicken. Then remove Quicken completely, including all backup files, etc. (keeping only the files from your Quicken 2000 Deluxe) and start all over again.

You might also consider trying 2008 deluxe instead of Home and Business, if it converts properly then you can upgrade to Home and Business if you need to do so.