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Quicken 2011 - working with data on network

Our office just upgraded from Q2010 Deluxe to Q2011 Deluxe. We have been accessing Quicken data files from our server for many years with no problem. Each PC has its own licensed version of Quicken so that the program runs locally, but the data files are stored on the network so that everyone has access to them. PC OS is Win XP Pro; server OS is Win 2003 Server.

When opening Q2011 for the first time (and the same thing has happened on 2 PCs so far), the program pops up a dialog box saying, "Restore from backup file. Quicken will restore this backup file." Hello? I am trying to OPEN a file, not restore one. If I cancel out of the box and go to File, Open on the menu and select a network data file, I get the same dialog box. I could understand if it wanted to CONVERT the file, whether in place or locally, but it does not say that. Anyway, what seems to work is to "restore" the network data file to the local drive (which Quicken will then convert to the new Q2011 format), exit Quicken, copy the converted local data file to the server (overwriting the original data file, which I copied to another location first) and then this network data file can be opened from the server. That's tedious and we have many network data files. Before I give a crash course to everyone in our office about what they have to do when they start using Q2011 (which will be a challenge and I can see problems ahead - you know what I mean), I wanted to ask this group if this Q2011 behavior is normal.

BTW, I have tried reinstalling Q2011 on one PC, but the problem is still there.

Quicken chat support was no help. Googling did not reveal any pertinent answers, either.

And, yes, I know that Intuit does not support using Quicken data files on a network, but we have been doing it for the past 15 or so years, and have never had a problem.

As a side note, one of the "restored" files went from 2,440 KB to1,213 KB (all investment transactions). The second one I "restored" (also all investment transactions) hardly changed in size at all (1,184 KB to 1,145 KB). Any idea why?

Reply to
Steve_L
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To clarify, the inital dialog box that popped up when first starting Q2011 showed the target as the last network data file that had been opened in Q2010.

Reply to
Steve_L

interesting...... BTW - you might also post this on the Intuit Quicken forum, since "newsgroups" seem to have been dropped by several ISPs.

SO - in previous years, when you installed a new version and then first accessed the old files, did you get a "convert" screen function - and it performed it using the file server ?

Wonder what result you might see if you took the same exact "old" file server file and copied it to a flash drive, and tried opening it from there ?

Just trying to determine if for some reason Q2011 is seeing "remote" and "removeable" drives as something different compared to "local" drives - and forcing a restore operation ?

Reply to
ps56k

Good suggestion!

I just posted my question on Quicken Live Community.

Yes, we always received a message about converting. This particular message (about restoring a backup file, which refers to the file I am trying to open) is new with Q2011.

I just tried it. The same thing happens as when trying to open a network data file.

Apparently that's the case, but the program never complained before and we've been using it forever.

Reply to
Steve_L

My (unappreciated, I am sure!) two cents - Even if it did 'work' before, you might have been running a risk of corrupted data that you don't even know about, I would think. Since you're running this in an office (ie: not on a home network), why not use a 'real' program that supports your topology and not run the risk that you're incurring. I wouldn't want to explain to my boss or customers or auditors that I exposed my company in this fashion knowing it wasn't supported from the gecko. Point is even if you get it to "work", it still might not be prudent to run in that fashion.

Reply to
Andrew

just for the sake of simplicity - I would use the "flash drive scenario" for all tests & threads/discussions, and not even mention the "network" aspect, as that might throw people off the real issue you are experiencing.

Reply to
ps56k

I appreciate your response and cautionary advice.

There are quite a few clients who utilize Quicken and send us their files, and we also enter data for others. Working with the data files on each PC and then copying them to the network for storage purposes is certainly the "approved" way to go, but it's not practical given our situation.

I had experimented a while back with batch files specific to each client's Quicken data files that would copy the data files to the local drive, change the attribute on the network data files to read-only, and copy the data files back to the network drive once the user closed out of Quicken, but it was too time-consuming and just not practical. Doing the same thing "by hand" would be another way to go, but it's also a problem just waiting to happen, especially given that some of our users are not comfortable working with files directly. You could also work with the files all day and at the end of the day copy the data files to the server, but again, user interaction is required and I am not confident that the procedure would always be followed.

There's no perfect solution, it seems.

Reply to
Steve_L

responding to

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roth45 wrote: I'm seeing exactly the same problems with Quicken 2011 Premier, when I try to keep the data file(s) on a thumb drive.

Really a pain. It's almost like Quicken thinks the "C" drive is sacred.

Reply to
roth45

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