Quicken Deluxe 2003 versus WinXP SP2

thanks

Been running Q2003 (and previously, Q2002) on XP SP2 since last fall, no problems.

Thanks Andy...now all I have to do is re-read all of the bumph I saved about what to do before installing.

Wish me luck. If experience is any guide, this will either go as smooth as silk or take waaay more time than one might imagine.

Just curious...how come you haven't upgraded beyond Q2003?

Rex's Mom wrote in news:2eQQe.149235$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

You need to make backup copies. Then you need to validate a copy and make sure the errors are fixed, and the file set gives the expected results (balances, reports etc.). The you need to make more backup copies.

After installing Q2003 you need to do a onestep update to get the patches/revisions to the program *before* opening your data files. This is important!! So is making backup copies.

I skipped Q2003 and 2004, and went from 2002 to 2005. Now I hear the good things about Q2006, I will likely get that when the bundlings with taxcut etc come out.

Please let us hear about your results!

I backup my quicken files once a week on rotating media. Not sure what you mean by 'validate a copy and make sure the errors are fixed'. Was not aware that I had errors.

I already have Q2003 loaded on my machine and have been using it for years. No plans just now to upgrade my Quicken. Did go to their website looking for patches/revisions and did not find any. Am still running R1. It should be noted though, that I use it strictly OFFLINE, do not have any downloads from financial institutions set up.

Backup copies of what?

Will do, but it is my intention to do the WinXP SP2 install when I have plenty of free time...just in case something hiccups!

I thought Quicken was bundled with TurboTax. Do they also bundle it with TaxCut?

The 1 thing I kept reading prior to installing sp2 on my xp computers is to TURN OFF ALL ANTIVIRUS PROGRAMS! I did & the installation on our 2 computers was flawless.

Make sure your PC is spyware-free as well. My pre-SP2 checklist was: Full AV scan Full spyware scan (Spybot and Ad-Aware) Drive defrag Reboot & shut down everything I don't need at startup Run the SP2 installer from CD

Haven't felt a need. I got a deal on 2003 last March and upgraded from

2002 only because of the sunset - it was working just fine for me. I'm not a "power" user, and my finances aren't terribly complex - 1 401k, 3 savings accounts, 1 checking, and a few credit cards & lines of credit.

I don't use TurboTax, so I don't ever get in on the package deals they offer for tax season.

The "attach images" feature of 2006 is tempting, but I'd have to get a scanner to really make use of it. I'll wait a while, see what happens with the sunset in April (if 2002's sunset is any indication of how

2003's will be), and upgrade when either A) I see a compelling feature or B) I'm forced to.

My recommendation is to start the install, make sure it doesn't have any extra questions for you, and then just walk away for about an hour. I think it asks before the reboot, and should run OK unattended.

Arnie Goetchius wrote in news:f0YQe.151462 $ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

Maybe my memory was faulty and I remembered the bundling of Taxcut an Norton AV ...

Sorry.

Well, bit the bullet yesterday. Since I had done all my malware scans on Sat. did not redo. Since I had backed up all of my application data files, did not redo.

Couple of minor hiccups with the install which i did not document since they were trivial.

All appers to be OK for now.

Andy...what is the susnset you were talking about?

Thanks all your help and comments.

Use Google Groups to search for "sunset" -

Basically, Intuit only supports the current year's release and 2 priors. So in April '05 they "retired" '02. In the past, I think it's been relatively painless, but due to them trying to phase out support for certain formats/processes, they disabled the online updating (this was the new bit) for all users of Q2002 on April 19, 2005. For many people, that makes the product useless, or at least significantly crippled. Much anger ensued here and elsewhere. Your choice was upgrade, switch to another product, or live without online updates.

The next sunset, for Q2003, will probably be less traumatic, but I'd wager that they'll find a way to disable portions of it too and invent a reason.

I wouldn't mind the "you're only renting this from us for a couple years" deal if they brought the price down to where a subscription-based model made sense. Say...$10/year for Basic, and $5/year increments for each higher version?

The capabilities subject to sunsetting were not different for Q2002 (and Q2001) than they were for earlier versions; at least to the extent that earlier versions had the same capabilities as Q2002 to start with.

"Sunsetting" pertains to online downloads and to technical support; nothing else. Nothing has been "disabled" about Quicken as part of any sunsetting policy, nor is there any evidence to indicate this practice will change for future versions.

I'm scratching my head over this. You can order Q2006 deluxe directly from Intuit for $50 (cheaper in stores, if I recall the many posts on the subject here). That buys you three years of downloads/tech-support ... for a whopping $16.67 a year or $1.67 more than the $15/year you claim it makes "sense". So, it looks like you should now ready to be a happy Quicken "subscriber" for years to come.