Home Inventory, Address Book and Emergency Records modernization

Quicken Community

It seems that the Home Inventory, Address Book and Emergency Records features have been treated as afterthoughts, but I think they could and should be updated and better integrated into the program. For example, it would be great to have the home inventory interface upgraded and modernized (it currently looks like Windows 95-98 vintage) and tied to an asset account. 

mshiggins

From C. D. Bales:



" ... it would be great to have the home inventory ... tied to an asset account".



The ability to have your home inventory tied to a Quicken asset account is already present (to my knowledge, it's always been there).



With Home Inventory (QHI.EXE) running: File > Update Quicken, will update the balance of the Quicken Asset account, "Home Inventory" (creating the account, if necessary).



And I don't think the features you refer to are treated as "afterthoughts" by Quicken. I think they're treated as features whose modernization would not be cost effective. Something like: "too much work, for too little gain".

Unknown

My hope is that perhaps the new owners of Quicken will see potential value in these features and update them accordingly. I see that you are correct about the Home Inventory being tied to an asset account, which is great, but why not have the ability to upload photos and receipts, which are generally required in the case of an insurance claim, into the Home Inventory, eliminating the need to search elsewhere for the receipt? The interface could also be easily updated instead of harking back to Windows 95 and 800x600 resolution.

Intuit dropped the ball and left a lot of things hanging out to dry. The new ownership has an opportunity to shine by recognizing that and correcting past oversights, making the entire package an enjoyable, seamless user experience.

Charles Hadlock

I know the Quicken team has its hands full keeping the main program running smoothly, but I would love to see an update to the Home Inventory Manager.  It was once a stand-alone program until, more than a decade ago, it was awkwardly added to the main program -- hidden, really --  in a sub menu.  It's never listed or promoted as a feature.  Maybe that's because it's very dated. (One of the categories is Video Tapes).  I've been reluctant to start using it again because the file format (.qhi) is proprietary and the feature could disappear at any time.  Quicken, please show us you still support Home Inventory Manager.  Thx.


Note: This conversation was created from a reply on: Home Inventory Manager.

Snowman

There are many better stand alone inventory programs that will allow you to do more than the Home Inventory Manager did.  I use one of these programs and just take the total value from that inventory program and put in in Quicken in an asset account and I update it as needed.

I just tried to set Quicken to use "classic" menus and I do not see Home Inventory Manager there anymore so I would think the feature is already on its way out.  I checked the "Help" listing in Quicken and while it says it is still there in my version (Q2018 Premier v11.18 with Windows 10 64bit) it is gone. 

Unknown

Home Inventory Manager is still available in the latest version of Quicken.  You can find it on the tool bar. 

Snowman

Don said:

Home Inventory Manager is still available in the latest version of Quicken.  You can find it on the tool bar. 

What version are you using because Home Inventory Manager is nowhere to be found in my version and is not found on the tool bar either.  It was there a couple of versions ago but is now gone.

volvogirl

There are 2 different inventory programs.  This is for the embedded Home Inventory.  Not the separate Home Inventory Manager which was discontinued years ago.  If you have the .idb file that is the embedded one 

How to install Home Inventory & Emergency Records Organizer
https://www.quicken.com/support/installing-quicken-home-inventory-and-emergency-records-organizer 


 Home Inventory data missing after converting to new version
http://quicken.intuit.com/support/help/account-transaction-issues/home-inventory-data-gone-after-con... 

 
You have to first install the Inventory program so you have to find the install file and double click on it. The install file is QuickenHomeInventory.exe (and you should also have  EmergencyRecordsOrganizer.exe).

Snowman

volvogirl said:

There are 2 different inventory programs.  This is for the embedded Home Inventory.  Not the separate Home Inventory Manager which was discontinued years ago.  If you have the .idb file that is the embedded one 

How to install Home Inventory & Emergency Records Organizer
https://www.quicken.com/support/installing-quicken-home-inventory-and-emergency-records-organizer 


 Home Inventory data missing after converting to new version
http://quicken.intuit.com/support/help/account-transaction-issues/home-inventory-data-gone-after-con... 

 
You have to first install the Inventory program so you have to find the install file and double click on it. The install file is QuickenHomeInventory.exe (and you should also have  EmergencyRecordsOrganizer.exe).

Thanks for the clarification I had the separate program.  I still would rather have a separate home inventory manager than one within Quicken.  If it gets "broken" you will never now when or if it will be fixed.

Charles Hadlock

When I close Home Inventory within Quicken, it asks if I want to save the file to a floppy disk. Quaint. It’s almost 2019 already.

volvogirl

volvogirl said:

There are 2 different inventory programs.  This is for the embedded Home Inventory.  Not the separate Home Inventory Manager which was discontinued years ago.  If you have the .idb file that is the embedded one 

How to install Home Inventory & Emergency Records Organizer
https://www.quicken.com/support/installing-quicken-home-inventory-and-emergency-records-organizer 


 Home Inventory data missing after converting to new version
http://quicken.intuit.com/support/help/account-transaction-issues/home-inventory-data-gone-after-con... 

 
You have to first install the Inventory program so you have to find the install file and double click on it. The install file is QuickenHomeInventory.exe (and you should also have  EmergencyRecordsOrganizer.exe).

Actually I use the embedded one completely separate from Quicken.   I don't use it inside Quicken or integrate it.  I have a desktop icon for it and use it by itself.

Unknown

The history on this is that the code was long since abandoned, and to bring it up to date would require a total rewrite.  And it probably would have been totally abandoned if it wasn't for the fact that the long time users griped about it."  That is why it is hidden in the way it is.

BTW talk about "quaint".  No one seems to have been able to come up with a better icon for saving a file than this one.


Everyone knows that it means to save a file, but I doubt most kids have clue at what it represents.

Unknown

I would also like to see the Home Inventory feature refreshed. It would be helpful if I could record the model number, serial number, and manufacturer's website for major electronic equipment such as a TV, computer, audio gear and even my smartphone. A notes field that could be used to record maintenance activities or usage notes would also be helpful. Linking to the purchase transaction record in Quicken would provide quick access to purchase records. Linking from the purchase transaction record could simply creating home inventory records.

JHK

Snowman said:

There are many better stand alone inventory programs that will allow you to do more than the Home Inventory Manager did.  I use one of these programs and just take the total value from that inventory program and put in in Quicken in an asset account and I update it as needed.

I just tried to set Quicken to use "classic" menus and I do not see Home Inventory Manager there anymore so I would think the feature is already on its way out.  I checked the "Help" listing in Quicken and while it says it is still there in my version (Q2018 Premier v11.18 with Windows 10 64bit) it is gone. 

I have used QHI from its inception but am now having problems.  Can you recommend an alternative program.  I would like to upload data from my *.qhi to a stand alone inventory program.

JHK

volvogirl said:

There are 2 different inventory programs.  This is for the embedded Home Inventory.  Not the separate Home Inventory Manager which was discontinued years ago.  If you have the .idb file that is the embedded one 

How to install Home Inventory & Emergency Records Organizer
https://www.quicken.com/support/installing-quicken-home-inventory-and-emergency-records-organizer 


 Home Inventory data missing after converting to new version
http://quicken.intuit.com/support/help/account-transaction-issues/home-inventory-data-gone-after-con... 

 
You have to first install the Inventory program so you have to find the install file and double click on it. The install file is QuickenHomeInventory.exe (and you should also have  EmergencyRecordsOrganizer.exe).

I am interested in a stand-alone of this program.  Do you have a source.?

jl747

Snowman said:

There are many better stand alone inventory programs that will allow you to do more than the Home Inventory Manager did.  I use one of these programs and just take the total value from that inventory program and put in in Quicken in an asset account and I update it as needed.

I just tried to set Quicken to use "classic" menus and I do not see Home Inventory Manager there anymore so I would think the feature is already on its way out.  I checked the "Help" listing in Quicken and while it says it is still there in my version (Q2018 Premier v11.18 with Windows 10 64bit) it is gone. 

See if anything in this post helps.

https://getsatisfaction.com/quickencommunity/topics/quicken-home-inventory-shuts-down-when-detail-vi...

Mike409

Add the ability to attach a file to Emergency Records Organizer.  Quicken really has so little to offer these days.  It sort of hurts to have to pay for the subscription and receive nothing in return.  Adding the ability to save scanned documents to Emergency Records Organizer would be a very nice feature -- and it would make me feel that I was actually getting something for my renewal of the software.

sgtjdcusmc

I would like to see an Emergency report that one can save in a safe for heirs, that contains all the accounts, the latest amounts, the accounts institutions, accounts numbers,id, passwords etc. All this information is in Quicken. It would take a skilled data base programmer a few days of work to do it. I have done similar work in IBM DB2 in hours.