How to find the most recent backup file that is not damaged

michaelwerk

I have may backups of a problem file but don't know how far back to go to find an undamaged file. Any help would be much appreciated

Quicken_Tyka

Hello Michaelwerk,

Where there any changes that you can think of prior to your file becoming damaged?

Such as a Quicken update or a computer update or crash?

Without being able to narrow down what happened the only real way would be to restore a file and see if the issue is persisting in the file.

jacobs

@michaelwerk Here's the key: before opening ANY backup file, make a COPY of it. then open the copy. This way, you leave the original backup file untouched in case you need to return to it later. I have seen users who have multiple backups open each backup file and create a problem with each one, leaving them no unscathed backup file. Always, always open a COPY of a backup file.  

As for knowing which backup to open prior to a problem, only you can (possibly) answer that. If you know when the problem started, you have an approximate answer. If the problem is something you just noticed recently but don't know when it first appeared, then your likely will just need to do trial and error opening various backups (copies of backups!). If you can be sure of a time in the past where the problem wasn't present, then do the half-interval method: go halfway between now and then and see if the problem exists; if yes, then continue backward -- halfway between the backup you just opened and the one further back you know was okay, otherwise, go halfway between the midpoint and today and try that. Keep moving forward and backward by roughly half the time between ones you've checked, until you can zero in on your last backup which doesn't have the problem and the next backup which does have the problem.