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Program says it can't open the source file when trying to back up

LynetteEngr

Have been trying to back up since getting a new computer, and with end-of-year statements, you can see why this is concerning me. Quicken opens fine when first starting, and the only issue has been with OneStepUpdate hanging and never coming back (answered in another post, and I have also been downloading statements from each individual website). When I ask to backup (or the program does), I give it a filename to use and hit enter, and the next thing it tells me is that it can't open the source file, then it tells me the source file is in use and to close it, and then it tells me that Quicken can't find the source file and I am looking at a blank Quicken screen (with icons across the top, but no financial data). Help! I really need to backup my files regularly, and this error keeps happening.

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Greg_the_Geek

What is the path to the folder that contains your Quicken data file? Do you have Controlled Folder Access enabled in Windows Defender? Are you using OneDrive, Dropbox or Google Backup?

LynetteEngr

The filepath for the Quicken data file is ThisPC>Documents>Documents 2019>Documents>Quicken. I don't know about doing anything like that in Windows Defender. And I do not backup to OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Backup, I try to backup to ThisPC>Documents>Quicken>Backup.

LynetteEngr

I searched for Controlled Folder Access in Windows Security and just turned it on (it had been off). Do I need to tell it which folders to control?

Greg_the_Geek

Is OneDrive set to backup your Documents folder?

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6031128/uploads/editor/8h/boxlz613125l.jpg

Also, you should backup to an external device or a cloud service. If your hard drive crashes, you'll loose your Quicken data as well as your backups.

LynetteEngr

I have Office 2019, so my OneDrive capacity is limited to a very small number, and it keeps telling me it's full. So, no, I don't think OneDrive is backing up for me. However, Google Backup is enabled, and I think it backs up files for me. I would have to check that.

Greg_the_Geek

If you Google Backup is set to backup Documents, that's causing your problem. Either disable Google Backup or move the Quicken folder.

LynetteEngr

Taking documents out of the Google Backup did not solve the issue with Quicken. I just tried backing up the file, and it did the same errors I documented at first.

LynetteEngr

How do I move the Quicken folder? Cut and paste? And where would be the best spot?

Greg_the_Geek

Yes, cut and paste the folder to ThisPC\Quicken.

LynetteEngr

Moving it to ThisPC\Quicken is not possible. There is no place to add a folder at the root screen. I put it in ThisPC\Documents\Quicken. But it is still doing the same errors when I try to back up the file as my first set of errors.

Greg_the_Geek

Try C:\Users\<Username>\Quicken.

LynetteEngr

I put the Quicken data file in C:\Users\lmoug\Quicken. I opened Quicken and tried to backup the file; got the same errors as before. I left the backup files on ThisPC\Documents\Quicken\Backup. Only the source files and some other files in that folder got moved. So what do you think is wrong now?

Greg_the_Geek

Try pausing (or exiting) Google Backup. If that doesn't work, try turning of Controlled Folder Access.

LynetteEngr

I exited Google Backup and also OneDrive Personal. I shut off Controlled Folder access. No luck. I still have the same errors.

thecreator

Hi @LynetteEngr ,

Do you have an External Hard Drive or a Network-Attached Hard Drive?

Does your New Computer contain a partitioned Hard Drive or multiple physical Hard Drives?

What is the path to your Quicken Data File?
Ex: I:\My Documents\Quicken 2020 Data

What is the path to your Quicken Backups?
Ex: Z:\Quicken Backup (My mapped Hard Drive.

Backups made to an external Device, is a true backup.

Backups made to the same Hard Drive, is a backup, but if your Hard Drive fails, you have lost everything. And it would cost you a lot of money to recover your files.

Greg_the_Geek

Without having access to your computer, I'm out of ideas. Have you tried just restarting your computer?

LynetteEngr

I do have an External Hard Drive, but it does its own backups. My new computer has one hard drive, not partitioned. The path to my Quicken data file is now C:\Users\lmoug\Quicken. The path to my Quicken backups is C:\Users\lmoug\Documents\Quicken\Backup. And I know that backups on a local drive can be lost if the hard drive crashes. I had tried previously one time to put the backup on the F: external drive, but it crashed then as well.

LynetteEngr

Well, restarting the computer did not help at all. Of course, when restarting, Google Drive restarts and so does OneDrive. I am going to try one more time after shutting those off.

LynetteEngr

Still have the same problems. So how do you get to look at my computer? Remote, or do I have to bring it in?

thecreator

Hi @LynetteEngr ,

Is the F:\ drive a USB Hard Drive? Mapped Hard Drives usually start with a Z or Y depending on how many are attached.

You stated that you have an External Hard Drive, but does its own backups.
How does it do its own backups?

Change where your Quicken Data File is located at!

Create a New Quicken folder to: C:\Users\lmoug\Documents\Quicken 2020 Data

Create folder on F: to F:\ Quicken Backup

Go to: https://www.glarysoft.com/ Download Glary Utilities. Save it. Once saved, right-click and Run as administrator to install it.

After installing, Open Glary. Click on Advanced Tools. Click Optimize & Improve.

Click Check Disk.

You will see a number of Hard Drives shown. You should see C: in (C:) as well as (F:)

Run both with Automatically fix file system errors, unchecked. This way you can see the results. If you have errors, check Automatically fix and click Start Check. Then click Schedule disk check. Close out the windows and restart to run.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6031128/uploads/editor/u2/3xal85792mso.jpg

You may have to repeat the procedure several times for 0 issues.

After you have 0 issues, Run 1 Click Maintenance, same program.

After you have 0 Issues

Move the Data File to: C:\Users\lmoug\Documents\Quicken 2020 Data folder.

Once it is moved, click on the file to open the Data File in its new location.
Close and re-open Quicken and it should open to its new location.

Do a Validate and Repair on the Data File, since you have had crashes.

Then try a Manual Backup to F:\ Quicken Backup with Add date option checked.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6031128/uploads/editor/sp/4yle2ocw8i4a.jpg

Greg_the_Geek

LynetteEngr said:

Still have the same problems. So how do you get to look at my computer? Remote, or do I have to bring it in?

This is a user to user community. I'm just another user like you and have no access to your computer. You could try contacting Quicken Customer Care.

Ken1Barb

I've had the same issue numerous times. "Unable to open source file" on the window behind it says backing up Quicken file. I'm not sure whether it gets backed up or not on the same harddisk. I also have an external backup. Thanks for the good read. I see I must call support. What I resent is they want to remotely log into my financial data. How can I prevent them from seeing my financial data?

NotACPA

@Ken1Barb

When Q takes a backup, the 1st thing that it does is to CLOSE the Q data file, to force all write operations to conclusion.

OneDrive, DropBox, GoogleDrive, etc grab your Q data file during this brief closure and thus prevent Q from re-opening it.

SO, you need to either re-direct that 3rd party backup to grabbing the QDF-backup file (i.e., the backup that Q created) OR in some other way to ignore the QDF file and the folder that contains it.

Rich Stubby

Is there a log file to find out what external (to Q) program is grabbing the QDF file stopping this action rendering the "Unable to open source file" message? I have two backup programs (Netgear ReadyShare and Acronis True Image 2020). I don't see exceptions or issues with either. I also stopped MS One Drive. All these changed due to Motherboard failure. I'm now suffering from recoveritis.