What is the best way for me to bring my Quicken 2007 For mac File over to my New Mini?

Steven Reiss

I knew that this was going to be a bit of a chore. I have my old Mac Mini running El Capitan and Quicken 2007 sitting right next to my NEW and Improved Mac Mini 2020 running Catalina. I installed Quicken 2019 on the new Mini. Apple advised me to NOT migrate my old HD data over to the new machine. Instead, told to start fresh and clean and bring over as needed to be sure that I wasn't bringing over corrupted or out of date files.

So: I have Quicken for Mac 2007 data all updated on my old Mac. What is the easiest way for me to migrate the 2007 file over to the new Mini so it will run on the Catalina OS?

I'd like to use our wifi network to send files over via Apple mail to the new system.

Please don't laugh at me........my self esteem is pretty shaky as is.........and I suspect that I'll be hearing from familiar folks again........

Quicken_Tyka

Hello @Steven Reiss

Thank you for taking the time to visit the Community to post your question.

If you haven't done so already, please take a moment to review the steps and information available here.

If you find that your new Macbook does not have a USB port, I would take a look at the steps to use AirDrop, available here.

Please let me know how it goes!

-Quicken Tyka

Steven Reiss

Hello Tyka!

Thanks for the response! My Mac Mini has two USB ports but I'll review the information on your link first!

Back hopefully with good results!

Steve

jacobs

@Steven Reiss I would offer a somewhat different migration sequence.

First, just to clarify something, you said you have Quicken 2019, but do you really? The current Quicken subscription product should identify itself as Quicken 2020. It would only say it's Quicken 2019 if you somewhere had an old copy of Quicken somewhere, and your subscription expired last year such that you can't update to the latest version. If you open About Quicken from the Quicken menu, the current version should show Quicken Deluxe or Quicken Premier 2020, and the version number is 5.17.2. If you don't have that, but you do have a current subscription, before proceeding, do Check For Updates on the Quicken menu to see if it will offer to download 5.17.2, and let it install.

1. Now, on your old machine, make a copy of your current data file (just a Finder Duplicate command is fine) just in the unlikely case anything goes wrong in the next step.
2. Launch Quicken 2007
3. Re-index the database by holding down Command+Option+B. This isn't necessary, but it sometimes fixes issues you're not aware of in the Quicken 2007 database, which is prone to occasional corruption.
4. Quit Quick 2007
5. Click on your Quicken data file and do File > Compress. This will result in a file ending with a .zip extension. Again, probably not necessary, but why not be safe where you can?
6. If you have more than one Quicken data file (e.g. one for your personal finances, one for a non-profit organization or a parent or child), do the steps above to prepare each Quicken 2007 data file to be moved.
7. Now you can transfer the .zip file(s) to your new Mac. you can do this any of a number of ways: email it to yourself, use AirDrop, turn on file sharing, use a flash drive, or connect the two machines together. Because Quicken data files aren't large, I'd suggest AirDrop* as the easiest -- no devices or cables, and it just takes a few seconds.
8. Double-click the .zip file to expand it to a Quicken 2007 data file. Don't worry that it doesn't have the normal Quicken 2007 icon, because this machine doesn't have Quicken 2007 installed.
9. Now launch Quicken on the Mac Mini. After supplying your Quicken ID to log in, you should be on the Let's Get Started page. Select the option to Start from a Quicken 2007 file. Click the button to select the file, and select the un-zipped file you just brought over. Let the converter run its magic -- this can take awhile if you have a lot of data in your Quicken 2007 file -- and when it finishes, you will be up and running on modern Quicken Mac!

*If you haven't used AirDrop before: on the old Mac, Control-click on the .zip file, and from the pop-up menu, select Share > AirDrop. Airdrop should pop open a window and show other suitable devices nearby, which should include your new Mac Mini. Click on the Mac Mini. Over on the Mac Mini, it should have a small window in the upper right saying your old Mac wants to share a file with you, and you have to tell it to accept the transfer. After a few seconds for the transfer, the old Mac will say Done and on the Mac Mini, the .zip file will be in your Documents folder.

Once your file is converted, you'll have some work to do. If you download transactions from your financial institutions, you'll have to set those accounts up to download. You've got an all-new user interface to start getting familiar with, but one of the first things you should do is check your account balances versus your Quicken 2007 data on the old Mac. Ideally everything matches, but it's not unusual that some accounts will require some attention to get the balances correct if Quicken inserts erroneous opening balance or placeholder transactions at the beginning of time for some accounts.

(P.S. It sounds like you've already done the hard work now to get your applications and data moved to your new Mac Mini, so this is moot… but I'd disagree with the advice from Apple about not allowing the Macs to transfer your applications and data. Of course, doing things manually, reinstalling software and moving data over carefully is best, but it can be time-consuming and you can miss something along the way. In my experience, the Apple Migration Assistant does a great job of moving things to a new Mac, and it separates out any old programs which can't run.)

Steven Reiss

Jacobs!

Thank you so much for the detailed instructions on what to do and how....especially the issue of the Migration Assistant! I thought that EVERYTHING came over, not just the usable stuff. Since I want to bring over my emails, photos, iTunes, etc., as well as some other appls. that WILL run (as far as I know) on the new Mini, Migration would be the logical tool to use.

I have NOT yet brought over anything from the old Mini to the new. All I did was to download and install Quicken (and you're quite right, I have Quicken 2020 "Starter" 5.17.2 and it's installed in BOTH the old Mini and the new one.) I also downloaded and installed PS CC on the new Mini. That's it....everything else needs to come over as long it's compatible.

I'll start by preparing the old data file on the one Mini as you suggest and then move on from there..........

I have to find out if I need to use an ethernet cable or whatever to migrate and then should be able to at least get the new Mini ready to rock....and roll.

If you don't mind, I'll be back in touch once I've accomplished these steps successfully.

Once again, I'm in your debt!

Stay safe!

Steve

jacobs

Steve, if you're going to use Migration Assistant to move all your stuff, my suggestion is to do it sooner rather than later. If you start having some stuff on the new Mac and then go back to migrate old data, it can get confusing with different user accounts and which data is the latest. In fact, if you haven't done anything of value on your new Mac yet, I'd use Migration Assistant before you get started.

In terms of connecting the two Macs, a cable is best, but getting the right cable for this job may be tricky. If your old computer has a Thunderbolt port, then you can get a Thunderbolt-to-Thunderbolt cable between the two Macs and it will be the fastest possible approach for transferring. If Your old Mini doesn't have Thunderbolt, then you should be able to do it with an Ethernet cable, as I believe all Mini's old and new, have Ethernet ports. Alternatively, you can run Migration Assistant over WiFi. It is slow! If you have 800 GB of photos or music, it is painfully slow! But… if you set it up and let it run overnight, do you really care if it takes 12 hours instead of 2?

Steven Reiss

Hello again:

What can I say, Jacobs?......excellent information, again! You and the other folks that I've heard from on Quicken are such valuable resources.

I ONLY have added Quicken 2020 and PS CC to the new Mini. I do have Quicken 2020 on the old mini but it's really not set up for use yet! I'll definitely want to migrate from old to new Mini first and then fill in the blanks on a case-by-case basis.......

I have to hunt down the Ethernet cable that I used to have. We downsized last Dec. and still haven't gotten completely unpacked.......worst case, I'll order a Thunderbolt -to-Thunderbolt cable as the late 2012 Mini appears to have a T-Bolt plugin........have to check the specs for the old Mini just to be sure....

It's going to take me several days to get the migration done as I still have my regular day gig to stay up with BUT I'll be back to you for sure with a progress and hopeful success report.

Thank you so much!

Stay safe....

Steve

Steven Reiss

Yep, it is confirmed, no more Ethernet cables here I just ordered a T-Bolt 3 to T-Bolt cable which will be here in a couple of days so I'll be reporting back as soon as it shows up......

jacobs

If you don't want to wait for a new cable, as I mentioned, you can do it (and I have done it) via WiFi; just expect it will take many hours, so do it overnight or on some day when you don't need to use either Mac. 

Steven Reiss

I understand....the issue for me is that my computer is rarely sitting unused. Even during the nite, I'm receiving large files from vendors so the wifi solution might be less convenient....and since T-Bolt is here to stay, an inexpensive cable might be a good "investment".....

I should have the cable tomorrow or Weds. at worst..........and from what I read, the T-Bolt transfer is shockingly fast. I have so many 3D files over 20 MBs in size that they're take 4 ever to make the trip thru the ether!

Thanks, Jacobs!

Steve

Steven Reiss

Hi Jacobs...and anyone listening in!

So: I found out that I can migrate my data from the old Mini to the newline even mores imply by just using one of my external SSD drives! The transfer is in progress one the new OS estimates space needed......seems to be taking a long time BUT I imagine that the new OS is checking every single file on the old Mini to confirm that it will run on the Catalina OS.....

So: the new and unused Bolt cable wasn't needed after all.

Once I have this accomplished, I'll start playing with Quicken 2020 to figure out how to get the old file updated and then I'll need to get used to the new interface......

It's easier than I would have thought BUT, as usual, my hesitancy to change is the stuff of legends.

Steve

Steven Reiss

The data from the old Mini is, indeed, transferred, incl Quicken 2020 and AI/PS CC, via the Time Machine SSD backup....still now have to play with Quicken 2020 on the old machine and get the old bank data file converted over to Quicken 2020. Surprise, surprise: I found out that Catalina is a 64 bit OS which means that several of my older appls. need to be upgraded to run on it.....and that's expected to take some several more months to be ready to provide to us users.........like Xenon, my 3D appl.

In the end, I'm glad that I did the hardware upgrade.......I still have my old Mini and my 2016 MacBook Pro running Catalina so I can still work on these as needed just in case.

I'll be using your instructions to convert the old files and open in Quicken 2020 so I'd like to ask you a question or two along the way.......

Thank you, Jacobs!!

Steve

Steven Reiss

Hello Jacobs again!

Well, I have some degree of success and some less than. I am presently having connectivity issues with my Logitech mouse and the new Mini........makes navigating the new Mini a bit tedious and frustrating. I'll check to see if there's an updated driver on the Logitech site, maybe the new 64 bit architecture is playing games with my older mouse??

Slide found out that my trusty 3D appl., Xenon, has not been rewritten for the 64 bit system so I'll be running two Minis for the foreseeable future........they Xenon website simply acknowledges that the new version is several months away....sigh.

Have a great weekend, Jacobs.

Stay safe!

Steve

jacobs

Steve, I'm keeping my home Macs on Mojave for the time being because I still run a few older 32-bit apps. Fortunately, they all have newer versions that are 64-bit, so I do have a clear path forward... a path paved with $$$ to update apps and switch some to annual subscriptions. So I haven't been in a rush to move to Catalina.

Steven Reiss

Sadly, I didn't have much of a choice, Jacobs. What a "new" Mac, you have to take Catalina.

Have to run down to wallyfworld and pick up a cheap wired mouse now since I can't navigate the screen on the new Mini, much less get Quicken set up OR the Logitech mouse that I use updated via a firmware and software driver update from Logitech.......

This is a cascading series of "to do this, you have to FIRST do THAT" BS.

I love this. like I also love colonoscopies.......and root canals.

Stay well.....and safe!

Steve

jacobs

Well, you could break down and get an Apple mouse. Pricey, but they work very well. I love scrolling just by running my finger along the mouse surface rather than having a scroll wheel. (And I keep an old wired Apple mouse and keyboard from a Mac several generations ago in a closet in case I get into the bind you find yourself in now.)

But yes, the dominos of technology upgrades can be relentless!

Steven Reiss

So: I knuckled under and spent $6 for a no name WallyWorld mouse and it worked.......updated the Firmware for the Logitech mouse and it works again. For a paltry $6, I think I'll hang onto the Wallyworld mouse.......I ditched my corded Apple mouse a decade ago.......moved to Logi and never looked back....until Catalina, that is.

One mistake I made if I'm going to follow your step-by-step direction for starting up with the new Quicken........I already downloaded and tried to convert and it didn't work, probably because I did it as soon as I started the new Mini up...and before I asked about the procedure....so I think, to play it safe, I'll just deinstall and then reinstall Quicken 2020 on the new Mini....then, I'll be able to scrupulously keep up with your steps......

I'll try the update and install on Quicken 2020 tomorrow and check back in to report the progress.........wish that Q2020 provided the familiar "register" style to the screens........but OH NO!

Thanks, Jacobs.......so much help from you!

Steve

jacobs

Steve, for what it's worth, I think almost every longtime legacy Quicken Mac user has found the register user interface of modern Quicken Mac rather jarring. Some people still don't love it, but many of us came around to actually preferring it after using it for awhile. When I go back to Quicken 2007, I miss the smooth scrolling, I find it harder to scan a column for something because of the alternating rows, and I miss being able to adjust the order and width of my columns. I now find Quicken 2007 feels dated (of course, it is!). 

By the way, you shouldn't need to delete the application and reinstall it. You just want to start creating a new Quicken file, which you do from File > New.

Steven Reiss

Jacobs, I hope that you're right about the 2020 interface. I ONLY use the appl to balance and print out our LLC business account during tax prep time........other than that one use, I'll probably never open Quicken. At that point in life where investments are handled and tracked by our advisor and day-to-day banking is simple to visually track and respond to.

Hey, thanks for the tip about creating a new Quicken file....much easier to do than de-installing and reinstalling.

I'll start the convert process asap..........fingers crossed!

Steve

Steven Reiss

Hi there jacobs:

I converted the quicken 2007 file easily (as you suggested) and now can see the up to date info that I needed to be able to record.

From now on, I'll be updating the new Quicken and use the old Quicken on the old Mini as my second-in-line machine as far as keep that version of Quicken up to date.

I'll still have to be able to reconcile from my bank statements as well as print the register for the entire calendar year as tax time approaches BUT at least the appl. is working.

Strangely enough, just found out that the Logitech mouse that I thought I had fixed with the firmware update is back to its erratic behavior........if this keeps happening, I may have to move up to an Apple wireless mouse which I assume will work flawlessly with Catalina......sigh......on, it goes.

Thanks, Jacobs, stay well, be safe and prosper!

Steve

Steven Reiss

Hi Jacobs:

I started a whole chain of events when I figured out the Logitech mouse issue. I applied a suggested firmware update from Logitech which changed the misuse from "wireless" w/ a receiver to wireless w/o one, I assume the mouse is now Bluetooth.......and it works perfectly. BUT........on starting up, I'd get a message that I ignored about Security and Privacy (in the OS Preferences) stating that Logitech wanted to have access to the Logitech devices which, in turn, required my allowing that change.......so, having nothing better to do that day and never leaving well enough alone, I followed the prompts, restarted as directly and opened up a storm of fun.

Mini would never come back to the desktop, instead stalling......over and over. Finally had to call Apple...who walked me thru so many attempts to address (Terminal screen, Safe Mode and the rest) before finally giving up and deciding that a complete erase and reinstall might be the best route........so, having my back up SSD to depend on, under their direction,I did that.

After I was able to use Migration assistant to get 99% of my old Mini's stuff into the new Mini, I restarted ....and the same thing happened.......Mini would NOT boot to the desktop!!!

I started off Saturday booting up while I was on the phone w/ Apple. This time for some unknown reason, Mini did complete the boot up and I now am back where I started. Am going to again bring Quicken 7 acct. over and open with Quicken 2020.......The Sr. Tech at Apple was perplexed......probably went home with a headache. Ha ha ha........

I was able to play with Quicken 2020 after converting the 2007 file and still can't see why the interface had to be so changed. I wish that Quicken would have added a Legacy" view option, just help us older users.....

[edited for readability and to remove profanity]