Cannot write to file on Boxcryptor

dgoepp

I have never been able to use Boxcryptor with Quicken. I was running MacOS Catalina, and am now running Big Sur, same issue:

Quicken Version 6.0.1 (Build 600.37045.100)
MacOS 11.0.1 (20B29) - Big Sur
Boxcryptor Version 2.37.1043

It thinks it has a permission issue, but I have full permissions on the file, directory, etc. If I move the file to my local drive, no problems, opens fine, then I move it back to my Boxcryptor drive and I can't open it. It's not a corrupt file. I'm not sure if this is a Boxcryptor issue or a Quicken issue. I've asked this same question over on the Boxcryptor community page also:

https://boxcryptor.community/d/17041-quicken-for-mac-cannot-write-to-file

jacobs

I'll echo John's comment, and turn it up a notch. Quicken does not support placing your live data file on any cloud service; your live data file must reside on your local hard drive. You can find this on the Quicken website referring to Dropbox, but the same applies to iCloud or other cloud storage services:

• Never open your data file or backup file directly from Dropbox.  Always move the file to your desktop computer, then open it, to prevent file damage.

It's fine to store your compressed backup files on a cloud service, but not the live file when you run Quicken.

John_in_NC

I agree that it is likely a permissions issue, and it tends to be common to any program that uses data file packages with MacOS. I don't suspect Quicken or Boxcryptor is the fault. 

You really should keep your file in your user account on your local drive. Whenever users deviate from that (share/network/cloud sync), permission headaches usually begin and a useless file is the end result. It might appear to work initially. . . 

That's my 2¢

jacobs

I'll echo John's comment, and turn it up a notch. Quicken does not support placing your live data file on any cloud service; your live data file must reside on your local hard drive. You can find this on the Quicken website referring to Dropbox, but the same applies to iCloud or other cloud storage services:

• Never open your data file or backup file directly from Dropbox.  Always move the file to your desktop computer, then open it, to prevent file damage.

It's fine to store your compressed backup files on a cloud service, but not the live file when you run Quicken.

dgoepp

Thanks @John_in_NC and @jacobs. While I appreciate where you guys are coming from, I think it is unfortunate. This is 2020 after all, and cloud services are very common and useful. Quicken is literally the only program I use that has a problem operating like this. I understand the risks of opening a file on two computers, that is not my concern, I don't do that. Also, the file is on my local drive. All that Boxcryptor (and Google Drive behind it) are doing is encrypting and syncing to an external service, but the file (package) is local. I suspect in this case though the issue is in how Boxcryptor presents the file to the OS via its drive mount method. I've posted this question over on their community too, we'll see if anyone over there has ideas.

jacobs

@dgoepp  There are documented problems with people who use Dropbox and iCloud. I'm not familiar with Boxcryptor, but I expect there's a decent chance the same sorts of issues could occur. All the cloud services shuffle data between the local drive and the cloud storage by techniques that move blocks of data; those blocks aren't record-based, like a database, and they don't necessarily follow an application's record and file locks. When you say Quicken is the only program that has such a problem, I wonder whether any of your other applications are similar SQL databases, and using a Mac package to combine multiple files and folders.

In any case, we're just sharing what Quicken has said, and the problems other users have reported. There are work-arounds that take a few seconds upon opening and closing, in order to keep a compressed copy of the data file on a cloud site and a purely local copy when Quicken is running.

dgoepp

Yes, I appreciate where you are coming from @jacobs. This is just the way Quicken does it, you are not defending it, just pointing me to what Intuit says about their product. As for applications that use a Mac package, probably not, SQL, definitely. Look, I'm not trying to debate necessarily if this is a reasonable position or not for Intuit. I was mostly just looking to see if this was a known issue with a known fix. I'm thankful you have pointed me to the answer, which is clearly "not supported." I do personally think that Intuit should support environments like this better, but as you point out, due to their technology decisions on the storage of their data, that is not easy.

dgoepp

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