Quicken 6.1 won't install on Mac Mini with Mac OS 11+?

pdonald

On a Mac Mini and MacBook Air, I go back and forth with a thumb drive containing all our financial files and the Quicken app. I don't install the app if I can or delete it from the CPU, all for privacy reasons. However, on the Mini (OS 11.2) Quicken (v16.1, 6.1.1) won't load and gets stuck in some sort of beach ball hang and the asking to get installed again - repeatedly. The MacBook is fine. No big problems.


Thoughts, anyone?

jacobs

Quicken Mac 6.1 is fully compatible with macOS 11.2 (and runs natively on a Mac with an M1 chip).

For the Mac Mini you're having trouble with, could you go into more detail about exactly what you are doing to install it and where it gets stuck? Are you downloading a fresh copy from Quicken.com and running the installer? 

There is no reason to run the Quicken Application from a thumb drive, and it isn't designed for that. None of your personal data is stored inside the application; everything is in your data file(s). the application should be installed permanently on both machines; the data file should be moved back and forth (and only after you Compress it into a .zip file each time you move it).

John_in_NC

Are you referring to Quicken 16.1 (as in the old PPC version of 2007) or Quicken 6.1 that is relatively recent?

6.1 will run, 16.x will not.

jacobs

@Peter  I would try deleting Quicken.app from the Applications folder.

While you're in the Applications folder, Sort the window by Name, and Press Command-Shift-period. This is a hidden macOS command to tell the finder to show all invisible files and folders. What you're looking for is whether there's an entry here called ".background". If so, please throw it in the Trash. In any case, be sure to then Press Command-Shift-period again to toggle invisible files and folders back to hidden. I haven't heard many people running into this problem recently, but a few years ago it seemed more prevalent, and it's easy enough to quickly check for. 

With no Quicken program in the Applications folder, now make sure the Quicken installer file is on your desktop (not on a flash drive). Double-click the installer to run it. It should install in the Applications folder and run without a problem. If that's not the case, please post back and describe exactly what happens.

jacobs

Quicken Mac 6.1 is fully compatible with macOS 11.2 (and runs natively on a Mac with an M1 chip).

For the Mac Mini you're having trouble with, could you go into more detail about exactly what you are doing to install it and where it gets stuck? Are you downloading a fresh copy from Quicken.com and running the installer? 

There is no reason to run the Quicken Application from a thumb drive, and it isn't designed for that. None of your personal data is stored inside the application; everything is in your data file(s). the application should be installed permanently on both machines; the data file should be moved back and forth (and only after you Compress it into a .zip file each time you move it).

pdonald

OK, thanks. THAT problem got resolved and the Quicken 16.1 is on my two Macs.
The main problem now is accessing the credit card data files, which only download a portion of the records asked for.

Thoughts on this issue?

thx

John_in_NC

Are you referring to Quicken 16.1 (as in the old PPC version of 2007) or Quicken 6.1 that is relatively recent?

6.1 will run, 16.x will not.

pdonald

Actually, Quicken 16.1.1 (the new version) seems to be running nicely in Mac OS 11.2.2 on the Mini - so far. Thanks for the advice, though, as it helped me sort out what versions of what systems/software work together. OY🙄

jacobs

@Peter  The "new" version is 6.1.1, not 16.1.1.  Version 16.1, as John noted above, refers to the old Quicken 2007 software. 

pdonald

BUT, I'm still having problems with installing Q 6.1.1 on OS 11.2.2. Just gets stuck in a "Must be installed on CPU" which is has been a lot.

pdonald

> @jacobs said:
> Quicken Mac 6.1 is fully compatible with macOS 11.2 (and runs natively on a Mac with an M1 chip).
>
> For the Mac Mini you're having trouble with, could you go into more detail about exactly what you are doing to install it and where it gets stuck? Are you downloading a fresh copy from Quicken.com and running the installer? 
>
> There is no reason to run the Quicken Application from a thumb drive, and it isn't designed for that. None of your personal data is stored inside the application; everything is in your data file(s). the application should be installed permanently on both machines; the data file should be moved back and forth (and only after you Compress it into a .zip file each time you move it).
***************************
So, with Q 6.1.1 and Mac 11.2.2 there seems to be a problem. I am downloading from the Q site with the installer and it goes according to plan and slips into the "Must be installed in apps folder" or whatever the words are loop. It doesn't see that it has been already installed. These version #s seemed to work for a minute and now don't. I tried downloading an earlier vers (3.8.3) of the app and it did the same thing,

Oh, and of course you're right, no need to keep the app hidden away on a thumb drive. Old habits die hardly and I've become incredibly paranoid.

jacobs

@Peter  I would try deleting Quicken.app from the Applications folder.

While you're in the Applications folder, Sort the window by Name, and Press Command-Shift-period. This is a hidden macOS command to tell the finder to show all invisible files and folders. What you're looking for is whether there's an entry here called ".background". If so, please throw it in the Trash. In any case, be sure to then Press Command-Shift-period again to toggle invisible files and folders back to hidden. I haven't heard many people running into this problem recently, but a few years ago it seemed more prevalent, and it's easy enough to quickly check for. 

With no Quicken program in the Applications folder, now make sure the Quicken installer file is on your desktop (not on a flash drive). Double-click the installer to run it. It should install in the Applications folder and run without a problem. If that's not the case, please post back and describe exactly what happens.

pdonald

OK, did it, as per instruction. Still the same result - see attached. Installer is in apps folder, etc.

Thoughts?

Quicken Francisco

Hello @Peter

Thank you for reaching out to the Community regarding your issue, though I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing this.

Being that the issue you are experiencing can have multiple causes-- It may be best for you to contact Quicken Support instead as you may need extensive troubleshooting done in order to have this successfully resolved. They also have the ability to screen share with you (if you feel comfortable doing so) and will be better equipped to help you accomplish and set up what you need.

Click here to review Quicken Support's hours of operation.

 Thanks,
Quicken Francisco

pdonald

Jacobs was very helpful and his insights are probably right on. And I appreciate the time spent on my problem.
However, the last suggested fix, i.e, reinstalling, didn't fix things, just revealed a lot of of old Quicken files, which I have off-loaded from this disk. Everything looks good here on the Mini but nothing happens except the app boot loop as seen in the last attachment.

jacobs

@Peter  I'm a bit confused. Running the installer should not "reveal a lot of old Quicken files". Are you talking about Quicken data files, or copies of the Quicken.app program?

At the risk of re-covering ground you've already covered before, let me just step through this with you as I try it on my own Mac. I'm on Mojave, but I think it should be the same on Big Sur…

• You open your Applications folder, and make sure there is no "Quicken.app" in the folder. If there is, you drag it to the Trash.

• You download the installer from Quicken.com. This leaves a file called Quicken.dmg on your desktop or in your downloads folder. (In the latter case, move it to your desktop.)

• You double-click on the Quicken.dmg installer. It opens this window:



• You double-click on the Quicken Installer.app icon, and the installer runs:



• When the installer finishes, Quicken automatically launches and opens whatever file you've most recently used on this Mac. In your Applications folder, there is now a Quicken.app file which is Quicken 6.1.1 with a size of 134.6 MB.

Where in this process do things diverge for you? Does the installer process complete? Does the Quicken.app get installed in the Applications folder or not? When does that dialog box you posted above show up? 

And you did the process I described above to show hidden files and make sure there is no ".background"?

One more thing I can think to suggest. With neither Quicken nor the Quicken installer running, in the Finder, hold down the Option key and select Library on the Go menu. Navigate to Preferences. Find what "com.quicken" entries there are here. Is there one called "com.quicken.QuickenInstaller.plist"? If so, try trashing that. There's also likely a "com.quicken.Quicken.plist" file. You could move that to your Desktop temporarily. (You can move it back after this testing is done.) Now try running the installer again. Any difference?

pdonald

Jacobs, thanks so much for hanging with me on this. It is appreciated. My process is as follows:

Open the apps folder and get the Quicken app and helper out. Trashed all the old Quicken versions that are lying in wait in my past years of records.

With a clean disk, I go to Quicken. com and download the latest version for Mac. There is no separate installer app at this point but when you open the folder containing the download, there it is but it doesn’t stay on the desktop after the install supposedly occurs. (It is 134.6 mg, though.)

At that point, the documentation says that Q will open your last file. That doesn’t happen here. The little splash screen I sent you pops up with Quit or Install demands and you press either button to proceed. Then the loop begins and will continue until you press Quit. And there it sits.

Now when I go to “install” the app, it just keeps looping. Now, this is Q 6.1.1 and OS 11.2.2. The file app and files seem to work fine on my laptop, which is still using Catalina. But I don't have enough room for all the tax stuff on the unit's drive or screen.

So it seems that we do not diverge until everything is set to go and 🛑❗️Maybe it’s just the new OS being testy. Also, my Mini is not the most sanitary software environment around - lots of old detritus to clean up.

The plist files are not in the com.apple folders.

So, there we are. Sort of a dead end. Do you think I should spend time with a Quicken support person to try and get this squared away?

thx again for all your help,

-pd-

jacobs

It continues to sound like a corrupted preference file somewhere. You said "the plist files are not in the com.apple folders", but that's not where I said you should look for them. They are in the Preferences folder inside your local Library folder, which you can access in the Finder by pressing Option and selecting Library from the Go menu. Inside the Library folder, open the Preferences folder. The preference files I described should be in this folder as "com.quicken.QuickenInstaller.plist" (which you should Trash) and "com.quicken.Quicken.plist" (which you should move to your Desktop so you can restore it later if you wish). But let's skip over this for now and continue to dig into the installer process…

Peter said:

Open the apps folder and get the Quicken app and helper out.

"Helper"? What helper app are you seeing in your Applications folder?

Peter said:

With a clean disk, I go to Quicken. com and download the latest version for Mac. There is no separate installer app at this point but when you open the folder containing the download, there it is but it doesn’t stay on the desktop after the install supposedly occurs. (It is 134.6 mg, though.)

The download from Quicken results in a single "Quicken.dmg" file being downloaded:



When you double-click this file, it does create an installer volume called "Quicken" on your desktop. Perhaps this is what you're referring to as "the folder containing the download"?



And when you open it, you see the red Q logo labeled "Quicken Installer" and you double-click it, right?

Peter said:

it doesn’t stay on the desktop after the install supposedly occurs. (It is 134.6 mg, though.)

After the installer runs, the Quicken volume on your desktop -- this one…

… should disappear. Is that what you're seeing?

You then say "It is 134.6 mg, though." What is? Are you now looking in your Applications folder, and seeing a Quicken.app file there which is 134.6 MB in size? If so, that's good; the Quicken app appears to be successfully installed in your Applications folder. 

At this point, when Quicken should launch and open your last file, is that when you get the dialog box about installing again? So you press quit. Do not try to run the installer again. 

At this moment, is the Quicken.app file still in your Applications folder? What happens if you now double-click on Quicken.app in the Applications folder? Does Quicken launch? Does it open a file, or present you with the Let's Get Started screen?

Alternatively, do you know where your Quicken data file is stored? Can you navigate to it and double-click on it? This should launch Quicken and open this data file.

jacobs

I should add that if this back-and-forth with me isn't helping get to the bottom of things, by all means go ahead and do a call with Quicken Support.

My only hesitation on that was that I'm not sure if they can share your screen if Quicken is not running, but perhaps they can. (As with any company's customer support, the person you get on the phone is the luck of the draw; some are excellent and get the problem solved quickly, while others may not understand your description of the problem or you may not understand what they tell you to do.)

John_in_NC

I have stepped to the side while you responded to this, jacobs.

I agree, contacting Quicken Support is wise and I would have suggested it earlier. But, IIRC, Peter is across the pond, and that support call to the US might be costly. But, he really does need to go through support at this point.

Chris_QPW

John_in_NC said:

Peter is across the pond, and that support call to the US might be costly. But, he really does need to go through support at this point.

For the Premier subscription (maybe for Deluxe too, but I don't know) there should be a toll free number in your account on Quicken.com.

John_in_NC

Chris_QPW said:

John_in_NC said:

Peter is across the pond, and that support call to the US might be costly. But, he really does need to go through support at this point.

For the Premier subscription (maybe for Deluxe too, but I don't know) there should be a toll free number in your account on Quicken.com.

Ohh, I didn't know toll free numbers now worked for international calls.