Quicken is killing me...

Sonoran_Bubba

I've been using Quicken Windows desktop for nearly 30 years, for 14 of those years, I worked for Intuit and actually lead Quicken support for a period of time before I left in 2008. I think I know how to use the product and what should be expected of the performance.

Something in the last couple of updates has almost made Quicken unusable. For example, I just did a One Step Update and logged into my primary checking account. Once I selected the account, Quicken behaves as if it is possessed. It bounces from window to window and comes in and out of focus. This goes on for 4 or 5 minutes. Then it is ready for me to accept my transactions into the register. When I click the first transaction in the O.S.U. window, it starts bouncing and "de-focusing" again. At the end of accepting and categorizing the 4 or 5 newt transactions, it auto-reconciles. I get another 4 to 5 minutes of the bouncing windows before I can click over to the next account.

Some of these have been so bad in recent months that the program just locks up and I've had to force quit the application which of course causes data issues corrected by Validation / Repair / Super-Validation.

#HelpMeObi-WanYou'reMyOnlyHope

Chris

Quicken_Tyka

Hello @Sonoran_Bubba

Thank you for the response and the additional details.  Do you use the mobile or web app at all? If not, can you confirm if the option to sync to the mobile/ web is on? 
 
To confirm, please navigate to Edit > Preferences > Mobile & Web, there will be an on-off toggle.  Can you also navigate to the One Step Update settings and confirm if sync to the cloud is selected there? 

If you have sync enabled, can you try to temporarily disable syncing to see if this improves the behavior?

Please let me know what you find!
-Quicken Tyka
 

Quicken_Tyka

Hello @Sonoran_Bubba

Thank you for taking the time to visit the Community to report this issue, although I apologize that you have not received a response.

We will need a bit more information to be able to assist. Please navigate to Help > About Quicken to provide the release that you are currently running.

How long have you been experiencing this trouble? Did you experience any changes that you can recall prior to this issue occurring?

Can you also please verify the file location? Storing an active data file on a cloud or network drive may cause the behavior you have described.

https://www.quicken.com/support/how-find-quicken-data-file-quicken-windows

Please let us know what you find!

-Quicken Tyka

Sonoran_Bubba

Tyka,
Thank you for getting back to me.

Version R32.12
Build 27.1.32.12.

My data is located local to the C:\ drive in a specific Quicken Data folder.

This started happening in the last several maintenance releases of Quicken. Maybe 2 or 3 months max. There are some data observations that I'd rather not share publicly, but can describe in an offline manner.

One thing I have done thinking it was a data file size problem was a Year End copy covering data only for the last 5 years. The current QDF file is 125k kb, down from 162k kb.

This is my same, original data file that was started in Managing Your Money in ~1991/1992, migrated to Quicken Windows 3, QW5, QW6, QW2008, QW2010, QW2011, QW2014, QW2018 and then through to the current subscription version. Might have missed an upgrade or two in there, but that's what I have in my notes/recollection.

Chris

Quicken_Tyka

Hello @Sonoran_Bubba

Thank you for the response and the additional details.  Do you use the mobile or web app at all? If not, can you confirm if the option to sync to the mobile/ web is on? 
 
To confirm, please navigate to Edit > Preferences > Mobile & Web, there will be an on-off toggle.  Can you also navigate to the One Step Update settings and confirm if sync to the cloud is selected there? 

If you have sync enabled, can you try to temporarily disable syncing to see if this improves the behavior?

Please let me know what you find!
-Quicken Tyka
 

Sonoran_Bubba

Tyka,

Thank you for these next steps. I had previously turned off the sync to mobile / web. It has been turned back on. I've turned it off. The Sync to Cloud isn't an option on my OSU.

Immediate impression is a HUGE improvement... will keep an eye on that setting going forward if it comes back.

Thank you so much!

Chris

markus1957

You might want to take these preemptive steps in the event Sync gets turned back on again.

1. Go to Mobile/Web Tab and check if any accounts are enabled for mobile and web.  With Sync off you will still be able to see a very faded label indicating how many accounts are selected. If zero, you are done; if not proceed.
2. Turn Sync On and then go to Mobile tab to deselect all accounts, even any hidden ones.
3. Go to Preferences and Reset Cloud file, do not let it sync before the reset. Now the cloud file will mirror your desktop file.
4. Turn Sync off.

If it ever gets turned on again, at least you have no accounts that will sync and potentially mess up your account registers.

To the extent you are using more than one data file, be aware if these files were ever copies of one another, they will mess up your data files eventually, even with Sync off.

Sonoran_Bubba

Ever since the latest update, this has come back and worse than before. Almost cannot use Quicken at this point. I have to lock the computer, walk away for 30 minutes... then I can finish with the register. When I go to switch registers, have to do the same thing again.

I've validated that the computer meets Windows specs. Shut everything else off when it is running... only thing I haven't done is booted into Safe Mode to see what happens.