Changing Settings by Itself

Question

How do I get Quicken from acting like it knows what I need better than I do and changing my settings by itself?

It started by turning web sync on when I have it turned completely off in preferences. Every few weeks I will get a popup telling me Quicken is syncing a couple of accounts with the cloud and I have to go into preferences and turn it off again.

Then it started changing the way I reconcile accounts. I have "Use paper statements" set in ALL of my accounts. But every few weeks I start to reconcile and it has changed to "Use online balance". Then to add insult to injury, when I change it back, Quicken scolds me with a popup telling me I shouldn't be changing back and forth even though I'm not the one who changed it in the first place.

Now it has started changing my tracking method in my investment accounts. All of my investment accounts use "Complete - Positions and Transactions" but in the last week I have had four accounts change to "Simple - Positions Only", again without my input. The first three times when I changed it back my transactions were fine. The fourth time all of the securities in the account were gone with a "Removed" transaction and a MiscInc transaction replaced the money value of my account. That's no big deal this time, just removing six transactions, but next time it could mess up the entire register.

Again, how do I stop Quicken from acting on its own?

Thanks in advance!

BK · Answer

@Dave Davis 
I suspect that your cloud dataset file is the cause of your other two problems you mentioned and creating a conflict - although you said that you do not use sync.  I suggest to either Reset or [preferably] Delete your dataset using the following steps:
* Validate your file: File > Validate and correct any errors
* Turn off accounts that are syncing: Preferences > Mobile & Web > Sync=ON > Click on X of Y eligible accounts enabled > deselect all check marks > Done* Reset cloud data: Preferences > Mobile & Web > Sync=ON > Select "Reset your cloud data" > pick "No, just reset ..."* Once done, turn Sync=OFF
* or to Delete cloud data: First turn sync off in your main file.  Second, you must use another Quicken file (test/blank etc.) to delete the cloud dataset of your main file.  Third follow these instructions to Delete.
NOTE: Although you may delete it and your Sync is OFF, a new one WILL be recreated - don't be alarmed - as the cloud dataset file is required no matter what.

Just a suggestion that another approach could be to wait and read the community posts and see what others are saying about the new release, before deciding to update.  Simply search for R36.17 for example.  I do this with every product/App update, not just Quicken.

Dave Davis · Answer

Thanks for the replies.

@BK 
 That explains going from complete to simple, but not the other two problems. I am currently on R36.17 and, unless I have a good reason not to, I update to the current subscription release whenever Quicken tells me there is one.

@Sherlock 
 I am normally logged in to a regular vice admin Windows account so Quicken doesn't update without me knowing. The problem isn't knowing an update happened, it is knowing about changes Quicken makes that aren't in the change notes.

It looks like every time there is an update, I will have to check all preferences in that window as well as look at the Account Details for each account.

Sherlock · Answer

I suggest reviewing your settings after a Quicken program update. To prevent Quicken from updating itself without your approval, I suggest setting Windows UAC settings appropriately (default or always notify).