Unable to Backup to Network Drive

shopperCLT

I can no longer save Backups to a Network Drive. The message I get is "Quicken cannot find the Drive". I used to be able to do this until recently. Version R36.48 Build 27.1.36.48

UKR

Is the drive up and running? Or did it die unexpectedly? Can you access it using Windows File Explorer?
Is the drive still mapped to the drive letter which Quicken Backup expects? Or did the drive letter change?

garysmith87

I had this problem eons ago (around 2012 or so, I think).

I just use Windows Explorer and copy and paste my Quicken .qdf file to my external or networked or cloud based drive.

Saves me a lot of aggravation trying to get it to work.  

shopperCLT

The drive is up and running. I can access the drive using Windows File Explorer. The mapping is the same. This worked until a couple of weeks ago ...... appreciate any solutions.

garysmith87

I gave you the solution.

Quicken has difficulty recognizing mapped drives...or sometimes any other backup location outside of your local drive. 

The solution is to use Windows Explorer, select the .qdf file, copy and paste to the location you'd like...bypassing Quicken's Backup feature altogether.  

shopperCLT

HI Thanks for the suggestion I appreciate it. Your suggestion is a workaround, and I am seeking a solution. This used to work so I am confident there is a solution.

GeoffG

I've encountered this in the past and believed I resolved by forgetting (in Windows) the mapped drive, then remapping exactly as before. This cleared the backup log-jam.

garysmith87

Good luck.  You'll have a very long wait for a solution.  I'm still waiting since 2012.  

The problem with network mapped drives is even Windows loses connection with them.  That's why occasionally you'll notice that they disappear from Windows Explorer...and require a PC restart to get them re-connected or you may need to re-map the drive again.

Quicken isn't that sophisticated.  A lot of stuff in the computer world has been added since the first iterations of Quicken, which is still the basic platform today.  Networking wasn't even on the radar when the roots of Quicken Windows were laid down.

Now, you can continue to hope and pray for a solution...and continue to be aggravated that you can't do what used to work in Quicken...or not.  And save yourself a lot of stress and anguish.  

I would try, however, something as simple as just restarting your PC and see if Quicken can locate the mapped drive.  In my experience, it never will.  

Chris_QPW

You can try a UNC path instead of a mapped drive.

UNC paths have this format:
\\MACHINE\SHARE\...

You can either type that like this (the share is tmp):


Or using the Browse, go through Network:


EDIT BTW UNC paths have always been my preference to use over mapped drives.  I first came from a Unix background what everything was reached by a path from "root" /.../...  So, things are located by a logical hierarchy instead of a physical one.  Windows choose to separate things out based on a physical device like a drive.  And then then Windows brought in mapped drives for network shares.  A network share isn't really a drive.  This is was done to allow programs that knew nothing about a network to access a network using the old physical drive notion.

shopperCLT

Thanks GeoffG. Your suggested solution was the answer.