Backup causing Quicken app to crash.

geoted

When I attempt to save/backup my file, Quicken shuts down and sometimes it corrupts the file. This happen on my older laptop (Dell) and I used this as an excuse to get a new laptop (HP) but it also happen there too. Tech support has had me uninstall quicken and run their “Clean” utilities several time. Is this a known issue with a solution? Thanks
G

Rocket J Squirrel

No, not a known issue. Provide more info, namely your Quicken release number and the full & exact pathnames of your data & backup files. And clarify what you mean by "save/backup". Are you doing a Quicken backup operation or some other kind of save?

geoted

I performing the quicken backup. I’m saving to my c:\documents\quicken. Quicken typically searches for updates and I always let it update my version to the latest release. I’m not doing anything different that I haven’t been doing for years. The tech had me turn off firewall and other McAfee parameters and still no luck. It happens on two different laptops so I don’t think it’s the hardware.

Rocket J Squirrel

I asked specific questions and you gave vague answers. Let's try again.

1. Quicken release number. Not "latest". Go to Help > About Quicken and report the Build number which probably starts with 27.

2. Exact and complete data paths. I will bet you a donut that the path is not truly C:\documents\quicken. It is more likely something like C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Quicken\filename.qdf. Show the whole thing from C: to .qdf.

3. Same for the backup folder and file name.

You are having an uncommon problem. We need precise information to even begin to diagnose it.

geoted

Version R37.66
Build 27.1.37.66
C:\users\georg\quicken\gkt.qdf
C:\Program Files (x86)\quicken\qw.exe

geoted

C:\users\georg\documents\quicken\gkt.qdf

Forgot “documents” in previous post

geoted

Backup folder
C:\desktop\quicken backup\gkt.qdf-backup

Quicken Paloma

Hello @geoted, 

Thank you for reaching out to the Quicken Community. We apologize you are having this issue. At the moment other users seem to be experiencing some what of a similar issue as well so it may be a bug. Could you please submit a bug report? To do this select Help >Report a problem.

Also, could you let us know how long this issue has been occurring and what version of Quicken you are using? This can be checked by selecting Help >About Quicken. 

When you have a moment please submit a bug report and let us know of any other questions or concerns. 

-Quicken Paloma

geoted

Will do. The version I’m using is

Version R37.66
Build 27.1.37.66

geoted

Spent 3 hours with quicken tech support. The dude was very polite, patient, and knowledgeable. He methodically stepped me through several steps for him to understand what was happening. I reported this problem on my new laptop with the latest version and build of quicken. As part of the troubleshooting we looked at my older laptop with an older version and build of quicken.

Since my new laptop wasn’t working, I reverted back to my older laptop and caught up on all the bank downloads. This laptop was operational and keeping me going.

The tech felt that there may be an issue with the file on the new laptop since I was using the version of the file I originally took from the older laptop.

He convinced me to upgrade my old laptop to the same version on the new laptop and then at least the files would be from the same version quicken.

Now the older laptop now acts like my new laptop. Not only do both crash once I try to do a backup, once I close the app my data file is corrupted.

If I recover the file from a backup, I am able to open the file. Once I close it and try to reopen, the file doesn’t open and a validate tool lists many damaged data blocks and data records. Both laptops lists the same set of errors

Two different laptop build 4 years apart both running the same version and build of quicken both acting the same way.

The problem is in the software. I’m not upset at the tech. He was quite good and I appreciated his efforts. The problem is in one of the recent patch releases. At exactly three hours, the tech said to wait 24 hours to see if there was a problem with the quicken servers and told me to call back tomorrow. This is the only thing he did that didn’t quite make sense. I’m not looking forward to the next tech spending another three hours trying to trouble shoot my issue.

Am I the only person having this problem?

Rocket J Squirrel

geoted said:

validate tool lists many damaged data blocks and data records.

Am I the only person having this problem?

Yes and no. Many of us who have been running Quicken for a long time have some data corruption. Corruption varies from cosmetic to fatal.

"Damaged data block" is fatal. They left out one word: "irreparable". Unless Quicken rapidly invents a new data repair tool, your file is unusable.

You can try a last-resort approach like File Copy ignoring errors:

1. File > Copy or backup file
2. Create a copy or template
3. Hold SHIFT while clicking Next
4. See a dialog which asks "Ignore errors that prevent file copy?" You can try "No" first and try "Yes" if the "No" path fails.
5. If you get Super Lotto-level lucky, the copy might leave behind some corruption. But no guarantee.

geoted

Thanks for input. Was on another call this morning for one hour. She fixed me! I opened up a clean backup that was not corrupted. She had be export my data. And then import my data into a new file. DONE! The file size is different and the balance isn’t the same. I’ll need to do some manual cleaning up to find the deltas, however, but I am able to back up the file and close and open it without issues. Wow. I feel relieved and don’t know why we didn’t try this earlier.

Rocket J Squirrel

That's great news. Restoring a backup should have been much earlier in the list of things to try, but I'm glad your data survived.

Now go play Lotto.