Quicken stops responding when I go to next month on Calendar

D_McGhee

This has been going on for months, and I've tried Validating and Super Validating the file with no resolution. It started when I had Deluxe, and now I'm running Premiere.

I can usually work in the current month's calendar without an issue, but as soon as I go to the next month, my bill reminders are duplicated up to 20 times! This makes the calendar useless for cash flow projections.

When I try to make any changes on next month, or even look at details, then the application stops responding and will eventually crash. 

I've been using Quicken since the first version for Windows was released, have been a Quicken Beta tester in the past, and spent most of my career in software development and testing, so I know this is an issue with the program and not a user error!

I've seen a few other questions/discussions around calendar issues, but it seems the Validation/Super Validation has helped others. The only thing out of the ordinary in my file is that I have 4 of my 25 open accounts are in Dominican Pesos rather than USD.

Quicken Jared

D_McGhee said:

This has been going on for months, and I've tried Validating and Super Validating the file with no resolution. It started when I had Deluxe, and now I'm running Premiere.

I can usually work in the current month's calendar without an issue, but as soon as I go to the next month, my bill reminders are duplicated up to 20 times! This makes the calendar useless for cash flow projections.

When I try to make any changes on next month, or even look at details, then the application stops responding and will eventually crash. 

I've been using Quicken since the first version for Windows was released, have been a Quicken Beta tester in the past, and spent most of my career in software development and testing, so I know this is an issue with the program and not a user error!

I've seen a few other questions/discussions around calendar issues, but it seems the Validation/Super Validation has helped others. The only thing out of the ordinary in my file is that I have 4 of my 25 open accounts are in Dominican Pesos rather than USD.

Hello @D_McGhee,             

I am sorry about this issue with calendars and program crashes. Thank you for drawing the attention of the Quicken Community to this problem. 

How often do you save backups? Just for future reference, saving a backup is done by navigating to the upper menu in the top of the screen and selecting File > Copy or Backup File. Provided that backups are being saved frequently, I would recommend restoring from a backup file by going into the same menu mentioned previously and selecting File > Restore a Backup File. If this can be done, I am curious to know if these problems continue in the restored data file.

I hope to hear back from you about this, should you have the opportunity to follow up with us here on the Quicken Community. 

Thank you,

Quicken Jared 

D_McGhee

I have my preferences set to automatically back up on exit. I've tried restoring from back up a couple of times and this problem persists.

And I actually did the math (easier than counting) and it's duplicating the items 32 times! So a $500 scheduled payment would reduce my projected balance by $16,000.

Quicken Jared

D_McGhee said:

I have my preferences set to automatically back up on exit. I've tried restoring from back up a couple of times and this problem persists.

And I actually did the math (easier than counting) and it's duplicating the items 32 times! So a $500 scheduled payment would reduce my projected balance by $16,000.

Hello @D_McGhee,       

Thanks for following up with me about the situation and for providing additional details. I apologize that the issue is continuing. 

I do have another question about what is currently happening. Where is the data file you are currently using located? You can check this anytime by going to File > Show this file on my computer in the upper menu at the top of the screen while Quicken is open. 

I am eager to hear your response.

Thank you,

Quicken Jared 

D_McGhee

Sorry for the delayed response! 

My file is in a folder called "Quicken" in Documents.

Also, since I first posted the question, I've archived everything prior to 2019 (using a year-end copy) and uninstalled and reinstalled the program. This morning, I can't get to my calendar at all! I launch the calendar and it stops responding.

Quicken Jared

D_McGhee said:

Sorry for the delayed response! 

My file is in a folder called "Quicken" in Documents.

Also, since I first posted the question, I've archived everything prior to 2019 (using a year-end copy) and uninstalled and reinstalled the program. This morning, I can't get to my calendar at all! I launch the calendar and it stops responding.

@D_McGhee,     

No problem at all, and thank you for following up with me. I am sorry that this problem is ongoing.

First, save a backup by going to File > Copy or Backup File in the upper menu at the top of the screen. This is paramount in protecting your data and can be beneficial in a wide array of scenarios.

Next, validate your data file by going into the same menu and navigating to File > Validate and Repair File. Be sure to make the appropriate selection on the screen that appears following this.

I hope to hear back from you with any updates, should you have the chance to check in with us again here on the Quicken Community. 

Thank you,

Quicken Jared 

D_McGhee

@Quicken Jared - I made a copy (thank goodness!) and ran it through validate (this is the 3rd or 4th time I've run it) and it actually changed values in at least one account! I didn't compare account to account, but there was a $5k change in my Net Worth. Since I had just completed my monthly reconciliations (where I manually verify that all accounts are in sync between Quicken and source - these used to be annual, then quarterly, but now I don't trust the data!), I know all my balances, including share balances in investment accounts, were correct.

The only things the validation found were transfers to/from Unspecified accounts - mostly due to long-closed checking accounts containing the payroll deposits that included 401k contributions. Those accounts are in my archive, but not in my current file.

There was nothing in the validation log that would explain why an account value would have changed. If I can find the time, I'll try it again and see which account(s?) is impacted. It really would be nice if the validation logs had a little more info! In the past, I've gotten messages that said there was a problem with a category and it was deleted. If Quicken is deleting a "damaged" category, how difficult can it be to tell me which category it was?  By the way, the one time I got this message and did a comparison of my complete Category list from the "validated" file and the original, there was not a single change. The same goes for scheduled reminders - can't the program tell me which one was removed because it was "damaged"?

For now, the calendar seems to be working, but that might also be because I deleted every single one of my reminders and replaced them with new ones.

After 30 years of using Quicken, I'm at a point now where I am exploring alternatives. I'm likely spending more time dealing with the glitches in the program than it is saving me by consolidating my finances.

Also, it's interesting that if I go to "About Quicken", it shows I have Premiere. Very strange since my subscription is for Deluxe (since 11/19) and before that, I subscribed to Home & Business! If I've ever had Premiere, it was prior to the subscription model. I have a new computer, as of last month, and have uninstalled and reinstalled Quicken from fresh downloads from the website several times now to try to correct this issue. 

Quicken Jared

D_McGhee said:

@Quicken Jared - I made a copy (thank goodness!) and ran it through validate (this is the 3rd or 4th time I've run it) and it actually changed values in at least one account! I didn't compare account to account, but there was a $5k change in my Net Worth. Since I had just completed my monthly reconciliations (where I manually verify that all accounts are in sync between Quicken and source - these used to be annual, then quarterly, but now I don't trust the data!), I know all my balances, including share balances in investment accounts, were correct.

The only things the validation found were transfers to/from Unspecified accounts - mostly due to long-closed checking accounts containing the payroll deposits that included 401k contributions. Those accounts are in my archive, but not in my current file.

There was nothing in the validation log that would explain why an account value would have changed. If I can find the time, I'll try it again and see which account(s?) is impacted. It really would be nice if the validation logs had a little more info! In the past, I've gotten messages that said there was a problem with a category and it was deleted. If Quicken is deleting a "damaged" category, how difficult can it be to tell me which category it was?  By the way, the one time I got this message and did a comparison of my complete Category list from the "validated" file and the original, there was not a single change. The same goes for scheduled reminders - can't the program tell me which one was removed because it was "damaged"?

For now, the calendar seems to be working, but that might also be because I deleted every single one of my reminders and replaced them with new ones.

After 30 years of using Quicken, I'm at a point now where I am exploring alternatives. I'm likely spending more time dealing with the glitches in the program than it is saving me by consolidating my finances.

Also, it's interesting that if I go to "About Quicken", it shows I have Premiere. Very strange since my subscription is for Deluxe (since 11/19) and before that, I subscribed to Home & Business! If I've ever had Premiere, it was prior to the subscription model. I have a new computer, as of last month, and have uninstalled and reinstalled Quicken from fresh downloads from the website several times now to try to correct this issue. 

Hello @D_McGhee,

Thank you for providing me with such excellent detail and keeping me updated in regards to the situation.

I am happy that the issue with the calendar seems to be resolved, although I am sorry that this required such great effort and caused so much difficulty.

I want to be sure I understand: were you subscribing to Home & Business, then somehow switched to Deluxe, and now to Premiere, somehow without your knowledge? I just want to be sure I understand the issue you are describing with respect to your subscriptions.

I look forward to any response you may be able to provide.

Thank you,

Quicken Jared 

D_McGhee

I thought I had responded to this. Once Quicken became subscription-based, I started with Home and Business, then downgraded to Deluxe when we sold our rental properties. If I've ever had Premiere, it was prior to 2017.



I'm still having intermittent issues with my calendar.

Quicken Jared

D_McGhee said:

I thought I had responded to this. Once Quicken became subscription-based, I started with Home and Business, then downgraded to Deluxe when we sold our rental properties. If I've ever had Premiere, it was prior to 2017.



I'm still having intermittent issues with my calendar.

Hello @D_McGhee,      

I do apologize that the problem is still present at this stage. Thank you for being so patient and keeping me posted on the situation as it stands.

Some of these steps are familiar, but I can confirm that they are all relevant. Also, the exact sequences are important, so be sure to follow them in order. First, save a backup, then go back to the same menu item and proceed to File > Copy or Backup File, this time selecting Create a Copy or Template. 

After this, click Next in the dialogue box that appears, then Save Copy, New Copy, and click OK. Once this is done, go through the steps of first validating, and then supervalidating, the copied file. I will reiterate those instructions below:

Validate: 

1. Navigate to File
2. Select Validate and Repair File...
3.  Click Validate File
4. Click OK
5. Close the Data Log
   
6. Close Quicken (leave it closed for at least 5 secs)
7. Reopen Quicken and see if the issue persists.

Super Validate:

1. Navigate to File
2. Hold CTRL + Shift and click Validate and Repair File...
   
3. Super Validate File
4. Click OK
5. Close the Data Log
   
6. Close Quicken (leave it closed for at least 5 secs)
7. Reopen Quicken and see if the issue persists.

Let me know if this works to resolve the problem, if you have the opportunity to check back in with us. I look forward to hearing any updates you may be able to provide.

Thank you,

Quicken Jared