How to restore file and fix negative balance after R39.23 update?

Altoid

I've updated to R39.23 this morning and my paycheck splits now look correct and Quicken doesn't crash when opening them.

But I still have the issue of one of my account balances being -$500. So I restored from a 03-Mar backup file. The balance for that account goes back to positive.

But if I then choose to make it my primary file and sync, it goes back to -$500. If I choose to just look at the file, the balance stays positive as long as I don't close and re-open the file. After re-opening, as soon as I click into one of the registers and back to the Home tab the balance updates and goes back to -$500. If I reset my synced data or turn syncing off, the balance goes back to -$500.

How do I fix this?

Boatnmaniac

I'm guessing that when you restored the backup file and sync'd Quicken "saw" that the data in your Cloud Account is more recent than the data in your restored file so it updated the data in your restored file with corrupted data in your Cloud Account.

Maybe someone else has another idea that is better but I suggest doing the following:

• File > New Quicken File:  This will create a new data file.  Name it TEST.  Enable Mobile & Web.  No need to add any accounts.
• Edit > Preferences > Cloud ID and Cloud Accounts > Cloud accounts associated with this Quicken ID.       
• In the File Name column:  Click on the name of your primary data file (the one you have been having this problem with) > Delete > Yes > Delete > Close > Mobile & Web > Sync = OFF > OK.  (NOTE:  This will totally break the Mobile & Web sync setup.  If you use Mobile and/or Web, you will need to set it up again later in this process.)
• File > Restore Backup File > select your Mar 3 backup file.  Quicken will now recreate your Cloud Account for this data file...but with Mar 3 data, not the later corrupted data.
• Mobile & Web Sync:  If you do not use Mobile and/or Web, it is suggested that Sync=OFF.  If you do use Mobile and/or Web keep Sync=ON and you can now proceed to set them up, again.

Let me know if this resolves the issue for you.  If it does not, then perhaps R39.23 did not fully fix the issues with R39.17/R39.21 and Quicken needs to be informed.

Chris_QPW

I personally wouldn't bet on any of this fixing the problems with Sync to Mobile/Web.  That feature has been corrupting paycheck entries for months if not years.  I doubt that they even worked on fixing that.

They worked on fixing whatever corruption that R39.17 and R39.23 were causing.

Boatnmaniac

@Altoid - If you do try what I suggested, please be sure to let us know what the results were.  It would be helpful to all of us as well as to others who might come across this thread.

Altoid

@Boatnmaniac It did change the balance and it's now positive instead of -$500. But it's still way off. So it fixed something, but not all of it. Looking back at my statement from 12-Jan-2022 none of the starting/ending numbers match up. So I'm going to have to work my way back until they do match and start finding what's wrong.

Altoid

The errors go back to 2018, the balance column doesn't match the actual transaction columns. It's not adding or subtracting them right.

Boatnmaniac

The R39.23 Hotfix was pushed to people who had previously updated to R39.17 and/or R39.21 to fix issues with those versions.  I am assuming you had previously update to R39.17/R39.21.  Am I correct?

Unfortunately, one of the big issues with those two versions was paycheck transactions getting corrupted.  And I think there were also some complaining about transfers getting deleted. 

If this is what is causing your issue then you might find it easier and much faster to restore your last backup file for R38.30 (or before).

Altoid

I'm not sure what you mean? The backup file I restored from was made on 08-Mar-2022, isn't that prior to the R39.17/R39.21 update and therefore from R38.30?

Edit, I mistyped, as in my original post my backup was from 03-Mar-2022.

Chris_QPW

R29.17 came out on 3/4/2022.  You need a backup before that.

EDIT.  That isn't 100% correct.  You need a backup before R39.17/R39.29 was applied, even though R39.17 came out on 3/4/2022 there is no way for us to know when you applied them.  So, the save thing to do is get a backup before 3/4/2022, but it might not be the last "good date" for you.

Altoid

I corrected my comment, my backup was from 03-Mar. Isn't that early enough?

Chris_QPW

Altoid said:

I corrected my comment, my backup was from 03-Mar. Isn't that early enough?

Yes, that should be fine.

Altoid

I'm not sure what else to do then. I've been using the file from 03-Mar and it's not calculating the balance right.

mrzookie

You're saying the account balance in Quicken doesn't match your bank statement balance, correct? If yes, here's a longshot that might be worth a look. Check the opening balance in Q  and confirm it matches your statement (if you still have it). I've had instances where Q has changed the opening balance of my checking account when I restored a backup. If that's what happened, you can enter an adjusting transaction to the opening bal which will flow through to the present.

Altoid

> @mrzookie said:
> Check the opening balance in Q  and confirm it matches your statement (if you still have it).

My opening balance is from 2003 and the earliest electronic statement I can get is from 2015.

Altoid

> @Altoid said:
> > @mrzookie said:
> > Check the opening balance in Q  and confirm it matches your statement (if you still have it).
>
> My opening balance is from 2003 and the earliest electronic statement I can get is from 2015.

How can I open but not restore a backup file from say 31-Dec-2021 to compare the opening balances? Whenever I choose File > Open it presents me with the Restore from Backup File options.

markus1957

In 39.23, try opening your last backup with the correct balances. Rather than deleting the old cloud files as suggested, use the Reset Cloud file option. Do not accept the offer to sync before resetting. That should delete the existing cloud file and create a new one that mirrors your desktop file. Then perform an OSU as you normally would to bring your datafile back to the current date.

Greg_the_Geek

FWIW, you can open a backup file directly from Quicken by using File Explorer to change the file extension from .QDF-Backup to .QDF.

Altoid

> @markus1957 said:
> In 39.23, try opening your last backup with the correct balances. Rather than deleting the old cloud files as suggested, use the Reset Cloud file option. Do not accept the offer to sync before resetting. That should delete the existing cloud file and create a new one that mirrors your desktop file. Then perform an OSU as you normally would to bring your datafile back to the current date.

When I restore from the 03-Mar backup, should I choose "just look at the file" instead of "make the backup my primary file" with sync checked?

Kyle King

> @Boatnmaniac said:
> I'm guessing that when you restored the backup file and sync'd Quicken "saw" that the data in your Cloud Account is more recent than the data in your restored file so it updated the data in your restored file with corrupted data in your Cloud Account.Maybe someone else has another idea that is better but I suggest doing the following:* File > New Quicken File:  This will create a new data file.  Name it TEST.  Enable Mobile & Web.  No need to add any accounts.
> * Edit > Preferences > Cloud ID and Cloud Accounts > Cloud accounts associated with this Quicken ID.       
>
> * In the File Name column:  Click on the name of your primary data file (the one you have been having this problem with) > Delete > Yes > Delete > Close > Mobile & Web > Sync = OFF > OK.  (NOTE:  This will totally break the Mobile & Web sync setup.  If you use Mobile and/or Web, you will need to set it up again later in this process.)
> * File > Restore Backup File > select your Mar 3 backup file.  Quicken will now recreate your Cloud Account for this data file...but with Mar 3 data, not the later corrupted data.
> * Mobile & Web Sync:  If you do not use Mobile and/or Web, it is suggested that Sync=OFF.  If you do use Mobile and/or Web keep Sync=ON and you can now proceed to set them up, again.
>
> Let me know if this resolves the issue for you.  If it does not, then perhaps R39.23 did not fully fix the issues with R39.17/R39.21 and Quicken needs to be informed.

FWIW, I am having almost exactly the same issue as Altoid, and the steps provided by Boatnmaniac DO NOT fix the issue. Appreciate the help!

Boatnmaniac

Kyle King said:

> @Boatnmaniac said:
> I'm guessing that when you restored the backup file and sync'd Quicken "saw" that the data in your Cloud Account is more recent than the data in your restored file so it updated the data in your restored file with corrupted data in your Cloud Account.Maybe someone else has another idea that is better but I suggest doing the following:* File > New Quicken File:  This will create a new data file.  Name it TEST.  Enable Mobile & Web.  No need to add any accounts.
> * Edit > Preferences > Cloud ID and Cloud Accounts > Cloud accounts associated with this Quicken ID.       
>
> * In the File Name column:  Click on the name of your primary data file (the one you have been having this problem with) > Delete > Yes > Delete > Close > Mobile & Web > Sync = OFF > OK.  (NOTE:  This will totally break the Mobile & Web sync setup.  If you use Mobile and/or Web, you will need to set it up again later in this process.)
> * File > Restore Backup File > select your Mar 3 backup file.  Quicken will now recreate your Cloud Account for this data file...but with Mar 3 data, not the later corrupted data.
> * Mobile & Web Sync:  If you do not use Mobile and/or Web, it is suggested that Sync=OFF.  If you do use Mobile and/or Web keep Sync=ON and you can now proceed to set them up, again.
>
> Let me know if this resolves the issue for you.  If it does not, then perhaps R39.23 did not fully fix the issues with R39.17/R39.21 and Quicken needs to be informed.

FWIW, I am having almost exactly the same issue as Altoid, and the steps provided by Boatnmaniac DO NOT fix the issue. Appreciate the help!

Well, two people saying the same thing is pretty good confirmation that it was not the solution to this issue.  Have you tried @Markus1957 's suggestion?

markus1957

Altoid said:

When I restore from the 03-Mar backup, should I choose "just look at the file" instead of "make the backup my primary file" with sync checked?

You will want to overwrite and make it your primary file but do not let it sync before you do the Reset Cloud file.

Altoid

> @markus1957 said:
> You will want to overwrite and make it your primary file but do not let it sync before you do the Reset Cloud file.

Here's the sequence:
1. File > Restore > Overwrite the open file with restored file
2. The balance I can see in the background appears to be correct but the "Restored file was previously synced to the cloud" window is now displaying.
3. I choose "I want this to be my primary file and continue to sync to the cloud" but I uncheck "Reset the cloud and replace the cloud data with this restored file".
4. When I uncheck the box I get "Warning: turning off this option will cause the data in this file to be merged with the existing cloud data". I click OK, and then click Done.
5. The "Syncing Quicken and Quicken Cloud" window appears.
6. After that sync window completes the balance remains correct in the account list but when I actually look at the register it's -$500 again.
7. Edit > Preferences > Mobile & Web > Reset Cloud Data > No, just reset my Cloud data, type Yes, click Reset
8. Erasing Cloud data window appears.
9. After that window completes, the "Syncing Quicken and Quicken Cloud" window appears again.
10.After that window completes, the message "Cloud Data has been reset successfully" appears. I click OK.
11. The balance remains correct in the account list but it's still -$500 in the register.
12. If I scroll back in the register I see negative balances going back over a year.

markus1957

At step #3 you need to reset the cloud and replace the cloud data with the backup file. Try it again. Thanks for clarifying the actual language in the prompts.

Altoid

I just got off the phone with Quicken Support and the rep was able to resolve the issue for me.

The difference seems to be after starting the File Restore to choose the option to make a copy of the file on the Windows desktop. Then the rep had me run validate, reset sync, run super validate, turn sync off and back on, all with a bunch of restarts in there. I should be receiving a copy of the steps soon in my email. I will repost when I do. @Kyle King

Altoid

Well still no follow-up email, but as I said the big difference was using the option to make a copy of the file when restoring the backup. My main file is now on my desktop, but I'll get it moved back to the Quicken folder.

Kyle King

@Altoid Do you happen to have the step-by-step directions that helped you resolve the issue? I've spent a bit of time trying to follow what you outlined, but I seem to still be having the issue. Does it also matter what time frame you choose to restore from?

RichM81

Just a note, check your opening balance for those accounts. WIth the update, I noticed it took a random recent transaction and dumped it into several accounts as an "opening balance" bizarre.

Altoid

> @Kyle King said:
> @Altoid Do you happen to have the step-by-step directions that helped you resolve the issue? I've spent a bit of time trying to follow what you outlined, but I seem to still be having the issue. Does it also matter what time frame you choose to restore from?

The support rep never sent them to me and I didn't write them all down at the time. I recommend you call the support line if you can to have them walk you through it. But it can be hard because they're only available M-F.

The main difference in the process support had me do versus what I'd been trying to do on my own was to choose the option to make a copy of the file and place it on my desktop. After that all the testing, resetting, restarting was performed on that copy of the file instead. That seemed to stop whatever reconnection it was doing with the incorrect online balances. I've since renamed the file and moved it back to the Quicken directory without issue.