Quicken fails to load data file - hangs with program not responding

xcracer

I use Quicken Premier Subscription on A Windows 10 PC. I open Quicken every 2-3 days to check by account balances. I used it last Sunday and Monday, with no problems. Tuesday it would not open my data file. Quicken will start, prompt for the data file password, then just hang with a white screen and the blue circle spinning. After a minute or so I get "Program is not Responding" - Cancel or Wait. If I select wait, after several hours still nothing.

I backup the data file each time I close Quicken, and then I backup those files to an external disk. I tried to restore from a backup, same error. The restore process completes with "file restored, do you wish to open the new file?" If I select the new file, the same thing happens, spinning blue circle, then the not responding error. I have backups from several months, and none of them will restore.

I uninstalled Quicken and downloaded and installed a fresh copy. I then created a new data file and it opens fine. The previous data file will still not open, nor will the backup files. I then installed Quicken on a different PC, same thing, new file works fine, old files will not load.

I started Quicken with the new file, and then ran the validate and super validate options against the old file and I get the same problem. The validate will start, prompt for the file password and then hang.

I find it hard to believe that all of my backup files are bad. I performed a year end copy a few months ago, and then had to open the old file a few weeks later to verify a transaction, and that file now will not open with the same problem. I ran a Windows chkdsk and no errors were found.

Any suggestions on what to do next?

Quicken Jared

xcracer said:

I use Quicken Premier Subscription on A Windows 10 PC. I open Quicken every 2-3 days to check by account balances. I used it last Sunday and Monday, with no problems. Tuesday it would not open my data file. Quicken will start, prompt for the data file password, then just hang with a white screen and the blue circle spinning. After a minute or so I get "Program is not Responding" - Cancel or Wait. If I select wait, after several hours still nothing.

I backup the data file each time I close Quicken, and then I backup those files to an external disk. I tried to restore from a backup, same error. The restore process completes with "file restored, do you wish to open the new file?" If I select the new file, the same thing happens, spinning blue circle, then the not responding error. I have backups from several months, and none of them will restore.

I uninstalled Quicken and downloaded and installed a fresh copy. I then created a new data file and it opens fine. The previous data file will still not open, nor will the backup files. I then installed Quicken on a different PC, same thing, new file works fine, old files will not load.

I started Quicken with the new file, and then ran the validate and super validate options against the old file and I get the same problem. The validate will start, prompt for the file password and then hang.

I find it hard to believe that all of my backup files are bad. I performed a year end copy a few months ago, and then had to open the old file a few weeks later to verify a transaction, and that file now will not open with the same problem. I ran a Windows chkdsk and no errors were found.

Any suggestions on what to do next?

Hello @xcracer, 

I am sorry to hear about this problem with opening QDF files. Thank you for asking about this here on the Quicken Community, and for providing so much helpful detail about the steps that you've taken thus far.

First, are you opening and operating your data files from the external drive? Have you tried moving them onto the computer and opening them after this? Also, had any of these files been converted from a previous version of Quicken?

I look forward to your answers, and I hope to work with you more on this issue, in the future. 

Thank you, 

Quicken Jared 

xcracer

No, files are not on an external disk, they are on the PCs internal disk. Yes, the files have been converted from a previous release, as I've used quicken for several years. However, there has been no upgrades to quicken on my PC for a few weeks, so the primary file, and backups for the last several days were all using the same version of quicken.

mshiggins

@xracer is the file size of the “bad” file getting larger and larger while it is hanging? If so, you likely have a runaway reminder. 

Try setting the date on your computer to a date earlier than when the problem first started.  Then try opening the “bad” file. If it opens, you’ll find some reminder has repeated hundreds or thousands of times. Delete that reminder and delete the repeated transactions. You can then recreate the reminder and set your computer’s date back to today’s date. 

xcracer

No, the file size is the same. Also if I recover my last manual backup, it is the same size as the original file. However, I will give that date idea a try, it will not hurt anything and it just might work.

xcracer

mshiggins, thanks for the information. Setting the date back allows me to open the original file, along with the backup files. I did find a reminder, that was set to duration=unlimited, frequency=unknown, stop after = blank. Once I deleted it, I was able to change back to the current date, and open the file.

This was a reminder that I'm had on list for several years, and it was set for every Tuesday. And my problem started on Tuesday. However, I don't know how the frequency was set to unknown, as it should have been set to weekly. However, I'm not surprised, as I have had other issues with Quicken data changing before, for example opening balances.

Anyway, thanks for the help with this, my file is usable and my accounts are up to date.

mshiggins

Great, glad the date change did the trick for you.