what file contains the bill reminders? i need to blow it away.

veggertson
veggertson Member
My old laptop died recently and I reinstalled Quicken (Canada Windows) from a backup onto my new one. I didn't notice it right away but my bill and income reminders did not backup/restore correctly. So I set out to build those records from scratch. I followed the instructions in help but I was unable to delete the existing records. I received the error message "Could not delete item". I cannot edit them either. I use the reminders function a lot and cannot live with these bad records. I have tried reinstalling Windows ... no difference. So how do I blow away these records? Do they live in a separate file somewhere?
I need technical help for sure. I have used Quicken for 20 years and cannot resolve this one. P.S. I am a subscription licensee.

Best Answer

  • Quicken Jared
    Quicken Jared Alumni ✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    I have found other flaws with my current instance of Quicken. It doesn't recognize transfers. I have to enter the information on the payment side (without reference to the deposit side) and enter the same information on the deposit side without reference to payment side.
    I have decided to buy a separate subscription and start from scratch.
    Valerie
    Hello @veggertson,   

    I am sorry to hear about this problem with your original data file remaining, and for all the trouble it has caused. Thank you for continuing to follow up with us about this.

    If you are noticing a number of issues that seem to be isolated to this particular data file, you could try saving a backup by navigating to File > Copy or Backup File... in the upper menu at the top of the screen then proceeding through the following steps:
    1. Navigate to File
    2. Select Validate and Repair File...
    3. Select 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. 

    If you are still noticing difficulties after you have attempted those recommendations, you may try the following:

    1. Navigate to File
    2. Hold CTRL + Shift and click Validate and Repair File...
    3. Select 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.

    I understand if you would prefer to start over, although it would not be necessary to start a new subscription in order to do this; you could simply start a new data file by navigating to File > New Quicken File... in the upper menu mentioned earlier.

    I hope this helps. 

    Thank you,

    Quicken Jared 

Answers

  • Quicken Jared
    Quicken Jared Alumni ✭✭✭✭
    My old laptop died recently and I reinstalled Quicken (Canada Windows) from a backup onto my new one. I didn't notice it right away but my bill and income reminders did not backup/restore correctly. So I set out to build those records from scratch. I followed the instructions in help but I was unable to delete the existing records. I received the error message "Could not delete item". I cannot edit them either. I use the reminders function a lot and cannot live with these bad records. I have tried reinstalling Windows ... no difference. So how do I blow away these records? Do they live in a separate file somewhere?
    I need technical help for sure. I have used Quicken for 20 years and cannot resolve this one. P.S. I am a subscription licensee.
    Hello @veggertson

    I am sorry to hear about this problem with removing outdated Bill Reminders. Thank you for looking to the Quicken Community for assistance. 

    First, what are you referencing when you mention 'records;' are these simply the old Bill Reminders, themselves? Also, regarding this message that indicates that certain items cannot be deleted: is there any way you could provide a screenshot of this message, with any personal information redacted as necessary? You can consult the FAQ linked here for steps regarding how to submit screenshots to the Quicken Community. Note that you can also drag and drop images into your comment before it has been posted.

    I look forward to your response.

    Thank you,

    Quicken Jared 
  • veggertson
    veggertson Member
    edited September 2022
    Jared
    Here is a screenshot of my Bill and Income Reminders screen (#1) ... the only healthy record is the one I created after the installation (I'm sure you can tell which one that is).
    Notice that the "Pay Visa" entries for example, which in the previous install on my old PC was a transfer, now appears as two separate records (#2). The proof that the Reminders file is not healthy is what I see when I inquire via the Bill and Income tab (#3 and #4).
    As for the deletion of these "bad" records, this is what you see when I try to delete (I could not screenshot this screen so took a picture on my iphone) #5.
    I need to rid myself of these records.
    I am trying to think outside the box. Before I retired, I was a self-employed consultant and had to keep records for my corporation. So I need to reference old files and accounts ... mostly for Tax Canada. Hence I want to keep using Quicken. If I were to purchase a new subscription of Quicken (using a different ID), would I be able to import my old accounts and just keep them archived? Then I would rebuild my current Bill and Income Reminders? I see that as the cleanest solution.
    Valerie
  • I have found other flaws with my current instance of Quicken. It doesn't recognize transfers. I have to enter the information on the payment side (without reference to the deposit side) and enter the same information on the deposit side without reference to payment side.
    I have decided to buy a separate subscription and start from scratch.
    Valerie
  • Quicken Jared
    Quicken Jared Alumni ✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓
    I have found other flaws with my current instance of Quicken. It doesn't recognize transfers. I have to enter the information on the payment side (without reference to the deposit side) and enter the same information on the deposit side without reference to payment side.
    I have decided to buy a separate subscription and start from scratch.
    Valerie
    Hello @veggertson,   

    I am sorry to hear about this problem with your original data file remaining, and for all the trouble it has caused. Thank you for continuing to follow up with us about this.

    If you are noticing a number of issues that seem to be isolated to this particular data file, you could try saving a backup by navigating to File > Copy or Backup File... in the upper menu at the top of the screen then proceeding through the following steps:
    1. Navigate to File
    2. Select Validate and Repair File...
    3. Select 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. 

    If you are still noticing difficulties after you have attempted those recommendations, you may try the following:

    1. Navigate to File
    2. Hold CTRL + Shift and click Validate and Repair File...
    3. Select 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.

    I understand if you would prefer to start over, although it would not be necessary to start a new subscription in order to do this; you could simply start a new data file by navigating to File > New Quicken File... in the upper menu mentioned earlier.

    I hope this helps. 

    Thank you,

    Quicken Jared 
  • Thank you Jared for all your help ... especially that last piece of advice about just creating a new file. In fact I have now taken that route.
    A few things made me not trust the original file. I lost about $500 worth of transactions when I installed Quicken on my new laptop which then meant I could not reconcile. Any transfers I created (ie paying a credit card from a chequing account) only entered a value on one side of the transaction, not the other ... go figure :-) Then the system kept on telling me I had accounts in different currencies (which I don't) so I looked at the account details and the currency field was blank in all cases. In the end I was nervous that any "repair" would only make matters worse. But thanks to your last piece of advice, I can go back to the older records (should Canada Revenue want me to) but I can keep new records in a clean setup.
    Thanks again ..
    Valerie
  • Quicken Jared
    Quicken Jared Alumni ✭✭✭✭
    Thank you Jared for all your help ... especially that last piece of advice about just creating a new file. In fact I have now taken that route.
    A few things made me not trust the original file. I lost about $500 worth of transactions when I installed Quicken on my new laptop which then meant I could not reconcile. Any transfers I created (ie paying a credit card from a chequing account) only entered a value on one side of the transaction, not the other ... go figure :-) Then the system kept on telling me I had accounts in different currencies (which I don't) so I looked at the account details and the currency field was blank in all cases. In the end I was nervous that any "repair" would only make matters worse. But thanks to your last piece of advice, I can go back to the older records (should Canada Revenue want me to) but I can keep new records in a clean setup.
    Thanks again ..
    Valerie
    Hello @veggertson,    

    I am so glad to hear that you were able to achieve a resolution that works for you in this situation. Thank you so much for checking back in with us to let us know how this was possible, and for telling us how things turned out.

    Feel free to reach out to us again, anytime, with any additional questions or concerns.

    Have a great day!

    Thank you,

    Quicken Jared 
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