Quicken locks up when attaching files (Q Win Canada, Ver R45.18)

Arctic Hare

Recently (with version R45.18) I have been encountered frequent lock-ups of Quicken specifically when attaching files to transactions. Quicken get hung up with the cloud sync icon pulsing when adding the file attachment. I need to used Task Manager to End Task Quicken. After restarting Quicken, I find that most of the time (not all of the time, but most of the time) the attachment has been attached successfully locally. I don't use Quicken Web/mobile, so I haven't checked to see if has synced to the cloud.

This does (again) beg the question why attachments have to be synched to the cloud even if one is not using Quicken Web/Mobile? Regardless, my intent is to draw attention to this issue of frequent lock-ups/crashes (the program doesn't actually crash, it just gets stuck in some infinite loop and I manually End Task Quicken to get out of the endless loop) associated with attaching files in R45.18.

Andreaverr

I have the same problem (Basic package, version R45.18, build 27.1.45.8). I have turned off the option to sync to the cloud under Preferences. The system should no be trying to sync an individual transaction to the cloud. The same issue happens when I scan a receipt to attach to a transaction. The scan session hangs and I have to reboot and sometimes even re-install the driver for my scanner. At this point, I am unable to use Quicken. What used to take me minutes now takes hours to accomplish. I have been searching the net on how to fix the issue and none of the recommendations work. (Deactivate bank updates and logging out and signing back in with Quicken ID).

Arctic Hare

Andreaverr said:

I have the same problem (Basic package, version R45.18, build 27.1.45.8). I have turned off the option to sync to the cloud under Preferences. The system should no be trying to sync an individual transaction to the cloud. The same issue happens when I scan a receipt to attach to a transaction. The scan session hangs and I have to reboot and sometimes even re-install the driver for my scanner. At this point, I am unable to use Quicken. What used to take me minutes now takes hours to accomplish. I have been searching the net on how to fix the issue and none of the recommendations work. (Deactivate bank updates and logging out and signing back in with Quicken ID).

To be clear, I too have Sync Preference under Mobile & Web set to OFF, yet Quicken still synchs every attachment to the cloud. That is, the program lockups occur with Sync set to OFF.

@Andreaverr
I hope you have used the "Report a Problem" feature to report this to Quicken. The more people who report the problem, the more likely they will look at it sometime.

Also note, when attaching the image to the transaction, this behaviuor can occur regardless of whether the source of the image is the attached scanner, attaching a file by navigating to the folder containing the file, or dragging and dropping the file. The behaviour is the same - the program randomly goes into an infinite loop while displaying the cloud sync icon.

UKR

Arctic Hare said:

@Andreaverr
I hope you have used the "Report a Problem" feature to report this to Quicken. The more people who report the problem, the more likely they will look at it sometime.

To really get the ball rolling on this issue, after "Report a Problem" you also need to contact  Quicken Support on the phone during posted hours of operation , for escalation.
Otherwise your problem report just ends up in a black hole.

Arctic Hare

I have called Quicken Support and they had me try a few things. They had me install the latest Mono Patch and that didn't help. They also had me create a new copy of my data file and reestablish all the online banking connections. I'm testing the later now. One oddity in all of this is that even in the new file, even with Mobile Sync turned off in preferences, Quicken still syncs each new attachment to the cloud. In my case, since I am not using mobile or Web, my preference would be that Quicken not sync my attachments to the cloud - period; however, it seems to be impossible to fully turn off the sync feature.

I also can't really get a straight answer out of support as to whether it is possible to truly completely turn off sync to cloud and avoid having my data file and/or my attachments synced to the cloud.

I'll try to remember to post back here whether creating a new copy of the data file (along with reestablishing online banking connections) was a fix for the lockup behaviour with attachments. It hasn't locked up yet since creating the new file, but I've only tested a few attempts at attachments with new (copied) file.

Arctic Hare

After a five (5) hour call with support (trying the steps listed above and many others), the same problem persists. I was able to demonstrate that the problem can be readily reproduced in a brand new Quicken file just by adding one Express Web Connect account and running One Step Update once. The problem is now being escalated to the escalated support team.

I do encourage others who are experiencing this same issue to go through the same process I went through with Quicken Support; hopefully, it won't take five hours for each person afflicted by this issue. Having multiple users contact Quicken Support is the only way to get attention on the issue and get resources assigned to get it resolved.

There is a larger issue here in that it is impossible to fully turn off Mobile/Web sync if you use One Step Update with Express Web Connections. You can follow all of Quicken's steps to disable Mobile/web sync, but as soon as you perform a One Step Update with one or more Express Web Connect connections Quicken will automatically start trying to sync your attachments to the cloud as you attach each file - yes, even if you have Sync turned OFF in preferences.

rapper1

I have disabled all accounts that were formerly sync'd by using Edit\Preferences\Mobile & Web\Accounts.
Sync itself is still turned on. So far attachments are saving properly and quickly again without the BLUE CLOUD PULSING DOWN ARROW.

since1991

Seems to me that the first attachment goes fine, but when that completes, when you try to attach a 2nd receipt to the same or a different transaction, that’s when it hangs up. It’s the 2nd or 3rd attachment that hangs up. Same applies if you try and sync previous older attachments to the cloud

Arctic Hare

@since1991
I experimented with this in test files and there is some random factor to it. The first one, two, three or even four attachment attempts might work OK, but it will soon stop working properly. The problem is readily reproducible in a brand new file. 

Arctic Hare

rapper1 said:

I have disabled all accounts that were formerly sync'd by using Edit\Preferences\Mobile & Web\Accounts.
Sync itself is still turned on. So far attachments are saving properly and quickly again without the BLUE CLOUD PULSING DOWN ARROW.

@rapper1 my prediction is that attachments will work OK for you until you perform a One Step Update with an Express Web Connected account. You will then start having the problem again. Please post follow up comments on how this is working for you.

Chris_QPW

First off, let me post this about attachments syncing to the Quicken Cloud dataset even when not using sync to Mobile/Web from a post I put in a US thread today.
https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20322355/#Comment_20322355

First off it seems the new drag and drop of attachments will always upload the attachments to the Quicken Cloud dataset.  Attaching them through the menus doesn't.  Next if your account is setup for Express Web Connect or Express Web Connect + the way it gets transaction is through the sync to the Quicken Cloud dataset.  And even though there have been several complaints about it, this means that it will not only sync the transactions, Quicken will also sync the attachments when you update.  https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7882641/qcs-express-web-connect-is-cloud-sync

My wild guess is that the hanging up is related to trying to sync the attachment to the Quicken Cloud dataset.

Arctic Hare

Chris_QPW said:

First off, let me post this about attachments syncing to the Quicken Cloud dataset even when not using sync to Mobile/Web from a post I put in a US thread today.
https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20322355/#Comment_20322355

First off it seems the new drag and drop of attachments will always upload the attachments to the Quicken Cloud dataset.  Attaching them through the menus doesn't.  Next if your account is setup for Express Web Connect or Express Web Connect + the way it gets transaction is through the sync to the Quicken Cloud dataset.  And even though there have been several complaints about it, this means that it will not only sync the transactions, Quicken will also sync the attachments when you update.  https://community.quicken.com/discussion/7882641/qcs-express-web-connect-is-cloud-sync

My wild guess is that the hanging up is related to trying to sync the attachment to the Quicken Cloud dataset.

I have no doubt that the hanging up is 100% related to the sync of the attachment to Quicken Cloud. That seems entirely evident. It is still a bug.

Arctic Hare

Adding an interesting observation regarding this problem... I have found that when Quicken locks up syncing the transaction, it is "temporary" in that, if one waits long enough, which can be 5, 10, or more minutes, the sync process will eventually finish and you can avoid a Ctrl-Alt-Del End Task. However, this means that it may take 10 - 30 minutes to enter each transaction that has an attachment. Clearly not acceptable or even a viable workaround, but an interesting observation nonetheless. When Quicken appears locked up, it is actually busy/waiting for something, but unlike Godot, that something eventually arrives.

Chris_QPW

Interesting observation.  Here is one that might be related.  Lately Express Web Connect has been taking a long time to complete, and on some days a VERY long time.  Note that since about a year or two ago Express Web Connect flow has been changed where the transactions are synced with the Quicken Cloud dataset.  Flow: Quicken (program) -> Quicken Cloud dataset -> Intuit -> Financial institution.

So, given that they are syncing these attachments to the Quicken Cloud dataset, this might be related.

Arctic Hare

Posting a link to another thread that is discussing the same bug: https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20329063#Comment_20329063

LaZygote

I have the very same problem: Quicken Deluxe (R45.18 for Canada) get hung up with the cloud sync icon pulsing when adding the file attachment. I have reported the problem (via Quicken "Report a Problem" link) and will try to contact them ... when I have a lot of time ahead of me !!! Thank for posting; now I know I am not the only one having these issues with file attachment.

Arctic Hare

LaZygote said:

I have the very same problem: Quicken Deluxe (R45.18 for Canada) get hung up with the cloud sync icon pulsing when adding the file attachment. I have reported the problem (via Quicken "Report a Problem" link) and will try to contact them ... when I have a lot of time ahead of me !!! Thank for posting; now I know I am not the only one having these issues with file attachment.

I have demonstrated to Quicken Support that this issue can be replicated with any format of attachment in a brand new Quicken file. All one has to do is run One Step Update once and then start trying to attach documents to transactions. If you are lucky, it will attach a few without issue, but after one, two, three, four or five it will take a very long time to synch the attachment. I have found that if I leave it alone, it will eventually complete the synch, but I've noted that can take 20 minutes or more for a single document/attachment. It is a very odd and annoying issue.

Quicken Jared

Hello everyone,

We are sorry that you are being affected by these issues with slowness and freezing. Thank you for continuing to converse with us about this here on the Quicken Community.

Our developers are aware of the issue, thanks to your efforts. Currently, there is no ETA regarding a resolution, although we have teams working on the problem. We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you all for your patience.

Regards,

Quicken Jared

(CTP-5889)