Lost online connections?

Question

After an update, there was a discrepancy in the account total in my current Quicken file, so I restored a backup (with name other than current) to help tracing the error.

When I went back to the current file, all online connections were gone, which cost hours for reconnecting and some I cannot even reconnect!

What is the way to view a second Quicken file without losing the connections in the first one?

Thank you very much for your help.

LostUser · Answer

Thank you very much for the very detailed explanations!

To answer your question, I have done absolutely no editing to the restored Backup, only viewed it for a few minutes and then closed it after it gave me no clues on what could have been wrong in the current one.

As an aside, turns out the discrepancy in the current file came from Quicken modifying the starting balance of an account (opened many years ago) I had to relink after the link stopped working, on the first update after relinking. Should have figured it out right away as it is not uncommon, at least for me.

I was completely unaware of the Cloud situation. To follow the outlined method to create the CPY file, I'd have to open the Backup file, right? When I did that with the restored file, it asked for a Quicken password right away, before I could access it and view it or go into any menu option, so I suppose it goes into Cloud registration at this point and could collude then already?

The confusing part now is that when I went back to the current file, I was prompted for my Quicken ID again. Then after the failed updates of the de-linked accounts, Quicken messaged the following:

"It appears that one or more account(s) at XXXXX have been deleted. This could happen if you have restored from a backup file. You must add the accounts to Quicken again".

So it is like Quicken thinks that the current file is from a backup?

Would it help to just not using the Quicken Cloud at all, that I don't really need as I have a robust backup set up already?

Or is the Cloud link required for Direct Connect to work?

Or even more basic....could I just get off the Internet while restoring and browsing a backup file to prevent such a complete delinking happening again?

Thank you very much for the prompt and in-depth help!

Boatnmaniac · Answer

When you restored the backup file, did you then deactivate the accounts in it?

Each data file creates a unique Cloud Account ID.  Saving that file under a different name or restoring a backup file and simply giving it a different name will not change that Cloud Account ID.  So, now you will have two files sharing the same Cloud Account ID.    Because of this, some changes you make in one of the files will also affect the other file.  If you deactivated your EWC and/or EWC+ accounts in that restored file it is messaged to that shared Cloud Account that they have been deactivated.  Then when you open the original file, the Cloud Account messages to it that those same EWC and EWC+ accounts have been deactivated.

There are some other things that can also be affected by this "cross-talk" issue, such as adding, deleting or renaming categories in the restored back-up file will often also then be transferred to the original file.

To prevent this from happening:

* Restore the backup file and give it a unique name (like you did).
* Then, File > Copy or Backup File > under Advanced Options > select Create a copy or template > select the options you want (this process will rename the file to be copied with the same name but adding CPY to the end of it or you can give it your own unique name) > Save Copy.

The file copy created with this process will generate a new Cloud Account ID for the copied file which means that there will not be any cross-talk that occurs between this copied file and the original file.  So anything you do in this copied file will not affect the original file in any way.

* All of the online setup connections will have been deactivated so you will need to set them up, again, as needed.  
* You can make any changes in it that you want and not need to be concerned with any cross-talk with the original file.

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