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Quicken File disappeared, no Quicken backup available (edit)

Heresolong

I update my Quicken accounts about every two weeks. Had to do some rebuilding after a computer transfer back in May but it's been working fine since then. I have backup set to "every five times" which is the default.

Yesterday I opened the program and it asked me what file I wanted to use. The only file I could find was an old file dating back to 2010. Quicken then appears to have created an empty backup file dated yesterday.

I can't find any files dated earlier than May on my computer or my backup hard drive, which is the "un-rebuilt" file from my computer transfer. Questions:

Why did Quicken ask for a file instead of opening the previous file like it has every couple weeks since May?
Why do I not have a backup (I'm thinking that the answer to this one is "haven't updated my accounts five times yet" but it would be a bit frustrating if the default settings wouldn't create an initial file when you started)
Am I out of luck? I had to spend multiple hours rebuilding my accounts back in May because I messed up the transfer and because I'd failed to update my accounts for several months while my old computer gradually failed. I don't want to have to do it again.

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UKR

Who else might have been accessing your computer while you weren't looking?
Did the cat nap on your keyboard?
Did a three-year old discover how to move Desktop icons to the trash can?
Which reminds me: Did you look in the Recycle Bin?
Might your computer have been infected by a virus?

What folder do you usually store your Quicken data file(s) in?

Have you ever used MS OneDrive? On some systems it may be active in the background, without the user being aware. So it might be a good idea to look for files sent to the cloud by OneDrive.

TTSguy

I'm of the belief that One drive was responsible. I've gotten messages telling me I would loose files if I didn't up date my subscription to more storage. I did everything to eliminate One Drive from my PC only to discover that Quicken files that were integrated into One Drive are there to stay, and if you try to navigate around One Drive involving your Quicken files you can lose them. I lost many Quicken files because they where in a file name with One Drive.

I wish Quicken could get involved a little more with One Drive to help Quicken users understand better how One Drive gets involved with them and if you don't rid of One Drive correctly, you can delete Quicken files in the process. Speaking of ransomeware!? As far as I am concerned buying One Drive subscription is very darn close to ransomware! Yes ,I did lose a bunch of Quicken files in trying to rid my PC of One Drive! After e bunch of reverse engineering I concluded that that is what happened to me!

UKR

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20372298#Comment_20372298

@TTSguy ,
thanks for your comment, but you are not the person who asked the original question. We need to hear from @Heresolong about the actual cause of the loss of files and to see what can be done to help. Let's not get off on a tangent here.

Heresolong

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20372279#Comment_20372279

So to answer the above questions, no one, I live alone and have no pets or children. No viruses, nothing in the Recycle Bin, default Quicken storage on this computer which I think is Documents/Quicken. Lots of files in there now as I've dug around opening old files, each of which seemed to then create something in that folder. I've not intentionally used MS OneDrive and going there now I see no files of any sort.

Mark1104

@Heresolong - did you try doing a global search of your harddrive for all *.qdf files? it is possible that the file(s) were inadvertantly moved elsewhere on the harddrive. I've seen other posts that it inadvertantly occurs.

Also, lesson learned, always have backup copies of your hard drive stored SOMEWHERE ELSE. Preferably at a cloud based provider. Great to have a backup drive in your home, but if there is a fire or flood, it won't serve its purpose.

Heresolong

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20372408#Comment_20372408

I did do a global search and opened every file I found. None of them newer than Jan 2023, most of them dating back to 2010. Still frustrated that the file disappeared and "yes", I should have had a backup but I sort of assumed that Quicken was doing that for me since I know that's a feature. As far as "off site backup", yes, I know. Had one for a while but it was hogging up computer memory backing up all the time. I quit doing that and started moving important files away individually. There aren't really that many files that I would care that much about and, tbh, neither is this, it's more of an inconvenience.

Mark1104

@Heresolong - so if the most recent file you have is Jan 2023, that isn't too shabby, so if you do a OSU, how close does that get you to having everyting back in synch?

Heresolong

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20372499#Comment_20372499

The problem is that this is what I had to do when I got the new computer. Took me quite a few hours as I use my CC for most purchases these days. Then it all went away. So yeah, it's not the end of the world but no, it's not super convenient. Lesson learned, I guess, that Quicken doesn't automatically make a backup of your files even if the settings say it does, otherwise I feel like I should have a backup that dates to at worst a couple months ago.

I still don't know why the file would just disappear when it has been there every time I opened Quicken, since I got the new computer and transferred and updated all my accounts.

Thanks for all the feedback. I guess "Case closed" unless someone knows where my file would have disappeared to on a brand new Dell laptop.

mshiggins

Did you search for *.qdf and *.qdf-backup?

volvogirl

One Quicken user found them......

What I found was that my Quicken Data files ended up in the One-drive Recycle bin. Not sure how, but I found them there. I placed the files back onto the laptop and brought the files into Quicken and now have all my data back.

Ps56k2

Just to clarify - @Heresolong - are we talking about the NEW computer from May ?

If you open Quicken - and go to Preferences - what is shown for the BACKUP settings ?
What directory is displayed if you click on the OPEN ?

What does the Quicken folder look like …..
… /Quicken/
with a /Quicken/Backup/ folder - what's in that folder ?

Had to do some rebuilding after a computer transfer back in May
but it's been working fine since then.

Heresolong

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20373659#Comment_20373659

Yes, we are talking about the new computer from May.

Backup settings say "every fifth time" which must be the default as I don't remember ever changing it.

Backup directory is Documents/Quicken/Backup/Backup (It used to be one Backup but since the program asked me to choose a file it seems that it thought it was a new install and create another layer)

In the first Backup folder there are a bunch of files dated 7/11/2023 or later (the day after this happened) all of which relate to my opening various files that I found on the computer, all of which have transactions that either date to 2010 (a really old backup from the transfer) or May 2023 which have no transactions after January (as mentioned above, my fault, didn't do my accounts for a while due to computer problems).

The second Backup layer has two files, created since the problem, dated 7-10 and 7-11.

A complete search of my computer and external hard drive using "*.qdf*" as the search string yields exactly zero files modified between 5/16 (rough date of new computer, transactions through Jan 2023) and 7/10 (date of problem).

awgo

Same type of problem here since last update.

Ps56k2

https://community.quicken.com/discussion/comment/20373939#Comment_20373939

just bizarre that somehow Quicken deleted the active QDF file and also the Backup files…. And they are not found moved to some random location, or even the Trash Bin… But the /Backup/ subdirectory is correct, the Preferences is correct, etc …

markus1957

I doubt very much Quicken was involved at all. The issue resembles the PC being restored to an earlier Windows restore point. The date gap in files can be explained by a system restore to an earlier date.

Mark1104

always have a process to store important files somwhere else. These days that is conveniently a cloud based respository. Backing up to avoid these situations is critical, but the backup has to occur over to a different media format. Even if you are backing up to a separate hard drive, that doesn't protect against fire or flood, unless you are taking the backup to someone else's homr or a bank safe deposit box.

STORE backups offsite!!!!

Ps56k2

how have you opened all these old files -
were they BACKUP files - or QDF or what ??
which implies you were prompted to RESTORE them before actually opening them in Quicken ?

[Deleted User]

New installations of Windows 11 default the Documents, Desktop, and Pictures folders to be subfolders of the local Onedrive folder. This is even true if you do not use, or intend to use Onedrive. This Onedrive folder is a local folder and if you have one, it doesn't mean you are using the Onedrive clould storage. But it is very confusing for the user and a sneaky thing for Microsoft to do because when the documents folder is referenced, it gives no indication that it is located in the Onedrive folder. It is very easy for the user to delete the "unused" Onedrive folder and then unknowingly delete their Documents folder. If you right click on your Documents folder and click on properties, you can confirm where your Documents folder is located.

q_lurker

How did you move the file from old PC to new?

It is conceivable to me that if a thumb drive was involved, you might have recently been accessing a QDF on that remote device. The automatic backup would have also gone to a BACKUP folder on that device. Just a thought.

Heresolong

Mark1957, it does seem like that. I have no idea if that is the case because the computer has never asked me about any sort of update or reversion.

Mark1104, yes, we know. Thanks for reiterating.

QWinUser, I have tried to get into Onedrive since the problem started and it asks me to set up my Onedrive account. When I dug around and got logged in there didn't seem to be any files at all, suggesting that it hadn't been used. Doing a search for onedrive on the computer yields a fair number of results, but none of which have any files in them.

PS56, there were backup files (and it would ask me if I wanted to restore) and qdf files (which just opened). Unfortunately none of them were up to date.

q_lurker, I transferred by putting everything I wanted to move onto a new 5T backup drive, then moving the drive over. That has the same version as on the new computer, dated 5/2023 and having transactions up til 1/2023