One Step Update Summary for Direct Connect accounts

Jack

(5/3/2024: Edited to remove personal information.)

I have had the same problem with Direct Connect accounts not displaying in the One Step Update Summary. Several times, I have Validated my file and renamed the Runtime.dat files when I am expecting a transaction in one of my Direct Connect accounts. The problem appears to be resolved for the next One Step Update. My accounts are tagged with the date of the latest update and all accounts display in the Summary. BUT with the next One Step Update, even when there are transactions for one or more of the Direct Connect accounts, the Summary does not display any Direct Connect accounts and even for those Direct Connect accounts where transactions were downloaded, the account is NOT tagged with the date of the latest update (it displays "not available").

Boatnmaniac

@Jack - When you see this issue occurring: Above the register and to the left directly beneath the account name does it show the date and time of the last update along with the connection method similar to what is highlighted in yellow the following picture?

Jack

After the first one step update... Yes. But after the next and all subsequent updates ... No.

Boatnmaniac

Does this happen with just one financial institution or does it happen with more than one or does it happen with all of them?

Which financial institution(s) is this happening with?

Other than doing Validate & Repair and renaming the runtime.dat file, are there any other troubleshooting steps that you have you taken?

Jack

All of my direct connect accounts are affected … Vanguard and Wells Fargo. I have tried restoring a backup when it first happened ... about a month ago. However I no longer remember when I successfully downloaded consecutive attempts so I would not know how far back to go and I don't relish the idea of reposting all of those transactions.

By the way, thanks for your intervention. I hope we can resolve this soon. It is so nice when it works as we expect it to.

Boatnmaniac

I have WF (checking, credit card) set up with DC and am not experiencing this issue with it. So we can be pretty sure that this is not a WF issue.

My first thought was that this might be a runtime.dat file corruption issue but you said that you've tried renaming that file which should have then caused Quicken to create a new runtime.dat file. Can you confirm that Quicken is creating new runtime.dat files after you rename it?

Jack

Yes. A new runtime.dat file is created everytime I rename the existing one ... and the one step update works like a charm that first time. But after that first update, it goes back to the same incompleteness for all of my direct connect accounts.

My runtime.dat file is located in the C:\programdata\quicken\inet\template folder. That differs from what is identified in the other posts. Is that of any consequence?

QuickUserPSP

@Jack are you sure you have the location of the' runtime.dat file correct? I don't remember having a template folder in that location. My runtime.dat file is located in a folder that is the same name as my Quicken data file.

I never recommend deleting anything from your Quicken program folders. You never know the "down the road" consequences.

Have you tried reinstalling Quicken? It could be that some of your Quicken program files are corrupted.

Jack

Yes. I double checked the location because it was different from what was mentioned in previous posts. I have not reinstalled quicken. If I continue to have the problem, I may resort to that ... in all the years I have used quicken, I have never reinstalled. Don't the continual updates act as a reinstall?

Question: if quicken re-creates the runtime.dat file if it doesn't find one, what is its purpose?

QuickUserPSP

@Jack - reinstalling Quicken never hurts. It will fix a lot of issues where your program files are missing, deleted, or corrupted, and doing so will not affect your data file. Updates do not act like a reinstall. Updates are just that, they do not replace or restore core program files.

A missing runtime.dat file is recreated when you restart Quicken. There are several issues with this. If you don't restart Quicken after deleting the file, then run an OSU I am not sure what would happen. Also, when the runtime.dat file is recreated, it only recreates a "shell" without the data in the file.

I don't know what other things that file interfaces with, or how exactly the coding contained in the file is used, but there are other safer ways to reset if you need to.

If you go to the Online Center, you can reset the FI and it will correctly update the Last Update date and time the next time you do an OSU and the accounts will show on the OSU summary.

To do this reset go to the Online Center and then click on "Options" while holding down the Ctrl and Shift keys. In the menu, click on "Troubleshooting' and then "FI Action Required". You will then see a list of your FIs. Choose the FI you are having issues with and then click "Reset". After you do the next OSU, the dates, times, and status should be correct in the account registers, and the OSU summary.

Jack

I tried your online center suggestion. It seems to have cleared up the direct connect accounts but now none of the express web connect accounts are updating the last update. I will try reinstalling quicken next.

QuickUserPSP

@Jack - do you mean that the account update statuses are not updating for EWC accounts, or are the accounts not working when you do an OSU? Are you getting any error messages?

Jack

They were not updating. No error. I reset each of the financial institutions through EDIT ACCOUNT DETAILS ... RESET ACCOUNT ONLINE. And all appears ok now. I still have to RESET Capital One accounts ... We have 10 of them between my wife and me and their interface is wacky. I'll let you know how it works out TOMORROW. Thanks for your help.

QuickUserPSP

@Jack glad its working now, but I wanted to mention another thing to be aware of. When the last update date and time are not showing or not updating, it can mean one of two things - either the update date and time is just "stuck" or missing, or the account transactions are not updating at all. The reset in the Online Center will fix the "stuck" or missing date, but if in addition transactions don't seem to be downloading as well, you need to deactivate and reactivate your account, or do a Reset Account like you did. The only thing is that the Reset Account doesn't always work, but deactivating and reactivating will always work.

Boatnmaniac

A missing runtime.dat file is recreated when you restart Quicken. There are several issues with this. If you don't restart Quicken after deleting the file, then run an OSU I am not sure what would happen. Also, when the runtime.dat file is recreated, it only recreates a "shell" without the data in the file.

Deleting the runtime.dat file is not a high risk action. What does happen is that the EWC and EWC+ connections will usually be broken and they will then need to be Reset from the Online Services tab of Account Details. Once in a great while Reset will not reset the accounts and they will need to be reactivated via Set Up Now or Add Account. I don't recommend deleting the runtime.dat file unless there is a corruption issue with that file, not because of any particular risk, but because of the amount of time it can take to reset all the financial institutions, especially with some financial institutions that can normally be finicky with resetting or setting up anyway.

I have never seen DC accounts needing to be Reset or deactivated/reactivated after deleting the runtime.dat file. Maybe that is because the OSU login information is saved in PW Vault so it is not saved on the Quicken/Intuit servers like EWC and EWC+ logins are, so there is no connection link to be broken and reestablished, but I am not sure.

I've always closed Quicken before deleting runtime.dat files. Then when opening Quicken a new runtime.dat file will be created. Then when running OSU the DC accounts will usually update as normal but the EWC and EWC+ accounts will not because those connections will need to first be Reset (or reactivated).

When the last update date and time are not showing or not updating, it can mean one of two things - either the update date and time is just "stuck" or missing, or the account transactions are not updating at all. The reset in the Online Center will fix the "stuck" or missing date, but if in addition transactions don't seem to be downloading as well, you need to deactivate and reactivate your account, or do a Reset Account like you did. The only thing is that the Reset Account doesn't always work, but deactivating and reactivating will always work.

It can mean a third thing: That the runtime.dat file has become corrupted.

I also think that instead of saying "deactivating and reactivating will always work" it would be more accurate to say that "deactivating and reactivating will usually work." When the runtime.dat file is corrupted, Reset and deactivate/reactivate might work for a while but the corruption usually will get progressively worse and eventually neither will work. And it will progress to include more accounts and financial institutions.

When neither will work and the date/time stamp of the last OSU and the connection method are missing at the top of the Account Register and in Account List it is a very strong indication that the runtime.dat file has become corrupted. There is no fix for a runtime.dat file corruption short of deleting and recreating the file.

They were not updating. No error. I reset each of the financial institutions through EDIT ACCOUNT DETAILS ... RESET ACCOUNT ONLINE. And all appears ok now. I still have to RESET Capital One accounts ...

@Jack - Everything you posted above led me to think that you likely had a runtime.dat file corruption issue and this comment seems to confirm it for me. I am glad to see that @QuickUserPSP was able to step in in my absence and assist you in getting the issue resolved. Hopefully you will not experience too many issues getting your Cap One accounts Reset tomorrow.

Jack

Thanks. I will start on CapOne later today with my fingers crossed and taped for a harrowing effort. I appreciate all of your input and for sticking with me. I will let you know of my success later today. Thanks again.

Jack

Good News! I just completed my one step update for today and ALL of my accounts were updated (including my CapOne accounts before I had the chance to try to reset them) with the current last update, ALL of my accounts displayed on the Summary page and Santa did not leave any coal in my stocking. Thanks again to all of you who took the time to help with the troubleshooting.

QuickUserPSP

@Jack that is great! Glad everything is working again.

Boatnmaniac

@Jack - Good to hear! You are one of the lucky ones that did not have to reset those CapOne EWC+ accounts. That in itself is quite a "blessing"!