Reminder corruption after backups

RichardMi

I had previously discussed that my bill and income reminders get corrupted occasionally, requiring a validate process to run. I moved the data file to a local drive after it was suggested that could be the problem. I also moved the backup file to a local data drive. But the corruption still occurs and after some experimentation, I believe that the corruption always occurs after I run a backup.

There has to be a known defect or a new defect that can be corrected.

Quicken Jasmine

Hello @RichardMi,

Thanks for reaching out!

It might be helpful to consider whether the corruption happens only with specific reminders, or if it affects all of them. Are there any particular types of reminders (e.g., bills, income) or certain billers that seem to cause the issue more often? Have you noticed if the corruption tends to happen with reminders that were recently modified or added before the backup?

It’s also worth thinking about the timing of the corruption—does it seem to occur immediately after a backup, or does it sometimes show up later, perhaps after you’ve made other changes or updates to your file?

Let me know!

CaliQkn

@RichardMi If you're dealing with data file corruption in Quicken, it can be a gremlin that keeps popping up at different times and in different areas of Quicken. Unfortunately, once your file gets corrupted, it is difficult to fix. Just removing the file from the source of the corruption is not enough to fix it, because the damage has already been done. Sometimes all you can do is try fix the symptoms as you are doing now with the help of @Quicken Jasmine.

For your information, here are some standard steps that are taken to repair corruption in your data file that you may have already tried:

1. Restore a Backup – If you have a backup from before the issue started, restoring it might be the quickest fix, if you can determine when the issues first started and have a good backup.
2. Validate and Repair the File – Click on File > Validate and Repair File, then select Validate file. If you're experiencing issues with investment accounts, also select Rebuild Lots.
3. Copy the File – Creating a copy of your data file can sometimes resolve corruption. Go to File > Copy or Backup File, select Create a copy or template, and then open the new copy.
4. Check Preferences and Sorting – Sometimes, what appears to be corruption is actually a display issue. Make sure your register is sorted correctly and that no filters are hiding transactions.
5. Export and Import Data – If the corruption is severe, you might need to export your data in QIF format and import it into a new file. This method can help retain most of your transactions while avoiding corrupted data. But using QIF files to recreate your data file is a complicated and tedious process. A lot of information not in QIF files needs to be rebuilt manually.

I am only going through all of this to relay how complicated issues with data file corruption can get. And there is no guarantee that your issues can be permanently and/or totally fixed. The easiest way to fix a corrupted data file is to restore from a backup, but that might not be feasible depending how long the file has been corrupted and if you are able to find clean backups.

RichardMi

Thanks for the input. Some clarifications:

The problem was first noticed several months ago and going back to that version of the file (if I even have one that old) would be a monumental effort to rebuild to current. I did make a copy of the file - it was previously on a drive that was synced to OneDrive. But I made a new copy and stored it locally and out of the OneDrive scope. I also made sure the new backup file was also going to a local and isolated location.

Recent testing shows me that the problem occurs immediately after a back up.

The problem only seems to affect the bills and income reminders, but I have not ever identified which entry has been the problem. I use quite a few of them and I haven't noticed anything missing even after the Validate step says that it removed the problem. Prior to the Validate step Quicken just hangs when I click on the menu entry for Bills and Income so there is no way to look for a problem while the corruption is still there.

Quicken Kristina

Thank you for your reply,

When you made the copy of your file, did you use Windows to copy the file, or did you use the File>Create a copy or template function in Quicken?

Have you already tried deleting and recreating the problem reminders? If you haven't done that, I'd recommend giving it a try, since it may be the simplest solution.

If that doesn't correct it, and your backups from before the issue started are from too far in the past to be a viable option, then I'd suggest making a copy of your file (using File>Create a copy or template), if you haven't done that already. If you have already tried that, then you may want to exporting your data, then importing it into a new file.

I hope this helps!

RichardMi

I used Windows to copy the file - is that a possible issue?

Recreating the reminders might be an option - it will have to be all of them since I have no way to know which one(s) are causing the problem. Unless there is a way in the Validate step to see which one it fixed? it just says it did something without telling me which one.

Still, there has to be a bug in the code somewhere - I used to lead both software testing and software development teams and something that happens regularly is something that should be able to be fixed…

Quicken Kristina

Thank you for your reply,

The reason we suspect it is a file-specific issue is because we can't replicate the issue you're reporting.

The way Windows copies a file is different from the way Quicken does, so from a troubleshooting standpoint, using Windows to copy the file is not effective. Using Quicken to copy the file will force the program to rebuild the database, which can correct some issues that a Validate can't.

Thank you!