Quicken Says I have Entries to Accept but there are no entries to accept

I have an Interactive Brokers account with quite a bit of activity. I normally run an update every day using DIRECT CONNECT. The last three days I cannot update because the Quicken system says I must accept downloaded transactions first. But there are no unaccepted downloaded transactions. I have tried to deactivate the account to reset it, but when I do that the same message comes up, that I cannot deactivate until I accept these transactions. I am totally lost and have no clue what to do now. Can anyone help out there?

Best Answer

  • UKR
    UKR SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓

    I recommend you review your backup settings in Quicken to ensure that you create a backup every single time you close Quicken. That minimizes the number of lost changes since the last backup, should you have to restore your data file again.

    How to properly set up Quicken Backup
    How to make Quicken create a backup for you automatically every time you close Quicken
    What Quicken backups are available where?

    For the sake of this discussion it is assumed that your Quicken data file is located in the Default (and recommended) place: C:\Users\username\Documents\Quicken

    Review the backup settings available in Quicken (under Edit / Preferences / Backup).

    In there you will find two types of backup: Automatic and Manual Backup.

    Automatic Backup should be enabled and by default goes to a \Backup folder that's part of the folder which contains your current Quicken data file, e.g. \Documents\Quicken\Backup. Set it to create a backup after running Quicken [1] times and to keep [9] (or more, your choice) backup copies.
    The file name for Automatic Backup files contains a date and time stamp as part of the file name, e.g. QDATA-2020-03-22.PM03.45.QDF-backup

    To create a Manual Backup copy of your Quicken data file on an external device (USB-hard drive or USB memory stick recommended), put a checkmark at "Manual Backup Reminder" to enable the function and set "Remind me after running Quicken [xx] times" to [1].

    Click OK to save the changes.

    From now on, when you close Quicken using the red X button, you will get a popup window.

    When you get this window for the first time, on some versions click the radio button for "Backup on my computer".
    Change the Backup File name's drive letter and path to point to your external device so that it looks something like this: E:\Quicken Backup\QDATA-2019-04-01.QDF-backup
    or use the Change button and work your way through the dialog.

    Do not change the filename portion! Just overtype the drive letter and choose a backup folder name. If the folder does not exist, it will be created.

    Also choose the option to "Add date to backup file name".

    Every day when you run Backup or close Quicken, an additional backup file is created. Without the Add Date option you only have 1 backup copy which is overwritten every day ... and that may prove bad in a problem recovery situation.

    Allow this backup to run to save the changes made on the screen.

    Of course, once in a while you will have to go in and delete some of the oldest backup files, at your discretion, to avoid filling up your USB device.

    One can never have enough backups of a Quicken data file. BTDTGTS to prove it!

Answers

  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Member ✭✭✭✭
  • bhaktadasa
    bhaktadasa Member
    Thank you for trying to help. So far nothing has worked.
  • Sherlock
    Sherlock Member ✭✭✭✭
    Thank you for trying to help. So far nothing has worked.
    I suggest you attempt to locate a good backup of the Quicken file you saved prior to experiencing the issue. 
  • markus1957
    markus1957 SuperUser, Windows Beta Beta
    The advice in the link above is incomplete. If you already have Automatically Accept Downloaded Transaction turned Off, then turn it On and look in the register. Accept them and then you can turn the option to Off again.

    If you have tried that, then as suggested, restore a backup file with a date before the last downloaded transaction in the problem account register.
  • bhaktadasa
    bhaktadasa Member
    Thank you for this suggestion. I will try it.
  • bhaktadasa
    bhaktadasa Member
    I would love to restore from a backup, but sadly the most recent backup that would work is 6 weeks old. It would be a pain in the rear to try and reenter all the transactions from that time. This problem is with one Interactive Broker's Account, which is managed by Interactive Brokers. There are thousands of small transactions every month, with fractions of shares, dividends etc. I am wondering if it might be easier to just delete the account in Quicken altogether, and start it as a new account?
  • markus1957
    markus1957 SuperUser, Windows Beta Beta
    You could create a new manual investment account and move all of the transactions from the problem account to the new account. Then delete the problem account. Next use Tools>Add Account to Link your new account to the broker for downloading. That would preserve your transaction history.
  • bhaktadasa
    bhaktadasa Member
    Thank you Sir. I think this is the easiest solution. I am able to download all the transactions for an entire year from Interactive Broker's site, and get them into the new account. Fortunately this account other than initial funding has no transaction that interact with any other accounts. I would like to know how and why this happens, so I can prevent it from happening again. And although I thought I was getting daily backups, the system was only updating files and not saving old backups. So I have to start making the backups directly daily again.
  • UKR
    UKR SuperUser ✭✭✭✭✭
    Answer ✓

    I recommend you review your backup settings in Quicken to ensure that you create a backup every single time you close Quicken. That minimizes the number of lost changes since the last backup, should you have to restore your data file again.

    How to properly set up Quicken Backup
    How to make Quicken create a backup for you automatically every time you close Quicken
    What Quicken backups are available where?

    For the sake of this discussion it is assumed that your Quicken data file is located in the Default (and recommended) place: C:\Users\username\Documents\Quicken

    Review the backup settings available in Quicken (under Edit / Preferences / Backup).

    In there you will find two types of backup: Automatic and Manual Backup.

    Automatic Backup should be enabled and by default goes to a \Backup folder that's part of the folder which contains your current Quicken data file, e.g. \Documents\Quicken\Backup. Set it to create a backup after running Quicken [1] times and to keep [9] (or more, your choice) backup copies.
    The file name for Automatic Backup files contains a date and time stamp as part of the file name, e.g. QDATA-2020-03-22.PM03.45.QDF-backup

    To create a Manual Backup copy of your Quicken data file on an external device (USB-hard drive or USB memory stick recommended), put a checkmark at "Manual Backup Reminder" to enable the function and set "Remind me after running Quicken [xx] times" to [1].

    Click OK to save the changes.

    From now on, when you close Quicken using the red X button, you will get a popup window.

    When you get this window for the first time, on some versions click the radio button for "Backup on my computer".
    Change the Backup File name's drive letter and path to point to your external device so that it looks something like this: E:\Quicken Backup\QDATA-2019-04-01.QDF-backup
    or use the Change button and work your way through the dialog.

    Do not change the filename portion! Just overtype the drive letter and choose a backup folder name. If the folder does not exist, it will be created.

    Also choose the option to "Add date to backup file name".

    Every day when you run Backup or close Quicken, an additional backup file is created. Without the Add Date option you only have 1 backup copy which is overwritten every day ... and that may prove bad in a problem recovery situation.

    Allow this backup to run to save the changes made on the screen.

    Of course, once in a while you will have to go in and delete some of the oldest backup files, at your discretion, to avoid filling up your USB device.

    One can never have enough backups of a Quicken data file. BTDTGTS to prove it!

  • bhaktadasa
    bhaktadasa Member
    I do not close and start Quicken every day. There should be a setting where an automatic backup is made every day, or at least the system asks if you want to make a backup every day. My Quicken only asks me when I close it.
This discussion has been closed.