I suddenly got an error message that said 'Quicken has encountered a problem and needs to close.'

lulusandy · April 17

I've tried to re-open it, and the same message keeps coming up. I shut down the computer and re-started it, but that didn't help either. Once that error message comes up, I can't click on anything on the page or even click on the 'X' in the upper right corner of the message to close it. I literally have to go to the Task Manager to 'end task'. I can't click on 'send a report' or even close the window. The error message is always 6963, but I can't look at it because nothing will open on the program.

I'm running Quicken 14 on Windows 10 and I haven't had any problems so far. I'm absolutely frantic because I have transaction data going back to 1995. I had a similar problem a few years ago and some fantastic guy with the handle Sherlock, told me to install a patch and even gave me a link to the patch. Once I installed it, I haven't had any problems since. Until today.

We even tried installing Quicken 14 (from a disc) on another computer and then loading the most current data I have on a thumb drive, but that didn't work either.

I'd be eternally grateful if someone could help me with this. We even tried installing Quicken 14 (from a disc) and loading the most current data I have on a thumb drive, but that didn't work either.

I made a point of finding the last version of Quicken that didn't require a subscription or store all of our financial information on the cloud and I'm just hoping that someone who's a LOT smarter and more familiar with ins and outs of older versions of Quicken running on Windows 10 (or 11) and has some kind of a solution.

Boatnmaniac · April 18

When you reinstalled Quicken 2014, did it install properly? I'm asking because Quicken 2014 installation requires activation on the server but an Intuit server that has not existed for about 10 years. If it didn't install properly, then it's a pretty good indication that you might need to upgrade to Subscription be be able to access your data file, again. Subscription should be able to convert and read your QWin data file without issue provided that the data file does not have a significant corruption in it. (FYI: If you want to try out Subscription you can place your order for the annual subscription price and within 30 days you can cancel the subscription for any reason to get a full refund.)

If, however, it did install correctly, did you try restoring a backup file dated from before when you first encountered this issue? If not, you might want to try to that.

lulusandy · April 18

As far as I know, it installed properly. It had been working perfectly prior to this and suddenly, one single entry brought up the error message. My husband thought he got it working again (and he did for about 5 entries), but now it's back to the same error message.

What he found after he loaded Quicken directly from the disc on a laptop running Win10 (just like I'm running), he found there were multiple versions of DAT files all over the place, even one inside WordPerfect!

At least 3 people have had their hands on in recently (to supposedly help me set up a small platform refurbished desktop), and even after that, everything seemed to be working exactly as expected for at least 2 months. So I have no idea what's gone wrong.

So my husband loaded Quicken and the most recent DAT file an (thought) he had found and deleted all of the other DAT files except the one from the date it was working correctly. Everything seemed to be working fine on the laptop we have, along with all the latest entries except for the 4 or 5 that got entered before it started giving me the error mess. He then did the same thing (he thinks) on my desktop and it loaded exactly as expected.

I was ecstatic. So I started re-entering the last few things that were missing from the day before and everything saved as it should and seemed to be working until I got to the last one (which was an entry for an ATM transaction. In this case, I was moving money out of our checking account and using 'split' to move half the money into my wallet/cash category and showing it as an entry under both of our accounts). I've done this many times with zero problems, and I don't know why or whether this would be a problem, but as far as I can recall, I believe I was doing the exact same entry when I first got the error message. It makes no sense to me, but we're back to square one.

Thanks for your input, but I don't think it's going to solve our specific problem.

Boatnmaniac · April 18

A .DAT file is a generic data file used by various programs to store information, which can be text, binary data, video, configuration settings or other types of data. So it is not surprising that you found DAT files all over your hard drive because most of those applied to programs other than Quicken. If they were deleted it might cause performance or functionality issues with those other programs, including WordPerfect. So, it's best to simply leave all of those .DAT file alone and not remove them.

The data file that Quicken uses to store the financial data is a .QDF file. Since you have been able to access the file sporadically for short periods of time it tells me that you have been accessing the correct QDF file.

But the issues you are having lead me to believe that there might be some sort of corruption in the data file. It has been many years since I last ran QWin 2014 so I can't really remember if it has a built in tool that can help to diagnose and fix data many (not all) data file issues. It is called Validate & Repair. If QWin 2014 does have this tool it will likely be under the File menu after you open the data file. If you have not already done so, you might want to try running that tool…but make a backup of your data file before proceeding.

mshiggins · April 19

The Validate function has existed since well before Q2014. You can find it under File | File Operations | Validate.

Since the data file is repeatedly crashing, it would be prudent to run a Validate on the file.

lulusandy · April 27

We've run Validate on the file several times, and the data seems to be fine.

When I save a backup file, it always says the backup was successful, so I'm even more confused, because once it crashes with the error message above (though it seems to have different numbers associated with it from time to time), I have to go the Task Manager to shut it down, and once I do that, I can't re-open it without the error message appearing - which means I can't open it at all.

That's why we keep re-installing 2014. At least I can open Quicken after an install, but it doesn't last long and even the most recent backups I have (and I have a LOT of backups) will load, but they keep missing more and different data. The last time, it only lost March data, and now it's lost February data as well. How can a backup say it was successful, but then after the deadly error message and re-installing Quicken and trying to load the latest backup file, it's missing data?

Boatnmaniac · April 27

You say you keep reinstalling 2014 and that it seems to be installing OK except that it does not function properly afterward. Please confirm: When you install 2014, are you being prompted to enter a software activation code?

If you are not then most assuredly that 2014 software is not installing properly.

And even if you are getting prompted to enter the activation code, is that activation code being accepted? Per everything that I have heard and read about, the activation code should not be accepted because there is no longer an Intuit server that can activate the program.

While the symptoms of the issue you describe are somewhat different from what we typically hear about when someone installs or reinstalls any Quicken 2014-2017 version, everything seems to point back to the issue I'd mentioned in my first post on April 18. That is, that the software is not installing correctly because without activation it can no longer set up a good configuration file so the set up cannot complete properly.

You can, of course, continue to try and try again and maybe you'll get lucky. But that is what you've repeatedly done and it keeps failing.

I still think your best and perhaps only option at this point is to upgrade to Subscription. It will be able to read and convert your data file.

UKR · April 28

Have you tried using Quicken to create a Copy of your data file?
That function would be in the File Menu under File Operations.
Create a complete copy without specifying any Date Ranges.

This Copy function creates a record-by-record copy of the data file to a new file name, bypassing damaged areas of the file.
Contrary to that, Backup or DOS COPY or File Manager - created copies create binary copies of the data clusters, damaged portions and all … so, such a copy may not work.

Also, if you would, please create an image snapshot of the File Information view and attach it here.
To create the File Information view click on Help, then Shift-click on About Quicken.

I suddenly got an error message that said 'Quicken has encountered a problem and needs to close.'

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