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Subject Author Date
Copy Quicken files from one computer to another? MaryL 05-16-2008
Posted by MaryL on May 16, 2008, 8:43 am
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 I am using Quicken 2006 Deluxe. I use it on my desktop computer running
under Vista. I would also like to use it on my laptop computer (with Win
XP-home edition) when I go on vacation this summer. What is the best way to
copy or impory files from one computer to another, especially considering
that one will be under Vista and the other will be under XP?

Thanks,
MaryL


Posted by R. C. White on May 16, 2008, 9:30 am
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 Hi, Mary.

No problemo! ;^}

Quicken will have to be installed on each computer, of course, but the data
files should transfer seamlessly between Vista and WinXP. Use any
convenient transfer media (a USB flash drive might be best) to get the data
files from the folder on one computer to the other.

Just remember that what Quicken calls a "file" is actually a set of related
files, which we often call the Quicken "fileset". This means the MaryL.qdf
and any other MaryL.* files (or QDATA or whatever name you've chosen). If
you use Windows' Copy command or other such "generic" tools, you'll need to
remember to include the full fileset. Quicken will automatically handle all
of them as a single Quicken "file".

So, just use Quicken's Copy (or Backup) command on one computer to put your
up-to-the-minute Quicken file onto the flash drive. Then on the other
computer, use Quicken's File | Open (if you used Copy) or File | Restore
Backup File (if you used Backup) to load that file. Use the reverse
procedure to go back to the first computer, being SURE that the file you are
moving back is up to date with ALL transactions during the interim.

If this is a one-time or infrequent transition between the two computers,
it's probably best to copy the files from one HD to the flash drive, then
from the flash drive to the other HD (and back again later). But if you
will be swapping between the computers several times, it may be more
convenient to operate from data files on the flash drive, making sure that
each HD has a current backup updated after each swap.

Caveat: I haven't actually done this, since I have only one computer. (I
do keep at least one backup on a flash drive.) But others here should be
able to point out anything I've overlooked.

RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(Retired. No longer licensed to practice public accounting.)
rc@grandecom.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
(Currently running Quicken 2008 Deluxe in Vista Ultimate x64 SP1)

> I am using Quicken 2006 Deluxe. I use it on my desktop computer running
> under Vista. I would also like to use it on my laptop computer (with Win
> XP-home edition) when I go on vacation this summer. What is the best way
> to copy or impory files from one computer to another, especially
> considering that one will be under Vista and the other will be under XP?
>
> Thanks,
> MaryL


Posted by Han on May 16, 2008, 8:48 pm
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> Hi, Mary.
>
> No problemo! ;^}
>
> Quicken will have to be installed on each computer, of course, but the
> data files should transfer seamlessly between Vista and WinXP. Use
> any convenient transfer media (a USB flash drive might be best) to get
> the data files from the folder on one computer to the other.
>
> Just remember that what Quicken calls a "file" is actually a set of
> related files, which we often call the Quicken "fileset". This means
> the MaryL.qdf and any other MaryL.* files (or QDATA or whatever name
> you've chosen). If you use Windows' Copy command or other such
> "generic" tools, you'll need to remember to include the full fileset.
> Quicken will automatically handle all of them as a single Quicken
> "file".
>
> So, just use Quicken's Copy (or Backup) command on one computer to put
> your up-to-the-minute Quicken file onto the flash drive. Then on the
> other computer, use Quicken's File | Open (if you used Copy) or File |
> Restore Backup File (if you used Backup) to load that file. Use the
> reverse procedure to go back to the first computer, being SURE that
> the file you are moving back is up to date with ALL transactions
> during the interim.
>
> If this is a one-time or infrequent transition between the two
> computers, it's probably best to copy the files from one HD to the
> flash drive, then from the flash drive to the other HD (and back again
> later). But if you will be swapping between the computers several
> times, it may be more convenient to operate from data files on the
> flash drive, making sure that each HD has a current backup updated
> after each swap.
>
> Caveat: I haven't actually done this, since I have only one computer.
> (I do keep at least one backup on a flash drive.) But others here
> should be able to point out anything I've overlooked.
>
> RC

RC's procedure works fine. I use computer A (under Vista Home Basic)
regularly, and back up semiautomatically (wired network) to a directory
on an external drive on another computer. If I rename and copy those
backup files (all of them), I can just run the file set on the other
computer.

--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

Posted by MaryL on May 17, 2008, 1:05 pm
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>I am using Quicken 2006 Deluxe. I use it on my desktop computer running
>under Vista. I would also like to use it on my laptop computer (with Win
>XP-home edition) when I go on vacation this summer. What is the best way
>to copy or impory files from one computer to another, especially
>considering that one will be under Vista and the other will be under XP?
>
> Thanks,
> MaryL
>

Thanks, RC and Han. I have obviously done something wrong. I used the
backup method that RC listed because I am very unsure about how to copy
files into programs under Vista. It is simple under XP, but Vista "frowns"
on copying files into the All Programs area. I do keep my backups in
separate directories -- a backup folder on the primary hard disk (drive C:)
and also on alternate external hard disks.

I backed up to a flash drive from Quicken on my desktop computer. When I
tried to use backup restore on the laptop, Quicken reported that some files
were missing. Next, I used backup from the laptop to try to restore to my
desktop (all data was correct, so this was not going to cause me to lose
anything). Same thing! Quicken reported that some files were missing. And
yet...I was using Quicken's own backup procedure.

I am using Quicken 2006 Deluxe -- Vista on the desktop and XP-Home edition
on the laptop.

Any ideas?

MaryL


Posted by Han on May 17, 2008, 2:08 pm
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>
>>I am using Quicken 2006 Deluxe. I use it on my desktop computer
>>running under Vista. I would also like to use it on my laptop
>>computer (with Win XP-home edition) when I go on vacation this summer.
>> What is the best way to copy or impory files from one computer to
>>another, especially considering that one will be under Vista and the
>>other will be under XP?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> MaryL
>>
>
> Thanks, RC and Han. I have obviously done something wrong. I used
> the backup method that RC listed because I am very unsure about how to
> copy files into programs under Vista. It is simple under XP, but
> Vista "frowns" on copying files into the All Programs area. I do keep
> my backups in separate directories -- a backup folder on the primary
> hard disk (drive C:) and also on alternate external hard disks.
>
> I backed up to a flash drive from Quicken on my desktop computer.
> When I tried to use backup restore on the laptop, Quicken reported
> that some files were missing. Next, I used backup from the laptop to
> try to restore to my desktop (all data was correct, so this was not
> going to cause me to lose anything). Same thing! Quicken reported
> that some files were missing. And yet...I was using Quicken's own
> backup procedure.
>
> I am using Quicken 2006 Deluxe -- Vista on the desktop and XP-Home
> edition on the laptop.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> MaryL
>
I do agree with Andrew DeFaria that your description is imprecise. That
hinders our helping you <sad grin>.

I have gone either way at different times, using the backup function from
within Quicken (either 2006, 2007-trial, or 2008):
desktop with XP Pro --> laptop with Vista Home Basic
or
laptop with Vista Home Basic --> desktop with XP Pro

in either case I have specifically backup to a location well allowed by
the operating system, and specified as a backup folder. Files were
always identified by a date suffix (MyData2008-05-17, or some such name).
Then files were copied using Windows Explorer to a data folder (usually
one branch "up" from the Backup folder, but not necessarily), and renamed
to make it more intelligable (but probably only to me!). Then the other
computer's Quicken was started (same year's version, fully updated) by
double clicking the qdf file from that computer. That has always worked
without any error messages, at least for me.


--
Best regards
Han
email address is invalid

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