unofficial microsoft.public.money FAQ and A
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Q) Are there any other voodoo tricks that might solve my problem?
A) Voodoo describes seemingly quirky methods that work in strange and unexplainable ways. A number of voodoo incantations for different symptoms follow.
All kinds of odd problems in M03 and M04 have been reported fixed by running the command "regsvr32 msxml3.dll" from the Start|Run box. Nobody seems to know how registrations for this DLL get trashed, but when they do, bad things happen.
A chestnut that works occasionally in recent versions of Money is going into Internet Explorer Internet Options (from IE Tools or from the desktop Internet Options or from the Internet Options control panel) and deleting all temporary Internet files.
"vsv" was having Passport "sign-in unsuccessful" errors but found these were resolved by going to "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\" and deleting the Money folder with all its subfolders. The msxml3 fix, above, has also been reported to fix Passport login problems.
Tommy Becker lobbied for inclusion of another classic piece of voodoo in the FAQ by and it certainly seems to fit nicely in this answer and nowhere else. Tommy was having problems with different account balances in different account views, as was a predecessor, "bcmbde," who couldn't get account balances to agree between the register and account list. In both cases several account transactions had somehow gotten lost in the bowels of Money. They found this method, originally contributed by Mark, and updated by Cal Learner and Tommy Becker, helpful:
1. Make a copy of your Money data file.
2. Open that copy.
3. Delete ALL transactions in the problem account
4. Export that account as a QIF file
5. Examine the QIF file in Notepad.
6. If it is not empty and shows one or more transactions, then those are likely the culprits.
7. Note the details of those transactions
8. Open up your original file
9. Import the QIF file
10. This should reveal the hidden transactions. So you can now do with them as you wish (Delete, modify, etc).To delete transactions in step 3, Clear the Tools|Options|Editing Confirmation Options boxes. Sort the cash transactions register by increasing date. Select the bottom transaction and click these keys in rotation: Delete, Enter, <cursorUpArrow>. Listen for the audible sound. If the audible sound changes, look at the screen.
It is possible that some shorter method exists. For example, rather than deleting all of the transactions just delete the last few months. Then look at the QIF file for newer entries.
If you have an idea what problem transactions you are going after, you may find it easier to delete all of the other transactions in the .QIF file since it can just be done in Notepad or WordPad much easier than deleting potentially thousands of transactions in Money.
I haven't tried this, but it seems that this would have the potential to cause real problems with unbalanced transfers. YMMV. Such is the joy of voodoo.
Q) How come my account keeps having the starting balance not match the statement?
[Relevant to Money2002 (v.10)]
A) One possible source of this issue is if you use or ever did use M02 to add a transaction that is marked as reconciled in a register to Bills and Deposits. M02 retains that reconciled status in the scheduled item in error. When you enter one of these transactions from the scheduled items to the register, it enters "pre-reconciled." (If you look closely when entering it into the register, you will also see that it shows as reconciled. This is the only obvious clue that this is what is happening.) Since starting balance for balancing is computed by adding up all of the reconciled transactions, this will screw up starting balance--and it should also get in the way when you go to balance since the statement will show this transaction and the cleared/uncleared items in the Money account will not.
M03 and higher are fixed to not create bad scheduled items like M02, but they won't find them and eliminate them either. The only way to fix a scheduled item that is marked as reconciled is to delete it and reschedule it from an item that is not marked cleared/reconciled.
Q) I can't download quotes since installing M03. What do I do?
[Relevant to Money2003 (v.11)]
A) There are quite a number of "fixes" for this that alone, or in unidentified combinations, seem to fix this for most people--some of these may just be unrelated incidental serendipity:
1) Uninstall/reinstall Money 2003.
1a) Getting Money Updates and nothing else immediately upon reinstallation before trying to get quotes.
2) Go to the MSN Investor page and download/verify installation of the Deluxe Portfolio Manager.
3) Go to the MoneyCentral page and download/verify installation of the MSN Money Deluxe package.
4) Download the Investor 1.2 .CAB file, extract inv12.ocx, replace the version in your Microsoft Money\System directory with the version in the .CAB file and run "regsvr32 inv12.ocx" from the correct directory.
5) Verify that firewalls are not blocking Money -> moneycentral.msn.com. There are way too many variations here to even hint at a procedure.
6) Opening IE security to allow moneycentral.msn.com to store cookies, etc. Do this in IE, Tools|Internet Options|Privacy|Web Sites Edit, Allow moneycentral.msn.com.
7) Assure the following registry hives and keys are present (these are also reported to work for Money UK by Glyn Simpson, MVP):
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Investor][HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Investor\StockQuotes]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Investor\StockQuotes\QuoteServerURL]
"URL"="http://data.moneycentral.msn.com/Scripts/invisapi.dll"[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Investor\News]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Investor\News\NewsServerURL]
"URL"="http://moneycentral.msn.com/Scripts/neisapi.dll"If you aren't used to mucking in the registry, don't go there. Mucking in the registry incorrectly can result in your computer turning into your doorstop and nobody will be able to help you and I will not accept any responsibility. There is a .REG file with these keys that can be merged with the registry by R-Click|Merge attached to a newsgroup thread on the subject. See groups.google.com.
8) You might want to review the MSKB on removing/reinstalling MSN Investor controls.
9) Try, try, try again. The quote server may be down or busy.
10) Try going into Portfolio|Update prices|Pick quotes to download and methodically eliminating investments to see if one (or more) have symbols that are causing problems.
11) Try opening ports 1052 and/or 1053 through firewalls, routers, or NAT devices or just disable them entirely. Microsoft has acknowledged, without any apparent remorse or shame, that quotes download has bad karma with firewalls. (MSKB item first spotted by Jerry.)
12) Sprinkle eye of newt over computer. No, seriously, some of this may do nothing, but lots of people have had lots of different things work. YMMV. Maybe someday before M04 comes out, Microsoft will issue some less involved and more foolproof remediation for this issue.References:
groups.google.com quotes hosts .REG file
investor.cab controls download
MSKB: 312818 Quotes download is not firewall-friendly
MSKB: Q176841 Remove/Reinstall MSN Investor controls
MSN Deluxe Portfolio Manager control
MSN Money Deluxe Control
Q) I just installed M06, it refuses to upgrade my M98 [or 99 or ???] version file. Why? What do I do?
[Relevant to Money2006 (v.15) and up]
A) M06 and beyond lack certain capabilities required to read M98/99 files. There is a workaround detailed in the MSKB that involves an intermediate upgrade to M05.
References:
MSKB: 913108 How to get from M98 to M > M04
Q) I just reinstalled Money/moved my file to a new machine. Now Money wants a password to open my file. I've never used one. Why?
A) The most typical case here is that the Money file was being used by/was backed up by a newer version than you are now trying to open/restore it with.
To find out, try downloading and installing the latest version Money Trial version and use it to open your file. If successful, it may leave behind a copy of the pre-upgrade file, renamed to have an extension of the form .MNn where Nn is the Money version of the pre-upgrade file--N6=M98, N7=M99, N8=M2K, N9=M01, 10=M02, 11=M03. If, for the M04 Trial version, it doesn't leave one behind, then the version that created the file in question is M04. Once you’ve resolved what version the file in question came from, you can uninstall the trial version, re-install the correct version, rename the .MNn file to .MNY, and open it with the correct version.
Another alternative, suggested by Cal Learner--MVP, may be appropriate for people who don't keep their hard disk pruned or didn't just reformat. Search your disk for files having an extension of the form .MNn, as defined above. If you find any, the highest Nn number is likely the Money version you upgraded your data file from most recently. Your .MNY file is likely to be only readable by a higher version of Money.
Money files are not backward compatible to older versions of the application--this message is Money's dumb way of trying to say so.
Q) I thought Money files were supposed to be upward compatible. How come Money[new] crashes when upgrading my Money[old] data file?
[Relevant to Money2003 (v.11) and up]
A) Most users find the file upgrade process painless. Beginning with M03, a significant number of users don't. For these users, a range of outcomes from Money just crashing to misleading error messages about the file being read-only to missing data in the upgrade file result instead. The exact reasons for this are unclear, but it would appear that the upgrade code has become much less tolerant to "damaged" files. (Here a "damaged" file means a file that has somehow become inconsistent with itself or not conforming to the "normal" structure. Here "somehow" generally seems to be by Money itself, though things like End Task when the CPU shows 100% use by Money and the application is reported as not responding "just because" Money is slow and non-responsive may also be factors.)
The workarounds identified include:
- Many users have found success by running the msmoney -s repair technique on the original data file from the original version then upgrading the repaired file. For people who have nothing left of the original version besides a set of backup floppies, this is not an option.
- Using the salv.exe repair tool from the newer version or from Microsoft Support on the data file before upgrading then upgrading the repaired file. As above, this method does not work with .MBF files or with .MBF files spread across multiple floppy disks.
(For more information of the repair tools and file corruption in general, see "I think my file has been corrupted. How do I tell? What do I do then?")
- Some users have found/and or been advised by Microsoft Support that an intermediate upgrade through, say, M02, first solved the problem. Of course, finding a CD of M02 can be difficult. In particular, for upgrade to M06, see also
"I just installed M06, it refuses to upgrade my M98 [or 99 or ???] version file. Why? What do I do?"- Some users have ended up resorting to QIF Export/Import to get the data out of the old version and into the new version as a better choice than losing all of their data completely. This is a last resort.
- Some files that could not upgrade in M03 can upgrade in M04.
Note that several of these methods do not apply if all you have is backup floppies or files. This is one reason that we always recommend upgrading by moving the entire original .MNY data file rather than going through the backup/restore process.
Finally, note that it is probably a good idea to confirm your installation of the new version of Money is good before going down any of these paths. To do this, open the Sample data file located in the Program Files\Microsoft Money directory, or try to create a new file.
Q) Money appears to hang when I enter transactions. Why?
A) Many reports of "hanging" on entry have turned out to be reports of poor performance. Money may spend minutes doing whatever it does after entering a transaction. If you have waited a LONG time--this may be five minutes or more depending on your environment--and Money is not doing anything and is not using CPU (this is easy to tell on WinNT, 2000, and on XP) then you have a different problem. See "Why is Money so slow?" for more information on performance problems.
Q) Money crashes when I first start the application or open my regular data file. How come? What next?
A) The first thing to try here is to open a different file than your regular file or the most recently opened file that Money will try to open by default if you don't tell it otherwise. Do this by using the Windows File Explorer to navigate to a different .MNY file (if you have one) or just navigate to the Sample.MNY file in the Program Files\Microsoft Money directory (or wherever you installed it). Double-click or r-click Open the alternate data file. If Money doesn't crash, you probably need to read "I think my file has been corrupted. How do I tell? What do I do then?"
If Money does crash, you might try the all purpose voodoo at "Are there any other voodoo tricks that might solve my problem?" or you might try reinstalling the application. You might also want to start thinking about what has changed on your system since the last time Money worked.
Q) The font size in Money is too small for me to read. How can I enlarge it?
A) Money doesn't provide very good accessibility support. Cal Learner provided the basics of the following answer to this specific accessibility issue:
Three ways are available:
1. Buy a bigger monitor and run it at the same resolution. I know you are going to find that a stupid suggestion, but think about it. You deserve it. But do you have the space for a 21-inch CRT monitor, or the money for a 19-inch LCD?
2. Switch to a lower resolution if using a CRT monitor. I.e., if using 1280 x 1024, switch to 1024 x 768. This is generally the least satisfactory option and is a particularly poor compromise with fixed resolution displays, i.e., LCDs. (Some LCDs won't even play along and will just show a smaller image of the exact same pixel size.)
3. On a blank spot on the desktop, right-click and choose Properties|Settings|Advanced; there change the DPI setting to a higher number. This will have some downside too. You will have to experiment, and change back if you find the downside outweighs the upside.
Q) Why do I get the 'incompatible versions' message when upgrading my data file?
A) This problem arises from trying to convert a file from one localized version (say Money UK) to another (say Money US).
The workaround it to export accounts using QIF and re-import them. The fix is to obtain a newer localized version for the same country as your original data file.
Answer courtesy of Glyn Simpson, Microsoft MVP - Money, and Cal Learner -- MVP.
References:
MSKB: 178830 Export/Import "repair" and conversion
MSKB: Q197668 incompatible versions
MSKB: Q304254 incompatible versions
[Relevant to Money2001 (v.9) and up]
A) There have been a number of design changes in Money over the years and many of them have had negative impacts on performance. M98 changed from a purpose-built database and user interface to IE rendering the UI and Jet as the underlying database. These changes freed the development team to add features galore but they had negative impact on performance and file size.
Money 2001 and up have a number of features that run continuously and seem to affect performance. Debt Reduction Planner and Budgeting seem to be offenders. One way to improve performance in these versions is to turn off the personalized register feedback. (This is at Tools|Options|Feedback|Personalized Feedback Options|Do not display personalized feedback.) Money 2005 eliminated the register feedback. It's not clear whether this was to free up screen real estate for all of the new UI clutter M05 added or so users who didn't figure out to turn it off didn't have to suffer its performance impacts.
Poor performance in Money 2001 and up does not seem to affect everyone and, in the worst cases, is clearly not a problem with resources. People have tried any number of things:
1) salvaging the file; see the MSKB for details
2) deleting loan accounts (but then what's the point of using Money?)
3) [more work needed here]There may be several components to this issue including slow performance as a consequence of design choice (i.e., they didn't design it to be faster.) There have been discussions that some of this issue is attributed to some lurking bug.
The good news on this front is that M03 appears to be no slower in any case than M02. Many users perceive it to be slightly faster in general and a lot faster in certain areas like entering the Budget Planner. A few users report perceiving it to be much faster overall. YMMV.
The FAQ used to say that "it is not clear that Microsoft views this as a bug or an issue or a problem worth fixing." They complained and said they "do take performance problems very seriously [and] devote time and energy to improving performance." It is unclear whether they take performance more or less seriously than, say, adding features like Frequent Flier Mileage tracking or X-ing out parts of account numbers on the account list page. Clearly performance is a much harder problem to solve; and the results from the time and energy they spend on performance are here for us all to judge.
M07 added an interesting new "Repair Tool" that has done amazing things for performance on some files that were slow, or even glacial under M06. For details, see "Can you tell me more about the remarkable new Nuke-the-Bills miracle repair method?" for details.
References:
MSKB: 182608 How to resolve file inconsistencies
Please see this disclaimer if you are using Money 2005 or this comment if you are using Money 2006.
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Last update: 10 December 2006 |
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