Use the Quicken Help file
Use Quicken 2010 For Dummies
Visit the Intuit product support Web site
Visit the hardware vendor product support Web site
Visit the Microsoft product support Web site
Call a real person at Intuit
Browse the Quicken newsgroup
Use antivirus software
When all else fails ...
After writing about Quicken for almost 20 years, I've had a revelation of sorts. People not only want specific, step-by-step information about how to use the program, but they also want troubleshooting advice. They want techniques and tactics that they can use to solve the inevitable problems they encounter while using Quicken in real-life settings. What follows is my list of the best troubleshooting techniques that I can offer you.
I know what you may be thinking. You may be thinking that you have some problem that you can't solve by using Help, and it's either a bug or some glaring error in the Quicken documentation. And, of course, you've looked through this book, and it says nothing — absolutely nothing — about your question. In fact, upon further reflection, you may be thinking that you've encountered some problem that you can't possibly solve by consulting the Quicken Help file or this book.
Maybe you're right.
But in my experience (when I talk with people who have problems), about half the time, the problem is that people don't know enough about Quicken to know what to do. People simply experience a mechanical problem, and they can't make the program work because they haven't used Quicken enough to figure out how it works. Therefore, the right way to solve this sort of problem is to find out more about Quicken and try again. For example, if you're having problems printing a report, just finding out more about printing and reports often solves your problem.
In most cases, though not all, you should be able to find the information in this book by using either its index or Table of Contents.
Usually, you should be able to find the information (perhaps in a slightly less friendly form) in the Quicken Help file. To find information in the Quicken Help file, choose Help
Another really good resource for troubleshooting is the Intuit product support Web site for Quicken. This Web site, available at http://quicken.custhelp.com, supplies a rich database of troubleshooting information.
To use the Web site, you select the version of Quicken you're using. After you click your version, you see a Web page that lists common categories of problems or questions. You select a category, and you're on your way. The product support Web site then displays a list of troubleshooting articles that may help you solve your problem.
Keep in mind the possibility that your problem may not be a problem with Quicken at all, but rather a problem with your computer and its hardware or with Microsoft Windows. If your problem stems from the hardware or the operating system, you can consult the hardware or software maker's product support Web site for troubleshooting information. The Microsoft product support Web site, which is phenomenally rich in information, is available at http://support.microsoft.com. You can usually find the hardware maker product support Web site easily by using a good Internet search engine. For example, to locate Dell Computer's product support Web site, type something like Dell Computer product support into a search engine such as www.google.com.
Tip
You can find troubleshooting information about Intuit products at the Microsoft product support Web site. If the solutions that the site offers aren't very reassuring, at least you can find out whether others have experienced the same problem. Microsoft may suggest that you contact the vendor (which is Intuit) or that you upgrade to a newer version of the Quicken software. But knowing that the problem you've encountered is a real problem that Microsoft has logged into its product support knowledge base (that's what Microsoft calls it) and described in some technical detail is often useful.
In addition to the option of using the Intuit product support Web site, you can also contact Intuit directly. The URL for Intuit support is http://quicken.custhelp.com.
If you're willing to wait for your help, you should also know that free support is available by e-mail (consult the Intuit support Web site for current details).
If your problem with Quicken isn't really a program bug or can't be easily solved by getting more information, you can sometimes find an answer by consulting other Quicken users. One of the easiest ways to do this is by browsing the Quicken newsgroup at http://www.usenet-replayer.com/opennews/alt.comp.software.financial.quicken.html.
To browse the Quicken newsgroup, you need to use an Internet service provider that supports newsgroups and a newsgroup reader (such as Outlook Express). Assuming that you have these things, you can subscribe to the Quicken newsgroup and talk with other Quicken users about the problems you're encountering.
Warning
You may not need this background information, but I'm going to point out a few important things about newsgroups. A specific organization doesn't typically support or police newsgroups. For example, Intuit doesn't maintain or support the Quicken newsgroup. Newsgroups, including the Quicken newsgroup, really amount to freeform — and, sometimes, unruly — discussions among users. You can't expect to have your question answered. And good newsgroup etiquette suggests that, if you're going to ask questions, you should also try to answer questions.
Okay, this shouldn't really be tactic #8. This tactic deserves a higher ranking than that. But that's beside the point. The point is this: If you can't solve a problem and you have Internet access and you've been downloading files or accepting e-mail messages with attachments from strangers, your computer may have a virus. And it may be that your Quicken problems (particularly Quicken problems that you can't solve in other ways) stem from the virus.
In this case, I'd buy, install, and use antivirus software such as Norton AntiVirus or McAfee VirusScan. Consider one of these software programs just another part of the price of Internet connectivity. To locate online stores where you can download antivirus software, use www.google.com to search for Norton AntiVirus or McAfee VirusScan.
If you use a CPA to prepare your federal and state income taxes, you can probably get a quick (and perhaps free) answer from him or her. CPAs, as you may guess, have spent years learning about and working with accounting systems. Commonly, the problems people have with Quicken aren't technical software problems but accounting or bookkeeping conundrums. So what you think is a Quicken bug may, er, really be an operator error.
Let me also mention that even if you don't have a CPA prepare your tax return, you may want to find one who you can ask for help and then pay him or her. Even if you're using Quicken for a small business or for real estate investing — something a wee bit complicated — an hour or so of personalized training is often all you need to get all your questions answered.