VMOPTIONS no longer work ? / can't open Moneydance
I should warn you that I am not very PC tech literate so if you need more information just let me know.
I know... beat me with a stick... but I just hate to give up Moneydance 2008 (now 2010?) because of the ability to exit without saving. I use it on occasion... mostly because of investment errors and it has been a lifesaver!
Anyway... I am really tired of fighting this Java VMOPTIONS issue. With your help it was solved in 2023 but now I am having the same issue. Last year I split my md file into 19xx-2023 and a second file starting with 2024 which seemed to be the solution... or so I thought. Everything was fine until today... (or possibly after the last Windows 11 upgrade this week?). I "assumed" that after splitting the files that when I opened the 2024 file it would only need space for that file. Is that correct or does it need space for ALL md files even if they aren't opened? If I rename the 2023 file to something other than md would that fix the problem?
I also checked into Moneydance installations and found I have Moneydance folders in both 32-bit and 64-bit Program Files although the 32-bit has more files. Is that normal? Do I need to get rid of one of them?
In case you need it my VMOPTIONS are set to 2048 in 64-bit and 1536 in 32-bit. I tried adding 256 to 1536 and got the error message from 2023..."The JVM could not be started. The maximum heap size (-Xmx) might be too large or an antivirus or firewall tool could block the execution". Some suggestions I found were to uninstall old Java versions but when I tried to find what Java versions I have installed either there aren't any or I didn't do it correctly?.
Is there any way to fix this Java problem? If not is it even possible to convert my 2008 files to anything current? Would I need to do multiple conversions to get there? Even if you can't help, if you got this far... thanks for reading!
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1 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 27 Sep, 2024 11:03 AM
Read from post 3 here:
https://infinitekind.tenderapp.com/discussions/problems/95099-comma...
see if that helps you with vmoptions? Let us know...
2 Posted by dwg on 27 Sep, 2024 11:30 AM
Having Moneydance installed in both 32 and 64 bit program files says you have installed both a 32 bit version and a 64 bit versions of Moneydance. Neither Moneydance 2008 or 2010 were available as 64 bit versions, so you must have installed a later release as well.
I do not understand your comments about space. If you have Moneydance files on disk you have files on disk. Memory is only used by files that are loaded in the running program, but that does not have a direct effect on the memory specified in VMOPTIONS. The memory specified in VMOPTIONS is used by the Java Virtual Machine for its structures JVM is software that sits between Moneydance and the Operating system, think of it in simple terms, as a sort of translator .
Moneydance 2008 and 2010 both use Java 6, I do not think any of the regular posters would be familiar with that version of Java any more, it could well have a lower memory limit, that would not surprise.I know it gets installed under a Common Files folder but that is about the extent of my knowledge of older java versions with Moneydance, it has been a long time since I used early versions of Java, and both Moneydance versions pre-date my use of the software. However unless you installed Java yourself you are unlikely to have any versions that are not associated with Moneydance and later versions installed with Moneydance cannot, by default, be used with anything else other then the specific version of Moneydance it comes with, so I think some sort of conflict is unlikely.
The number of steps to go from Moneydance 2008 to 2024 depends on if you are using a master password or not. If you are not you should be able to upgrade directly to the latest release (you could also remove any master password temporarily). If you are using a master password and want to upgrade with it set you have to upgrade to, at the latest Moneydance 2021, as an intermediate step. This is due to changes in the encryption algorithm and dropping support for the older version.
3 Posted by Stuart Beesley ... on 27 Sep, 2024 01:51 PM
I would upgrade to 2024.2
https://infinitekind.com/preview
You will have to buy a license.
2024 has good undo features of you make a mistake.
4 Posted by dtd on 27 Sep, 2024 07:38 PM
Also, if you do upgrade, as always BACKUP FIRST.
If you backup on shutdown, then even if you made a mistake, you could go to the last backup.... well I don't know about 2008/2010 now that I think about it.
5 Posted by dtd on 27 Sep, 2024 07:39 PM
To @dwg/@Stuart/others - Can a 2008/2010 user use their license (or do they have one) to get an upgrade discount?
6 Posted by dwg on 27 Sep, 2024 10:09 PM
Yes 2008/2010 users will have a license and that should work to get an upgrade just like in more recent versions. Those license should start with the letter B.
7 Posted by dtd on 27 Sep, 2024 10:27 PM
@Leslee - *IF* you wish to upgrade, you can get a half price upgrade by entering your license here:
https://infinitekind.com/update
8 Posted by Leslee on 01 Oct, 2024 09:19 AM
Sorry. Hurricane knocked out cell, landline and internet service. Just got back online so it may be awhile before I get around to checking everyone's comments. Thanks!
9 Posted by dwg on 01 Oct, 2024 09:57 AM
@dtd
Moneydance 2008/2010 stored its data in a single .md file rather than the Library system now used so it is easy enough to store a copy of the .md file in a safe place.
10 Posted by Leslee on 01 Oct, 2024 11:28 PM
Thanks everyone! Since I really don't understand Java or the VMOPTIONS I have decided to download the 2024.2 version to demo and in all probability will upgrade since going back to Quicken is not an option! Since I can't open my current Moneydance but have file copies on 2 different backup drives, is there anything else I need to do before installing? Is there a workaround for the 2008 "exit without saving" option?.Any helpful suggestions or words of warning? Thanks again! All you help is greatly appreciated!
11 Posted by dwg on 01 Oct, 2024 11:52 PM
Making sure you have the .md file in a safe places, even multiple places is the main consideration.
If your .md file is password protected you would have to install Moneydance 2021 first and use it to upgrade the file format as Moneydance 2024 will not read a 2008 password protected file, it should read one without a password fine.
Firstly "Exit without Saving" will never make a comeback, it is incompatible with syncing and would break it rather badly, so it is gone forever.
The traditional way of dealing with data issues is to ensure you make plenty of backups. As a minimum you would configure Moneydance to create a backup on exit, and Moneydance can now accommodate keeping backups from multiple sessions during the one day. You can also create on demand backups at time you like.
The other capability Moneydance now has is unlimited undo, so you can step back sequentially through what you have done and undo it.
As you have always been able to do, if you discover an error in a transaction you can edit the individual transaction or indeed delete and re-enter it.
12 Posted by Leslee on 02 Oct, 2024 12:34 AM
Because of the last time I had issues with Moneydance I removed my password so that is a good thing! As long as there is some kind of workaround for "exit without save" it will just be a matter of retraining myself to do it. I did a quick scan through some of the changes and so much of it is new to me that I will just need to take my time and be patient. But I am looking forward to learning the new Moneydance thanks to everyone here! Your help and support are most appreciated!
13 Posted by Leslee on 03 Oct, 2024 01:27 AM
Thanks everyone for all your help and @dtd for the upgrade discount link. I just purchased the upgrade after testing 2024.2 and am a very happy camper. Looking forward to getting into downloads to hopefully saving me a lot of time and error corrections! I couldn't have done it without your help! Thank you so much!
14 Posted by dtd on 03 Oct, 2024 01:31 AM
As you probably know, each license is good "forever", but with a two year time frame.
In this case, you upgraded to 2024, but the new license stays good through the last version of 2025....
15 Posted by Leslee on 03 Oct, 2024 02:23 AM
Thanks for the insight and I will keep that in mind! I would probably only upgrade if there was a serious error in Moneydance which I don't foresee. I actually was pleasantly surprised that the 2008 and 2024 versions are very similar on the surface. That is one thing that I really like about Moneydance. I always dread upgrading most other software because the versions are usually light years apart.