Can't restore backed up files
I have run Moneydance for 17 months now on Ubuntu Linux 10.04. My data files were stored in a folder under my Documents folder in my home folder. That folder was backed up regularly. I made one last backup of the Documents folder before doing a clean install of Ubuntu 12.04. Now I cannot find my data. The folder where I stored the Moneydance data has files that I think are backup files, the latest of which is dated March 5, 2013 (the filename is MoneyDanceFamilyData.md-2013-03-05). It appears that when I upgraded Moneydance to its latest version, Moneydance started storing its data someplace else from where I had been storing it and backing it up. Can the files dated from last March be restored? That would mean only 3 months of work trashed instead of 17 months. I would appreciate any help with this. Thanks.
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1 Posted by -Kevin N. on Jun 08, 2013 @ 12:22 PM
Hi kennethrburke13,
Uninstall Moneydance 2012.
Download and install Moneydance 2011 from here:
http://moneydance.com/other
Rename your data file from MoneyDanceFamilyData.md-2013-03-05 to
MoneyDanceFamilyData.md
Open the newly renamed data file in Moneydance 2011.
HTH -Kevin N.
2 Posted by Jon Hoover on Jun 08, 2013 @ 12:27 PM
Hi,
Does your documents folder contain any folders that look like this MoneyDanceFamilyData.Moneydance? This would be the file/folder format for Moneydance 2012 and would be the location of your current data.
Sincerely,
Jon Hoover, Moneydance Support
3 Posted by kennethrburke13 on Jun 08, 2013 @ 07:34 PM
The latest file is from March 5 which must have been just before I installed the newest version of Moneydance. I renamed the file to MoneyDanceFamilyData.md and Moneydance was able to recognize the file and import it. I am now in the process of reconstructing months worth of transactions. I will have to check the manual to see where my new data files reside so they can be backed up. Sorry but I am pretty upset that the update process for Moneydance moved data files around without telling the user. I took great care to back up my files and feel I have been sabotaged. I have already spent most of a day trying to fix this and have several more hours to go.
4 Posted by -Kevin N. on Jun 08, 2013 @ 07:40 PM
Hi kennethrburke13,
To locate the default location of your data set, open Moneydance, then from the menu bar go to Help > Show Documents Folder.
HTH -Kevin N.
5 Posted by kennethrburke13 on Jun 12, 2013 @ 05:57 PM
Kevin,
Thanks for your reply. What you describe is exactly what I did, except that
I was able to get the latest version of Moneydance to open the renamed file.
Ken Burke
6 Posted by -Kevin N. on Jun 12, 2013 @ 06:19 PM
HI Ken,
You are correct, the latest version of Moneydance can indeed open the former .md data files.
However when it does so, it archives a copy of the data file and then converts the data file to the new Moneydance 2012 data set format.
When you setup your backup program to backup your Moneydance data set, have it backup the entire data set folder.
The data set contains your data file and your checkpoint files
The data set folder is in the following format:
yourdatasetname.moneydance
HTH -Kevin N.
7 Posted by kennethrburke13 on Jun 12, 2013 @ 06:30 PM
Thanks. I am setting my backup program to include that folder.
8 Posted by -Kevin N. on Jun 12, 2013 @ 07:25 PM
Hi Ken,
Personally, what I do is to setup Moneydance to make 7 checkpoint (backup) files and then run a weekly system backup.
This provides a pretty solid safety net.
HTH -Kevin N.
System closed this discussion on Mar 31, 2015 @ 04:00 PM.