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Resolved Using a program on an external disk drive on two different computers

Discussion in 'Windows XP' started by fdamp, 2013/04/05.

  1. 2013/04/05
    fdamp

    fdamp Well-Known Member Thread Starter

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    My home desktop is an elderly e-machines Win XP box. We've done our banking for years using Quicken. After a recent meltdown, I had to reload all the operating ptograms on my desktop after re-installing Windows.

    Since I have an 80GB external USB disk drive, I decided to put the Quicken software and its saved data on that drive, with the intention of using my wife's ASUS netbook to access the data when we were on the road in our RV.

    At home, using my desktop it works seamlessly, with a desktop icon thet goes to "M:/qw.exe" and saves the data to that drive letter also, including the regular back-up files.

    The other day, we had a power outage, and though I didn't need to access Quicken during the outage, I decided, after the power came back on, to verify that her netbook would work with the external drive.

    I fired things up, with the USB disk drive plugged into her computer. I checked what drive letter her box had assigned, which was E:/. When I tried to access Quicken, using the "run" command and typing in "E:/qw.exe ", which I had checked was on the disk drive, it refused to access it. I got a message along the lines of "The application is incomptible. Please reload the application ".

    Can anyone explain why an external application stored on a portable disk drive would work fine on one machine and refuse to perform on another? BTW, the Quicken software is not installed on either machine.
     
    fdamp,
    #1
  2. 2013/04/06
    Steve R Jones

    Steve R Jones SuperGeek Staff

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    Odds are the install copied files to the Windows folder on the first machine and can't find them on the second.
     
    Steve R Jones,
    #2


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  4. 2013/04/06
    PeteC

    PeteC SuperGeek Staff

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    I too use Quicken (2000) on both my desktop and laptop(s) and the following procedure works well for me ....

    Quicken 2000 is installed on both desktop & laptop(s) - in XP mode in Windows 7 and in Virtual Box in Windows 8 as it is not compatible with 7 or 8 - maybe this is your issue here.

    When travelling with the laptop my important data is copied to the laptop - this includes all the Quicken data files.

    As Steve posted some files will be in the Windows folders and will need to be on both machines.
     
    PeteC,
    #3
  5. 2013/04/07
    mattman

    mattman Inactive Alumni

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    I take it you installed the program on both computers. I suggest just running the installer again on the problem computer. (Reinstall over the top of the original installation.)
     
    mattman,
    #4
  6. 2013/04/08
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    You cannot install a program to an external drive and expect the program to function on more than one computer. Programs such as Quicken also will install key files to locations in your User directory, AppData or Application data and Windows system directories, as well as Shared Documents or Public folders and also the registry.

    Your best bet is to install the software on each hard drive and use the external drive only to hold the Quicken database file(s): QDF (primary file), QEL, QPH & IDX. That way, each computer can open and work with your personal Quicken data when the external drive is connected to it.

    Or better yet, use the default locations to store the data fies and keep fresh copies of them on the external drive.
     
    TonyT,
    #5

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