Thursday, June 11, 2009

Implications of the discontinuation

There are a lot of implications regarding the discontinuation of Microsoft Money. Such as 'what happens next', 'upgrade paths' etc.

Some FAQ's can be found on the moneymvps.org website:

In addition to these, a number of other questions or comments will be unclear. Above all, remember that even though the product may be discontinued, you can still use it. In January 2011, aggregated bank downloads and quotes are likely to be turned off, but most other features should continue to work.

19 comments:

Peter said...

My subscription expires 8/9/09, I just bought a new MS Money Plus Deluxe product key, how can I reactivate and extend my experiation to 1/31/11.

Thanks

Peter

Glyn Simpson said...

Hi Peter, I've not got that information at the moment. I guess there may be an option to do it when the product does expire, but it's not clear yet.

I'll forward the question on.

glyn

Glyn Simpson said...

See http://money.mvps.org/faq/article/640.aspx for th solution that I just received from Microsoft.

Sparky said...

This is why Microsoft is evil.

In theory, I purchased the right to use Money in perpetuity, even though Microsoft reserved the right to stop supporting it.

However, because it can't be activated after January 2011, if I buy a new computer after that date, there goes my right to use Money.

But even worse, there goes my ability to access my old data!

Vic said...

Glyn,

I have Money 2007 and want to use it as long as I can. How can I get the sp2 update downloaded (on my computer in a safe place) so I wont have to rely on Microsoft's update servers going forward?

Vic

Glyn Simpson said...

Hi Vic

I guess the procedure would be similar to that which some people have used successfully to patch their 2005 systems.

The update is not provided as a standalone download, so wha people have done is to create a new installation disk based on the downloaded updates.

See http://money.mvps.org/faq/article/630.aspx - I'd be really interested to know whether it works for 2007 versions as well.

glyn

Bruno said...

I have been using "MS Money" since 1999. Last year, I decided to upgrade from "Money 99" To "Money plus". I have 10 years of data and I want to continue managing my personal finance with those data after 2011, when I have to buy a new computer. I believe reversing from "Money plus" to "Money 99" (which was still working fine)is not possible. Do you have a clue? Is there another software able to do that? Please, don't discontinue your blog...

Glyn Simpson said...

What happens in 2011 is that the online services part will expire, not the full software, so you should be able to continue using it to manage your finances. However once the online part expires, I guess that activation will no longer work (unless Microsoft come up with a way of removing the need for activation), so if you need to install it after that time, that is when the problems will occur.

It's difficult to downgrade to 99, although I am considering such a move if, after 2011 I cannot activate the software any more. It'll be done by exporting all of my data as QIF and then importing into the version of Money I choose (which may well be Money 95, I liked that version).

What I may do is run up an old version in a Virtual machine and look into the practicalities of doing it. It's not something I'll do in the short term though, as I have a lack of time at present.

So, I'd stick with Money Plus for the moment. it's not as if you can't use it for quite a while. Your 'expiration' date can be found off the Help menu, and don't forget, it's the online services and activation which will stop working, not the main core of the program itself.

Glyn

Anonymous said...

Has Microsoft considered putting Money as a free download now that they have decided to stop selling it? Of course there would be no new editions or official support but why not leave it freely available for those whose wish to use it. Money is a great piece of stable software and it would be a shame if the only option became just Quicken.

Glyn Simpson said...

A number of options have been considered, but as yet none concluded.

Personally I doubt Microsoft will release it into the open source community for 2 reasons:
1) They're not really an open source company
2) Money connects with bank systems, and it could be considered (from Microsoft's or the bank's point of view) dangerous to allow the protocols used to be exposed though open sourcing it.

As to making it free, I guess they've considered that, but even 'free' stuff will have a cost for them.

I don't believe that the saga is over for Money - I did see something which implied that Microsoft and Intuit were working on something to help migrate to Quicken, but that's all I know on that.

Anonymous said...

I don't think they should go open source at all. For reasons that you pointed out but also because they may want to start making new versions of Money in the future. It seems that right now, Microsoft is just trying to do some refocusing in this hard economy we are going through... but that will pass one day. Making Money freeware would probably build a larger user base even without official support from Microsoft and if they wanted to create a new version in a few years they would could charge for that and resume the Money line.

As for costs for making it free, I only see server and bandwidth costs being an issue. But Money binaries are pretty small so resource usage should be insignificant... and they could always push it to somewhere like download.com if they wanted.

I hope Money is not killed off completely (indefinitely), exporting old data to Quicken is really only a solution for people that need or want to update their software yearly. If one is happy with older software, there is no need to stop using Money (as far as I know).

Unknown said...

I bought a new key for the deluxe version and tried to run the 'extend.exe' command (from this link as you suggested http://money.mvps.org/faq/article/640.aspx) and I get a Message Box that says "Error!" "Money activation was unsuccessful. Please confirm your product key and check that your computer is connected to the Internet. (Error 1020)" Help?

Glyn Simpson said...

Hi Edward

it appears that this use of Extend doesn't always work. You have 2 options:

1) Call the Microsoft Support Desk and explain the situation. They can provide an override key which will help it work

2) Wait until your current copy expires and then use the key you have.

Kind regards

Glyn

Javi Moya said...

(sorry for my poor english)
wow...
I've been using MsMoney since 1997...
I love this software... it's almost perfect.
It's way better than Quicken...
There is no alternative.

I don't understand Microsoft...
It's a sad day today.

:(

Vilmis said...

In
http://money.mvps.org/faq/article/636.aspx is written don't upgrade Money 2006 or 2007 to MS Money Plus.
Why ?
I am using 2003 version. Can I upgrade to Money Plus? Thanks

Glyn Simpson said...

Yes, the advice directly from Microsoft is not to upgrade. This is probably because they're want to start reducing their support costs. Money Plus is only available to buy for a few more days too.

It you have 2003, then I'd stick with it. There are a couple of good reasons:

a) Money 2003 doesn't need activation, so if you're still using it after Jan 2011, you'll continue to be able to use it.

b) It doesn't have any expiration. This means that quotes will continue to download (although saying that, as it's out of support they could stop at any time).

If it works, why upgrade?

Glyn

Unknown said...

I had the trial version of MS Money plus and had a lot of work and accounts entered and reconciled on this. Went to purchase it today as my trial has ended and only then found out its finished. Tried to export files to QIF but I am being told I can only export one bank account

Glyn Simpson said...

Hi Joe

unfortunately, Money will only let you export one QIF at a time. However, if you're moving to a product which is not Money, you may be able to create a report with all of your transactions in it, and then export it to CSV and read it in Excel.

Depending on the product you move to, you may be able to convert that into QIF or another format which can be read.

There's an article on my website somewhere about converting from CSV. The number escapes me, but should be findable by using the search on the site

Glyn

Anonymous said...

I dl msm H&B trial version and installed it with system dat in 2099. The program is going to expire in august 2099. When I open it, I get a blank screen for activation. If I click that away, the program starts and offers to buy or remind later. What's the risk of keep using this trial version?