Microsoft Money FAQ site is on the move

The Microsoft Money FAQ site at money.mvps.org is on the move, and will be hosted at http://moneymvps.org with immediate effect.

If you have any favorite links on that site, they will be redirected for the next three months, but I urge you to update them beforehand. After three months, the former site will no longer redirect or contain the content.

All links transfer exactly the same with the exception of the dot (.) in the main part of the web address, so a link to money.mvps.org/faq/article/601.aspx becomes moneymvps.org/faq/article/601.aspx etc.

Over time, links on this site will be updated to reflect the change, should this not be too onerous a task.

Restore Microsoft Money Online Quotes with MSMoneyQuotes

One of the former members of the Microsoft Money team, Dan Gaier has recently released a program which allows users of the more recent versions of Microsoft Money to obtain stock quotes again. Microsoft turned off (or broke) the original mechanism in Money some time ago.

Dan has a good history with Money - he was the software developer who built the Portfolio Manager for both MSN Money and Microsoft Money, worked on the quote services that powered them, and in 2009 built the Money-to-Quicken Converter for Intuit, so is well qualified to produce this pretty excellent solution.

I've written more information at http://moneymvps.org/faq/article/653.aspx, but you can go straight to his website for more information and download instructions: https://gaiersoftware.com/Money

Restore Microsoft Money Online Quotes with MSMoneyQuotes

One of the former members of the Microsoft Money team, Dan Gaier has recently released a program which allows users of the more recent versions of Microsoft Money to obtain stock quotes again. Microsoft turned off (or broke) the original mechanism in Money some time ago.

Dan has a good history with Money - he was the software developer who built the Portfolio Manager for both MSN Money and Microsoft Money, worked on the quote services that powered them, and in 2009 built the Money-to-Quicken Converter for Intuit, so is well qualified to produce this pretty excellent solution.

I've written more information at http://moneymvps.org/faq/article/653.aspx, but you can go straight to his website for more information and download instructions: https://gaiersoftware.com/Money

Death Valley Charity Cycle Ride

Hi to my readers. There isn't much happening on the Microsoft Money front any more, but I do still read the comments and answer the questions that I get. Keep them coming and I will do my best to answer them.

I wanted to let my site visitors know that next year, I will be cycling 420km (260 miles) across Death Valley in Nevada and California (and up and down the mountains either side) for charity, and would be grateful for any support that anyone can give. Its a pretty intense 5 day trek, the first i have ever done. It doesn't matter how big or small your donation is (the bigger the better, obviously!) the charity (Sue Ryder) helps people with terminal and life limiting illnesses and is a great cause.

My aim is to raise about £3000 ($5000) by next summer. If you wish to donate please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/GlynSimpson.

If you are hesitant to donate, or just want some more information, please get in touch. 

Thank you.

Glyn

Money 2005 patches for UK, French and International English

Microsoft removed these downloads off from their website recently. I've already had a number of people contact me about obtaining them. I've placed the download links on my main website at the following location http://moneymvps.org/downloads/patches.aspx so that you can still install it and access your Microsoft money file. Glyn

QFE#2 for Money 2005 International users

Microsoft have also released for download the update for Money 2005 International users (I previously posted about the UK update)
Details on this, and the UK patch can be found at http://moneymvps.org/faq/article/649.aspx
There is no update for US versions. The workaround for these versions is to upgrade to the sunset edition

Money 2005 QFE#2 for UK Users (1105 patch)

What is the QFE#2 for the UK users? Maybe an obscure title, but it's really good for Money 2005 UK users. It's the downloadable patch which brings a retail copy of Money 2005 to the 1105 update.

This is the update you need to reopen your Money files, should you need to reinstall later on, such as installing Money on a new PC. This is something that I've had a lot of emails about recently.

Should you reinstall your Money 2005 version, before you open your file, install this update as well and you won't have any issues. If you don't install this update, you'll find that you can't open your file.

If you're using Money 2005 and have no issues, then there is no need to install this update.

The update can be found on the Microsoft Download Site. [Edit 3/3/2013, Microsoft have removed this, please visit Article 649 on my main website instead]

Some of the articles on moneymvps.org will be updated to feature this update shortly.

Money patch is no longer available

The '1105' patch for Microsoft Money no longer appears to be available. If you've not yet done your reinstallation CD (as described in this article) and have the patched version on your PC, then you're now risking the loss of your data, so once again, I advise to make the CD and test it (on another machine!).

If you don't want to go through the above, you have another option - export your files to QIF and then import them into the sunset edition. However, you'll also have to do this before you have to reinstall (if forced because of a new machine, crash etc). If you've got a simple file (e.g. one currency or not many accounts, this is a reasonable option). There is additional work here, but as the sunset edition is a downloadable free program, you can always reinstall if needed.

Glyn

Money 2005 update still available - but for how much longer?

I've brought up my test system this morning, removed the existing copy of Microsoft Money UK 2005 on it to test whether the update is still being served from Microsoft's servers.

I can report that it is - almost 2 months after the expected take-down of the update. During the update, it can report the expiration of features, these being the online functions, however it's still possible to get the '1105' patch.

Although it is still available, I wonder whether it will be gone tomorrow, next week, next month or if it will still be around in a year's time. It's possible that there hasn't been the need to take it away yet. However it could go at any time, and once it does, that's it, unless you've made your backup (see this article on how to make a patched CD).

My previous posting was intended to ensure those using any 2005 version made their backup. This still applies and is just as urgent as before.

Do it now!

Money 2005 Users action required

This is a warning to remind users of Money 2005 that if you haven't already created a backup CD of your installation with the patch on it, to do it now!

Microsoft will be turning off the servers which provide it shortly and there is no downloadable file with the patch in it.

Notes

• This affects ONLY Money 2005 users
• If you're in the US you do have the option of using the sunset edition
• If you're in the UK and other countries, then 2005 was the last version available to you and the sunset edition cannot be used as you can't convert between regional versions of Money.
• Microsoft plan to turn the servers off at the end of this month - January 31, 2011

Creation of backup CD

To create the patched CD, see this article. You won't need the CD unless you reinstall. If you think it won't affect you, consider that if you buy a new machine or your hard drive crashes, without it, you will irrevocably lose access to your Money file and there will be no way to get your data back.

Once you've created your backup CD, don't forget to test it (e.g. on another machine) to ensure it works

Update to my Money backup mechanism

Over the last few years, I have used many mechanisms to keep my Money file and backups safe. These include

1. USB Drives
2. Automated network copies
3. Manual copies
4. Floppy disks
5. etc.

As you can see, a variety of methods.

I've been looking for something which would also automatically backup, with no effort on my part, and cheaply (or better, free), my Money file. Live Mesh was my preferred solution as it would allow me to synchronize and backup other files, but this wouldn't do .MNY files. I also understand that the next iteration of it won't work on Windows XP, so I have to move away from it.

I've decided to go for DropBox. I wish I had found it before -I can store my main Money (.mny) file in the DropBox folder and it will synchronize changes to the cloud. With the 30 day history, I know that each time I use Microsoft Money, the previous versions are automatically being saved.

Note that this is not the only way I backup, I still use the settings in Money that output to a USB drive, as I am of the opinion that you can't have too many backups.

If you're looking out for cloud-based storage for your Money file, think about checking DropBox out.

Money Plus Local Help Files

The last several versions of Microsoft Money have utilized an online service to deliver help content, which required users have Internet access in order to access online help content.

The online help system used by Money has been marked for deprecation on or around July 1, 2010. Once fully deprecated, Money's online help feature will not be able to successfully connect to the server side service.

To mitigate this loss of service, the Money help content has been converted to a standalone help file that can be copied and run on the users local machine.

There are downloads on the Microsoft download center for Money Plus Deluxe, Premium, Business and Essentials, as well as for the Japanese Deluxe version.

Microsoft Money Forum

A few weeks ago, I posted that Microsoft were going to close their newsgroups and move to a a web based forum for community support.

It is now possible to access this community forum, which can be accessed by going to http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/money.

Some of the MVPs and regular posters from the newsgroup will be there to assist.

Given that Microsoft are no longer producing Money, it is unlikely that any of the Microsoft Money team will be posting there.

Money Plus Sunset Home and Business

Money Plus Sunset Home and Business is designed to be a replacement for expired versions of Money Plus Home and Business.

Note: The Money Plus Sunset versions come with online self-help only. See Overview section for more info.

You can download the sunset sku for Home and Business from the Microsoft download site.

Money "sunset" sku

Microsoft Money products since Money 2007 have utilized a digital rights management system which required users to activate their product at or shortly after setup. Now that the Microsoft Money product line is nearing the end of its supported lifecycle, the activation services will also be ending. To enable users the ability to continue to use Microsoft Money manually, (without online quotes or online banking services), Microsoft is releasing "Money Plus Deluxe Sunset", and a "Money Plus Home and Business Sunset". The Sunset skus do not require activation, and come preconfigured with no online services, thus allowing users access to their Microsoft Money data files.

You can download the product from here.

Closing of Microsoft Newsgroups

Beginning in June 2010, Microsoft will begin closing newsgroups and migrating users to Microsoft forums that include Microsoft Answers, TechNet and MSDN. This move will centralize content, make it easier for contributors to retain their influence, reduce redundancies and make content easier to find. Overall, forums offer a better spam management platform that will improve customer satisfaction by encouraging a healthy discussion space.

Read more at source.

Note that this WILL apply to the Microsoft Money newsgroups.

Nationwide withdrawing support for Microsoft Money

The last full UK release of Microsoft Money was in 2005. Since then, Microsoft have carried out no development work on the software. In addition, Microsoft no longer offer any technical support on this product in the UK and this has significantly impacted on our ability to resolve customer queries relating to the software. Regrettably, we will be withdrawing the support service on our Internet Bank for Microsoft Money management software on 22 October 2009.

Remember you can still use our Internet banking service to view your statements, opt out of paper statements, pay bills and transfer your money instantly. You can also view and manage your credit card, mortgage and overdraft.

Read more here

Non-activation version of Microsoft Money

Later this year, Microsoft will release versions of Money Plus Deluxe and Money Plus Home and Business that will not require online activation. This version will allow you to keep your Money files and transactional history but will not allow access to online services or premium services.

No further details on this are yet available, but I'll post announcements here as they occur.

Reminder: 1 more week to purchase Microsoft Money

Please note that there is only 1 week left to purchase Microsoft Money through online outlets. It will be discontinued from sale on June 30, 2009.

If you have an activated copy of Microsoft Money Plus, you may wish to purchase a new key to continue with full functionality after the expiration date of your current version up to the end of life on 31 January 2011. Yopu can find out the expiry date by clicking on Help->About whilst within Money.

Purchase links can be found below

• Microsoft Money Plus Deluxe
• Microsoft Money Plus Premium
• Microsoft Money Plus Home & Business

These links are no longer valid

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:

• General FAQ questions
• Online services
• Installation and support
• Upgrades and migration

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.