The QuickBooks Specialists
To access the Tech Help window from within QuickBooks, do the following steps with QuickBooks open:
Here’s a screenshot of the information available from the Tech Help window:
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The QBW.INI file is normally located in the default QuickBooks installation directory. That location depends on your QuickBooks version and your version of Microsoft Windows, which are outlined below.
To avoid searching for files, the easiest way to locate the QBW.INI file is to open the Tech Help window.
With QuickBooks open, open the Tech Help window and do the following:
See our related article for more information on using the Tech Help window. If you need to edit the QBW.INI, the Tech Help window provides an easy way to do that, so it’s a great place to start working with this file.
For QuickBooks 2007 or later running under Windows XP, the default is:
C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataIntuitQuickBooks [Version]
Replace [Version] with your version of QuickBooks, such as 2009. For example, the default location for QuickBooks 2009 is:
C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataIntuitQuickBooks 2009
For QuickBooks 2007 or later running under Vista, keep in mind that the folder C:Documents and Settings is a legacy folder that you can’t access, because the actual location is elsewhere. In Vista, dimmed shortcut links are referred to as junctions, and they exist only to provide program compatibility. The actual location for files normally located in the C:Documents and Settings folder is another folder, typically C:Program Data. We recommend that you use the Vista search function to find QBW.INI on your system.
For QuickBooks 2006 or earlier running under Windows XP, the default is:
C:Program FilesIntuitQuickBooks
QuickBooks 2006 and earlier are not supported on Vista.
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The QuickBooks transaction log file is a log of all changes about to be made to the company file (.qbw) before they are actually recorded in the company file. It is stored in the same folder as the company file itself. It’s automatically created by QuickBooks.
The filename of the transaction log file is in the form:
[company file name].qbw.TLG
QuickBooks uses data written to the transaction log file to transparently complete the recording of transactions that were not completely recorded in the company file itself because a connection to the company file was lost. The transaction log file can also be used in conjunction with a QuickBooks backup file (.qbb) to recover from a damaged company file.
The transaction log file is reset when:
The company file may not match the transaction log file if you restore a backup of the company file using the same filename in the same folder or if you make a copy of a company file, take the copy to another computer and make changes, and put the changed copy back in the original location. For example, if you want to make a copy of the company file and work on it on another computer, you need to copy both the company file itself and the corresponding transaction log file in order to preserve the data recovery benefits that the transaction log file offers.
Because the transaction log file is only reset under specific circumstances, it may grow in size and become larger than the QuickBooks company file itself. Large transaction log files can have an adverse effect on overall QuickBooks performance, so it’s important to periodically cause the events that trigger a reset of the transaction log file. If you perform a manual backup, it’s important to run the backup with some degree of verification enabled. If you complete the backup without verification enabled, your transaction log file will be reset, and the unverified data in the backup may be unusable.
Additional information on the QuickBooks transaction log file can be found in this Intuit knowledge base article as well as our article on the file types used by QuickBooks.
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QuickBooks reports can be a valuable complement to the process of rebuilding a damaged company file (.qbw). After running the Rebuild Data utility, Intuit recommends that you proceed through these steps in the order listed to identify data damage that the rebuilding process repaired and to confirm that further data problems don’t exist.
1. Examine the Uncategorized Expenses account for damaged transactions. During the rebuild process, QuickBooks may put some transactions into this account as a way of restoring balance to your financial records. Under normal circumstances, the only transactions that should be in this account are voided checks. Look for transactions that don’t have an amount or account associated with them. You’ll need to delete these transactions and re-enter them with the correct amount and account. The Uncategorized Expenses account is created automatically by QuickBooks. If you’ve never produced an event that would have automatically created this account, you won’t see it in your chart of accounts. The simplest way to examine the Uncategorized Expenses account is to open the Chart of Accounts window by clicking on the Company->Chart of Accounts menu selection (or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + a). Locate the Uncategorized Expenses account (if it exists) and double-click on it to produce a QuickReport. Change the Dates filter to All to include all entries in the account. The transactions reported (other than voided checks) will require attention.
Here’s a screenshot of the Uncategorized Expenses account in the Chart of Accounts list.
2. Examine the Uncategorized Income account for damaged transactions. Just like the behavior of the Uncategorized Expeses account, QuickBooks may put some transactions into this account during the rebuild process as a way of restoring balance to your financial records. Review this account for transactions that are missing amounts or for transactions that are linked to the wrong account. You’ll need to delete these transactions and re-enter them with the correct amount and account.
Here’s a screenshot of the Uncategorized Income account in the Chart of Accounts list.
3. Verify that total debits less total credits equals the balance in the Undeposited Funds account. To do this, run a Custom Transaction Detail Report (Reports->Custom Transaction Detail Report). Be sure to include All dates from the Dates pull-down menu; click the Modify Report… button and choose the Filters tab. On the Account pull-down menu, choose only the Undeposited Funds account.
4. Compare the total in the Open Invoices report (Reports->Customer & Receivables->Open Invoices) to the A/R balance shown on a Balance Sheet (Reports->Company & Financial->Balance Sheet Summary) and make sure they match. Make sure that the Dates filter for the Open Invoices report is set to Today and that your balance sheet Dates filter is set to All. If your balance sheet filter is not set to All and you have entered customer payments after the balance sheet date, you’ll see a difference between the amounts on these 2 reports. That difference doesn’t indicate a data problem. You can also check the current A/R balance in the Chart of Accounts window (Company->Chart of Accounts).
Here’s a screenshot of the 2 reports side by side where the A/R balances shown on the reports match perfectly.
5. Compare the total in the Unpaid Bills Detail report (Reports->Vendors & Payables->Unpaid Bills Detail) to the A/P Balance shown on a Balance Sheet (Reports->Company & Financial->Balance Sheet Summary) and make sure they match. Make sure that the Dates filter for the Unpaid Bills Detail report is set to Today and that your balance sheet Dates filter is set to All. If your balance sheet filter is not set to All and you have paid bills after the balance sheet date, you’ll see a difference between the amounts on these 2 reports. That difference doesn’t indicate a data problem. You can also check the current A/P balance in the Chart of Accounts window (Company->Chart of Accounts).
Here’s a screenshot of the 2 reports side by side where the A/P balances shown on the reports match perfectly.
6. Verify that ASSETS = LIABILITIES + EQUITY on both an accrual and cash basis balance sheet. Produce a Balance Sheet Detail report (Reports->Company & Financial->Balance Sheet Detail) and confirm that Total Assets = Total Liabilities + Equity. Note that Total Liabilities itself is the sum of Total Current Liabilities and Non-current Liabilities. The balance sheet example shown below doesn’t include any Non-current Liabilities, and to reduce image size we’ve reproduced a Balance Sheet Summary report, rather than a detail report.
Here’s a screenshot of a Summary Balance Sheet where accounts are in balance:
You need to verify that both accrual and cash basis balance sheets are in balance. To change the report basis, click the Modify Report… button. On the Display tab, select either Accrual or Cash as your Report Basis.
If either or both of these reports are out of balance, there are further troubleshooting steps to follow depending on which report (either the cash or accrual basis report) is out of balance.
See our related articles for more information on troubleshooting out-of-balance accrual basis balance sheets and rebuilding a company file.
For more information using the reporting function in QuickBooks to assist rebuilding a damaged company file, consult this Intuit knowledge base article.
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A balance sheet in QuickBooks can be produced on either a cash or accrual basis. A balance sheet that’s in balance is one where total assets are equal to the sum of total liabilities plus total equity. Sometimes, if your company file (.qbw) has become damaged, this fundamental accounting relationship can be broken because of data damage to individual transactions.
Intuit has several troubleshooting steps to attempt to resolve problems with a balance sheet that’s out of balance. These steps depend on which reporting basis balance sheet is out of balance. In this article, we’ll summarize the steps to address an accrual basis balance sheet that’s out of balance. See our related article on resolving problems with a cash basis balance sheet. There are also other ways to use reports to assist rebuilding a damaged company file.
The most likely cause of an out-of-balance accrual basis balance sheet is an income or expense account with an account balance but without transactions that add up to that balance. To fix this problem, Intuit recommends a multi-step process that involves:
Step 1 – Calculate the Amount Your Balance Sheet is Out of Balance
Produce a standard balance sheet (Reports->Company & Financial->Balance Sheet Standard) and calculate the amount your balance sheet is out of balance. Be sure to click the Modify Report… button and set the Dates to All and the Report Basis to Accrual.
Step 2 – Identify the Problem Account
First, export your chart of accounts. From the File->Utilities->Export->Lists to IIF Files… menu selection, choose Chart of Accounts in the Export window and click Ok.
This export procedure will produce a delimited IIF file. Open this file in Microsoft Excel. Intuit recommends deleting the first 2 lines of this file, but we’ve kept them in the file in the screenshot below so you can see how the file will appear when you first open it in Excel. Note that Name is in Column B and OBAMOUNT is in Column F. Find the out-of-balance amount you calculated in the previous step in Column F, OBAMOUNT. There are 2 ways to do this: a) use Excel’s Find capability or b) sort all rows below the first 3 rows in the original Excel file (below the first 1 row if you choose to delete the first 2) and scroll through the sorted list of numbers to locate the out-of-balance amount you previously calculated.
Write down the account name from Column B that matches the OBAMOUNT you locate.
Step 3 – Test To See If the Account You Identified Is the Problem Account
Return to QuickBooks and open your chart of accounts (Company->Chart of Accounts or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + a). Locate the account you identified in the previous step and double click on it to produce a QuickReport. Be sure to set the Dates setting to All dates. If there are no transactions in this account, then the identification process in Step 2 was successful. You’ve located an account with a balance in the chart of accounts but without transactions that add up to that balance.
Step 4 – Record a Check For $.01 To The Problem Account
Record a check to the problem account for $.01 from the Banking->Write Checks menu selection or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + w. On the Expenses tab of the Write Checks window, enter the problem account previously identified.
Step 5 – Run the Rebuild Data Utility
From the Files->Utilities->Rebuild Data menu selection, run the Rebuild Data utility. This utility will attempt to match the transactions in an account with the account’s balance, thereby resolving the out-of-balance problem on the balance sheet.
Step 6 – Delete the Check Previously Recorded and Test the Results
Delete the check you recorded in Step 4. Open your chart of accounts (Company->Chart of Accounts or the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + a) and locate the problem account.
If the account you identified was a balance sheet account (accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank, credit card, equity, fixed asset, loan, long-term liability, other asset, other current asset, or other current liability), double click on the account to QuickZoom into that account’s register. Locate the check for $.01 and delete it by clicking the Edit->Delete menu selection or using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + d.
If the account you identified was an income statement account (income, expense, other income, other expense, or cost of goods sold), double click on the account to produce a QuickReport. Be sure to change the Dates setting to All. Locate the check for $.01 and double click on that entry on the QuickReport. Delete the check by clicking the Edit->Delete menu selection or using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + d.
Repeat the steps in Step 1 to produce a standard balance sheet and verify that the balance sheet is in balance. Be sure to confirm your Dates setting is set to All and your Report Basis is set to Accrual.
Sometimes, if you have several problem accounts, repeating this entire series of steps can restore balance to your balance sheet. For more serious data problems, send us an email.
To follow Intuit’s discussion of these steps, consult this Intuit knowledge base article.
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