As noted, a Windows Explorer File|Copy of your .MNY data file as a backup is
better than a .MBF Money File|Backup. This shouldn't matter. It does all too
often.

"LisaS" <LisaS[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:77B91B2A-3723-4122-B213-067B88CB495D[at]microsoft.com...
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In microsoft.public.money, LisaS wrote:

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Perhaps you might put another into the safe deposit box.

Cal and Dick, thanks to you both. You've convinced me not to bother with
archiving; I'll just use my backup and make a nice, thoroughly tested and
labeled CD of it.

Dick, your additional advice about what to print/export is also useful.

"Dick Watson" wrote:

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Understand that:

A Backup is a file that enables you to Restore a file exactly as your data
file was at the point in time where the backup was performed.

An Archive is a copy of your entire data file at a given point in time but
just before the ***archiving function destructively and irreversibly removes
a bunch of data from, and modifies other data in,*** the main data file you
intend to use going forward. I do not recommend archiving. All pain. No
gain.

If you want to have a high-probability-of-recoverability of your M05 data as
far into the future as my crystal ball can see, I'd do two things:

1) Make a copy (not a Money File|Backup, just a Windows Explorer File Copy)
of the .MNY file as it now exists, and burn it onto a CD-R or two. Test the
CD-R(s) in at least one if not several machines to make sure you can read
the file back correctly. Label the CD-R(s) with the exact version of Money
that wrote the file, as displayed in Help|About. (This will be something
like 14.0.115.1105.) File at least one of the CD-Rs in your safe deposit box
or other off-site location. This will be usable as long as you can run the
noted version or future version that supports that file format. Money
File|Backup should provide a 100% path back to the original data file. For
all too many people it does not seem to do this.

2) Create two favorite reports. One is Account Transactions fro all accounts
and the other is Investment Transactions for all accounts. Customize them to
the date range for all of 2005 and set all of the flags for every column to
appear. Clear any other customization that filters out data. Then do one or
more of the following: a) print to paper, b) print to .PDF or Microsoft
Office Imaging files, c) export to Excel .CSV file format files. If you make
the files, follow guidance above for what to do with them. These will be
usable in the event some point in the future arrives and there is no Money
version that can read the data file from #1. It will not get all of the data
(quotes, payee addresses, loan terms, account details like account numbers
and credit limit, etc., are all lost this way) but it its about as good as
Money will let you get.

"LisaS" <LisaS[at]discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:116C181F-10F1-45E4-A283-44265357DAD1[at]microsoft.com...
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In microsoft.public.money, LisaS wrote:

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An "Archive" is a copy of your file as it exists at a point in time.
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Few people recommend archiving.

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The backup file may be a compressed version, but otherwise would be
the same essentially as a backup made just before the archive.

There is no way to re-integrate "archived" data into the continuing
file that had data removed.

Are there differences (e.g., file size, accessibility) between an archive
file and a backup file? My reason for asking:

I neglected to do my 2005 archive until AFTER I drastically shuffled many
months of data entries in order to work around two Money bugs ("phantom
bills" and also one that prevents changing a scheduled paycheck deposit
because some investment balance would go negative), so my 2005 archive
doesn't reflect much reality. I do, however, have a backup I'd made 12/31/05.

To have an electronic record of last year's Money activity, should I go so
far as to restore the 12/31/05 backup and then archive the 2005 data, or
would that archive result be the same as the 12/31/05 backup file anyway?