Table of Content
    QuickBooks File Repair

    QuickBooks Company File Repair – All There is to Know


    Table of Content

      Summary: In this blog, we’ve tried to compile everything there is to know about QuickBooks Company File Repair. A QuickBooks Company File (QBW) can become corrupt due to several reasons like large file size, improper system shutdown, virus attack, etc. The blog outlines these and other possible causes of the QuickBooks company file corruption, how you can know about it (symptoms), how to prevent this from happening. Also, it describes how corruption in QBW file can be fixed through free as well as professional QuickBooks File Repair tools.

      If you’ve been working with QuickBooks® long enough, you know that it’s a business accounting software developed by Intuit and has small and medium-sized organizations as its target audience. QuickBooks® offers on-premise and cloud-based accounting to make managing & paying bills and payroll functions easier. For professionals and small-time entrepreneurs, QuickBooks is the go-to product to manage their financial activities with ease. And what makes such solid performance possible? A solid database, of course!

      The Intuit database behind QuickBooks® is quite competent in handling business pressure and growing demands. However, like all other databases, it is prone to problems every now and then. Corruption in QuickBooks Company File is a common problem faced by users. And a corrupt QBW file cannot be opened and used until it is repaired.

      Fix QuickBooks Corruption- Manual Method,Reboot.BAT,Quickbooks Diagnostic Tool,Component Repair Tool,Quickbooks File Doctor

      How to Identify Corruption in QuickBooks Company file?

      In order to know when you need to repair a QBW file, it is important to identify corruption in the file.

      Following are some problems that you may face due to corruption in QuickBooks Company File:

      • Errors like “A data problem prevents QuickBooks from continuing” in the Verify Data Utility or “Verify Target: Values in minor do not match major” on your screen or in the Qbwin.log file.
      • Sudden shutdown of QuickBooks when trying to save or delete a transaction.
      • Faulty reports like Balance Sheets where the total assets don’t match the total liabilities and equity.
      • Missing transactions and entries from Lists.
      • Account names preceded by an asterisk (*), which were created by QuickBooks because the original accounts were missing
      • QuickBooks running slow, operations taking longer than normal
      • Paid bills and invoices showing as unpaid
      • Transaction History shows a negative balance.
      • On opening the Send Feedback Online > Bug Report window, you see an HTML code.

      Data damage in Quickbooks comes in many forms and scenarios, but what’s most important to note is, that anything that makes the data look strange could be a sign of QuickBooks corruption.

      Reasons Behind QuickBooks Company Data File Corruption

      Now that you know how to identify corruption in your QuickBooks database, the next logical step would be to investigate what causes QuickBooks data corruption. This might lend a helping hand in performing QuickBooks Company File Repair.

      Some common reasons for data damage and corruption in QuickBooks include:

      • The QuickBooks database file size expanding beyond its healthy limit or 200 MB (for QuickBooks Pro) or 450 MB (for QuickBooks Enterprise).
      • Lack of resources like RAM, Virtual Memory, network interface cards, routers, network cables, etc.
      • A sudden power surge or drop has the capability to trash your entire hard drive if you don’t have a proper UPS.
      • Improper system shutdown due to technical or other reasons could lead to QuickBooks database corruption.
      • Virus attacks on the hard drive on which the database is stored.
      • Development of bad sectors on the hard drive where the database is stored.

      Though the reasons can broadly be classified in the above categories, it is important to remember that there can be other unknown reasons as well for QuickBooks database corruption.

      How to Fix Corruption in QuickBooks Company File?

      A corrupt QBW file can be repaired manually, by using free tools or with the help of a professional QuickBooks Company File Repair software.

      Method 1 – Manual Method to Repair QuickBooks Company File

      You can try to manually repair the QBW file by using Verify & Rebuild Data utility using the following steps:

      1. Open the data file and log-in as administrator.
      2. Select the Single User Mode and then initiate data verification by clicking on File > Utilities > Verify Data.
      Instructions for opening the data file, logging in as administrator, selecting Single User Mode, and initiating data verification through the File > Utilities > Verify Data option.
      Figure 1 – Verify Data Option (Image Credit: Intuit)

      The ‘Verify’ process could take some time depending on the size of the file. If this process takes too long or does not complete, you should do a complete rebuild as follows:

      1. Make a local copy of the data file from the server.
      2. Enable temporary hosting on the machine where it is copied (if required) and open the file and log-in as administrator.
      3. Click on File > Utilities > Rebuild Data.
      Perform data file copying, enable temporary hosting if necessary, log in as administrator, and initiate a data rebuild process by clicking File > Utilities > Rebuild Data.
      Figure 2 – Rebuild Data Option (Image Credit: Intuit)

      Once the rebuild is complete, save a copy of the repaired QBW file on the local machine as well as on the server. Refrain from hosting the file on the local machine and give the new file a different name than the original file.

      Note: Complete rebuild takes even more time than the ‘Verify’ process. Until the process finishes, take care not to interrupt this process at any cost. If possible, do not use using the machine while the process is running.

      Method 2 – Free Tools

      Though the manual method is simple to implement, it often takes a lot of time to complete. A better approach could be to use a free QuickBooks Company File Repair tool.

      Here are some popular QBW file repair tools:

      • Reboot.bat

      Re-registers various QuickBooks related components with Microsoft Windows.

      • QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool

      Diagnoses and repairs a number of problems, with the main focus being on the Microsoft .NET Framework.

      • QuickBooks Component Repair Tool

      It fixes problems that prevent QuickBooks from running.

      • QuickBooks File Doctor

      It fixes certain kinds of file and data corruption, Windows setup problems, and network setup problems. Detailed information about this tool is available here.

      Method 3 – QuickBooks Company File Repair Software

      Even free tools can’t fix all problems; hence, it is recommended to fix QuickBooks Company Data File corruption by using reliable and efficient third-party QuickBooks file repair software, such as Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software. This competent software repairs corrupt QuickBooks data (QBW) file and recover every bit of information stored in it. It also helps recover data from QuickBooks backup file (QBB).

      Also, the software provides a free preview of recoverable data from corrupt QBW files.

      Free Download for windows
       

      Steps to Repair Corrupt QuickBooks® Company File with Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software

      Repairing your corrupt QBW file using this software is very easy. Follow these steps exactly in the order as described:

      Step 1: Download, install and launch Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software.

      Stellar Repair for quickbooks software interface
      Figure 3 – Main Interface of Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software

      Step 2: In the software’s main interface window, click Browse to choose the corrupt company file you want to repair, and then click Scan.

      Note: If you are not aware of your QBW file location, click ‘Find’ to search for the file in a particular drive.

      Step 3:  Once the selected file is scanned, a window opens with details of the scanning process. Click OK.

      A window displaying scanning process details after selecting and scanning a file, with an 'OK' button highlighted.
      Figure 4 – Instructions to Preview QuickBooks® Company File Data

      Step 4: The software shows preview of all the recoverable QBW file components, including the Company, Customers, Vendors, and Employees.

      Preview of recoverable QBW file components: Company, Customers, Vendors, and Employees.
      Figure 5 – Preview of Recoverable QBW File Components

      Step 5For saving the repaired file and its recoverable data, click Save.

      Note: For saving the scanned QBW file, you need to register for Stellar Repair for QuickBooks® Software. If you have already registered for the software, proceed with the next step.

      Read this: How to register or activate Stellar Repair for QuickBooks Software?

      Step 6: In the Save File window that appears, choose any of these options:

      • New Company File (QBW): Select this option to save the repaired file data in a new company file.
      • QuickBooks backup file (QBB):  Select this option if you have the backup of the corrupt QBW file available.
      Instructions for selecting options in the 'Save File' window.
      Figure 6 – Options to Repair QuickBooks Company File

      Step 7: Click on the Save button to repair QuickBooks file that you have selected.

      Click on the 'Save' button to repair the selected QuickBooks file.
      Figure 7 – Repair Process Initiated

      Step 8: Click OK when the ‘Repair process completed successfully’ message appears.

       Click 'OK' when the 'Repair process completed successfully' message appears.
      Figure 8 – Repair Process Complete Message Box

      You can start using your new company file containing all the repaired data.

      End Note

      Once you have fixed QuickBooks Company File corruption, you cannot be sure that it won’t happen again. However, you can minimize the risk factors that contribute to its happening and protect your data by safeguarding it better. Here’s how:

      • The best bet against data corruption is to take multiple backups at different physical locations. Better make it a regular routine to be sure you always have a complete backup of your data.
      • Online backing up is also very effective. It eliminates threats to physical backups.
      • Keep tabs on the size of the QuickBooks Database File and if it threatens to expand beyond its healthy limit, reduce its size using third-party tools.

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      About The Author

      Charanjeet Kaur linkdin

      Charanjeet is a Technical Content Writer at Stellar®who specializes in writing about databases, e-mail recovery, and e-mail migration solutions. She loves researching and developing content that helps database administrators, organizations and novices to fix multiple problems related to MS SQL and MySQL databases and Microsoft Exchange.

      72 comments

        1. Hi Michel,

          Before using any tools, you can try to reduce the size of your company file by creating a portable file. Once the file is created, restore it and QB will try to optimize the file by reducing its size to a small amount. Refer to this link for further information.

          Unfortunately, there isn’t a tool for the Canadian version of QuickBooks that helps condense the company file. But, you can consider using SuperCondense for QuickBooks service for decreasing the file size.

      1. Thanks for sharing this amazing post. This is the great information that I was searching for a long time. In my spare time, I always use to visit your awesome post. Thanks for sharing this one. I am also going to subscribe to your blog to get updates about new posts.

      2. In my case, a Structural Damage was responsible for the majority of data loss. But, your software did all things smoothly to recover all things in an organized way.

        I hope, this software will be helpful for other QuickBooks customers.

        1. Hi Charlie,

          According to our latest survey, most QuickBooks users are happy with the performance of Stellar Repair for QuickBooks Software.

      3. I never imagined that a third party tool can help us to fix all annoying things in a few minutes. Really, your product is working as a life savior for our accounting data.

        1. Hi George,

          Anyone can download our software to ensure the performance of software on a damaged QuickBooks accounting database files.

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