Quicken 2006 for Starters: The Missing Manual

Chapter 1. Setting Up Your Quicken Environment

• Launching Quicken

• Setting Up Your Quicken Data File

• Opening a Quicken File

• The Quicken Guided Setup

• A Quick Guide to Quicken Preferences

After you install Quicken (see Appendix C for instructions), you have just a few more steps before you experience the joys of electronic personal finance. Quicken stores all your information and settings in a data file, which is like an electronic version of the filing cabinet that contains your financial papers. (Actually, behind the scenes, it’s a small set of files, as the box on Section 1.2 explains.)

Despite the awkward name, a data file is a good thing, because it lets you back up your Quicken data, move it to another computer, keep different family members’ info in separate files, and so on. The first time you launch Quicken, the program asks you to help set up your data file.

If you’ve used a previous version of Quicken, your setup process is shorter, but even existing data files require a quick conversion to work with the new version of Quicken. If it’s your first time using Quicken, the program asks you a few questions, creates a new data file, and then launches the Quicken Guided Setup to help you tailor the file to your needs.

In addition to setting up your data file, it’s a good idea to take a look at Quicken’s preferences. Preferences (called Options in some other programs) are the settings that control how Quicken looks and acts. You’ll return to the preferences dialog box throughout this book, ...