By Justin Holmes and Tiziana Smit (QuickBooks Tech Team)

QuickBooks news:

This month we will be looking at the common error our Support Centre has been receiving which is -6150,-1006 when clients are trying to access their company file.

‘An error occurred when QuickBooks tried to create, open, or use the company file. Please try again. If the problem persists, contact Intuit Technical Support and provide them with the following error codes: (-6150,-1006)’.

Please take note: Due to the severity of the corruption in the company file, the data usually cannot be repaired and a backup will need to be restored.  If you did not make any backups, a new company file will need to be created with take on balances.

Here are some of the most common causes of QuickBooks data damage:

• Network glitches. You are using QuickBooks across a network in multiuser mode. One of the workstations loses connection with the server for a moment and then reestablishes connection. During the disconnecting and reconnecting, the data stream gets changed a bit, and the database gets corrupted.
• Performance bottlenecks. If your QuickBooks data file is huge and you have a lot of people in QuickBooks at the same time and your computers are old, QuickBooks is not going to be able to keep up with all the read and write requests to the database. The file will get damaged at some point.
• Power surges or load shedding. If the power momentarily goes out in your office, it can change data and corrupt the QuickBooks database. Most users have their server protected with battery backups, but many don’t protect their desk computers or network routers with battery backups. Uninterruptable Power Supplies (battery backups) are cheap insurance.
• Disk crashes. Hard drives have moving parts, and like any mechanical device, they will fail at some point. If the only copies of your data are on your hard drive, that’s a recipe for disaster.
• Bad software. Malware, spyware, viruses, worms, trojans…if your computer gets sick, it can affect QuickBooks and other applications you depend on.
• User error. Just kidding! Users can’t really trash or crash their database unless they do something silly like unplugging the power or a network cable while QuickBooks is running. You can’t mess up the database by doing normal processes within QuickBooks itself.

How to prevent Data Damage

Your best defence against data damage is to back up your data file, as you will all remember, this was discussed in our August newsletter. To protect your data, you need a backup routine similar to the one below. If this sounds like too much, consider how much time and money it will take to recreate your data file. Then estimate the business you will lose while recreating your file.

1. Install a server tape backup (speak to your IT Technician). Back up nightly. Change the tapes regularly. Do not overwrite a tape until you are CERTAIN that it contains no unique data. Test the tape backup periodically. We have had calls from QuickBooks Users whose tape backups did not work when they needed them.

2. Use an online backup system and make an online back up three times a week. Test the backup periodically to ensure that it is working and backing up to the correct file(s). We recommend Iron tree, for more information on Iron tree please visit our website.

3. Set up the automatic backup in QuickBooks to back up to an external hard drive on the days you do not make an online backup.

4. Once a week, make a manual back up with full verification. This backs up your file and it resets the TLG file so that it does not get large. Take this back up off site.