Restoring Lost QuickBooks® Data with Auto Data Recovery Technology

Corruption in company (QBW) file is a common issue faced by many QuickBooks users. It can occur due to a wide range of issues, like virus infection, large-file size, sudden system shutdown, problems in hardware, etc. When the QBW file gets corrupted, you may encounter error messages while opening the file. Some common corruption-related errors are 6000 series and H series errors. Such errors can also prevent you from accessing the company file data. To restore the data from corrupted QBW file, you can use the built-in recovery tool in QuickBooks, called Auto Data Recovery (ADR). In this article, we’ll explain how to use the ADR tool to recover QuickBooks company file data.

Process to Use Auto Data Recovery Tool to Recover QuickBooks Company File Data

Auto Data Recovery (ADR) is the built-in tool in QuickBooks Desktop that can help recover data from QuickBooks company files. With this tool, you can recover recent transactions using original. TLG file and .QBW.adr file. To use this tool, first ensure the following:

• You have a readable backup file and the file size is not more than 1.5 GB.
• Check the version of your QuickBooks (press F2 key). The ADR feature is only available in QuickBooks Pro, Premier, and Enterprise solutions.
• The version of your QuickBooks Desktop is fully-updated.

Now, follow the given steps to recover recent transactions using the original .TLG file and ADR version of the company file:

• First, create a new folder on your computer and give it a name (e.g., QBTest).
• Then, locate the folder where your company file is saved. The default location of the QuickBooks company file is:

C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files

Tip: If you fail to find the location of company file, then check it on the Product Information window. Press the F2 key.

• In your company file folder, search and right-click on the .tlg file, which has the same name as the company (QBW) file.
• Click on the Copy option to copy the .tlg file of your company file and then paste it into the new folder (QBTest) created earlier.
• Now, in the same company file folder, open the QuickBooksAutoDataRecovery
• Find the .QBW.adr file in that folder and copy and paste it into the QBTest folder. The QBTest folder now contains two required files – .TLG and .QBW.adr.
• Right-click on the QBW.adr file, select Rename, and then delete the .adr extension.
• Next, use the company file saved in the new (QBTest) folder to open your QuickBooks.
• Then, check if all the transactions are recovered using your account register.
• Now, use the Verify Data tool to verify the data integrity of the recovered file. For this, go to File > Utilities > Verify Data.
• If the data of company file is fine, then you can move the corrupted company (QBW) file to a different location and transfer the copy of company file from QBTest folder to the original location.

Limitations of Auto Data Recovery Tool

The Auto Data Recovery tool can help you recover data from the company file but it has some limitations, such as:

• A working backup file is required to use this tool.
• The tool does not support large-sized QBB file (greater than 1.5 GB).
• It does not repair severely corrupted or damaged company file.
• It is not available in QuickBooks Accountant editions.

What if the Auto Data Recovery Tool Fails to Recover the QBW File Data?

If you do not have a backup file or the Auto Data Recovery (ADR) tool fails to recover the QBW file data, then you can use a specialized QuickBooks repair tool, like Stellar Repair for QuickBooks. This tool can repair corrupted QBW files of any size and with any level of corruption. It also lets you preview the repaired file data, including employees, payroll data, etc., before saving them to a new QBW file. The tool supports all the common versions of QuickBooks, including Pro, Premier, and Enterprise solutions. The tool works efficiently in resolving all types of corruption-based errors in QuickBooks, such as H202, -6150, etc.

Conclusion

You can restore the corrupted or damaged company file data using the Auto Data Recovery tool. However, this tool may not be able to recover data if the QuickBooks company file is large-sized or highly corrupted. In such a case, you can use a professional QBW repair tool, like Stellar Repair for QuickBooks. This tool can easily restore all data from the damaged QBW file to a new QBW file by maintaining the file structure and data integrity.