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OZO
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

2 recommendations

OZO

Premium Member

AceMoney - be careful with v4.20+ data file

Users of AceMoney v4.20+ - be careful with your data file!

The new encryption format introduced in v4.20 may play a bad joke on you. If you have used your data file without password (e.g. you use it in safe environment and don't see a need for it) and it was converted to a new format by v4.20 make sure that you go to configuration and change one very important setting - mark check box next to "Permit access by multiple users". If you don't do that - you may accidentally loose all your data!!! It's done by a bad design of the new AceMoney program. And BTW, I don't remember any warning about that important issue when file was converted...

My personal experience:
I have been this program for past several years and never put password to protect the data file. v4.20 has converted data file to a new format and everything was fine ... until the program got somehow corrupted. I re-installed it (no biggie) and entered my license. But when I tried to open my old data file (lot of important records in it) - access was denied with a weird reason. Dialog box was saying something like - that file was created on a different computer... Take that file to that computer and after opening it, change its password option to "Permit access by multiple users", and save it... But there is no that "different computer" and there is no way to open that file at all...

After googling the problem I found this helpless thread - acemoney : Message: file was created on a different computer. Recommendation - send data file with all your financial records to the company, which made AceMoney and they could try to help you to decode it back... As you could imagine, it's completely unacceptable proposition. It's financial data and as such is confidential

In my case I restored system on the day prior I used AceMoney the last time. And it helped. I was very lucky... But it made me thinking how bad current design of AceMoney actually is.
1. You may not noticed that option (go to Tools | Options | Password, then tick the Allow Multi-user access box ) and some day later discover that you can't access your data anymore...
2. Without that setting you can't move that file on any other computer... (and you may even don't know it until it'll happen)
3. Common regular backup of your data file is completely useless in this case...
4. The only solution the developer of AceMoney is offering now is to send your data file with all your confidential information to them. And not many may want to do so... and they will eventually loose all of their important records.

Again, it's bad (potentially dangerous for users) design of AceMoney. Users may easily (and completely unexpectedly) lock themselves out from their important financial records... If you're the user - be warned!
Sentinel
Premium Member
join:2001-02-07
Florida

Sentinel

Premium Member

Wow. Very interesting. Thank you for bringing this up to let people know.

What if a user does use a password? I always password protect my file. I'm guessing that it is not hard to crack but I figure why not. If using a password does the same thing happen?

I ask because you said that you did not password protect your file and I'm wondering if that somehow causes the file to behave differently.

Boricua
Premium Member
join:2002-01-26
Sacramuerto

Boricua to OZO

Premium Member

to OZO
Thank you for the heads up. I, too, have been using AceMoney for years. I haven't password protected my data as I live with people I trust and they don't go through my things. I can't remember which version I have, but I haven't upgraded (updated) to the latest.
OZO
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

1 recommendation

OZO to Sentinel

Premium Member

to Sentinel
said by Sentinel:

What if a user does use a password? I always password protect my file. I'm guessing that it is not hard to crack but I figure why not. If using a password does the same thing happen?

I hope using password (even 1 character long) will help to mitigate the design problem. The option says "Permit access by multiple users". But what it actually means is "Don't associate data file with program installation" and it should come with many warnings, that you may easily loose all your data if you don't set it on. But if you set it - the password is required.

Access to personal data file should never be linked to program installation, its location, your computer or anything else... New format of data file makes it completely useless (dangerous, despite the fact, that you make backups regularly) without setting a password.
OZO

OZO to Boricua

Premium Member

to Boricua
said by Boricua:

Thank you for the heads up. I, too, have been using AceMoney for years. I haven't password protected my data as I live with people I trust and they don't go through my things. I can't remember which version I have, but I haven't upgraded (updated) to the latest.

I have the same setup. In my environment I don't need a password. And I guess some users may feel (and use the program) the same way too...

Again, I was lucky to recover (using system restore), but I couldn't imagine my feelings if I made backup copy of the data file, re-installed OS and then discovered that "feature"...
Sentinel
Premium Member
join:2001-02-07
Florida

Sentinel to OZO

Premium Member

to OZO
OZO,
In order to test this theory would a good test be to install AceMoney on a different PC and then copy over my file on a USB stick and try to read it? Or restore a back up copy?

Boricua65,
I also live with people I trust and no one goes through my things. I'm just a security minded person. I lock my car in the garage Why make things easy for a thief? If a thing has a lock I just lock it. Just personal preference.
Sentinel

Sentinel

Premium Member

I just tried the test above and no good! Even if you do use a password you cannot open a file created on one machine on any other machine unless you check that box in the password options to allow multiple users.

After reading the help file it seems that this is a feature to make sure that, in the event the file is stolen, your file cannot be read on any machine other than the machine that created the file. Not a bad idea security wise but it does create a big problem back-up wise if one is not aware of this security feature. It essentially makes back-ups useless.

I am changing the setting now and trying it to see if, with box checked, it will allow me to open the file on another PC.
Sentinel

1 recommendation

Sentinel

Premium Member

I just checked the box, created the same password and it did not work. I checked the box created a new different password and it did work. I was able to open the file on another PC with proper password.

OZO, you are a life saver. This would have been a nightmare had I not read this. I am planning on doing a clean install of Windows on this PC and I would not have been able to restore my file. Thank you.
OZO
Premium Member
join:2003-01-17

OZO

Premium Member

You're welcome, Sentinel See Profile! And thank you for checking and confirming that it works now.

Locking financial or any kind of important data to program installation is a very bad idea. I know it from my personal experience. Long time ago I was obsessed with similar idea, when I was writing copy protection software, that locks data to particular drive controller, using assembler and low level direct interface protocols. I've eaten a lot of craws then... and got to a strict conclusion, that it's always dangerous and it will always bite you in the butt, rather then helping you in any way. I think developers of AceMoney will have that experience too, when users will discover how dangerous it is to keep that misleading option unchecked.
Sentinel
Premium Member
join:2001-02-07
Florida

Sentinel

Premium Member

Agreed. One of those things that sounds good on paper but...
At the very least they should do a much better job of explaining that option. The way it reads it made me think that the file was going to be shared, which I did not want.

They should relabel it to "allow file to be open on multiple computers" and pop-up a warning window if you don't check it that warns you that if you don't check that box you will only be able to open that file on that particular PC and user profile.

All my old back-ups are useless. I have to make new back-up files.

jaykaykay
4 Ever Young
MVM
join:2000-04-13
USA

jaykaykay to OZO

MVM

to OZO
Thank you both. I don't use the program, but if I ever thought or think about it, I sure won't now. What a nightmare...especially for those not as wise as you two.