Yesterday Microsoft has released the English Sunset edition of Money Plus Deluxe which is a replacement for Money Plus Standard, Deluxe, and Premium editions which shipped with digital rights management that required activation of the product. Microsoft has also released the English Sunset edition of Money Plus Home & Business, and like the first Sunset edition, they are both essentially FREE legal copies of the latest updated OFFLINE versions of Microsoft Money Plus that you can download, even if you’ve never used Money before! Choose the latter version if you’d like to keep track of (and print) invoices as well as small business expenses.
Money 2007 had a couple of minor bugs that are fixed in Money Plus Deluxe and Sunset including:
- being able to write to drives with more than 2 GB of space remaining
- the setting for the number of scheduled backups to retain is honored
- spinoffs are handled properly
This is from Money’s website:
Microsoft Money products since Money 2007 have utilized a digital rights management system which required users to activate their product at or shortly after setup. Now that the Microsoft Money product line is nearing the end of its supported lifecycle, the activation services will also be ending. To enable users the ability to continue to use Microsoft Money manually, (without online quotes or online banking services), Microsoft is releasing “Money Plus Deluxe Sunset”, and a “Money Plus Home and Business Sunset”. The Sunset [editions] do not require activation, and come preconfigured with no online services, thus allowing users access to their Microsoft Money data files.
The Sunset editions are what we’ve all been waiting for as they allow us the freedom to install the latest updated version of Money on future computers and hard-drives without the activation limitations, yet by using the OFX scripts, still be able to gather our account data and quotes OFFLINE as if we still had Online services enabled!
If you are upgrading Money Plus to the Sunset edition, it will be hard to tell that the upgrade took place. The best way to verify the upgrade is to look at the Version number as it will change from 17.0.xxx.1415 to 17.0.xxx.3817.
The opening screen can be very confusing as it asks for your email address, etc (WindowsLive ID), but by simply clicking on File (upper left corner area) and then opening your Money data file, you can bypass all the confusion and avoid messing up your file password.
IMPORTANT NOTES: Before installing the Sunset edition:
- Users should disable online access for all of their accounts in the existing Money data file and then SAVE and backup their data files [Account List->Manage Online Services. Click the account. Click Stop Using Online Services]. Data imports may not work as expected with accounts that are still configured for Online statements within Money and you may experience some weird Alert messages as well as ”Last Updated” column dates that will not update properly.
- Users with LiveID (Passport) passwords should turn that off [File->Password Manager and remove (don't attempt to change password here though) your Live ID]. If this does not go smoothly, disconnect from the internet, and log in offline and try again. Don’t forget to then SAVE and backup your data files. Users report that the Sunset edition does not allow online connections to be deleted, as the code to communicate with MSN servers has been purged.
- Users should also disable online quote updates in the existing Money data file and then SAVE and backup their data files [turn off: Tools->Settings->Receive Account Updates From MSN Money MyAccounts], although this one is less critical since the Sunset version code has already disabled this service – but some users have noted some strange behaviors that disappear when accessing the sample.mny file.
Marty McFly said
It’s great they have released the US versions, but what about the rest of us using the International Versions?
ameridan said
I’ve read that a Japanese Sunset version will also be released, but haven’t heard of any others. Glyn Simpson has stated that the other international versions did not have the activation feature (my guess is they weren’t at the Money Plus level either, probably more like the 2005 level?), thereby eliminating the need to publish the Sunset editions.
Shari said
Ameridan – HELP! My online services (Don’t use these much but have saved your blog) expire in 14 days-unless I reload my computer…which I can do but it’s a pain. I use this mainly for manual and the Blessed Cash Flow Forcast (If Quicken would just incorporate this I could switch!).
I’m not very techie and am wondering if you can tell me when this is downloaded if I can restore a backup file into it thus importing my information or will I be building a new file in Sunset from scratch…having to add bank accounts, bills, deposits etc….? I keep complex books for my family and buisness and without this am math illiterate. I read something about it uninstalling the current version…if it does that and you restore a backup does it then re-install the non-sunset version and you’re back to ground zero?
I could kill MS Money for doing this too me. My whole financial future could be lost if this doesn’t work or if “Sunset” buggy like I just read someone else said. HELP! I would be so greatful! Thank you!!!
ameridan said
Shari,
Sorry for the delay; I just got back from a 2-week vacation so it will take me a bit to get to all the comments (and the 50 voicemails and 463 emails )
If you are using a recent version of Money, you’re Sunset version will work perfectly with the .mny data file. I have not heard that the Sunset edition is “buggy” and tend to believe that to be false, since Microsoft really didn’t do much to the code – It is Money Plus with the online services and activation requirements turned off, and the update “patch” that you normally receive after installing and going online is already built in.
ASP said
I have used M Money 98 for many years. I love all it is capable of doing. I cannot get the MM Plus to convert old MM98 files.
I’ve not found anything yet that matches the MM 98 program.
I thought I would try this MM Plus but, am not sure if it is going to work. I may have to bronze my old CD of 98 since it is a valuable product. Newer and better ofen means smaller & more costly with many products.
ameridan said
ASP,
Good question – but it has been answered many times on various forums. Read one of the most recent from the Microsoft Money Forum http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/money/thread/1d08800f-18cb-4533-8a50-23b2e4ed1a85 , where Cal explains that you need to convert the file into [the patched] Money 2005 format first.
wm tanksley said
I’d like to move in all my data from Buxfer.com, an online service that offers OFX exports. But MS Money tells me that the OFX format is invalid, and I can’t figure out why.
Has anyone figured this out?
ameridan said
I’d never heard of BUXFER.COM until now. I see that it offers both download and upload of OFX files in Money format, so I will be following this as it could be another means of replacing Money’s Online updates. It appears that the site is still running (started in 2006), but with little support as the co-authors now work for Facebook.
Anyways, by using a text editor, you could try comparing an OFX file that does work with the BUXFOR OFX file to see if that site is perhaps “corrupting” the file.
wm tanksley said
Oh well… I get the same error message from Bank of America OFX files.
I have absolutely no clue how to figure this out; the message is completely non-diagnostic, and I can’t find a working use case.
Yeah, if I could import from Buxfer I’d have a HUGE amount of my financial data in MS Money, and there’d be a decent way of importing from some banks which would otherwise be harder to use.
-Wm
ASP said
Well, I couldn’t convert Money 98 to MM 2005 but, I did get it open on 2004 … it gave a message up front to change my computer’s system date to 2003 or 4. Then it worked. Now I think I will try to get it onto mm plus. Just to get to the most up to date software. Plus, the 2004 is a 60 day trial version and won’t last for long.
ameridan said
Glad that worked for you. Hopefully you won’t need to go through the MM 2005 conversion next.
MM Plus and Sunset are basically the same thing, so go for the Sunset, which is FREE, requires no activation and is NOT a trial version.
Michael said
Just don’t make the mistake I did and install the trial version of Microsoft Money 2008 first. I found out about the Sunset edition later that same night, but the registry keys must be nearly identical. So now my sunset edition is set to expire in February. I’m uninstalling to see if it pulls the trial keys out of the registry. Hopefully a reinstall will be clean enough to get past the trial issue.
I was trying to upgrade to Quicken 2011 since Microsoft is ending support, although I would prefer to stay with Money. Quicken requires Money Plus 2007 or 2008, and I was running Money Small Business 2006. Unfortunately my bank no longer supports the MS Money format, and reverting back to entering transactions by hand would be greatly unpleasant.
Sharon said
I just bought a new computer with Windows 7. I installed my Money 2005 software. I am now trying to open my Money file. It will not open. Is there a compatibility issue with Money 2005 and Windows 7?
Should I try to download the Sunset version of Money? Will my file created in Money 2005 be compatible with the Sunset version?
ameridan said
Sharon,
(I made the correction you noted in your comment)
Money 2005 is the only version that won’t open your same-version data file out of the box after a new install, and after the Money servers go OFFLINE, there are going to be a lot of upset users that won’t be able to open their files (unless Microsoft decides to provide a solution). Cal Learner explains the solution well here, but I’ll quote the jist of it…
To answer your other questions, if you are a U.S. user of Money, yes, I would upgrade to the Sunset edition, but save an extra copy of your existing Money file on the side (flash drive, etc) anyways. and yes, the file will be compatible, as long as the file was saved with the “patched” Money 2005.
ameridan said
I’ve noted a great post by Dick Watson today regarding upgrading from Money 98 to Money + Sunset, and thought I would share it here as well. Please note though that after Jan 2011, this may not work if the servers aren’t available to patch Money 2005.
Sharon, I just realized that you are probably the same Sharon that Cal & Dick are helping in the Microsoft Money Forum. Glad to see you got it all working. The links in these comments should help others in a similiar situation, atleast for another month
Mike said
Would this work if your Money 98 is not a US ver and is an internation ver?
ameridan said
Mike,
You wouldn’t be able to use your current Money file, so just keep a copy of it around for some future need, understanding that you’d have to go through a few iterations to export your data into Sunset compatibilty. Money 98 doesn’t have an activation issue, but understand that the Offline scripts probably won’t work with that old version.
B.L. said
I am thinking of installing MS Money Plus Sunset Deluxe on my computer. I have been using an old version of Quicken. Can my data be transfered from Quicken to MSMPSD or would I have to re-enter it all?
ameridan said
An excellent resource on importing / exporting is at http://money.mvps.org/faq/article/28.aspx
Essentially, if you are able to export your Quicken data into QIF files for each of your accounts, then simply import them all into Money as a group (not individually). Also make sure that any closed accounts have been “unclosed” prior to exporting.
B.L. said
Thank you for your help… it worked.