Backing up from old files

I can help you back up the file in QuickBooks, @Lalemand.

 In QuickBooks Desktop, you can create a local backup, then restore the backup file created. There are two ways to back up your data. You can either do them automatically or manually.

To schedule automatic backups, here's how: 

1. In QuickBooks, choose the File menu and then select Switch to Single-user Mode.
2. Go to the File menu again and choose Back up Company. 
3. Click Create Local Backup, and in the window, select Local Backup, and then click Next.
4. In the Local Backup Only section, select Browse and choose the location to save your backup company file.
5. In the Online and Local Backup section, select Complete verification and click OK once ready.
6. Select Save it now and schedule future backups and then Next.
7. Choose the Save backup copy automatically when I close my company file checkbox. 
8. To create a schedule, click New and fill out the data fields, and select OK. 
9. QuickBooks asks you to enter your Windows sign-in password. 
10. Once ready, select Finish.

If you prefer to back up your files manually, you may check out this article for the details: Back up Desktop file.

Once done, you can now use it to restore your company file. 

If you need assistance with anything else, mention me in the comment section. I'll be around to help you. Have a nice day!

oops, should have said "Opening Old Backup files". That's my issue. I have 100's of backup files, and many I can't open without screwing up my current version of QB's

Thank you for getting back to us and providing some clarification on your concern, @Lalemand.

There are several reasons why you can't restore backup files in your QuickBooks Desktop. Here's a list of some of them:

• The company file name includes special characters ( / \ < > ! $).
• The backup was restored over an existing company file.
• The backup was restored from a USB flash drive to a network drive (Error -6189, -816).
• The backup was made in a newer version.
• The file you're trying to restore isn't an actual backup file.

To get this fixed, you'll want to follow each solution below based on the issue you're encountering:

Solution 1: Remove special characters ( / \ < > ! $ ) from your company file name.

Solution 2: Avoid overwriting an existing file when you restore your backup.

Solution 3: Copy your backup from your flash drive or network drive before restoring it.

Solution 4: Copy a backup file to a new folder before restoring it.

Solution 5: Use the same or newer version of QuickBooks when restoring your backup.

Solution 6: Repair your company file.

I'm adding this article for the detailed steps on each solution: Get help with Error: Failed or Error: Restore Failed.

As always, feel free to visit our QuickBooks Community help website if you need tips and related articles in the future.

Keep in touch if you need any more assistance restoring your backup files, or there's something else I can do for you. I've got your back. Have a good day.