I have been running Quicken 2001 Deluxe since it came out. I hesitated to upgrade beyond this version as I wasn't quite happy with the direction Intuit was taking the product. I tried 2002 but certain features that I thought were well implemented were changed and other ones that I believed needed some work were left untouched. For instance I liked the spread-sheet style budgeting tool in 2001. But in 2002 it was changed to one that was more busy and harder to manage in my opinion. On the other hand, the Home Inventory feature has yet to be updated from the Windows 3.1 era. The other day, however, I was looking at laptop computers and saw Quicken 2004 installed on the system, so I decided to explore. Initially, I liked some of what I saw so I set out to investigated the software in more detail. Part of the research entailed looking at the reviews from other users. I was unprepared for such negativity. Anyway, I decided to try upgrading to 2004 Deluxe inspite of the plethora of warnings.
First, I made a few copies of my 2001 files (drag-and-drop) and set them aside. Next, I uninstalled 2001 from my system, then did a clean install of 2004. The installation was simple and without incident. Third, I installed Intuit's patches to bring the software up-to-date. At that point I had a fully functioning version of Quicken 2004 up-and-running.
I ran the program, at which point it searched my system for Quicken files. It brought up a dialogue box with a specific target file to update. I selected a different file - one that I had copied onto my desktop - and told the program to import the data. Voila'! The process was as painless as can be. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my data was completely intact with nary an error. So here's the scoop.
First, I like the graphical interface. It is much more pleasant than 2001. Second, I like the way Intuit has streamlined the organization. There are three centers: Cash Flow Center, Investing Center, and Property and Debt Center. These cover the spectrum of finacial management (for me anyway). I like the way the sidebar organizes the accounts and the numbers, and how it provides a grand total to see one's net worth at-a-glance. Each center has multiple tabs that provide overviews and access to registers. Pretty nice. Next, the reports are much more useable than before. The font sizes and the way that they subcategorize and total the categories make them comfortable to view and easy to extract needed information. Fourth, the "Quicken Home" has a pie chart that breaks down yearly spending into percentages. One can easily select a report that line itemizes where the money has gone in each slice - NICE! I have wanted something like this for ages. It makes managing my finances much easier that in 2001, which had no such readily accessible report.
With respect to negatives, I still think the budgeting tool is a little busy and needs refinement. I also think Intuit definitely needs to do something about Home Inventory!
I have experienced none of the stability problems reported by other users. In fact Quicken 2004 seems very stable. I have noted that there are certain discrepancies in the numbers that are presented in certain reports and features. I have yet to find a way to correct these in the customization areas associated with the reports or features. Intuit should check into this.
All-in-all. I like what I see. It is by no means a perfect program, however I think Intuit has something to work with here. I think Quicken 2004 is a step forward from Quicken 2001. Candidly, I'm not sure why others have had such a bad experience with the program.
![Quicken 2004 Deluxe [Old Version]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V1HN6R7DL._SL160_.jpg)
