A reader emailed me over the weekend about how to deal with a problem they encountered when they attempted to open an accountant’s copy working copy (*.QBA) file. The error message specified that they could not ‘connect to the database. Specified database note found.’ And the file wouldn’t open. The associated error code was -6144, -83.
This error message can occur if either the Accountant’s Copy working copy file, or the associated QuickBooks Network Descriptor (*.nd) file are damaged. While these are the two most common causes for this type of error, it also can occur if the installation of QuickBooks is damaged.
In order to attempt to resolve this problem follow these steps:
A. Ensure that the QBA file is local on the computer.
- If the file resides on a server, copy the file from the server by browsing to the location and right-clicking to copy it, then browsing to the Desktop on the local workstation and right-clicking to paste the file.
- Once the file is local, attempt to open the file from the QuickBooks File menu option to Open or Restore Company, then select the option to Open a company file > and browse to the copy of the file on the local workstation desktop. If the error still occurs, proceed to step B (below).
B. Rename the Network Descriptor (*.nd) file associated with *.QBA file.
- Browse to the location where the QBA file is located.
- Identify the *.nd file, which will have the same name as the *.QBA file, but with the extension .nd) and right-click on the file to rename it to companyname.ndOLD. (If you cannot view the file extensions, follow the appropriate procedures to display hidden files and folders for your specific version of the Windows Operating System.)
C. Perform ‘differential diagnosis’
- Follow these steps to determine whether the problem exists with the *QBA file, or your QuickBooks Application (installation).
- Create a new *.QBA file to test if the prior file is damages. If the new file opens, then the most likely culprit is the original *.QBA file.
- If the new *.QBA file will not open, then the most likely culprit is your QuickBooks application; take appropriate steps to ‘repair’ your QuickBooks installation.