ANSWER ID:11208

Sometimes there can be so many files on a computer, it becomes difficult to locate the file you need. This support note provides some tips on using the Windows Search tool to help you in that situation.

Notes: The process described in this support note takes place within Microsoft Windows^TM and is intended to provide you with some guidance as a courtesy. Support for Microsoft Windows is outside the scope of MYOB support.

Locating your MYOB company files or backups

If you want to access a file but are not sure which folder it is located in, you can use the windows search tool.

In Windows 8

1. If viewing the Metro Start Screen, simultaneously press the Windows and D keys on your keyboard to display the Windows Desktop.
   
2. Press F3 on your keyboard to display the Search screen.
   
3. Click Files then type:
   *.myox if you're looking for company files for AccountRight 2011 and later
   *.myo if you're looking for company files for AccountRight v19
   
   
   All files with the specified file extension, such as ".myox", will be displayed on the left-hand side of the screen.
   
   
4. Hover your mouse pointer over a file to see exactly where the file is located on your computer.
   

Note: You can perform these steps to locate backup files too. At step 3 above, search for *.zip to locate all ZIP files on your computer, as backup files are created with a .zip file extension.

In Windows Vista/7

Pressing F3 on the keyboard displays the Search window as shown below.

In the Search field, type the name of the file you want to find. If you are unsure of the exact name of the file you can use the asterisk * as a "wild card" search character.

For example, type:

*.myox if you're looking for company files for AccountRight 2011 and later
*.myo if you're looking for company files for AccountRight v19

*.prm if you're looking for company files for older versions of Premier

*.dat if you're looking for company files for BusinessBasics or older versions of Accounting/Accounting Plus

Backup files have the file extension .ZIP, for example JUNE2012.ZIP. So to find all ZIP files on your computer, type *.ZIP - although be aware that there may be other .ZIP files on your computer which are not MYOB backup files.

After typing your search text, press Enter on your keyboard then click Computer to search all locations on your computer as shown below.

In our example, all files with the ".myo" file extension have been found. Note the file locations are also shown.

In Windows XP:

If you are using the Search Companion for the first time, it will look similar to the example shown below:

Click All files and folders. The Search Companion now looks like:

In the All or part of the file name field, type the name of the file you want to find. If you are unsure of the exact name of the file you can use the asterisk * as a "wild card" search character.

For example, type:

*.myox if you're looking for company files for AccountRight 2011 and later
*.myo if you're looking for company files for AccountRight v19

*.prm if you're looking for company files for older versions of Premier

*.dat if you're looking for company files for BusinessBasics or older versions of Accounting/Accounting Plus

Backup files have the file extension .ZIP, for example JUNE2012.ZIP. So to find all ZIP files on your computer, type *.ZIP - although be aware that there may be other .ZIP files on your computer which are not MYOB backup files.

Specify where you would like to search using the Look in field, then click Search to start the search.

As shown in the example above, the search has located the 2005 Clearwtr.myo file. The window is displaying the location of the file under the In Folder column of the Detail view. If you cannot see this information, go to the View menu and choose Details.

I found multiple company files. How can I tell which is the right one?

The best way is to open each file in your MYOB software and then open the Transaction Journal. By entering an appropriate date range and looking at the Sales tab for example, you will be able to see whether transactions you know you have entered are present. It is also a quick way to determine what is the date on the most recent transaction entered into the file.

Alternatively, within the search result listing itself, the Detail view will display a Date Modified column which can be a good indication of how current a particular file is. You can also view a file's Date Modified info by right-clicking the file and choosing Properties.

What if I can't find any company files?

It is possible you might be able to locate a back up file from which you restore your data.

For a listing of all company file backups located on your computer you would type *.ZIP into the search window. This would display any files created through the File, Backup function of your MYOB Software.

Our support notes Backup and restore your company file - Windows and Backup and restore company files in AccountRight 2011 and later have instructions on restoring back up files. If you have run the Optimisation Assistant recently (not applicable in the AccountRight 2011 products), you may have yet another alternative: Each time the Optimisation Assistant is run, it creates a copy of your company file as it was prior to the process and changes the file extension from *.MYO to *.BAK.

Go to the folder where you normally store your MYOB company file; if you see a familiar file name with a *.bak extension, try right-clicking and choosing Rename then changing the extension from *.bak to *.myo. Then try opening the file in your MYOB software and see if this company file is sufficiently current to enable you to continue.