[GNC] Accidentally Created .LNK file and now my entire GnuCash file is overwritten and I can't get back to work

[Anita Graves]

Dear all you GnuCash geniuses,

I had a GnuCash crash and suddenly I tried to reopen the file and it gave me the option to quit, or open anyway, and I quickly and without thinking or knowing any better, clicked ‘open anyway’ and that was the end of my life as we know it.

Besides the fact that now I cannot access my checking account or other ‘operative’ accounts, the hierarchy of my accounts was changed, and they appear in a very different order than what I had been working with.

I am trying to find older files that might work for me, but whenever I try to open one, I get this same screen (shown below in the screenshot) where I have two GnuCash windows with the .LNK file superimposed on top of my real stuff. And no ‘recent’ alternative in the file open dropdown menu.

I do not have any idea why GnuCash crashed in the first place.

Just to inform you:  I use Apple Mac, OS Mojave, OS 10.14, with all the latest upgrades, etc. And I installed GnuCash 3.3 just these days I am mentioning.

If you can do so, please help me convert my depression into pure joy and radiance.  I tried using Time Machine to help, but it doesn’t go far enough back to show my ‘real’ file.  I do have external backups but was not using them at the time this ‘incident’ happened, and I am going to my office to get them now, and in a few minutes hope to have something a bit older to resurrect, but everything I have tried to open any file in my upgraded version of GnuCash it shows this same overladen double account screen. Please refer to my screenshots below.

I do not know what I am doing, and I do not know, truly, how I got here but I love GnuCash so much! Now, I can hardly believe I have to start this entire fiscal year over again and enter absolutely everything all over again and start from scratch with all my accounts.

Thank you so much for your compassionate interest and professional guidance!

Anita!

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