[GNC] program won't load account file

[Michael or Penny Novack]

On 4/11/2021 3:04 PM, Tom Murphy wrote:
> After a recent Windows update when I open Gnucash I get an error message
> that reads "No suitable background data was found for (my file
> name.gnucash).  I upgraded to version 4.5 but still couldn't load the file.
> What could be the problem?
>
>   
>
> Tom Murphy
>

As one person has already suggested, are you sure you aren't slightly 
misreporting the "error" message? And what exactly did you mean by a 
"Windows update"? One of the minor updates MS sends out every so often? 
Or change of Windows version?

Windows (or some other OS) that allows us to open an object of type file 
by clicking on it depends on an association between file type and 
application. Now MS will have these set by default to its own 
applications for known file types (file extensions). If you want to use 
another application (say you are using LibreOffice instead of the MS 
Office suite) it is up to you to change those associations for each file 
type (each  file extension). Or with some other application that uses 
its own type << as gnucash does >>  When an application is installed, it 
might during that process create the association, but that can be lost 
in an OS upgrade*.

What version of Windows are you using? For example, if Windows 10, 
settings => apps => Default apps => Choose default apps by file type    
Go down this list and see what app is specified for file type .gnucash 
<< you have to make that gnucash in order for you to be able to open a 
.gnucash file by clicking on it.

But first ---- try opening gnucash and using file => open see what 
happens when you select this file to open << done this way, no 
association of file type with app is necessary >>


Michael D Novack

* My suspicion is that MS is sometimes clearing those associations in 
upgrades, substituting THEIR applications as defaults. They want you to 
use THEIR products. But of course they have none for .gnucash.