Welcome to the Community, @cwspm.
Allow me to share some insights into your concern about creating a backup of QuickBooks Desktop Pro 2012 in the event of an app crash.
Since you encounter an error while using, installing, or updating QuickBooks, you can use our tool hub to fix common issues. Simply run the Quick Fix My Program tool, and we will guide you through the process. This way, you can quickly resolve the problem and get back to your business.
Run Quick Fix My Program from the QuickBooks Tools Hub
Step 1: Download the QuickBooks Tool Hub
The QuickBooks Tool Hub helps fix common errors. You'll need to close QuickBooks to use the tool hub. For the best experience, we recommend you use Tool Hub on Windows 10, 64-bit.
Solution 1: Run Quick Fix my program.
The Quick Fix will shut down any open background processes QuickBooks uses. It'll run a quick repair on your program.
Solution 2: Run the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool
If something goes wrong during the QuickBooks install, it could cause problems when you try to use it. Run the QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool to fix common install issues.
Fix Error 1628: Failed to complete script-based install.
This error happens if a Windows service called "Windows Installer" is not working correctly. To fix this, it's best to reach out to an IT expert or a specialist from Microsoft.
For a more detailed step, you can check out this article: Repair your QuickBooks Desktop for Windows
Moreover, to create a backup of your QuickBooks company files without including the app, you can locate the files in the folder designated for your desktop. QuickBooks provides an easy way to find your company file or backup files. Simply select "Find a company file" on the "No Company Open" window, which you typically see when you first open QuickBooks or close your company file. You can locate the files for QBDT company in the folder specific to your desktop.
QuickBooks makes it convenient to locate your file or backup files.
Select Find a company file on the No Company Open window. You normally see this when you first start QuickBooks or when you close your company file.
When you select Find a company file, it automatically scans for the following file extensions:
- .QBW, your QuickBooks working file.
- .QBB, your QuickBooks backup file.
You can scan for removable media such as a USB flash drive, or your network.
Manually locate your files
You can also find your files or backups with File Explorer. Here’s how:
Search with File Explorer:
- Open the Windows Start menu.
- Type File Explorer into the search and open File Explorer.
- Select My Computer or This PC from the navigation bar.
- In the search field, type *.qbw, *.qbb to find all files. Make sure you include the asterisk (*) before the extension. You can also search for *.qb for QuickBooks.
What to look for:
- The usual location for a QuickBooks Desktop company files is:
- C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files.
- View the file name, date, timestamp, and or size to see which is the most current.
- If you host your file through a Hosting Service, contact your service directly for help.
I am also adding this article about the discontinuation of service as you are using an old version of QuickBooks Desktop. Check this article for an upgrade option: QuickBooks Desktop service discontinuation policy and upgrade information.
I've also added this article if you need to learn how to keep QuickBooks up to date so you have the latest features and product improvements also, how to use File Doctor to fix company file issues in QuickBooks Desktop:
Keep in touch if you have more concerns with creating a backup of QuickBooks Desktop. I'll be here to guide you some more. Keep Safe!
