Get a free evaluation Error 6042 appears when a workstation asks to open a company file that lives on another machine, and the open fails. The dialog typically names the company file and stops there, without a crash. Often the cause is configuration, not a destroyed file, so work through the checks below before assuming the worst.
In multi-user mode your workstation never reads the .QBW file directly. It asks a database service on the machine holding the file to open it, and it finds that service through a small network descriptor file, the .ND, stored beside the company file.
Error 6042 means that handoff started and broke partway: QuickBooks located the file, went looking for the database service, and the open was refused or never answered. Codes in this family mark different steps of the same sequence, and this one points at the connection between the two machines. The real question is whether the refusal comes from the setup or from the file itself.
Most often the .ND file is stale. It still names a computer, a folder, or a port that no longer matches reality after a server rename, a folder move, or an address change. Close behind is hosting switched on in the wrong place, where a workstation hosts instead of the server and the two database services compete.
The quieter triggers follow. Folder permissions can block the database service, a firewall rule can drop the connection, and a backup or sync tool can be holding the file open. Least often, the .QBW itself or its transaction log is damaged badly enough that the database engine cannot read it. Only that last one is repair work for us; the rest belong to your setup.
Work in order, changing one thing at a time. Check that Hosting is switched on only at the machine holding the file. Rename the .ND beside the company file, then rescan the folder in Database Server Manager. Open the file directly on the host in single-user mode. Open the sample company file from your workstation over the network. Restore your newest backup under a fresh file name, leaving the live file untouched.
Each result narrows the answer. If the file opens after the hosting fix or the .ND rescan, this was configuration and you are done. If the sample opens over the network but your file does not, suspicion shifts to your file. If the file fails on the host itself with the same code, the environment is largely ruled out.
Environment problems are consistent across files. Every company file on that share fails the same way, the sample fails too, and the trouble followed a change on your end: new security software, a new machine, a folder move.
Damage is file-specific and has a history. The sample opens, other files on the same share open, and the failure followed a power cut, a forced shutdown, or a sync tool touching the file mid-save. A file restored from backup beside a newer transaction log lands here too, because the pair no longer agrees. That is when the file itself, not the network, needs work.
When your checks point at the file, that is the work we do. We rebuild damaged company files, recover the ledger, lists, and transactions inside them, and return a file that opens cleanly. The evaluation is free, you receive a firm fixed quote before any work begins, and there is no fee unless we fix it.
We do not repair hosting configuration, firewalls, or Windows permissions; those stay with you and your IT support. For neighboring codes in this family, see our <a href="/Quickbooks-Error-Codes.aspx">QuickBooks error code reference</a>. When a damaged file needs an experienced eye, contact our <a href="/contact-quickbooks-recovery-pro.aspx">QuickBooks company file repair team</a>.
No. A stale .ND file or hosting on the wrong machine accounts for most cases, and both clear without touching your data. Corruption is the likely answer only when the file fails on the host itself while other files on the same share open normally.
Yes. It is a small pointer file that QuickBooks rebuilds when Database Server Manager rescans the folder. Do not treat the .TLG transaction log the same way; that file exists to rebuild data after a crash.
As a test, yes: restore it under a new file name so the live file stays untouched. If the backup opens and the live file does not, you have confirmed which one is damaged, and both can be evaluated.
No. Our work is the company file itself, not Windows, firewalls, or multi-user configuration. Your IT support handles those, and the checks above usually settle them quickly.
There is no honest number before anyone has seen the file. The evaluation is free, you receive a firm fixed quote before work begins, and there is no fee unless the file is fixed.
We look at your file before you pay anything, then give you a firm fixed quote. Nothing starts until you accept it, so there are no surprises and no diagnosis fee.
Every service is guaranteed. If we cannot resolve your issue, there is no charge - you pay nothing at all.
When Verify, Rebuild and File Doctor loop or fail, the file needs engineering work rather than another pass of the built-in tools. That is what we do.
Every version from QuickBooks 1 for DOS through the current Pro, Premier, Accountant and Enterprise releases.
Your company file is used only for the work you asked for, never shared, and deleted 14 days after the job. Immediate deletion on request.
QuickBooks File Repair / Data Recovery. We resolve your issue, or you pay nothing.
Pick the bracket that matches your company file. If you are unsure, request a free evaluation and we will confirm before you pay.
Turnaround 48 hours (business days)
Turnaround 8-12 hours
Not sure which applies? Send us the file for a free evaluation and we will confirm the price before you pay.
Every service is guaranteed. If we cannot resolve your issue, there is no charge - you pay nothing at all.
Get a free evaluationThere is no charge to look at your file. Send the details and we will tell you what can be recovered before you pay anything.
Send us the file and we will tell you what can be recovered. We resolve your issue, or you pay nothing.
Independent service provider. Quickbooks Repair Pro is operated by E-Tech. Our repair, data recovery and conversion services are our own work, and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Intuit Inc. “QuickBooks”® and “QuickBooks Desktop”® are registered trademarks of Intuit Inc., used here only to identify the software we work on.
QuickbooksRepairPro.com is an independent service provider of QuickBooks Accounting Migration, Condense/SuperCondense, and Repair services, and is not affiliated with Intuit.