Free updates are always available online through your Quicken program. The most current update is release 4 (R4). The R4 update changes only the online banking features so that they meet Intuit's Year 2000 Compliant Standard. If you do not use Quicken 98's online banking features, and do not plan to use the online banking features, it is not necessary to upgrade to release R4. If you have never upgraded your Quicken 98 program, it will be necessary to go through multiple upgrades to get to R4. Quicken's automatic update function will tell you which upgrades are necessary.

To check which release you are currently using, see How can I tell which release of the Quicken 98 program is installed on my computer?

If the 16-bit version of Quicken 98 is installed on the computer you are using, and it is either Release 1 or 2, the program will first update to Release 3. The update will then have to be run again to install Release 4. If the 16-bit version of Quicken 98 is installed on a computer using Windows NT, call Quicken technical support at (520) 618-7101 for an update. 

To check whether a 16- or 32-bit version is installed, see How can I tell whether the 16-bit or the 32-bit version of Quicken is installed on my machine?

R3, and prior updates, include these improvements:

• Support for the 1997 Taxpayer Relief Act - Quicken now correctly calculates and reports capital gains according to the latest tax laws.
• Transaction issues related to online banking have been improved.
• File validation features have been improved.
• Improvements to Investments - We've improved the performance for downloading quotes and fixed several minor problems.
• We've fixed a number of problems customers have reported.

Note: For specific details about what is new in release 3, see What's new in R3?

Depending on your modem speed, the capabilities of your Internet Service Provider (ISP), and overall Internet traffic, downloading an update may take 30 minutes or longer. Use this procedure to upgrade your Quicken 98 program (for R3 and/or R4):

1. If you regularly go online for Online Quotes, start Quicken, and go online. After your information is downloaded, you'll be notified that an update is available.
2. If you do not regularly go online, choose Update Quicken 98 from the Online menu. This will open the Update Quicken 98 Internet Features window. Deselect Online Quotes, Market Watch and Security News if they are checked, and click Update Now.
3. Choose Tell Me More to see what changes are included in the update. Choose update now to continue the download process.
4. Once the download is complete, a message is presented. Choose Exit Quicken, and the update program will run automatically.
5. At the end of the update, a message appears telling you it is complete. Choose OK, and the Quicken program will close and then restart.

Note: All online investment and banking sessions must be completed before updating to any new release.

If you have to uninstall Quicken 98, it is not necessary to download the update again, see Locating my R3 update.