When BUSY data looks corrupted, stop work and copy the whole company folder before anything else.
Then restore the newest good backup as a new company with Overwrite set to No. The vendor says a file with no usable backup may not be repairable, and its repair is a paid service. A reader can pull figures from the copy.
The company will not open, or the vouchers you entered last week have vanished. The fix depends on whether a good backup exists. The steps below start with the safest moves and end with what to do when nothing else works.
Who Needs to Get Vouchers Out of Damaged BUSY Data?
Choose the line that matches what you see.
The books opened but the counts feel low, or a recent bill is gone.
Run the easy checks →An error stops the company or it is missing from the list.
Restore from backup →You hold only the damaged folder and need the figures out of it.
Read the copy →Damaged accounting data feels urgent, and that is when people make it worse. They reinstall, rename folders or run a repair on the only copy. This guide keeps the order simple. Protect the files first, try the vendor's own fixes next and read the damaged copy only after that.
What to Do in the First Ten Minutes
- Close the company properlyIn one test we ran on BUSY 21, new vouchers and audit rows reached the data file only after the company was closed from the menu. Closing it first means your copy holds the latest work.
- Copy before you touch anythingCopy the whole company folder, not one file. The year files and the main company file belong together.
- Find the newest backupLook in the folder you chose for manual backups and in the BUSY Agent folder or Google Drive if automatic backups ran.
- Write down the last good dateEverything entered after that date is at risk and may need to be keyed again.
Is the Data Really Corrupted or Only Hidden?
Many scares end here. The vendor's help on missing vouchers lists the checks in this order. Confirm the company, review the voucher statistics under Display and Check List, remove report filters and test with a super user. Then open Housekeeping and read the Incomplete Voucher list.
The vendor adds that database problems or corruption can move vouchers into that list. So an incomplete voucher is a clue worth reading and not always a data loss. The table shows what each sign usually means.
| What you see | Likely meaning | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer vouchers in a report | A filter, a user right or another company | Filters, rights and the company name |
| A bill saved a moment ago is gone | It may sit in the Incomplete Voucher list | Housekeeping, then the incomplete list |
| Gaps in a voucher series | Deleted or cancelled numbers | The voucher numbering report and the audit trail |
| Error when the company opens | A damaged company or account file | Restore the newest backup as a new company |
How to Restore a BUSY Backup Without Losing the Damaged Company
These steps follow the vendor's backup and restore help. They need BUSY and a backup folder that is not itself damaged.
- Stop entering data and close BUSY everywhereAsk every user to leave the company. Close it from the Company menu so BUSY can write its last changes to the files.
- Copy the whole company folderCopy the full COMP folder with every year file inside it to another drive. Work only on that copy from here on.
- Rule out the easy causesConfirm the company name and clear any filter that could hide vouchers. Open the voucher statistics under Display and Check List. Look at the Incomplete Voucher list under Housekeeping.
- Restore the newest good backup as a new companyGo to Company and choose Restore Data. Pick the backup folder and set Overwrite to No so the damaged company stays untouched beside the restored one.
- Compare the restored books with your copyMatch voucher counts by month and the closing balances of a few key ledgers. Note every voucher dated after the backup. Those need to be entered again.
- Ask for repair only if no usable backup existsContact BUSY support or a channel partner with the copy, not the original. Ask for the charge before you send the data.
The vendor's troubleshooting note says the backup folder should hold the files named DATA and DISK1. It also says to run BUSY as an administrator if a permission error appears. Details are on the vendor's restore page. If you want to inspect a backup before restoring it, read our backup preview guide.
What If There Is No Backup or the Backup Is Damaged Too?
Be ready for a hard answer. The vendor says it may not be possible to repair the file when no good backup exists. Its route is to contact BUSY support, its helpline or a channel partner and send the data in. It also says repair is a chargeable service, so ask for the cost before you ship anything. The repair page has the wording.
Our view is plain. A paid repair makes sense for books that must run again in BUSY. A reader is the better first step when you only need the figures, such as for a tax filing or an audit.
Can You Read Vouchers From a Damaged BUSY Folder?
Often you can read part of it. BUSY keeps each company in database files, and a reader that opens those files directly does not need the BUSY program to start. Univik BUSY Data Viewer lists accounts, items and vouchers from a copy of the folder. Univik BUSY Data Converter writes them to Excel, CSV, JSON or PDF.
Both tools only read, and they cannot make BUSY open the company again. When the converter has to rebuild a damaged voucher it says so in a Recovery notes sheet, and you should check those rows against paper. We have not tested every kind of damage, so a heavily damaged file may give you little.
A damaged folder is the job Univik BUSY Data Recovery Software was made for. It works on a copy in memory, rebuilds what the surviving pages allow and puts a label on each item to show how far to trust it. Its page lists the damage types it handles and the limits.
Univik BUSY Data Viewer opens the copy without BUSY and shows what it can read.
Download Free Trial Buy Now - $99Looking costs nothing and your copy stays as it is. The trial saves ten items per section. Viewer page
How to Stop This From Happening Again
The vendor's advice is short. Take regular backups and keep antivirus software running. Its help adds three practical tools, shown below.
| Tool | What it does | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Backup Data | Saves one company, all years or chosen years | Company menu |
| Backup Configuration | Sets a folder for each weekday and can ask for a backup when the company closes | Administration, then Configuration |
| BUSY Agent | Runs automatic backups to a local drive or Google Drive | Installed beside BUSY |
- Voucher counts by month match your records or the old reports
- Closing balances of cash, bank and the main parties tie to a printed report
- Every voucher dated after the last good backup is listed for re-entry
- A second person has looked at the restored company
Fix Common Problems During a Restore
Do this: Check that the backup folder holds the DATA and DISK1 files and that neither is damaged. Run BUSY as an administrator, as the vendor advises.
Do this: The vendor says it shows only when a company with the same name already exists. If it is missing, BUSY will restore as a new company.
Do this: The backup held only the data up to its own date. Look for a newer backup in the Agent folder or Google Drive before you re-enter anything.
Unsure which copy to trust? Contact our support team with the folder size and the error text.
Questions About Damaged BUSY Data
Univik staff contributed the product notes. The repair, restore and backup steps come from BUSY's own help pages, read on October 11, 2026. The note on closing the company comes from our own test of BUSY 21 files. Univik tools read data and write nothing back to your folder.
Pages we read: repair and recovery answer · missing vouchers answer · vendor restore steps · vendor backup options