Fixing the eQUEST Error: “Invalid PreviousRunDate. Contact a software support representative for assistance.”

If eQUEST displays the message:

“Invalid PreviousRunDate.
Contact a software support representative for assistance.”

it means the INI file for your eQUEST installation has stored a corrupted
Status and Special value. This usually happens when eQUEST crashes,
fails to shut down cleanly, or can’t complete a write to the INI file.

Below are two ways to fix it.

Fix 1 — Permanent Solution (Recommended)

Replace the Status/Special lines and make the INI file read-only

1. Locate the INI file for the version you are running.Most users will find it here:
   

   C:\Users\Public\eQUEST 3-65-7175 Data

   If you have older or alternate installs, also check:

   C:\Users\<YourUser>\Documents\eQUEST 3-65 Data

2. Open the INI file in a plain text editor (Notepad or Notepad++).
3. Find and replace the corrupted lines that look like this:
   

   Status=XXXX
   Special=XXXX

   Replace them with a known valid pair. The following works reliably on many 3-65 installs:

   Status=1000
   Special=891389201
   
   (if this doesn't work, find an unused eQUEST.ini on your computer and copy the values)

4. Save the file.
5. Make the file read-only so eQUEST can’t corrupt it again:
   • Right-click the INI file
   • Select Properties
     
   • Check Read-only
     
   • Click Apply
6. Also make supporting INI files read-only, such as:
   

   eQUESTDOE23.INI

Once these files are locked, the “Invalid PreviousRunDate” error should disappear permanently.

Fix 2 — Quick Temporary Fix (Not Permanent)

Delete the Status/Special lines and let eQUEST regenerate them each time

1. Open the same INI file in a text editor.
2. Delete the two lines completely:
   

   Status=XXXX
   Special=XXXX

3. Save the file.
4. Launch eQUEST.

Each time you open eQUEST, it will ask for your registration number.
Just click OK and eQUEST will run normally.

Note: You will have to repeat this every time you open eQUEST unless you perform
the permanent fix described in Fix 1.

Why This Error Happens

eQUEST stores internal validation codes (Status and Special) in the INI file
to track session state. If eQUEST crashes, Windows locks the file, or the write operation
is interrupted, these values can become invalid. When that happens, eQUEST throws the error:

“Invalid PreviousRunDate. Contact a software support representative for assistance.”

Editing the INI and making it read-only prevents eQUEST from overwriting the file again and
keeps the error from returning.

Additional Notes for Users Switching Between eQUEST DOE-2.2 and DOE-2.3

If you regularly switch between eQUEST DOE-2.2 and eQUEST DOE-2.3, you should maintain
two separate INI files. Each version requires a different DOE2Version setting:

• For eQUEST DOE-2.2:
  

  DOE2Version=0

• For eQUEST DOE-2.3:
  

  DOE2Version=2

1. Create Two Version-Specific INI Files

1. Start with your working eQUEST.ini file and temporarily remove the read-only attribute.
2. Save two copies of it, for example:
   

   eQUEST2-2.ini
   eQUEST2-3.ini

2. Edit the DOE2Version Line in Each File

• Open eQUEST2-2.ini and set:
  

  DOE2Version=0

• Open eQUEST2-3.ini and set:
  

  DOE2Version=2

3. Switch Versions by Renaming the Active INI

Whichever version you want to run must use the active filename:

eQUEST.ini

Example workflow:

• To run DOE-2.2:
  • Rename eQUEST2-2.ini → eQUEST.ini
  • Rename the existing eQUEST.ini (DOE-2.3) → eQUEST2-3.ini
• To run DOE-2.3:
  • Rename eQUEST2-3.ini → eQUEST.ini
  • Rename the existing eQUEST.ini (DOE-2.2) → eQUEST2-2.ini

4. Set the Active INI Back to Read-Only

After you have the correct eQUEST.ini in place for the version you are running:

• Right-click the active eQUEST.ini file
• Select Properties
• Check Read-only
• Click Apply

Now when you switch versions - you simply need to swap out the two files so that the active version is set to eQUEST.ini

eQUEST will open in the desired version (this is as easy as the current method of switching versions anyway)

This will help prevent corruption or unwanted changes and reduce the chances of seeing the
“Invalid PreviousRunDate” error when switching between DOE-2.2 and DOE-2.3.