Is there any way the update to turbotax could have erased 2017 and 2018 data files?

[HelenaC]

No, it shouldn't have. To find your .tax 2017 and .tax 2018 tax files: https://ttlc.intuit.com/replies/3301497

[KatePendleton]

That's what happened to me too. 2018 file was saved (last) on April 15. I re-opened it a week ago - was prompted to apply updates - so I did that. Then TurboTax prompted me to start a new file - no tax file showed up in the program. There indeed is a .tax2018 file in the TurboTax folder but opening it from Windows Explorer results in the same thing - no data, even though the file size is big enough that there should be data in it. I called Support, but they wouldn't help me further until I applied the latest Windows updates - - which didn't resolve anything with this issue.

[SteamTrain]

@KatePendleton 

Don't open the old file from the file explorer.

start up the turbotax program, and when you get the opening page that wants to start a new file:

1) go up to the file menu and select "File"

2) then "Open Tax Return"  ....and then browse to the file location to open it.

3) once opened (and maybe re-saved once) the file should again appear on your opening screen the next time

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BUT....IF you get an error, you might have to start a new dummy file to install the state(s) you used for the original file.  Your file won't open until the state(s) in that original tax file have been installed in the software.

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Have no idea why your update screwed things up...never had a problem myself. 

Possibles: 

a)  IF your file was a on an external attached usb hard drive...that's a real problem....and a no-no.  Tax datafiles need to be on your main hard disk only. (the TTX software can lose the link to an external drive at any reboot...not just a software update.

b)  an SSD is your main disk?   Lordy.....TTX has had innumerable issues with those at the start of each of the last two seasons.....("memory leaks" early this year on SSD's).  maybe an interim driver update for the SSD has interacted improperly.....but I'm really ignorant of what goes on with SSD's .

[KatePendleton]

Thanks for the suggestions...but still no dice.

I had only opened the file from Windows Explorer AFTER trying it the "normal" way through the application (both from the tile & then File+Open). In any of those cases, no data appears in the "Step by Step" part of the application. Per #3 below, the filename always appeared on the main screen of the application, but when I open the file it's totally blank & I'm prompted to start from step1 to build my return.

My file was never on an external USB drive. Nor do I have an SSD on my laptop.

I truly believe that the updates I installed when I launched Turbotax on July 14 caused the problem. The really odd piece of this story is that the data is actually still intact - I can see it when viewing the .tax2018 file in notepad. It's just not populating in the Step by Step view - nor did it transfer to the State download.

[Critter]

Sounds like the application was corrupted ... I would uninstall the program then install it again.