Software install question (problem)

Richard · Dec 8, 2004

Been using Intuits Quickbooks Pro 99...well... since 99. Now that we have 2 more people here and new payroll issues, figured time to upgrade.

Ordered Quickbooks 2005 and installed it. Went to do an "upgrade check" , or a different time, did a "Payroll registration", or yet another time, (per them) tried to email a bill to myself.

Ok... upshot, the program WILL NOT connect to the internet. I"m on a DSL, have DISABLED all virus, all firewalls. I went into msconfig & disabled ALL startup items.

Ok... still won't connect to internet, yet, my PC WILL... as evidenced by me typing here /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Ok.. (frustration) I was on phone with their tech help for THREE hours yesterday. They insisted I had a firewall (I dont') they insisted I had antivirus going (I dont')

He then said "well, since my (his) quickbooks can connect to the internet (in INDIA for crying out loud) you must have something wrong with your pc and I suggest you take it to service shop"

Excusssssssssssssse me?

He then went on to tell me "you have most recent version, you no need to go online"

Ok, well then WHY does it say (when I click on payroll) "quickbooks needs to GO ONLINE to validate your payroll subscription..." and when I hit yes to do so... nothing happens. He of course, had no answer because he was just trying to rid himself of me, verses helping me and I exposed him /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Now, during MY readings, I did notice something about quoting

"Make sure that port 80 (for HTTP) and port 443 (for HTTPS) are enabled, and that the following two files are allowed to connect to the Internet and download updates"

Any clues?

(there're on phone with me "now", so I'm timing their help, with TBN braintrust /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

MikePA · Dec 8, 2004

Is your PC plugged right into your cable/DSL modem or do you have a router installed?

If you have a cable/DSL router many of them have built in firewalls which may be causing a problem.

Can you access https sites on the Internet, e.g., your bank?

Richard · Dec 8, 2004

I was in fact, logged into my bank this morning /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I have had zero, none, nada issues on any typical website at all.

Quickbooks base "program update" wont
Quickbooks payroll login & verification, won't
Quickbooks email invoices... won't

So none of the different ways he tried to get it to "see' the internet worked.

I'm on hold with Mr. Nice guy there who's getting ready to transfer me to their tech people, ostensibly, the same people who couldn't help me yesterday. Been on phone for 15 minutes, on hold most of that time /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

MikePA · Dec 8, 2004

What about something like ZoneAlarm that might be stopping an inbound connection?

Richard · Dec 8, 2004

zone alarm, though installed, is currently disabled.

I'm still on phone with them, on hold again, sigh.

We DID just put pc into safe mode, and were successful in logging onto internet for updates. When that happened, he said (essentially) that , that proved I had a firewall or virus software going on.

I assured him that by going to "start/cont Panel/Network, right click, third tab , and UNCHECKING firewall" that it was NOT running, and that I'd disabled ALL items in my msconfig startup folder... (I dont think he belives me)

he's back on phone

Soundguy · Dec 8, 2004

Do you have real high security settings on IE? Perhaps there is a cookie issue?

( Not using AOL are you? )

Soundguy

Richard · Dec 8, 2004

lol not using AOL, they DID seem to have a special instructions for AOL users.

I hadn't thought about a possible cookie issue, I'll go delete them, but my suspicion is it's something else.

It DID work while in safe mode, that was the logic used by the guy to insist that I HAD to have a firewall turned on, in spite of me seeing for my own eyes, that it's not checked.

The first guy that answered & transferred me to the tech dude, said "the FIRST installation of this is on us to get it working, aftter that (like a year later) if you have a problem, it's on you"

Well, while I had Max (who admitted Max was not his REAL name, they just do that to make it easy for us Americans) on the phone, I repeated what the first guy said. Max seemed a bit put off by that comment, so I put him on hold, called the 800 number back and by LUCK, got ahold of the very guy who said it.

So, now I had on a conference call, Intuits man on the left side, saying "we WILL get it working for you the first time", and on the right side, was Intuits man, Max saying "no no no... no work..." /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I was quickly transferred to a supervisor, as I guess they didn't like me DISALLOWING myself to be pushed back/forth between "he said/he said" since all parties were on same line.

Upshot, the supervisor (much to Max's subtle yet clearly intoned disagreement) is going to put me in contact with technical helps supervisor (Max's supervisor). He assured this new supervisor that his sup. would just come to same conclusions.

In meantime, I've gotten their mailing address so I can prepare to just send the program back to them.

I have 1 (one) as in a SINGLE 1090 to print, and 1 (one) as in a SINGLE W-2 to print. I figured it's time to upgrade from QB99 to QB 2005 and so I spent $245 to do so.

I can write a LOT of singular 1099's & W-2's for $245. Though I prefer it to work, and work properly, I'm not opposed to hand writing those forms out either.

/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

btolle · Dec 8, 2004

Another case of an "improved" version that breaks everything else.

I used to be a software junkie and always updated to the latest version of every program I use until I got tired of reinstalling the operating system and all the programs several times a year.

I am using Quicken 2000, Act 2000, and Office 2000 and see no reason to upgrade. In fact, I don't want the later versions because they are just bloated versions of what I already have with features I don't even want. I use an FTP program that is version 8. I tried version 11 yesterday and just like with versions 9 and 10 it crashed when I tried to download certain files. I reverted to version 8.

If possible I would go back to your old version and ask Intuit to give you your money back for the new version.

<rant>

Incidentally, after many years of using Intuit products they have seen my last $. When they pulled that stunt with Turbo Tax a couple of years ago installing malware to prevent CD writers from copying their CD's they caused many computers to slow to a crawl. Even uninstalling Turbo Tax would not eliminate the malware. Lots of folks had to wipe their hard drive and start over after that mess.

Fortunately for me I read about the problems before I installed the new version, sent it back to them unopened, and bought TaxCut the last 2 years. Any company that would pull a stunt like that (and they didn't bother to tell you that they had done it) deserves to go out of business. I will never trust any Intuit product again.

I sincerely hope that the new version of Quickbooks hasn't done the same thing. If it has you are out of luck and may have to reformat your hard drive and reinstall everything. In my case that is a 2 day job.

I haven't called a support line in years, I can find faster and more reliable answers on Internet newsgroups or websites. At least they tell you the truth on newsgroups, the software companies don't. They tell you it is your computer even when it is their buggy software.

</end rant>

A hint: Use WinRescue to back up all your registry settings BEFORE installing any program or update. I have it set up to run at 6 AM every morning and I run it manually before any changes in case they don't work. When I uninstalled the FTP version 11 last night and it didn't work I deleted it, ran the "Crash Fixer" in WinRescue, then reinstalled version 8 and eveything is OK again. I cannot tell you how many days work WinRescue has saved me over the last 5 years or so.

Bill Tolle

Richard · Dec 8, 2004

Well Bill, you make some good points...to be truthful, the idea of reformatting had already crossed my mind... the logic being, reformat and install QB first.

I have since decided against doing that.

I've formatted enough that I can tear down, format & build back up same day although I won't get anything else done. I've got the stuff all boxed up awaiting their technical supervisors phone call.

I can already see how helpful he's likely to be. The last guy I spoke with (Max) finally said when we were on the conference call "There is nothing more we can do, as far as I'm concerned, the program is working FINE and he needs to take his pc to the service shop"

/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif