Ask A Geek

Q: I made the mistake of putting together several different companies into one single database file in QuickBooks. Each company is divided into different classes. Now I need to separate each company into its own database. One idea that I had was to duplicate the database and erase all the transactions from the classes except one class which will be assigned for that database. Is it possible to delete multiple transactions to achieve this? Or do you have a better idea to un-merge the database into several databases?

Q: We have just purchase POS and QB Pro 2010. QB Pro is set up on both of our 2 computers. However, only the instance of QB Pro installed on the computer with the POS application has correct A/R Balances. Why doesn’t the back office QB Pro have the same data as the POS/QB Pro system?

Q: Will Quickbook 2010 run on a laptop that has an Intel i7-720QM processor, window 7 professional 64 bit,500GB, 4GB shared dual channel DDR3 at 1333MHz

Q: I have an HP Pavilion with a 64-bit AMD Athlon processor. I want to use QuickBooks which requires at least a 2.0GHz Pentium 4. Do I have to get a new computer or should I just replace the processor?

Q: I have Quickbooks 2009 installed on two computers and have purchased the “multiuser” option, which allows two users to work in the same company file at the same time. This works ok, as long as I am in the same “network” (building) as the 2nd computer. Is there ANYWAY to have two users work on the same file without being in the same location? Or can I save the company file online, so I it may be accessed and worked on by either user, regardless of location?

Q: QuickBooks isn’t responding. I did an “End Task”; other users have had to do the same to get out. I’ve tried to get back into it to see if the data file is ok, but I can’t even get to the login. The program just won’t respond. All my other programs work fine. It seems to be isolated to QuickBooks. Where do I begin? reinstall on each workstation? what about the server? (I’m not a computer idiot, but I’m not real network savvy. The data file we all work off of is on the server and everyone has the program installed locally.)

Q: How do I use the same database of quickbooks pro 2009 in two countries at the same time?

Q: I have a small business with my partner. We both work from home (she is in one town and I am in another). We have been working with Quickbooks Pro 2008, but everything is separate. (She cannot see my accounts and I cannot see hers) We would like to be able to access QB simultaneously from our desktops and be able to make changes/additions etc. to the accounts. Is there anyway to do this?

Q: Can I use 2 versions of QuickBooks on my computer, for example 2003 & 2005?

A: What an interesting question! First, confirm whether or not QuickBooks 2005 duplicates the functionality that you plan to use in QuickBooks 2003. You may not even need to install the 2003 version at all.

If you discover that you need two versions of QuickBooks, you should be able to install both of them on one computer. It is worth mentioning here that this does not work in reverse. That is to say, you generally cannot install the same QuickBooks program on multiple computers. That could constitute a violation of your software license. During my research, I came across a post at the QuickBooks Community Forums entitled Two versions of QB on one computer. It is suggested that two versions of QuickBooks can be installed on the same computer if the programs are installed in different locations on your hard drive. During the installation process, each of the QuickBooks installers should ask for you to choose an install location on your computer’s hard drive.

However, there is one restriction mentioned in the aforementioned forum. You may not be able to install two programs from the same year onto your computer. The example used in the forums of a situation that will not work is QuickBooks 2004 Pro and QuickBooks 2004 Premier Contractors. Those two programs cannot be installed at the same time on the same computer because they are from the same year.

I really hope that this information answers your question!

Q: Is it possible to share QuickBooks between computers without buying a different program for each computer?

A: The answer is yes, in some situations. According to FAQ section of the QuickBooks website, “Under the single–user license, you can install QuickBooks on both your work and home computers, as long as you’re the only person using QuickBooks on both computers. Also, only one person at a time can access the company file with one single–user license.” This may or may not be a valid statement for your version of QuickBooks. In order to be sure, consult the end user license agreement (EULA) that came with your copy of QuickBooks. You may also wish to contact Intuit (the maker of QuickBooks). Click on the QuickBooks FAQs linked above for information regarding how many people can legally access a file created in QuickBooks, use of the software and/or files on a server, etc.

If you find the legalities of QuickBooks to be too restricting and/or complex, consider switching to an open source program, like GnuCash. My research indicates that GnuCash and some similar programs can import QuickBooks files. It might be a good idea to look at Wikipedia’s Comparison of accounting software for more alternatives — programs with GPL licenses are free in most cases.