Quickbooks Support, Setup, and maintenance

I’m slowly building this Quickbooks support blog post out.  We always install Quickbooks without fully understanding the some of the installation processes it has in place.  Here’s the break down…

Quickbooks contains three methods for storing and running your company files.   Company files are typically stored in the public profile.   I’m not sure the reasoning behind this but basically the default location for windows Vista/7/8 is:

C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files

Whereas a typical user, ie Bob; Bob looks for critical data in these two locations

C:\Users\Bob\Documents
C:\Users\Bob\Desktop

As a business network grows from 10 or 20 users to 50 to 100, applications that reside on the local computer and its critical data may be separated and placed on a centralized location called a file server for the option to share and data backup.

These network locations also known as “shares” are made available to each workstation with users that have permissions to them.   The share names vary and depend on workflow for each organization.

Intuit Multi-Host Installation

Multi-Host allows for other workstations to connect to the host computer.   The host computer contain the QBW file, also known as the company file.  There are three hosting options to choose from when you choose not host on a user like Bob’s computer.

“Dedicated Hosting”, “Peer to Peer”  and NAS “Alternate Hosting” Method

All these solutions contain the company file at the “host” machine along with Quickbooks or just the database server manager itself.   However, the host machine does contain the option for backing up.  This is left for the administrative access machine designated in Quickbooks.  It should contain shares as mentioned before to store the Quickbooks backup file.  This ensures the organization the backup file exists on the file server if fire, theft, or computer failure occurs with the host computer.  Please make sure you have regularly scheduled backups to the cloud of the file server if you do proceed with this solution or at the very least have a thumb drive backup.

Quickbooks Database Server Manager Installation and Administrator Access Steps

The Quickbooks Database Server Manager or Database Manager is a component of the Quickbooks installation CD that manages the file if you have a dedicated host machine.  That machine can be a simple workstation or server.  It may be good to virtualize that machine as a workstation in larger environments.  This scenario also separates the bookkeeper and or accountant from administrative duties that so often causes problems during their departure from the organization.

Step 1

Find the machine to run the database manager, close all application, and run the Intuit Quickbooks installer all the way through until you get prompted for express and custom installations.  In this guide we will select custom.  Select “install database server only”  when the option becomes available during the Quickbooks installation.

Step 2

Open the Database Manager.   It can be under programs, Quickbooks.   Click the “scan folders “ tab and “add folder” button to select the location (try looking under the default location) of your company file or it will scan for you.  Please note:  Other users won’t be able to open the company file remotely if you don’t select the file.  Click scan and close when it completes the scan.

Step 3

Go into Quickbooks, select file, utilities, and “host multi-user access” on the computer you want to use for administrator access.  Then click “company” and “setup users and passwords”.   The designated administrator access machine must manage the backups

Step 4

Select open company file once users are setup and browse to the network location of where your Quickbooks database server manager is located.  Select file and open to login.

Administrator Access Machine

To access company files, the QuickBooks database system user must be logged in to Windows with Administrator privileges.

To set Administrator privileges:

1. Close QuickBooks.
2. Click the Windows Start button and choose Control Panel.
3. Open User Accounts.
   • Windows 7: Click Manage User Accounts
4. Double-click the QBDataServiceUserXX for your version of QuickBooks:
   • QuickBooks 2015: QBDataServiceUser25
   • QuickBooks 2014: QBDataServiceUser24
   • QuickBooks 2013: QBDataServiceUser23
   • QuickBooks 2012: QBDataServiceUser22
   • QuickBooks 2011: QBDataServiceUser21
   • QuickBooks 2010: QBDataServiceUser20
   • QuickBooks 2009: QBDataServiceUser19
   • QuickBooks 2008: QBDataServiceUser18
   • QuickBooks 2007: QBDataServiceUser17

1. Click the Group Membership tab.
2. Select Other and click the drop-down arrow to select Administrators.
3. Click OK.

Quickbooks Support – Workstation Setup

Step 1

Find the machine to run Quickbooks, close all application, and run the Intuit Quickbooks installer all the way through until you get prompted for express and custom installations.  In this guide we will select custom.  Select “I’ll be using Quickbooks only”  when the option becomes available during the Quickbooks installation.

Scratch Notes

Banking, Bank Feed, Bank feed center

• Transaction List
• Click “download as”
• Payee ‘add 76
• Account -> Automobile Expense
• Meals and Entertainment 50% reimbursement (Batch)

Chase ->  Web Download

Business Side

Banking -> Use Register

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