TECH TOPIC:
Installing & Upgrading Your QuickBooks^®

During the upgrading of your QuickBooks data to a new version, you may encounter problems and need to continue using your previous version until everything is up and running. This method is equally useful for first-time installers. Whenever you do your next upgrade of QuickBooks, the process should be much simpler.

Contents
Page 1

The Preliminaries
The Destination Folder
Using Custom Installation
The Start Menu
A Summary So Far

Page 2

Verify Your Data File
Copy Your Data File
Upgrade Your Data File
Miscellaneous Tasks
A Final Summary

The Preliminaries

You've finally broken down and bought the new version of QuickBooks. When you open the box, you'll find the CD-ROM (in 2003 and newer, it comes in a plastic case), the manual and a bunch of marketing material. On the back of the CD case, you'll find the Installation Key Code, a 21 digit number, that you will need for the installation. You may want to copy this number to your manual or another place you can find it later should this sticker be damaged and you need to reinstall QuickBooks.

At this time, you may want to read through Intuit's Installation chapter just to familiarize yourself with the process. Take note that QuickBooks 2003 and up now require Internet Explorer^® 6 to be installed. If your hardware or OS will not support IE6, you may have to upgrade your computer. According to Microsoft, IE6 is not supported on Windows 95 or previous versions of Windows.

Now you're ready to begin. Insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. The installation should automatically begin. We won't walk you through all the steps. Most of the installation is self-explanatory.

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The Destination Folder

After entering the Key Code, QuickBooks asks for the Destination Folder. (See Fig. 1 below.) This is the most important part to keep from destroying your previously installed version.

In the bottom half of the dialog box, you'll see any previous versions of QuickBooks you have installed. Make certain you have Install to a new location: checked and click on the "Change..." button. A list of directories (folders) will appear. Simply add the version number to the default entry and click "OK".

You should now see the current version folder listed. In our case, it is QuickBooks Pro 2003.

This allows you to put multiple versions of QuickBooks on your computer, each in their own separate folder.

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Using Custom Installation

The Setup Type dialog box should appear. Select the "Custom"" setup option. We recommend this for every application, even if you know you want the Express or Typical options normally offered. A well-designed installation program will usually have the options already selected that are used in their typical setup and you can review the changes that are being made to your computer.

Click "Next" and you will see the options available to you. In this case, your only options are installing QuickBooks and Internet Explorer 6 and both will be selected. If you don't have IE6 already installed, you will not be permitted to proceed without the IE6 install option selected.

Note that the install folder you selected above will be listed in this dialog. If you want to change this, you will have to use the "Back" button to get back to the previous dialog.

If you have a previous version of QuickBooks installed, when you click "Next", QuickBooks asks if you want to copy the Company File preferences from a previous version. If you only use QuickBooks for your company, selecting "Yes" will automatically set many of your preferences for you. These settings are also saved in your company's data file so it is not absolutely necessary.

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The Start Menu

Once you accept the license agreements for both QuickBooks and Internet Explorer (if required), you will see the Program Folder dialog. This tells QuickBooks where to put the QuickBooks icons in your Start menu.

Again, as in the installation folder, you want to change the name to the version of QuickBooks you are installing. This way you can have multiple versions installed and not be confused about which version you are opening. Just type the full name in the Program Folders: line as shown in Figure 4.

When you click next, QuickBooks will list a summary of the installation options you've chosen. If everything is correct, click "Next" and the files will be copied to your computer to complete the installation.

When complete, QuickBooks will ask if you want an icon installed on your desktop. That's your preference. As with everything else we've done in the installation so far, you may want to rename the desktop icon to the version you have installed so there is no confusion about which version you're running.

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A Summary So Far

• When it's complete, QuickBooks will be installed on your computer and ready to run.
• It will be in its own folder on your hard drive so that you will still be able to open your data in the previous version that is still installed.
• A separate Start Menu folder will be created so you have access to any previous versions.
• If you chose during the installation, a new desktop icon will also be installed.

QuickBooks is installed on your computer and ready to use. If this is your first installation of QuickBooks, you are done. You may now begin to setup your QuickBooks company.

If you are upgrading your QuickBooks, there are a few steps we highly recommend you do before opening your data file in your new version of QuickBooks. Click here to go to Page 2 for these steps.

31 January 2003

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