I recently looked into purchasing accounting software for a non-profit I work with and was a little disheartened to find that there wasn’t a good open-source solution out there. We really wanted a web-based application we could load on our web server and give multi-user access to staff, but there didn’t seem to be anything out there that met our needs.
So after some deliberation, we decided to purchase QuickBooks 2010 Premier Edition. This version of QuickBooks actually contains seven industry-specific editions: Contractors, Nonprofits, Retailers, Accounting Professionals, Manufacturers & Wholesalers, Professional Services, and General Business. We chose the Nonprofit version.
I purchased the software on the Intuit website by downloading it (with 3 years access to additional downloads for re-installation) and I paid an extra $10 or so to have a CD-ROM copy. To buy directly from Intuit, you have to create a profile, which was annoying, but it ended up proving useful during the installation. The total damage was around $440 U.S. dollars – a hefty chunk of change for a small non-profit, but worth it in the end if it helps limit your organization’s reliance on certified accountants.
So far, I’ve been really pleased with it. The installation is simple, and the user interface is nice. There are numerous reminders and links to support, training, and help guides. A QuickBook Coach box is prominently displayed on the Home Screen by default.
If you purchased a download and you have a good internet connection, the entire installation process – from extracting the download to completing the registration – should only take about half an hour. Here are the steps:
1. Download the Setup file from the Intuit website. You’ll need to be logged in to your Intuit account to do this. The icon should look something like:
When you click on the file, it actually downloads the complete installation file, which should look like:
2. Double-click on the installation file to launch the Installer. The first screen asks you to select your custom and network options:
The first step to installing QuickBooks 2010 is selecting your network options
We’re not doing any networking just yet, so I selected the first option.
Each step of the installation has a link to more information about the choices you are being asked to make. Click on the “Explain these options in detail” link, and QuickBooks will open the help menu in your web browser:
QuickBooks provides detailed explainations of each step of the installation process
3. Make your choice and click next to begin installing the software. Note: If you already have MSXML 4.0 on your system, you might need to remove it (and the related service packs) using the Windows Add/Remove Software function. The QuickBooks installer comes with MSXML 4.0 and there doesn’t seem to be a way to not download it if you already have it. The first time I tried installing it, I got part way through the installation before I got an error message saying I didn’t have enough RAM. I added more RAM, and the second time I tried installing it, I got a fatal error about MSXML 4.0 files in the temp folder. It’s possible the error came from the partial download, but I’m not sure. If you have any trouble, just remove MSXML 4.0 from your system and re-extract the Installation file from your Setup file (see Step 1).
4. Select Industry-Specific Edition. QuickBooks Premier has seven industy-specific editions to chose from:
Select the industry that is the closest match to your business or organization
Basically, the industry selection customizes reports, tax forms, and other features of QuickBooks to best suite your needs. Make your selection or read more about the industries if you are not sure. You can change the edition later. Click Next when you are done.
5. Select Automatic Update settings. A pop-up window will ask you if you want to update the software. Click yes. It will also ask if you want to activate the Automatic Update feature. You’ll need an active internet connection to use the feature. I would recommend you activate this, so you can be sure your software is always up to date.
Downloading any updates is a good idea
6. Select Live Community settings. I haven’t used this yet, but QuickBooks offers with some kind of chat-based help service called Live Community.
You can always launch Live Community once QuickBooks is opened
You can chose to open Live Community when starting QuickBooks or chose not to. Make your settings and check the “Don’t show again” box. Click OK when you are done.
7. Welcome to QuickBooks – Chose how you want to open the program. You should now come to a screen welcoming you to the industry-specific edition you selected in Step 4.
Choose how you want to explore QuickBooks
You can launch an overview tutorial, explore QuickBooks by adding and changing data in a sample company file, create a new company file, or open an existing company file. If it’s your first time using QuickBooks, you might want to do the tutorial, but I just started by creating a new company file.
8. Welcome to the EasyStep Interview – Get Started. If you choose to create a new company file, a new window will pop up asking if you want to use the EasyStep Interview, skip the interview, or convert data from Quicken or other accounting software.
The interview asks for more information than skipping the interview.
It asks if you are an accountant or QuickBooks expert, but you don’t need to be either of those to skip the interview. Skipping the interview just brings up a different set of forms to fill out. It’s very straightforward.
9. Enter your company information. The first form asks for the basic information about your business or organization – its name, Tax ID number, address, and contact information.
Enter information about your company in the format you would like displayed on forms and printouts
It’s really important to get this right – the information you put here will appear on reports, tax forms, invoices, and other QuickBooks files. The company name and the legal name will be the same unless you are doing business as a name different from the legal name.
10. How is your company organized? The next form asks how your company is organized. There is a list of business entities:
Selecting the wrong business entity will cause QuickBooks to create the wrong type tax forms for your company
This is probably the most important question in the whole interview. QuickBooks uses your selection to create accounts, select tax forms, and assign tax form lines to the accounts it creates. Non-profits report their financials to the IRS using Form 990. If you accidentally select Corporation, QuickBooks will map your accounts to Form 1120, not Form 990. Make your selection and click on the Next button.
11. Select your fiscal year. The next form only asks you to select the month that your fiscal year begins in.
January is the default because that's when mos fiscal years start.
In most cases, this will be the same as the income tax year – January 1 to December 31. Make your selection and click on the Next button.
12. Select your industry. This screen asks you to tell QuickBooks your industry so it can customize the installation to meet your needs.
Select the closest match to your industry - you can always change the setting once you've created your company file
This sounds a little redundant since QuickBooks has already asked you to select your industry-specific edition and the type of organization, but there are more choices here. For example, if you operate a trucking or transportation business, you might have picked the Manufacturers and Wholesalers industry-specific edition in Step 4 and the Corporation type of organization in Step 10, but the “Transportation, Trucking, or Delivery” option would allow QuickBooks to further customize your installation. Make your selection and click on the Next button.
13. Create your company file. Now you should be ready to save the company file to your hard drive. This screen basically just tells you that the information you have put into QuickBooks will be created in a company file:
Click on the Next button to open a standard “Save As” window. The default location will be the Company Files folder. The default file type will be .QBW and the default file name will be the company name you entered in Step 9. Choose your save location and file name and click Save.
14. Congratulations! You’ve Completed the EasyStep Interview. If you reach this screen, your installation is complete and you’ve created a company file for your business or organization:
You're not quite done - you need to register QuickBooks to be completely finished with the installation
That’s all there is to it. I don’t know what the interview offers that you miss by skipping the interview, but if you’re looking to just install the software and create a new company file, it is as simple as entering some basic information and saving the file.
The only problem is you can’t really click Finish and begin using QuickBooks. Once you finish the installation, you are brought to a screen that says you have to register the software with Intuit. You have 30 days to register, but you might as well just get it over with since it’s mandatory (which is a completely ridiculous and annoying thing in and of itself).
15. Register QuickBooks Premier. Clicking on the Finish button brings you to a Registration screen.
You need to register your QuickBooks software to ensure your automatic updates works properly
You can choose to have QuickBooks remind you later, but again, you’re probably better off just dealing with the registration now. Click on the Begin Registration button to start the process.
16. Set up your Intuit account. You should come to a screen that will allow you to set up an account with Intuit. It’s just the basic required questions: email address, username, password, and security question.
Note: If you downloaded the software, you probably already created an account. If the email address you entered in Step 9 is the same as the one you used to create your account, you should see a small window telling you that you already have an account:
If you have an Intuit account and used your account email address during installation, QuickBooks will detect the email address and tell you to just sign in. You can recover your password if you forgot it.
If you don’t see that pop-up window, check to make sure you don’t already have an Intuit account. If you don’t, just enter the information and click on the Next button.
17. Review your business profile. Once you’re logged in with your account, you should come to a screen to review your business profile. The form should already be filled out, but make sure to check the information for accuracy.
This form allows you to review the information you entered in Steps 9 and 10.
The form is divided into three sections: company inforation, primary contact, and tell us about your company. Most of the information in the “tell us about your company” section is not required. There is also a check box that asks if you are an accountant, Intuit ProAdvisor, or Intuit Solution Advisor.
I would recommend checking this box even if you don’t fit the category – it wont change your settings, it will only make sure you receive all notifications from Intuit, including the ones targeted at your financial advisors and purchasing staff.
18. Read the privacy policy. There isn’t much there, and I’m sure Intuit has a more robust policy somewhere, but the policy at the end of the Registration screen has a link to adjust your notification settings:
The "contact you" link will allow you to select your mail, phone, and email notification settings - but only for special offers and promotions
Change your contact settings, or click on the Next button to finish your registration.
19. Your registration is now complete. You should now see a screen telling your registration is now complete:
Make sure you print or save the information on this screen - you will need it if you ever need to re-register QuickBooks
I just clicked on the print button and saved the screen as a PDF.
That’s it! You should now see a Home screen with a funny looking map of the relationships between vendors, customers, employees, banks, and the company.
It might seem like a lot of steps, but it is a really user-friendly installation. The required registration is annoying, but it doesn’t add that much time to the installation and it acts as a good reminder to check your critical information. The last thing you want is to have QuickBooks generate a bunch of tax forms or invoices with your company name spelled wrong.
2 dBA ABd |:
