Monthly Archives: September 2009

13 posts

Google Apps A Microsoft Exchange Killer

Business Systems Support Google Apps

I think not.

Google would have to give Apps away and beg people to forgive them for functionality that is missing before this stuff could begin to compare to Microsoft Exchange.

However, you can get some serious functionality for $50 per year per user. And, Google Apps reinvents collaboration, moving the target away from the Exchange paradigm with easy deployment.

Although Google Apps syncs with Outlook, much of the Exchange functionality, nuances that corporate Outlook / Exchange users depend upon, are not fully developed; for instance sharing and delegating access to your calendar.

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If you’ve never used Exchange and seek additional mobile connectivity and enhanced employee collaboration, consider Google Apps very carefully. Compare and demonstrate functionalities with both Microsoft Exchange with a fully hosted application service provider and Google Apps and please, consider a professional to help deploy your collaborative messaging solution.

H1N1 Swine Flu and Remote Working

Business Systems Support

The CDC predicts your workforce may suffer a 40% absenteeism rate due to employee illness and caring for family members. You will be impacted whether you are a single person business or a worker in a ten thousand employee company.

“Everbridge, the world’s recognized leader in incident notification systems, merges technology with industry expertise to help millions of people communicate in a crisis, manage operational incidents and connect on a daily basis.”

You might not ever consider using a resource management and communications solution of the magnitude of Everbridge, but information on their website about managing business continuity during the impact of this year’s flu epidemic is a must read.

Remote working will not necessarily provide all of the solution to your response effort. If you’ve had the flu in the past, you know how impossible work becomes during your time with the flu or while you care for family members with the flu.

Work responsibility must be shared and clear divisions of labor with clear definition of task failover must be in place to survive the impact of this year’s flu crisis.

During October and November, many people whom you work with will become ill or need to care for family members that are ill. Remote working solutions can be deployed in a matter of minutes but business continuity planning takes time and effort.

You must act now to mitigate damage to your business.

Download QuickBooks 2010, Try Without Hurting Current QuickBooks Company Files

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Business Systems Support QuickBooks

Today is the QuickBooks 2010 release date.

You will most certainly want to upgrade from your present version of QuickBooks to QuickBooks 2010. There are many New Features in QuickBooks 2010. My favorite new feature; “Scan documents directly into QuickBooks and attach them electronically to QuickBooks transactions”

However, please don’t endanger your current production QuickBooks. Try out QuickBooks 2010 without messing up your production quickbooks using one of several ways.

First, download the QuickBooks Solutions For Your Industry or, you can Save 20% off QuickBooks Pro Small Business Accounting Software + Free Shipping

Next, if you plan to buy a new computer in the next several months, purchase a new PC that is upgradable to Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate. Purchase QuickBooks 2010, install it on your new PC. Restore one of your company files on your new PC and start experimenting.

Use this combination as a tool to help you plan your upgrade after the first QuickBooks 2010 updates come out in several months. Then, in several months, install your clean version of Windows 7 on the new PC and move it into production.

Another great way to test QuickBooks 2010 without purchasing a new PC requires installing Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 to your current XP or Vista PC. Virtual PC 2007 allows you to create a virtual computer inside of your present computer. Follow the Virtual PC 2007 instructions, install Windows XP, Vista or 7 on your virtual computer. Install QuickBooks 2010 on your virtual computer.

Then get with the program; learn about QuickBooks 2010 and create your upgrade plan.

Get Real Time Lightning Strike Data

Lightning Strikes

Use the weather subscription service used by Meteorologists. There is no such thing as free real time weather information on the Internet. All of the Internet weather consists of republished content. Some of the “real time” radar can be as much as half an hour old.

WeatherTAP is different. I don’t resell or make any money from your subscription. I just know where to find the real deal.

Read what WeatherTAP has to say; “No more weather surprises with WeatherTAP, the fastest weather on the web. With weatherTAP, you get the quickest, most current NEXRAD radar and a complete aviation weather package. There’s detailed lightning data as well as high-resolution East (GOES-12) and West (GOES-10) satellite images. Plus, you get the weathertap blog, up-to-date forecasts, surface data, and colorized, animated maps: local, state, regional, and national coverage. Over 9,000 graphic products.”

Read more about WeatherTAP.

More QuickBooks Shipping Manager Errors

Business Systems Support QuickBooks

Question: When I click OK to configure the Shipping Manager path on the network computer, it gives me the error:

Access violation at address 08928D7C in module ‘ZRUSH_~1.OCX’. Read of address 0000001C

Answer: The problem might be folder and/or database damage or permissions. You must also have at least a two user licenses version of QuickBooks. Basically, the "Shipping Manager" database needs to be in the shared company files folder. Generally, following these steps corrects the error:

1 – Restart both the host computer and the network computer

2 – On the host computer, open QuickBooks and confirm that shipping manager works (if it works, the database is not damaged) leave QuickBooks open.

3 – On the host computer, in QuickBooks, select Help and About QuickBooks. In the green window, confirm that "User Licenses" says 2 or greater. Note the license number. Leave QuickBooks open.

4 – On the network computer, open QuickBooks and confirm that the company file works on the host computer (if it works, the "Company Files" folder permissions are ok) leave QuickBooks open

5 – On the network computer, in QuickBooks, select Help and About QuickBooks. In the green window, confirm that the license number matches the license number for the host computer, confirm that "User Licenses" says 2 or greater.

6 – On the host computer, in the "Shipping Manager Settings>>Connection Settings>>Connect Via Network" box, confirm that the shipping manager database is located at "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Shipping Manager v4\Database.v4" (or a path other than the default). Take note of the Shipping Manager path.

7 – On the host computer, confirm that the company file is located at "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files" (or a path other than the default). Take note of the company files path.

8 – Close QuickBooks on both computers.

9 – On the host computer, open the "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\" folder or the Shipping Manager path noted in step 6. Copy the "Shipping Manager v4" folder. Open the "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files" folder or the company files path noted in step 7. Paste the "Shipping Manager v4" folder into the "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files" folder.

10 – On the host computer, open QuickBooks. In the "Shipping Manager Settings>>Connection Settings>>Connect Via Network"box, enter the path "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files\Shipping Manager v4\Database.v4\" OK or save back to QuickBooks main screen then close QuickBooks.

11 – On the network computer, open QuickBooks, select "Shipping Manager Settings>>Connection Settings>>Connect Via Network" then enter "\\[host computer name or ip address]\SharedDocs\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files\Shipping Manager v4\Database.v4\" in the block. OK or save back to QuickBooks main screen.

Occasionally, I have to delete the UPS or FEDEX accounts in Shipping Manager on the network computer, then repeat 10 and 11. One can avoid all of this by using a QuickBooks Remote Application Server

QuickBooks Multi User With Windows 7

Business Systems Support QuickBooks

If you plan to run out and buy a new Windows 7 computer at the end of October, I’m sure you’ve done the research to know that only QuickBooks 2010 is supported on Windows 7; and that there are problems with QuickBooks Pro 2009 on Windows 7

error 

Don’t throw away your old Windows XP Pro computer yet. First, not only will QuickBooks 2010 install ok on a fresh copy of Windows 7 with Internet Explorer as the default browser, but earlier versions of QuickBooks will also install and run on Windows 7. Second, Windows 7 will see network shares on Windows XP Pro with little effort as opposed to setting up Windows networking with Windows 7 or Vista.

So, using your old Windows XP Pro computer as a dedicated QuickBooks server makes terrific sense. Put a fresh installation of Windows XP Pro on the computer from a restore CD or Windows XP Pro CD, then follow the instructions at painlessquickbooks.com to build out and configure the server.  All of your valuable QuickBooks company files will be in a safe, secure, out of the way location,  not on a dynamically changing computer used on someone’s desk every day.

You can also configure your dedicated QuickBooks server to complete automated tasks like a backup or syncing your website orders and inventory to QuickBooks.

QuickBooks Multi User Options

Business Systems Support QuickBooks

Intuit has detailed QuickBooks Multi-User Instructions at http://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/…  However, you have other more effective options.

For a client-server installation, install QuickBooks according to the instructions in the guide that I wrote. You can purchase it at painlessquickbooks.com The benefit to you comes with stability of your company files and automation, such as a staggered automated backupand online, off-site backup that your business cannot do without. My configuration also remedies all of the Windows Vista and Windows 7, 32-64 bit problems with application data hosting and networking. The guide will be the best twenty bucks you’ve ever spent.

If you require a very large and stable  environment, please do not consider a client-server, by the Intuit book installation. It redefines the meaning of slow and troublesome.

Instead, opt for a Server 2008 Terminal Server dedicated to QuickBooks. You will gain substantial performance and additional hours of less headaches over the client-server setup. You can publish QuickBooks as an application or use the more recognized remote desktop client to access QuickBooks.

I never fail to have happy clients after I recommend a 2008 terminal server based dedicated QuickBooks Remote Application Server.

Are You Ready For QuickBooks Multi User?

Visit painlessquickbooks.com to find out.

Tiny Lightning

Lightning Strikes

Sometimes very tiny lightning can make a very large impact. Often I’ve had to explain systems damage due to lightening strikes and other electrical issues. The physics of electricity never fails to amaze me. It only takes a small static electrical spark to court disaster.

Check out this video, then think twice about how you might avoid static electricity the next time you fill up.

Restore QuickBooks Backups

Backup Business Systems Support QuickBooks

Question:

How do I check to make sure I can actually restore my backup files?

Answer:

If you are using a local backup, I have a quick video explaining the process here.

If you are using QuickBooks online backup, use Web Restore to restore your latest online backup company file to a folder on your local computer.

Web Restore allows you to restore your backup files using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.(x) and newer or Mozilla Firefox 2.(x) and newer. With Web Restore, you can access only the last successful backup performed.

To restore your Online Backup files:

1 – Create a folder on your desktop called "Test Restore"

2 – Go to the QuickBooks Online Backup Login page here

3 – Enter your Account ID and Password and click the Web Restore button.

4 – If prompted, install the ActiveX control.

5 – Follow the online instructions and locate the company file (mycompany.qbw) that you want to restore. Then, click Restore.

6 – Save the file to your "Test Restore" folder on your desktop.

You can take it one step further by testing the file in QuickBooks. Remember not to confuse the file with your current production company file. Delete the file from your "Test Restore" folder when your test is complete. It would be a good idea to test your backup every month.

If you are not using QuickBooks Online Backup, you can purchase a 1 GB or 10 GB service plan here

If you need more than 10 GB, use another online backup service such as Mozy or iBAckup.

Also, A QuickBooks company backup file {mycompany}.QBB, does not contain everything to fully restore your QuickBooks to full functionality. Features like Shipping Manager, Loan Manager and add ons are not saved in the QBB file.

Consequently, house all of your company files including add on data, in a dedicated folder then backup the entire folder to your online backup service. I have a detailed instructional video at https://lesmurphy.com/.

Are You Ready For QuickBooks Multi User?

Visit painlessquickbooks.com to find out.