This Friday I thought I would share a few of my own favorite “freebies” and a few paid tools with you. These are just a few of the things that I just don’t think I could live without on a daily basis while running my own business, some you may already know about – others you may not.
First, the freebies, not in any particular order:
- CutePDF Writer – turn ANY document into a .pdf. Download & install CutePDF Writer, it installs as a “printer”. From any program , yes even QuickBooks, choose CutePDF from the printer selection dropdown menu, and ta-da — your document is now a pdf file.
- Foxit Reader - a fast an inexpensive alternative to Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Google Docs – easily upload and share files – anytime, anywhere.
- ReviewBasics – exchange ideas and gather thoughts on creative, interactive, motion, and written content in a breeze. Upload your content and invite reviewers. Their feedback is reported back to you in real time.
- youSENDit – send large files to anyone.
- senduit – this tool caters to the basic need of short to medium term file storage and transfer. Upload a file (up to 100 mb) and you are given a link that goes directly to the file you’ve uploaded. Instead of emailing the large file, you email or IM the link to the file.
- Dropbox – allows you to sync your files online anc across your computers automatically. 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100 GB available to paying customers.
- PRLog – is an online free press release distribution and release submission service.
- i-Newswire – another online free press release distribution and release submission service.
- Zoomerang – create customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, market research, educational, Twitter, or Facebook surveys. Limited to 12 questions and 100 responses.
- SurveyMonkey – another survey tool, this one is limited to 10 questions per survey with 100 responses.
- Jing – take a screenshot or make a short video of what you see on your screen.
- CamStudio – an open source screen recording software which creates industry standard AVI video files
- EverNote – remember EVERYTHING using your computer, the web or your phone.
- Ta-da List – make lists for yourself or share them with others.
- LastPass – password manager.
- NudgeMail – the easiest way to send your self reminders for anything, anytime, anywhere.
- WebsiteGrader – a free tool that grades the effectiveness of your website; allows you to compare your website to others.
- BlogGrader – a free tool that analyzes and grades your blog.
- Grader – a suite of tools that helps you measure and analyze your marketing efforts.
- Netviewer Support free for personal use – do you have someone, perhaps parents, who frequently need computer help? Go to http://www.netviewer.com and sign up for a free trial of Netviewer Support, login to your customer portal and download Netviewer Support for personal use. Start support sessions by clicking an icon on your desktop, click invite and send the automatically generated email. The recipient clicks a link and a small piece of javascript automatically installs on their computer and poof you are able to control their computer and help them out. The free version doesn’t allow for file transfer and it doesn’t recognize dual-monitors.
Paid tools:
- SnagIt – take screenshoots and edit them with an impressive number of tools, for Windows or Mac.
- Camtasia Studio – screen recording and video editing software, save your videos in MP4, FLV, SWF, M4V, AVI, Silverlight, MOV, RM, Animated GIF, or MP3 formats.
- NetViewer Support Business Edition – With Netviewer Support, you’ll stay closer to your customers and provide rapid online help. Anytime, no matter where you are. Expand your action radius and improve your help desk’s productivity. Netviewer is part of Citrix Online.
- Netviewer Meet – combines BOTH online meetings/webinars with up to 100 participants AND one-on-one remote support for one low convenient price of $49.90 per month or if you sign up for 1 year it’s $39.90 per month. Netviewer is part of Citrix Online.
What are your favorite free or paid tools that you use in your business?
Windows Vista and Windows 7 have changed the way that we use our computers, install software, and store our files. We were all spoiled with Windows XP, where we could save anything anywhere we wanted and share anything with anyone that we wanted. The new rules and requirements of Windows Vista and 7 are often overlooked or are unknown and can cause quite a bit of aggravation!
There is a power struggle going on in the world we work in; and it’s between Windows 7/Vista, QuickBooks and QuickBooks 3rd party applications. You can tell if your computer is caught in up in this struggle if you receive an 80040408 – Could not start QuickBooks error when a 3rd party app tries to access your QuickBooks company data file.
This article will discuss best practices to help YOU prevent or put an end to this power struggle; explain why it happened in the first place, and provide instructions for putting an end to the power struggle going on inside your computer.
Your New Computer
Any new computer that you buy comes pre-configured with an Administrator Account, which is great – BUT few people, including IT people, ever take the time to research the Microsoft website to learn that it is recommended that you create a Standard User Account for each person who accesses the computer–including yourself AND EVEN if you are the only person who uses the computer.
- What is an Administrator Account? An Administrator account is a user account that lets you make changes that will affect other users. Administrators can change security settings, install software and hardware, and access all the files on the computer. Administrators can also make changes to other user accounts. When you set up Windows, you’ll be required to create a user account. This account is an administrator account that allows you to set up your computer and install any programs that you would like to use. Once you have finished setting up your computer, we recommend that you use a standard user account for your day-to-day computing. It’s more secure to use a standard user account instead of an administrator account.
- Why use a standard user account instead of an administrator account? The standard account can help protect your computer by preventing users from making changes that affect everyone who uses the computer. We recommend creating a standard account for each user. When you are logged on to Windows with a standard user account, you can do anything that you can do with an administrator account, but if you want to do something that affects other users of the computer, such as installing software or changing security settings, Windows will ask you to provide a password for an administrator account.
- What is User Account Control? With Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft enabled additional security features; such as User Account Control (UAC). User Account Control (UAC) is a feature in Windows that can help prevent unauthorized changes to your computer. UAC does this by asking you for permission or an administrator password before performing actions that could potentially affect your computer’s operation or that change settings that affect other users. When you see a UAC message, read it carefully, and then make sure the name of the action or program that’s about to start is one that you intended to start. By verifying these actions before they start, UAC can help prevent malicious software (malware) and spyware from installing or making changes to your computer without permission. When your permission or password is needed to complete a task, UAC will alert you with one of the following messages:
- Windows needs your permission to continue
- A program needs your permission to continue
- An unidentified program wants to access your computer
- This program has been blocked
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Right click on the image to enlarge it
Right click on the image to enlarge it
Right click on the image to enlarge it
Into the picture comes comes QuickBooks and Intuit Support Reps
We all know that Intuit offers to install QuickBooks on your computer for you; and many people take advantage of this service – which is fine……BUT I know from talking with customers who have taken advantage of this service – that the Support Rep {9 times out of 10} installs QuickBooks under the Administrator account and NOT the Standard User Account and to my knowledge they never ask the user if they use a 3rd party app. This is where the trouble begins.
Enter the QuickBooks 3rd Party App, the Intuit Developer Network & the SDK
Developers who utilize the QuickBooks SDK to create their 3rd party applications must follow rules established not only by Microsoft, but also the rules created by the Intuit Developer Network (IDN) regarding how a 3rd party app must or can access the QuickBooks file when they are run on a Windows Vista or 7 computer.
These rules include:
- The Vista (and Windows 7) user account must have its User Account Control (UAC) set to On (as recommended by Microsoft)
- Both QuickBooks and the application accessing it through the SDK should be run with Standard User Permissions – NOT elevated to run as administrator {in less technical terms this means that both QuickBooks and the 3rd party app should be installed and then run under the Standard User Account)
- The QuickBooks company file must also be in a Public or properly shared folder
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Right click on the image to enlarge it
The power struggle is caused by a lack of communication and information! And the result is an 80040408 – Could not start QuickBooks error when the 3rd party app tries to access your QuickBooks company data file.
Troubleshooting an 80040408 – Could Not Start QuickBooks Error
First, you should try some basic troubleshooting/problem solving exercises:
- Do you have a Standard User Account? – if not you need to create one.
- Is your User Account Control turned on? – if it isn’t, turn it on.
- Does your QuickBooks file live in the Public folder or in a properly shared network folder? – if it doesn’t, put it there.
- Was QuickBooks and the 3rd party app installed through the Administrator account? – if it was, then it is running with Administrator level permissions; you can tell if it was installed under the Administrator account because there will be a little “shield” on the desktop icon.
Creating a Standard User Account – OR – Creating a New Administrator Account and Turning the Existing Admin Account into a Standard User Account
Follow the steps below to create a Standard User Account if this is a new computer and you’ve not yet installed any software:
- Close all open/running software on your computer.
- Click your Start button -> choose Control Panel -> choose User Accounts.
- Note what the current account name is {it may be Admin}
- Click the link that says “Manage another account”.
- Click the link that says “Create a new account”.
- Type in a User Name – this name MUST be different than the existing account name – for example if the existing user account name is Admin, make this user account name be YOUR name
- Select the Standard User account type option.
- Follow any on screen prompts.
- Reboot your computer and log into the newly created account and install your software.
Follow the steps below to create a NEW Administrator User Account and turn the existing account into a Standard User Account if you have already installed a lot of software on this computer:
- Follow Steps 1-5 above.
- Type in a User Name – this name MUST be different than the existing account name – for example if the existing user account name is YOUR name, make this user account name be ADMIN or your company name.
- Select the Administrator account type option.
- Follow any on screen prompts.
- Reboot your computer and log into the newly created account.
- Click your Start button -> go to Control Panel -> User Accounts -> choose Manage another account -> select the original login account.
- Choose Change the Account Type and set it to be a Standard User.
- Follow any on screen prompts -> reboot your computer and log into the ORIGINAL account.
Yes, unfortunately this is all a lot of work and aggravation, but it must be done in order for the QuickBooks 3rd party software application to be able to work with your company data file. For additional information on resolving an 80040408 error and other QuickBooks Connection errors, please visit our support area.
NOTE: We have had a lot of success with creating a new Administrator account and changing the existing account to a Standard User Account. There have only been a few instances where this has not resolved the 80040408 error.
When you are unable to resolve the 80040408 error using the information provided above:
- You will need to login to the Administrator account and uninstall/remove QuickBooks and the 3rd party app.
- Reboot {restart} the computer and log into the Standard User Account -> install QuickBooks and the 3rd party application.
Have you or your clients received a QuickBooks 2011 message window, when you are not connected to the internet, stating:
We can’t detect your internet connection, so we can’t verify your QuickBooks subscription.
I frequently receive this message and others when I work on my Vista laptop and it is not connected to the internet. Is QuickBooks 2011 “phoning home” to Intuit? I seriously believe that it is phoning home to Intuit on a daily basis – either that or I’ve found a bug.
Background:
QuickBooks Premier Accountant 2011 R3P with no internet connection on a Vista 32 bit laptop, a Windows 7 64-bit laptop AND a Windows 7 64-bit desktop; logged in as a Windows “Standard” User.
Details of the problem:
Boot computer normally. The Vista (or Windows 7) User Account Control window will appear, displaying the following message:
A program needs your permission to continue
QuickBooks Utility Application
When I click on the Details option, the following file name and location displays on Vista:
C:\Program Files\Intuit\QuickBooks 2011\DBManagerExe.exe, Start Server 256
When I enter the Admin password, QuickBooks launches automatically – without my doing anything – and a window appears stating:
We can’t detect your internet connection, so we can’t verify your QuickBooks subscription. Check that you are connected to the Internet and click Retry.
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Because I know that I’m not connected to the Internet, I click Cancel (clicking Retry only makes the message display again).
QuickBooks 2011 then loads, but loads “oddly” – meaning that it doesn’t load the Home page, the Icon bar, or even the last company file that I had open – only the Menu bar loads but even that does not load properly.
The ONLY items that are active on the menu bar are the File and Help menus.
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Using the File menu, I scroll down to the Open Previous Company option; which displays no previous files – when in fact it should display 9 different company files that I have been working with.
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In order to actually open a company file, I have to use the Open or Restore Company option and browse/select which file I want to work with.
This behavior has been happening consistently on my Vista laptop every morning this week (I use this machine in the wee hours of the morning on the comfort of my couch).
I decided to test my theory, so when I came to work this morning I unplugged my Windows 7 desktop and my husbands Windows 7 laptop (both 64-bit machines).
I experienced different results with these machines, which leads me to believe the following:
- If you have selected the option to Keep QuickBooks running for faster startups (Edit menu -> Preferences -> General Preference -> My Preferences tab) AND you are not connected to the internet; then you will experience the UAC Window for the QuickBooks Utility Application. If you turn this option off, you will not receive this any longer.
- I believe that the “Can’t Verify Subscription” message is due to having signed up for an Intuit Workplace Application at one point or another and canceled the subscription. My husband who has never signed up for an Intuit Workplace Application did not receive the “Can’t Verify subscription” message – while I have signed up to test Intuit Workplace Applications.
I have submitted this as a “bug” to Intuit.
I’m making this information available because I have seen others post about the same issues and thought that you would like a “heads up”.
Free eBook – “What’s New in QuickBooks 2011 – A Comprehensive Overview”.
For those of you who follow this blog, you’ll know that I’ve been posting about new features and functions of QuickBooks 2011 since early September – because I believe that it’s important to learn as much as we can about new ways in which to use the accounting software that we’ve chosen.
What many of you probably don’t know, is that every year I do an “annual” review of the new features to provide our customers, subscribers of the QuickBooks for Contractors newsletter, and visitors to the Technical Support Area of our main website.
This year, I’m doing something a little different and making this annual review available publicly, here on our blog!
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Request our FREE 142-page “What’s New in QuickBooks 2011? eBook, by completing a simple request form.
This eBook will provide you with with all the information I’ve posted here in our blog, plus MORE! Once you’ve completed our simple request form, you’ll have instant access to this 142-page .pdf eBook, designed to be duplex printed and put in a binder for future reference. |
We’ll be taking a week long blogging break while we gear up for some new content beginning on November 1, 2010.
The Balance Sheet by Class Report is new in QuickBooks 2011 and it gives users the option of selecting “Classes” (fund, location, profit center, or other category) as their column/class grouping.
Over the last several days, I’ve been discussing and sharing some information about how we all will need to change our data entry procedures in order to utilize the Balance Sheet by Class Report available in QuickBooks 2011.
In previous articles:
- QuickBooks 2011 – New Balance Sheet by Class Report – Part 1, we touched briefly on the fact that transactions will have to be entered in a very specific manner and there are many data entry transactions that are not supported by the Balance Sheet by Class Report
- QuickBooks 2011 – New Balance Sheet by Class Report – Part 2, we discussed how accounting professionals and end users would need to change their procedures when creating journal entries so that they were balanced
- QuickBooks 2011 – New Balance Sheet by Class Report – Part 3, we discussed how users and accounting professionals would no longer be able to assign multiple classes to a single paycheck.
- QuickBooks 2011 – New Balance Sheet by Class Report – Part 4, we discussed how you would need to classify Payroll Liability Payments in order for them to be appropriately recognized on the final report.
- QuickBooks 2011 – New Balance Sheet by Class Report – Part 5, we discussed how you need to classify Sales Tax Liability Payments using a Journal Entry AFTER you actually make the payment.
- QuickBooks 2011 – New Balance Sheet by Class Report – Part 6, we discussed the effect of handling customer prepayments when using the Receive Payments window.
In this article, we’ll talk about invoices with multiple classes and how offering customer discounts in the Receive Payments window cause discrepancies between the Profit & Loss by Class and the Balance Sheet by Class reports.
Business owners who offer early payment discounts to their customers will need to carefully review their billing procedures, especially if they frequently create a single invoice to a customer which contains multiple class assignments.
For example, let’s say that you create an invoice as follows:
| Description | Amount | Class |
| Plumbing | $2,000.00 | Contracts |
| Electrical & Lighting | $3,000.00 | Contracts |
| Cabinets & Vanities | $5,000.00 | Installation |
A net income difference between the Balance Sheet by Class and the Profit & Loss by Class reports occurs when the customer pays you and you use the Receive Payments window to record an early payment discount, because you can only assign a single class to the discount.
The Profit & Loss by Class report shows the full amount of the Discount ($100.00) in the “Unclassified” column of Net Income.
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While the Balance Sheet by Class Report allocates the discount based on the classes from the original invoice.
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The only solution is to enter a single class for each invoice, this also means, based on our example, that you would have to create two different invoices for your customer; one for $5000.00 assigned to the Contracts class and another for $5000.00 assigned to the installation class.
This also means that you will have to receive two payments from the customer, even if they send you a single check, so that you can properly apply the correct class to the discount.
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When discounts are handled in this manner, the Profit & Loss by Class report accurately reflects the discount for each class.
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And the Balance Sheet by Class accurately reflects Net Income.
Right click on the image to correct it.
While this is an adequate work around, it is my opinion that it increased the work load and will be a very unattractive solution for most businesses because it will double the time it takes to bill customers and receive payments.
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Request our FREE 142-page “What’s New in QuickBooks 2011? eBook, by completing a simple request form.
This eBook will provide you with with all the information I’ve posted here in our blog, plus MORE! Once you’ve completed our simple request form, you’ll have instant access to this 142-page .pdf eBook, designed to be duplex printed and put in a binder for future reference. |
