QuickBooks 2009: The Missing Manual

Appendix A. Installing QuickBooks

QuickBooks’ installation procedure gains a few extra steps—and clicks of the Next button—with each new version. Still, you only have two basic options: install the program from scratch or upgrade from a previous version. When you upgrade, you can choose to run both versions on your computer at the same time, which is essential if you’re an accountant who works with company files from several different clients. But if you use QuickBooks to run your own business, there’s not much point keeping two versions around. Once you open your company file in a new version of QuickBooks, it won’t run in the earlier version (see the box on Installing QuickBooks). Either way, this appendix walks you through the installation process.

This appendix also tells you how to install QuickBooks 2009 on a company network (Where to Store Your Company Files). If, like most businesses, you have several people who can access a company file at the same time, everyone has to run the same version of QuickBooks, so prepare to spend the time installing the program on all those machines. You’ll also learn where on a network you can store your company file—and which location to choose for best performance.

Note

You don’t have to pay list price for QuickBooks ($199.95 for a single license of QuickBooks Pro; $399.95 for a single license of QuickBooks Premier). Your local office supply store, Amazon.com, and any number of other retail outlets usually offer the program at a discount. (If ...