QuickBooks 2006: The Missing Manual

Appendix A. Installing QuickBooks

QuickBooks doesn’t have a lot of options in its installation procedure. You either install from scratch or upgrade a previous version. When you upgrade from a previous version, you can choose to run both versions on your computer at the same time. For business owners, this option isn’t as helpful as you might expect, because once you open a company file in a new version of QuickBooks, it won’t run in the earlier version. But upgrading and maintaining the previous version is an essential option for bookkeepers and accountants who work with company files from many clients.

Several people can access a company file at the same time. For business owners, this multiuser access adds a small burden to the installation because everyone must run the same version (QuickBooks 2006, for example). In addition, where you store your company file affects performance.

Although the QuickBooks Startup Guide that comes with your software CD is surprisingly thorough in its coverage of installation, the information for installing every edition from QuickBooks Pro to Enterprise could be overwhelming. This chapter distills what you need to know to install QuickBooks Pro or Premier.

Tip

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. In addition, accountants ...