Learn about office procedures that work well with QuickBooks to reduce mistakes, minimize problems, and lower accounting costs.
 

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How long should you keep business records? The IRS says you must keep your records as long as they may be needed to prove the income or deductions on a tax return.  .See our   table  for  length of time based on business status quo rather than on authority, so use your best judgment and consult with your CPA. Top
How to restore Click for a good explanation by Intuit that demonstrates how to restore a Quickbooks Backup.
Keeping backups offsite with USB flash units

*************** IMPORTANT***TIP***************

 

Using a FLASH DRIVE for backup?
 

Be sure to remember to use the "Safely Remove Hardware Feature". Failing to do so can cause corrupted data, making your backup useless!

Tip: buy a separate flash drive for each day of the week. Weekly, backup to your desktop and then create a CD or use the QuickBooks online backup feature to ensure there is an offsite backup.
An easy answer to moving data and keeping data offsite  128MB USB Flash unit (holds 70 times more data than a standard floppy disk). USB flash units are about the size of a lipstick and are designed to be added to your keychain There is no need to burn CDs or use slow floppy disks to move data. They plug into your USB port and the the backup works the same as backing up to your A or CD drive.    Windows XP comes with USB drivers that automatically "see"  the removable disk (the flash drive) Windows 98 usually requires a driver off a CD that comes with some models.

There should always be at least 2 sets of backups in the event one backup unit fails. Consider purchasing 2 units.

You can easily restore your files with Windows Explorer. There is no need to compress the files. USB drives are built to last and are designed to be carried around!

the perfect solution to
easy backup of large QuickBooks files Buy now, delivered free
     From $5.00
Actual Size Shown! Hangs  on your keychain!

Windows XP comes with USB drivers that will recognize "see"  the removable disk (the flash drive). If your computer runs on Windows 98 a driver file must be installed that will recognize the devise. 


USB extender for Flash Drive
Make backup easy                     $14.88
Many USB ports are located in the back of your computer. This handy cable will make the port accessible (without climbing on your hands & knees) when using the flash drive mentioned above.

Quickbooks Online Offsite Backup QuickBooks Online Backup Service, powered by Connected, offers your business an easy, low cost alternative to protect your data remotely.   To sign up, open QuickBooks > Company menu > Company Services > Backup your PC online

QuickBooks Small Business File Backup--Protects all of your PC data files, software applications:
Up to 200 MB
. Includes PC Heal--the ability to "heal" your PC and repair damaged configurations--the quick and easy way to get your PC working correctly again. Plus you manually select additional files, up to 200 MB.
Up to 4 GB for the Premium Data Backup Protects all of your PC data files,
Up to 10 GB Premium Plus System Backup Protects all of your PC data files and software applications, .

We found it a bit difficult to uncover the telephone number for technical support for QuickBooks Online Backup, and therefore have listed it here for your convenience 508-879-6017. The support is free during the 30 day trial but $1.95 per minute thereafter unless your problem is among the following:

  • Account, password or encryption
  • Re-installation of software
  • Recovery of lost data
  • Trouble accessing/connecting to the service (until it is determined the issue is not with Connected) 
  • Billing, termination of service,

Email support:
 http://www.connected.com/quickbooks03/contact_email.html

The service provides a good website with helpful tips and we suggest you read through it:

Guide : http://www.connected.com/quickbooks03/guide.html
Message in Log: 0 Files backed up :
http://www.connected.com/quickbooks03/guide_backup.html#zerofiles


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Backing up QuickBooks using CDs From Intuit's website, a step by step procedure to backup to a CD

If  you have CDRW and the CD is preformatted as a direct drive by Easy Creator 5 and Easy Creator is updated to the latest release,  you should have no problems backing up your QB files directly from QB.

A simple procedure is to create a new folder on  C drive named "Files to be backed up on CD".   To create a new folder, open up windows explorer (from the start menu/programs/accessories) > highlight the C: drive > from the file menu on the top menu bar, click on file > new > folder > type in the folder name and hit enter  

Backup QuickBooks to  C Drive in the folder "Files to be backed up....." . Then  open the CD burner software and select this folder to be copied to CD.   

If you are using Microsoft® Windows® 98, Microsoft® Windows® Millennium Edition, Microsoft® Windows NT 4.0®, or Microsoft® Windows® 2000, the only way to back up your QuickBooks data file to a CD is by using third-party software designed for this purpose, such as Roxio(TM) Easy CD Creator®.

Or if you are using Windows XP you can use the following procedure to copy the "files to be backed up" from the  C drive onto the CD drive.

HOW TO Copy Information to a CD in Windows XP

Copy Files and Folders to a CD

To copy files and folders to a CD:

  1. Insert a blank writable CD into the CD recorder.
  2. Double-click My Computer, and then click the files or folders that you want to copy to the CD. To select more than one file, hold down the CTRL key while you click the files you want.
  3. Click any of the following options:
    • Copy this file
    • Copy this folder
    • Copy the selected items
  4. In the Copy Items dialog box, click the CD recording drive, and then click Copy.
  5. In My Computer, double-click the CD recording drive.

    Windows displays a temporary area where the files are held before they are copied to the CD. Check that the files and folders that you intend to copy to the CD are displayed under Files Ready to Be Written to the CD.
  6. Under CD Writing Tasks, click Write to CD.
  7. After the CD Writing Wizard starts, follow the instructions in the wizard.
  8. When the process is finished, the wizard displays a check box for you to choose to create another CD like the one you just made. If you want to create multiple copies of the same CD, click Yes, write these files to another CD and insert another blank, writable CD into the CD recorder. Follow the instructions in the wizard. NOTE: After you copy files or folders to the CD, it is useful to view the CD to confirm that the files are copied.

Files copied onto a CD are changed to Read Only files, so you can't open or restore the file the CD directly. You have to copy the file to your hard drive and then right click, select properties, and uncheck the "read only box". For windows XP users,  this last step is not necessary as  XP  will uncheck the "read only" box for you.
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Want to see the last 9 files you accessed in Word or Excel? Expand the default view in Word and Excel of recently opened files from 4 files to 9 files.; Open Word > Tools Menu > Options > General tab > place a check next to recently opened files and click on the arrow until 9 appears.

Complete same procedure in Excel

For more computer shortcuts visit

Computing_Tips_and_Solutions_for_the_office.htm
Microsoft_word_tips.htm
Internet_Explorer_Shortcuts.htm
 

Converting Mac QuickBooks files to Windows QuickBooks Intuit has developed a webinar to demonstrate how easy it is for Accountants to convert their clients who use QuickBooks for the Mac into a windows PC QuickBooks data file.  Also available is a PDF file which will provide written instructions for your files on how to convert QuickBooks Mac into a PC file and convert it back to a Mac File
Taking too long to save a file? You know what its like, you go to save a Word or Excel doc and you wait and wait for your computer to read your computer directory so that you can navigate to the correct folder. Do  you save it in folders that you can easily access again?  Do you  wait while your computer re-indexes so you can switch out of "my documents" to the correct file folder? Wait no more!  Save time by creating shortcuts under "my documents" that with one click will open those folders you need frequently.

Create shortcuts to different folder right in my documents
Start menu > Documents > My Documents
Right click on the white space in this window
Select new
Select Shortcut > Click Browse > Click on the + next to my Computer >
Browse the C drive to a folder you would like instant access, select, click OK
Click Next then enter the name of this shortcut - put a 0 (zero) in front of your name so this shortcut will appear at the top of your files in my documents.
 


Audit Trail- the first step in guarding against fraud.
Using the audit trail creates more data and larger files but it is a great help in checking out who did what and when.
You can turn on the audit trail by going to the Edit menu and choosing Preferences. In the Preferences window check Account in the left-hand scroll box. On the company Preferences tab, select the "Use audit trail checkbox." Click OK. The audit trail feature will keep a record of all transactions entered, every change made to the transaction and who entered and modified the entries. The audit report is available from the reports menu, under accountant & taxes

Read our articles "Protecting company assets from unethical employees" and " Internal Controls for small business" to find out how you can begin to protect your business assets against dishonest employees.. Top

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