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ProSeries Frequently Asked Questions

Installing a Prior-Year ProSeries Program on a Windows Vista Operating System

Products Affected:

• ProSeries
• ProSeries Express Edition
• ProSeries Basic Edition

The new Microsoft Windows Vista operating systems have several significant differences from other Windows operating systems. As a result:

• Our engineers have been making required changes to the ProSeries programs for the upcoming 2007 tax year.
• Our quality assurance analysts have been testing prior-year ProSeries programs on Windows Vista operating systems.

Important: ProSeries programs for tax years prior to 2007 will not be changed retroactively for the Windows Vista operating systems.

Prior-Year ProSeries Programs That Were Tested

We surveyed customers to determine which prior-year ProSeries programs are important to preparers who are using one of the Microsoft Windows Vista operating systems. Based on the results of that customer survey, we focused our Windows Vista-related testing on the following prior-year ProSeries programs:

• ProSeries - Tax Years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006
• ProSeries Express Edition - Tax Years 2004, 2005, and 2006
• ProSeries Basic Edition - Tax Years 2004, 2005, and 2006

Prior-Year ProSeries Features and Functions That Were Tested

The following are prior-year ProSeries features and functions that we tested on computers with a Windows Vista operating system:

• Licensing ProSeries products
• Transferring data from prior-year ProSeries client files
• Opening new tax returns
• Navigating among forms in returns
• Entering data
• Saving data to client files
• Printing single forms and tax returns
• Using the Copy/Backup command (Client File Maintenance menu)
• Using the Restore command (Client File Maintenance menu)
• Using the DataBase Maintenance command (HomeBase menu)
• Increasing Pay Per Return (PPR) balances

Prior-Year ProSeries Issues That Were Identified

Our testing of ProSeries programs for tax years 2003 through 2006 on Windows Vista operating systems has identified the following three issues:

• Issue 1 - Running the ProSeries Program in Vista Administrator Mode
• Issue 2 - Using the Print to PDF Functionality
• Issue 3 - Licensing the ProSeries Program for Tax Year 2003

Issue 1 - Running the ProSeries Program in Vista Administrator Mode

If you want to use a ProSeries program for tax year 2003, 2004, 2005, or 2006, we strongly recommend that you run the ProSeries program using the Windows Vista Administrator option. (Right-click on the ProSeries icon or shortcut, and then choose Run as administrator.)

Tip: The Windows Vista operating systems include a new feature known as User Account Control (UAC). UAC is a new security component of the Windows Vista operating systems that helps prevent malicious programs from damaging a system, stops the automatic installation of unauthorized applications, and prevents unintended changes to system settings. UAC includes a "Run as administrator" option that enables you to run programs in Windows Vista administrator mode.

For information on Windows Vista administrator mode, please see "How to use User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista" on the Microsoft Web site.

Issue 2 - Using Print to PDF Functionality

The Print to Portable Document Format (PDF) functionality in the ProSeries programs for tax years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 will not work on a computer with Windows Vista.

Issue 3 - Licensing the ProSeries Program for Tax Year 2003

If you will be installing more than one prior-year ProSeries program, begin with the earliest year. For example, install 2003 ProSeries before you install 2004 and so on. If you will be installing 2003 ProSeries on a computer with a Windows Vista operating system, you must install the terminal services patch so you can license your 2003 ProSeries program. You can install the terminal services patch from your Tax Year 2003 ProSeries Archive Release CD or our Web site.

Tip: Product licensing is required before ProSeries can print on paper or to PDF files.

If you have your Tax Year 2003 ProSeries Archive Release CD, follow these steps to install the terminal services patch:

1. Insert the Tax Year 2003 ProSeries Archive Release CD in your CD drive and install the 2003 ProSeries software.
2. After the installation process is complete, open Windows Explorer and browse to the X:\pro03\32bit\support folder (where X is your CD-ROM drive).
3. Double-click the termser.exe file.
4. In the ProSeries - Terminal Services Patch Setup dialog box, click Next. To accept the default destination folder click Next. (If you want to install to a different drive or directory, click the Browse button and select the drive or directory you want to install to.) The dialog box will automatically close after the patch has been installed.
5. After the patch has been installed, remove the Tax Year 2003 ProSeries Archive Release CD.
6. Restart your computer and open 2003 ProSeries.
7. Go to the Tools menu and select License Products.
8. Select Online and click OK.
9. Follow the on-screen instructions.

If you do not have your Tax Year 2003 ProSeries Archive Release CD, follow these steps to download and install the terminal services patch:

1. Install the 2003 ProSeries software.
2. Download and save the termser.exe file.
3. In the File Download dialog box, save the file to your computer's hard drive. Be sure to note the location so you can identify it when the download is complete. (We suggest that you save it to a temporary directory such as C:\Temp or to your Windows Desktop.
4. Double-click the termser.exe file you saved to your hard drive.
5. In the ProSeries - Terminal Services Patch Setup dialog box, click Next. To accept the default destination folder click Next. (If you want to install to a different drive or directory, click the Browse button and select the drive or directory you want to install to.) The dialog box will automatically close after the patch has been installed.
6. After the patch has been installed, restart your computer and open 2003 ProSeries.
7. Go to the Tools menu and select License Products.
8. Select Online and click OK. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Tip: If your 2003 ProSeries program is not licensed, you might see the message “ProSeries was unable to access your licensing information. To resolve, please restart your computer. If the problem persists, reinstall ProSeries or contact Technical Support."

Additional Information

• ProSeries and Windows Vista Operating System - Frequently Asked Questions

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