JohnH

cred65 - is this what you wanted bumped?

They should honor their original commitment, but whether they will do so or not is an open question. Make the appointment with the next person up the chain and see if they can figure out what's right. You might also mention that Michael Moore may be making another documentary about the health care system and you've contacted him with a request to come along to the appointment with his film crew.

Could it be the operating system? I'm guessing ATX 2004 won't run efficiently (if at all) on XP or Vista.

How true. This week I had to open 2004 Zillion forms to work up a corp return. It's slow, clunky, forgets what returns it has in its data base, and even crashed on me once. I had to close & reopen it twice just to load one state form. I can't believe how slowly it prints.

You gotta admit 50 cents is a good deal for a cup of coffee. After all, if you walk over to the cooler and pull out a 12-oz bottle of water, you'll have to pay a dollar or more for it.

taxbiilly got it right. Counting the Senior Citizen discount, I can get a cup for under a dollar at the local Petro Express if I also buy gas.

I'd use the dollar to buy a cup of coffee and throw away the letter.

I have pdf factory installed on my computer as another printer. I just bypass ATX completely when generating pdf's, because pdf factory allows me to manipulate the documents in numerous ways. I think the pdf printer in ATX is clunky & not worth the effort.

Tell them the government is now holding all remaining stimulus checks to help pay for the $700 Billion bailout - they procrastinated too long before deciding to file.

Eric: I have noticed some of the same trash posting on the Tax Book board, so for some reason these perverts do seem to have taken an interest in accounting & tax forums. (Somebody has way too much time on their hands). Seems like a reasonable to suspend new registrations until it's convenient for you to address the problem.

Mel: Your attitude about when is the appropriate time to seek people to put up money is noble and is pretty much in line with how I would approach the matter. However, let me suggest that you keep in mind that there are many of us who are willing to step up to the plate with full knowledge & acceptance of the risks if and when you decide you need some investment capital to keep the project moving along (or to accelerate development). The timing is your call, but remember that for the most part you are not dealing with novices when it comes to calculating risk vs reward.

Eric: Thanks once again for all your efforts to initially set up this forum and your ongoing efforts to keep it running smoothly. Thanks to KC for all she does to moderate as well, especially with the personal pressures she is going through at present. I'm using this episode as a reminder to myself that it's time to make another contribution toward the upkeep and maintenace of the forum, which I did this morning. I urge anyone else who feels so inclined to do the same.

The moderators will take care of the slime ball posters in due time. First they need time to get out their rubber gloves and the disinfectant.

I wasn't expecting you to have anything ready this tax season, and that is based on information you had posted previously. But like many on this forum, I'm ready to invest in the project as soon as you give the word, even if the initial product isn't expected to be ready for another year, or two, or three.

Whenever you upgrade to a newer version of QB, you can choose to keep the old version active. I presently have QB2007 and QB2008 on one computer and can open either of them, depending on the client. I also have older versions of QB on an older computer that I keep active for other reasons. But as has been mentioned, QB is not backward compatible (is anything?). Once you upgrade the data file to a newer version, it can't be restored to an older version of QB.

Eric: I think you're ahead on troubleshooting points. The rep for my local DSL provider snickered when I suggested line noise, but I think he's going to have to eat his words. 1) We replaced their old 4-year-old modem with a new one which has the router built in. Problem still exists. 2) Then I replaced the cable from the modem/router to the computer. Problem still exists. 3) Then I replaced the cable from the modem/router to the wall. Problem still exists. Looks like we are down to the incoming line as the source of the problem - there isn't much left to check. (Don't know if this will help, but I'm going to get some lipstick to put on the modem. I'm ready to try anything)

Thanks Eric. Simple enough to check, but I had missed the obvious. I plugged the modem output directly into the computer (bypassing the router) and still have the same problem. I have a call in to my service provider now to get a new modem installed, then it's on to the incoming lines.

Dear Client: I don't know how our office can function without your business, but beginning next month we're going to find out. Sincerely, John

I did a power reset on my modem and my router (all hard-wired, no wireless). Still have the same problem. I'm beginning to suspect my DSL service provider.

For the past 4-5 days, I've been experiencing lots of problems navigating online. Sometimes I'll need to click on a link 2 or 3 times to get it to connect - other times it just won't connect at all. I get errror messages saying IE can't find the site, although I know it's a valid site. Just curious if anyone else is seeing this. I'm using Internet Explorer for browsing and AT&T for my email. This is happening on two different computers - one running XP and the other running Vista.

Sometimes it's easy to over-think this sort of situation, especially if the person asking for the support is a family member or someone else you know personally. Trying to discern the purity of the other person's motives can get you into a real moral quandry. But keep in mind that it's very common for many organizations to require their full-time or part-time missionaries to raise their own support. However, as has already been mentioned, I'd be inclined to check out the sponsoring organization as a matter of good stewardship. If they are a legitimate religious organization, if their financial info seems reasonable and responsible, and if you agree with the overall mission of the organization, then I think it's perfectly acceptable to make the donation & take the deduction. If the organization fails any of those stewardship & accountability tests, then I wouldn't contribute no matter who is doing the asking. One excellent place to start would be the ECFA. http://www.ecfa.org/

The obvious question is "Are you saving the data when you close the return?", but I'm sure you've eliminated that one or else you'd be having other problems.

--> Now, all of this is just my comments. <--- Are you hinting that I can't claim I relied upon this advice if I get penalized because I agree with it? Just want to be sure I understand...

Once they have your SSN, there's nothing you can do to protect your SSN from parents who report the wrong amounts. You can, however, keep good records to show how much income you received and report it properly on your tax return, which is the only thing you are responsible for doing in this situation anyhow.

When I see a client pull a stunt like this, it brings to mind the old WC Fields line: "You can't cheat an honest man; never give a sucker an even break, or smarten up a chump."