How to properly back up ATX/Payroll software correctly?

[IT Guy]

Hello,

Long story short, I'm an IT Consultant helping a tax preparer keep their system and files properly backed up. His former consultant of over 40+ years passed away last year without any documentation.

I assume this will be an easy ask but I also hate assuming because we know where that leads us... So here is a little back history followed by my questions:

• Their machine is a Mac with Windows 10 loaded onto it via bootcamp. They were using Arcserve ShadowProtect SPX (SPX) to backup the drive regularly to USB. I also see multiple year after year instances of "ATX" and "Payroll", i.e., ATX 2018, ATX 2019 and Payroll 2018, Payroll 2019, installed on the desktop of the device.
• I've taken many images of hard drives for backup purposes over the years. However, I've never used ATX software before and I'm unsure of any additional software or database securities that could exist, and I want to make sure my backups do not need anything in addition to the actual data. I've taken a copy of the drive using Macrium Reflect also and I've learning the SPX backup platform as this is also new backup software to me.

So my questions are as follows:

1. 1. Is the current SPX backup software recommended by tax community or is it just merely another backup solution that previous consultant preferred? Is there an actual backup software that the community prefers over another? How is everyone keeping their files backed up?
2. Is there anything tricky about backing up and restoring ATX/Payroll software? For example, the backup images that have been taken by Macrium and SPX are worthless because they are encrypted and tied to the installed Windows instance or something along those lines.
3. Keeping a hard drive backup is one way of doing things but I would expect the ATX/Payroll software to also have a backup feature that could be easier to manage than backing up the entire drive and be proven to be more robust in process since it's specific to the ATX/Payroll software.

Thanks for reading and helping out another preparer!

~N
 

[Slippery Pencil]

I assume SPX was the backup solution preferred by the previous consultant.

There is a backup and export function w/in ATX in the Return Manager under Returns.

 

[Abby Normal]

If you back up the entire Wolters Kluwer folder, you'll have a complete backup. A disk image is also a great option.

ATX automatically backs up returns when you close them, and you can manually back up Settings, but to get everything including forms you've downloaded, you need to backup that Wolters Kluwer folder. I've heard it recommended that you end the ATX Server task before backing up or copying.

 

[anatx]

I'm not sure how SPX backup works.  You should try to recover the backup data (on your backup server) to see if you have full access to your files.  ATX tech support showed me the correct way to manually back up.  First, stop MS Service for 'ATX xxxx Service', then copy both DataStore and 'ATX xxxx Files' folders (xxxx = year).  After that, restart MS Service to continue using ATX.  When I need to restore my data, stop MS service for ATX, copy my backup data to their locations, restart MS service and done.  If you miss any of the 3 steps above, it'll be more complicated to recover your back up data.

 

[Abby Normal]

21 hours ago, Slippery Pencil said:

There is a backup and export function w/in ATX in the Return Manager under Returns.

 

But, when you go to the backup function there is no way to select all returns, so it's pretty useless. It's also why so many choose export instead, because with export, you can select all returns.

[IT Guy]

On 2/17/2025 at 7:59 AM, Abby Normal said:

If you back up the entire Wolters Kluwer folder, you'll have a complete backup. A disk image is also a great option.

ATX automatically backs up returns when you close them, and you can manually back up Settings, but to get everything including forms you've downloaded, you need to backup that Wolters Kluwer folder. I've heard it recommended that you end the ATX Server task before backing up or copying.

 

On 2/17/2025 at 11:55 AM, anatx said:

I'm not sure how SPX backup works.  You should try to recover the backup data (on your backup server) to see if you have full access to your files.  ATX tech support showed me the correct way to manually back up.  First, stop MS Service for 'ATX xxxx Service', then copy both DataStore and 'ATX xxxx Files' folders (xxxx = year).  After that, restart MS Service to continue using ATX.  When I need to restore my data, stop MS service for ATX, copy my backup data to their locations, restart MS service and done.  If you miss any of the 3 steps above, it'll be more complicated to recover your back up data.

 

This is great information. Thank you for taking the time to respond!! I know it's the busy season right now.

It sounds like I have my bases covered when creating an image with SPX or Macrium.

I'll include a script to run to stop/restart the ATX Server task also (didn't know about this trick!). Along those same lines, is the ATX Server task the same process for Payroll or does it to have an independent 'Payroll xxxx Server'? I'll have to check his computer and see if a similar task is running but for Payroll. Any additional insight as to how this applies to Payroll would be appreciated.

~N

[anatx]

From 2018 onward, ATX tax and payroll have the same user interface and files structures.  Payroll has its own MS 'Payroll xxxx Service'.  Backup procedure is the same for both.