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In case anyone is interested in an overview of the release version of Windows 10 that'll be out in a couple weeks. I'll be installing Windows 10 on a spare machine in a couple weeks so I can do some testing with the new Edge browser. I imagine it'll be quite a speed improvement over IE.

The squeals and screams would help me plan the next shot...

target practice for Catherine?

There will be no operating system on any of my personal, nor any of the firm's computers except WIN7 Pro for at least 3 more years. WIN7 is going to be supported till at least 2020 per Microsoft. It is solid, reliable, and all the peripheral companies have drivers for it. Not going through the VISTA fiasco ever again. My recommendation is: DO NOT sign up for, install or upgrade to WIN8, WIN8.1 or WIN 10. WIN7 Pro will be available as OS on new computers for several years, if you choose a proper supplier.

In all fairness, I have to say that I have never called ATX Support for anything since the early days with William Tasker. However, I have been unable to open the 2013 program on my main computer. Of course, now is the time when all of those who "failed to file" for a few years are coming in. I took a chance today and called Support. I was answered on the first call. I was not put on hold; and a very sweet gal used Team Viewer to fix the issue with a series of almost mechanical clicks. I just wanted to say that she was courteous, more than competent, answered my questions and my issue is fixed. I believe in giving credit where credit is due and I believe that if they do something right, they should be recognized for it. I have one less thing to worry about tonight.

Probably. For an entity to be granted 501(c)(3) status it must be a corporation or sometimes a trust or association. If the entity was never legally formed, I would think the 501(c)(3) was granted under fraudulent precepts. The problems might be deeper than just removing the status. Part II of Form 1023 deals with the organizational structure. Under each of the iterated entity forms, the applicant is instructed to attach the underlying document(s) showing the formation of the entity. The signature for Form 1023 has the usual "under penalties of perjury" dialog. If the entity was never incorporated, the applicant either submitted an incomplete form or submitted bogus paperwork. Either way, it might be time to enlist the aid of an attorney.

An SSD is a Solid State hard drive.....which is much faster than an ordinary hard drive. They used to be too expensive for many people to bother with, but are becoming more affordable every day.

Thanks, everyone! That is my preference. I know Windows 7 Pro and love it. I will ask for an SSD. I don't know what the heck it is, but I will look.

I gotta agree with KC here. I too have seen the situation she spoke of too many times to mention. I usually do the kids return for free as well. Normally takes not time at all and usually gains me a client when they do become of age.

From Pub 925: Dispositions by death. If a passive activity interest is transferred because the owner dies, unused passive activity losses are allowed (to a certain extent) as a deduction against the decedent's income in the year of death. The decedent's losses are allowed only to the extent they exceed the amount by which the transferee's basis in the passive activity has been increased under the rules for determining the basis of property acquired from a decedent. For example, if the basis of an interest in a passive activity in the hands of a transferee is increased by $6,000 and unused passive activity losses of $8,000 were allocable to the interest at the date of death, then the decedent's deduction for the tax year would be limited to $2,000 ($8,000 − $6,000). If you inherited property from a decedent who died in 2010, special rules may apply if the executor of the estate files Form 8939, Allocation of Increase in Basis for Property Acquired From a Decedent. For more information, see Publication 4895, Tax Treatment of Property Acquired from a Decedent Dying in 2010, and the Instructions for Form 8939.

Just like I said. I agree with all of the above. If your supplier of choice says he/she cannot provide WIN7 Pro as operating system, contact me. I will put you in touch with one that can.

I, personally, would definitely stay with Windows 7 Pro.

I would use Win 7 Pro, Win 8.1 seems to work ok, based on some other comments, but there may some interface differences that you might not like. My new computer has Win 7 Pro and I'm quite happy with it. I recommend you have an SSD installed too. Boot times are fantastic.

With her blindfolded....

Last night after this post was updated I started looking at the differences in Win 10 compared to earlier versions and noticed that it doesn't include any software or drivers to run any floppy drives or CD/DVD drives, so if you want a machine with anything other than a hard drive, have any software that still updates on CD on DVD, or have anything stored on that type of media, you'll have to purchase add-on software to run a drive. More and more things will be moving to cloud-based software.

I agree that there are risks to upgrading, and few benefits. Best to leave a working business machine alone. But I guarantee that there isn't going to be a VISTA fiasco, since Windows 7, 8, and 10, are all essentially Vista.

A rating can only almost double, if it was in the toilet the year before. And it was: 2.1 to 4.0

I have never hid my personal feelings about my personal experiences with ATX support. The few times I have had to use them, they have gone way beyond the call of duty and never made me feel stupid when they had the perfect opportunity to do so. I give them a 10+ on a scale of ten. Thanks for sharing!

I had a client call just last week who got the call and was on his way to the Western Union office to wire the money when he had second thoughts and called me first. Guess Patel's arrest hasn't stopped the whole organized criminal gang. It's going to be like wacking moles--get one and another pops up. (Ronnie Deutsch all over again. They shut her and others down, but I still hear a half dozen commercials a day from "pennies on the dollar" places.) I saw a newscast in Maryland yesterday about the same exact scam targeting Dominion Electric Company customers--pay right now or we'll turn off the juice, send the cops, whatever. What's scary about this one is that people won't think to call their tax person to question it. At least we could warn them not to send money. In our practice we have had over 100 clients who contacted us about the IRS call. What scares me is the statement, "Patel and his co-conspirators also used several layers of wire transactions in order to conceal the destination and nature of the extorted payments...." These guys are too good at what they do.

Blindfold the firing squad so that several of the shots miss his heart. Let him die slowly and agonizingly, just the same way his victims have to repair the damage.

Well, personally, a firing squad would suit me just fine for him, given not only the financial pain but the fear and anguish he caused to so many. Or if that's too messy for you, how about we just put him to sleep, permanently?

I think they should give him the number of yeas it takes each person he defrauded to recover their funds plus pain and suffering and any other thing they can tack onto his hind end. The article says he was fined one million but defrauded people up to 1.2 mil and higher. Why did they stop there? Got off too easy in my opinion. I do like the possibility of deportation but he didn't run the calls from here.