Medlin Software, Dennis

And that is acceptable? What point is there using AV if you have to turn it off? In your example, I doubt many would believe Intuit was spreading anything nefarious. Unfortunately, not everyone is Intuit, and as every minute goes by, computer users become less expert or interested in understanding what happens "behind the hood". If the AV company was doing what it is selling or saying, they would test against the big software (at least). Which reminds me, there are AV companies who simply white list certain software, which really is no protection at all since at any time a wayward employee could insert something nefarious into a white listed program... The only semi good thing to come down the pike in the last decade is the "virus total" system. Anyone can very quickly test and desired program or wen site against 60+- current virus signatures from different vendors. In THEORY, the AV vendors have access to the results, and can use the results to keep their offerings from having false positives. In my case today, out of the 68 (IIRC) testing in virus total today, only the one is saying my offering is suspect. 1 hit out of all tested is 99.9999999% odds of a false positive (which in this case, it is a false positive). The BIGGER deal is I did not have to change anything in my setup file, other than to not zip (compress) the files in the setup. This shows how foolish it is to rely on the AV programs (and at least in my opinion, PAY for any such program) as such a simple thing can make something they "thought" was bad magically be good.

Accept there is nothing perfect, and prepare, plan for, and practice recovery/survival. That time/money is well spent IMHO. This from someone who, like others, has had to call 911 and be told (rightfully so) no one is coming (natural disaster triage priorities, not a complaint!)...

Obtain knowledge. Once you understand the limitations of AV "protection", and the motivation of the paid AV providers, you will understand why so many installation processes include a suggestion to disable your AV software during the installation. The only real protection is good backups, and making sure your fingers remain under control (safe hex). No software can control your fingers, so no software can protect you 100%. Paid AV offers no extra safety than free AV, and by paying for AV, we are perpetuating the "medicine show" business. At least the old medicine show hawkers products (which did not kill you) would give you a buzz... Personally, I say those who rely on AV products are at more risk, since they incorrectly believe their AV software allows them to not worry about what they click or open.

Not today, but all have had issues, and will continue to. Any AV software which guesses (most call it heuristics, as few would pay for "guesses") will have false positives. If I can figure out how easy it is to fool AV software, it is reasonable to believe those who spend their full time on the issue (the baddies) can easily fool AV software long enough to make their money. While it falls mostly on deaf ears, relying on AV software is a fools gambit. At least some experts in the field say using AV software is less safe, as it encourages users to be less vigilant about practicing safe hex.

The iRS posted the form Jan 16, but the instructions were not posted until Feb 7. I guess I could see needing two weeks to implement and test something (from the instruction posting), but I would not be happy about it either. Could also be a priority issue, where they have to put some things in front of others based on whatever criteria they choose.

Another case of wasted time. A certain AV vendor's daily updates was marking one of my downloads as nefarious. Of course, this is another "false positive', or "income generator" issue. (False positives are a known issue, which no one addresses, as it makes the AV vendor multiples of income compared to actually being correct...). To resolve the issue, I tried the "basics" (which show how bad the AV "security" really is, since all they are doing is making wild guesses). Change the case of a few letters in the program code, more a few code blocks around, and so on. No good. I then individually tested each file, no problems. Thus, the only problem is when compiled into a setup exe. OK, I have seen this before... think. So I tried something new, not using compression in the setup creation. TA DA. The AV vendor has forgotten how to unzip files, as the files not zipped are fine, but when zipped, are reported as nefarious. So for today, my download has to be 4x as large as normal, because of an accidental or on purpose mistake bu a major AV vendor. Anyone paying separately for AV is paying too much...

For business use (or for any email account you want to be sure to receive messages), you should probably turn off all auto filters, then setup manual filters for messages you are certain you do not want to see. Yes, this seems backwards, but it is the only way to be sure not to miss anything you wanted to see. There are other tricks of the trade, such as using special email addresses for things like mailing lists or online shopping (some mail services allow you to "add" things before the @ sign, without having to create specific addresses, which can then easily be filtered/tracked). Or for mail you are having trouble getting seen, send using the same provider, if you can (gmail to gmail for example). And be careful with the account you use for important sending, as it could get lumped as spam via the various auto filters. I just recently got completely fed up with complaints of messages not being received. Of course, I have NO control over receipt.viewing, only sending. So I have changed to a paid mail sending service which provides actual delivery confirmation (not viewed, as that is not reliable since it requires html messages, and a hidden image, which can be disabled by the reader). Just today, someone is telling me we never sent their receipt. We have sent it several times, and have confirmation it was received by their email provider. Unfortunately, they gave us no phone number, and a bad fax number, so we have to rely on USPS to deliver the printed copy of the message and receipt - since the likely problem is the receipt/receipts was/were sent to their spam folder. --- Speaking of USPS, my nearly 30 year old CBU (cluster box) was broken into. (Likely first of the month meth heads looking to sell a sack of stolen mail for a few bucks, my cameras do not cover the CBU, but a neighbor's does...) Only lost one item I have to replace. Of course, most of the neighbors have no idea it is up to us to pay the 1500+ for a modern CBU (no HOA) and most think USPS will fix it. Most of my mail does go to a POB, but for now, USPS is not enabling forwarding the rest, because of the damaged CBU, and is making me go across town to the main PO. I have to go to the PO unit where my box is to see if they can force the forward through. I did discover something I missed, that my POB allows me to enable a "street" address for my POB, meaning I can have all mail and packages shipped to the "street" address, as long as it is "USPS mail" worthy (under 70 lbs, not alcohol, etc.).

Do you have a business license for your computer repair service, insurance, signs on your van, employees of your own, other required permits and licenses, other clients, can you send someone else in your place, control when you do the work, etc.? Do you get a separate check, not written from payroll software, with no payroll type check stub (even if the stub is blank)? For the non-employee: Do you have business insurance to take care of your final expenses and your family in the future - since you could get electrocuted? Your non-employer has none for you, so if you failed to act like a business, and your estate is wise enough to go after your non-employer, those you left behind have to hope your non-employer has deep pockets and/or good umbrella insurance. For the non-employer: Defending their position as a non-employer will be more costly, even assuming a victory, than managing your services as an employer employee relationship. And the odds are the court/jury will not favor you. "Course of employment" is not something to take lightly. While this old time issue (employee/contractor) is well known (and often ignored), the "new" issue is home based / remote employees and the employer's liability for the actions of the remote employee during CoE. The most recent case I was perusing was an employee's child hurt in the home office space, and the employer had no workplace policy (such as no kids) in place...

Just in case one of my customers reads this and asks (actually get asked way too often) there is no such thing as a 1099 employee.

I got this first thing this morning. "I've been using your payroll program for about 5 years now and I am getting complaints from my clients about the taxes taken out for their employees checks. The employees are saying that the taxes are too low. I do all the updates when needed and I am not sure why it's not taking out the correct taxes. Please help. My clients are angry." This person is doing payroll for others and not aware of withholding being "Trumped". I know many do not keep current, so I have sent several messages during the year linking to the IRS calculators, and just a few days ago, to the new publication employers can hand out!. Then, when I proved our calculations are perfect, they got miffed that I called them on their statement, and claimed they said no such thing (see bold italic item in the above quote), and were actually complimenting me! The net result is they are now an ex customer, and are likely scrambling to locate and setup something before their next client payroll. (Life is too short...)

PDF does not always accurately reflect the designed output. Font substitution and line weights can be an issue, as can shrink and stretch. For most items, such as storage or non critical documents, no issue, but if the item it to be later printed and has requirements to meet (such as a tax form) caution is advised.

Printer driver information tends to "grow" in the Windows registry, meaning it is not cleaned up upon removal or reinstall. If all else fails, and you are comfortable doing so, remove all printers from Windows, then edit the registry to remove all traces of printers, then reinstall your current printer.

I just stopped using W7, in preparation for end of W7 life. I have plenty of backups and options, so a failure caused by any reason, even an OS update, is only a minor interruption. My W7 setup sits dutifully waiting to be plugged and and used in case of disaster. My older XP box is now retiring to storage, which can be accessed in a few minutes. I rely on these for fastest recovery, as they are already setup to restore from my online backups. To be perfectly candid, I switched to a new box at the most inopportune time, as usual, as I wanted to expense it for 2018, and could not deal with looking at the new box without "using" it. It took me probably 30 minutes to load what I needed immediately, and a couple of hours (overnight) to load the rest of my usual items and data. It will take me small amounts of time, over the course of a month, to make it "mine", but no rush. All the issues with any sort of corruption, update fail, computer damage or computer grows feet, can be minimized by proper backup and recovery processes... I'd rather spend my time building and maintaining a recovery process than worrying or complaining about what "could" happen. Stuff can and will happen, I cannot change that. What I am saying in lengthy form is for me, no outside force will ever be able to interrupt me for more than a few hours. With that said, worrying about the inevitable glitches is a waste of my time, and is better spent on preparation and testing my recovery process. I used to "hate" moving computers, now it is no big deal at all - tested recently by evacuation for fire/smoke (twice) and changing to a new computer.

The bank is likely getting some monetary return, since they do nothing for free... Being in the payroll business, where anyone "can" prepare their own, and for which there are 800lb gorilla's (although we have been around longer), there is no end to the need for small providers, which is probably true for tax prep too. The skill is finding the proper niche and staying in it, no matter what forces suggest you widen or change.

It should be kept updated as part of the normal Windows update process. The last time I used a development tool which required additional items, the additional items were still reasonable small enough to include. I do not use .net, but from what I have seen, it is too large to include, but can be installed as part of any properly done setup/install (and InstallShield is the 800lb gorilla of setup programs). This is where ATX failed...

This part of the issue is "on you", for the reasons I already mentioned. Before you expend energy and money on switching, consider the reasons you are using the software you are, and how you must adjust your methods of keeping safe and current, which would have prevented this particular issue. No software will have 100% flawless CS results, be bug free, etc. Humans are imperfect, and humans make and use software. If you like the software you are using, send an email with your experience, and suggest they update their installer settings to check for required items so no one else has the same issue. I have no idea if they charge for support, but having two hours of support time is... wasting your time in most cases. If something cannot be fixed in five or ten minutes, ask to escalate, or for someone else to try. A CS person is not likely to stumble on a fix after a few minutes, and candidly, is wasting your time and theirs if they keep stumbling around. If they will not escalate, then ask for a written response within a certain reasonable amount of time, so you have documentation of the issue. Note. I have no skin in this one, since I am not the software developer, nor do I use any of their products. I am merely sharing my experience from the other side. For this particular issue, you failed in your responsibility to your clients, to keep your computer up to date and as safe as possible. To me, this mistake is the glaring issue, whether or not the software was working. Thankfully, you have realized the issue, and hopefully not repeat it, and that your customer data was not compromised by your mistake.

The tech should not have made any assumptions... In two hours, they should have done a remote session and checked out the basics, such as current with all OS updates, and a current OS (not XP or older, and soon, not 7). The OP has to take on some of the responsibility for this situation. Preparing taxes means one has some very personal data which must be kept safe. That means having all current OS updates, using a current OS, is a MUST. The tech should still have asked, but sometimes I too forget that my customers do not always make wise choices. "blame it on my computer" is a terrible way of saying it, but essentially is correct, that the OP's computer was not up to date. The software vendor should also have a preinstall check for required system information... I do not use IS at present, but when I did, they have options and the ability top check for anything preinstall.

While not in the prep business, for us, change is what "changes" things here. Some we lose because they go out of business or find someone to offload to, some take on the work, to not have to pay someone else. Just today, I had to steer someone from ordering from us, as they thought they could lose their payroll service by finding "software" which could do everything for them (despite no experience, training, or even really reading over their service provided reports). I don't mind educating, but some simply do not believe there is no magic software which they can feed numbers into, prevents lose nut at the keyboard errors, makes their deposits on time, etc. Back "in the day", only experts used computers, and some, like us, wrote their own software. Now anyone can get a computer and software, and believe it is the holy grail. If that were true, I cold pick up a surgeon's kit..., or buy that perfect race car... Not complaining mind you, just pointing out, as the steward of our software, I have an obligation to be honest if someone clearly is not prepared to use it, even when the money is for my taking. I see no stewards at Costco next to the bin with tax software...

I can only tell you the first week of January is hectic for any payroll software company. If I had to guess, only based on my knowledge and your quote of a message, their server is extremely busy, and cannot connect. Could even be they process using a third party (easier than rolling your own), and the third party has many customers, with many clients, and does not have server capacity to meet the demand of the moment. I wold not wait on hold. I would send an email, text, or whatever written form they offer, so you have documentation (evidence) of your contact.

Current versions of Remote Desktop and SOS. Note, I was an early customer, so it appears I benefit from older pricing, based on what my next renewal shows to be.

Not a user of their software. If you have not contacted the software vendor for suggestions, do so. They are the experts on their software... All I can offer is a programmer's perspective. Any sort of data input, when the data must remain open for changes in another location, as well as updated with changes on your end, and at any other location, has to be slow. Data collision is the issue (who has the latest, and when, and what to do if more than one tries to change the same piece at the same time). Testing for data collision is slow, as is keeping all possible parties updated in a live manner. Slow is a relative term. Even I can type faster than data can safely be shared, but a two finger typist may not have enough speed to notice the time taken for data updates and security.

I am sure there are free, but not one that I would use, even for a once a year. I prefer paid, since I need it to be reliable, fast, and secure. I use Splashtop to manage my own computer from anywhere (which means I do not have to ever be "at" work), as well as to provide remote support.

I know we have a few customers who install our software on a virtual desktop, but it is not something we design, test, license, or support... How it was noticed the first time was someone who was selling access to their installation for others to use, and they wanted us to create a way to prevent one person from accessing data of another.

Are you referring to a setup where one computer has both the application and the data, and you want to operate the application from a different device (remote desktop)? A setup where more than one computer has the application, and the data resides in a shared location (network)? Something else? For remote desktop, which I consider the safest if it can be used, the RD software handles the security and connection, and should have zero effect on the operation of the application, since all you are doing is using the RD software to serve as the input and display, instead of having to be cheeks in seat. Whether or not either device is using a VPN should not be an issue (other than slightly slower response). Quality RD software routes data securely, so you do not have to use a VPN for the remove device (I still do). If you are referring to a situation where two computers have the application, but only one has the data, then anything other than a fast local wired connection will always increase the chances of data corruption due to latency. Adding VPN on top of the network process can add more latency. (I am not a network expert, since I stopped using networked computers years ago, because of latency issues... I'd rather have my latency restricted to the RD process.)

I get messages from google if they think they detect a hack attempt (they are usually correct). They suggest changing the password immediately. I do not think they lock out (since the messages I have had so far are blocked attempts). For a few things I log in to infrequently, if I do not remember and use the proper password, I can get locked out after a certain number of failed attempts, with a message not to retry for a certain amount of time. If I try within that time frame, the timer simply restarts. If it were me, I would try ASAP - within the 24 hours - and see if the lock is actually in place. If the message is legit, you should be locked out, and will get some sort of warning, hopefully that the timer has been reset. If you get in, and it is within the 24 hours, the message may have been fake. Either way, once in again, change all security items you can, and if possible, use two factor auth (such as a code received via text).