HV Ken

Thanks Joan, but that is not it. I have generated the e-file, and now the letter contains both e-file and mail information.

Received this email from customer support. Not sure I exactly understand what they are communicating here - seems that now the program scans for certain text in the sections? I would need to know what the "criteria" is so I can modify my letter appropriately! The changes I made look no different than last tax year, or the year before that, or before that.... Anyway - read on.... One or more changes that were made in the 'Master' letter to customize it apparently altered the criteria that show the form of communication for the return - "mailed", "e-filed". Recommended solution: Delete the Custom Letter, restore the 'Master' Client Letter and begin again, being careful not to remove or change any verbiage in the 'Master' Letter that activates the type of communication used for the return ("mailed", "efiled"). After the Letter is customized, 'Save' it and create the e-file again.

Thanks, but I don't want to have to do this to every return. Very inefficient. Looks like I get to experience technical support first hand.

Thanks JRS, but I am still having this problem. So perhaps I am not understanding the exact steps you are talking about. I modified my master customized client letter using the wizard, removed all the checkmarks from that section of the wizard, saved master, went into return, discarded client letter, reloaded client letter, but I am still getting the mailing instructions. Is there something different that you did? Thanks.

OK - I am overdue on contributing. Is there a suggested donation amount per forum contributor that if everyone donated would cover the expenses?

I finished customizing my client letter. When I bring it in to the return, it has everything I expect, but it is also including the "We recommend that you mail your federal return..." section. Problem is we e-file everything - the letter has both the e-file and this erroneous mailing instructions. I can't seem to figure out how to make that section go away globally. There must be some option somewhere that is causing it to be pulled in. Any ideas? Thanks!

Don't know how many of you return to the "CCH Small Firm Services Consolidates Sales and Support" story at http://www.thetechgap.com/2008/01/cch-small-firm.html, but Lenny Holt, Sr. Vice President, CCH Small Firm Services, posted the following at January 18, 2008 at 03:19 PM: "I wanted to take an opportunity to apologize to those customers who have had trouble accessing ATX support this week. We have been working around the clock to address the reasons for the temporary problems—most of which were the result of the implementation of a new phone system. Call times have been dramatically reduced today and we believe the issues will be completely resolved by the end of day today. We thank you for your patience and regret any problems you have encountered. We appreciate our customers greatly and we are committed to serving you well by offering the products and services that meet your needs. I also want to reassure all of our customers that we are committed to continuing the ATX product line and that we will do everything necessary to deliver a high level of service for you this tax season and in the future." Please don't shoot the messenger - just posting this here for all to see. At least we know that CCH is watching.

Hmm - that would depend on whether your customer service was any better.... You should add your voice over at http://www.thetechgap.com/2008/01/cch-small-firm.html

Michael, Isn't your practice large enough to fund the whole thing yourself? :lol:

OK - I joined the effort....

The W-2 worksheet has a pulldown for box 12 with code S. Just enter all the info from the W-2 right into the worksheet. Should be a one-to-one match. HV Ken

If you change it in the preferences, it will do it automatically for each new return you create. I believe there is also an option to make this the default on rollovers. Neither of these will have an impact on existing returns. For example, if you already rolled over your entire 2006 database into the 2007 program, you're too late. I certainly hope you, or anyone for that matter, does not do this. The best practice from my experience is to perform just in time rollovers. Hope this helps.

To subscribe: http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=135307,00.html

Hmmm - after all the client letter issues of the past, I thought they stopped rolling them over, and instead there is an item in the Preferences to add the client letter.

Thanks for the pointers, erc. I guess I should have been more explicit - I am specifically looking for web sites for tax businesses.

We are in the process of creating a web site for our business (home office consisting of my wife and me). I was wondering, if you have a website, would you mind either posting the URL here or sending it to me? I'd like to see what others in the ATX community are doing. Yes, I am aware of the CCH website service. While it looks very professional, the cost is more than I am looking to spend. Thanks!

Oh yea. That's a thing of beauty! Thanks!

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary

I just did this successfully for 2006 back through 2001 (6 years worth). I performed all of this via my home network - no extra media (e.g. external hard drive) required! This is on two XP systems. On the old computer, I shared each of the ATX200x folders. This process is for each ATX200x year: On the new computer, I used Explore to go to the ATX2006 installation folder and I renamed: Backup -> Backup.orig Database -> Database.orig Masters -> Masters.orig Then I created new folders for the three I renamed (Backup, Database, Masters). On the new computer, I opened up ATX2006 in one Explore window, and the shared ATX2006 from the other computer in a second Explore window (via My Network Places). I made sure I was in the same named folder in both Explore windows (Backup on new computer and Backup from shared computer). In the shared Expore window for Backup, I did a Select All and then Copy. Then I switched to the new computer Explore window for Backup and did the Paste. Repeat for Database and Masters. Then Repeat all these steps for each AYX200x year to move. Afterwards, I went into each ATX200x on the new computer, had to reset the Preferences, ran an Update to ensure I had the latest of everything, and opened a few returns. As far as I can tell, this has worked perfectly. YMMV.

Thank you Beth! Getting the repair from the ftp site did the trick. Woo hoo! Let the games begin!

Thanks KC and Bill, With your tips I now have my two computers running networked! One more question - When I initiate ATX2007 on the second computer, I always get the Open File - Security Warning pop-up for ATX2007.EXE and I have to click Run. Is there something I need to set somewhere to avoid this pop-up, or is this just the way the networked computer operates?

OK - So I shared the ATX2007 from the main computer. It said it set all the permissions on the subdirs. I ran NetSetup on the second computer. I executed ATX2007 and I get this error: The program subfolder doesn't have the correct permissions set, and the program is unable to complete this task. Please check with your systems administrator to verify that the permissions set for the folder allow the proper access. Do I need to explicitly share each ATX2007 subfolder?

Thanks for your help. No, I don't share the drives. I only share selected folders. So in this case, I should share the entire ATX2007 folder from the main computer so that the second computer sees it? I think there are still some basics that I am missing....

OK - so then I run NetSetup.exe on the main computer, right? Then on the second computer, also do an install and run NetSetup? And that's it? Aren't they supposed to share the database from the main computer? I am still not getting it.

Hi. This is my first season wanting to run two computers networked. I am on Fios and networked via the Fios router. The "main" computer is running XP Pro and the second computer is running XP. I have MAX. I am trying to follow the installation instructions (KB 14660), but I find them to be rather lacking. I did a custom install as the instructions state. Step 6 says "choose a unique installation folder". Does that mean it has to be something different than ATX2007? I took the default of ATX2007. Step 7 says to follow the on-screen instructions. It didn't seem any different to me than a Standard Installation. It just installed the software and that was it. Now the newtwork instructions.... Step 3 says to double-click the server icon (such as S:\Server). I really don't have a server. I just have two computers connected via the Fios router - i.e. a home network. At this point I am totally confused and not sure how to proceed. Can someone please help me with this setup? If someone would be willing to help me via phone, send me a message and I will call. Thanks.