| Where do VISTA and Windows 7 store Account Ability's backup files? |
VISTA does not allow applications to write directly to the Program Files folder, which is the default location. Instead, VISTA writes to a Virtual Store. The Virtual Store for Account Ability's backup files is located in
C:\Users\USERNAME\Appdata\Local\Virtualstore\Program Files\Account Ability\Tax Form Preparation\YYYY\BACKUP
If you cannot browse to this folder,
a) Select 'Organize' from your COMPUTER icon
b) From 'Organize', select 'Folder and Search Options'
c) Click on the 'View' tab
d) Select 'Show hidden files and folders'
e) Click 'Okay' to save your changes
f) Now try browsing to the folder again.
FYI: The Virtual Store is a feature of User Account Control, the centerpiece of Vista’s enhanced security. Applications that try to write to protected system locations, including Program Files, Windows, and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE in the registry, are prevented from doing so. Instead, a compatibility feature kicks in, and these applications write to a location in your home directory. Registry entries are written to a special area in HKEY_CURRENT_USER. The application mostly won’t know the difference, though there are limitations and you can get strange results. For example, if an application deletes a file from the virtual store when a file of the same name exists in the real location, the delete appears to succeed but the file still exists. Virtualization also fails (by design) if the application is run under another user account, or using Run As Administrator. The files written to the first user’s virtual store are invisible to these other users.
NOTE: You can avoid writing to the Virtual Store folder by running Account Ability as an Administrator. To do this, open the 'Properties' for the Account Ability shortcut and select 'Run as an Administrator' on the 'Compatibility' tab. |
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| Can I backup (restore) a single client's 1099s or W2s? |
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Yes. The 'Backup...' and 'Restore...' selections on each form's 'File' menu have been designed primarily for this purpose. |
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| Why is the 'Backup/Restore' selection disabled (dim)? |
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You have a tax form open. |
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| Why doesn't Account Ability remind me to Backup on exit? |
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Account Ability will remind you to Backup on Exit if (a) the 'Remind Me to Backup on Exit' indicator is checked (see 'Desktop' preferences) and (b) There are no other users working in Account Ability at the time you exit the application. |
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| I installed Account Ability on a new computer and restored a backup. Why doesn't Account Ability see the data? |
If the database path on the new computer is identical to the database path on the old computer, the data would be found. So, you restored the database to a different path.
Solution: Copy the restored database to the new computer's database folder.
Account Ability's database can be found in the folder YYYYDATA, where YYYY = reporting year (e.g. 2007DATA, 2008DATA)
a) Exit Account Ability, if it is running
b) Locate the YYYYDATA folder that you restored
c) Double-click the folder to display the database
d) From Window's 'Edit' menu, select 'Select All'
e) From Window's 'Edit' menu, select 'Copy'
f) Browse to Account Ability's new database folder
g) Double click the folder YYYYDATA
h) From Window's 'Edit' menu, select 'Paste'
i) Overwrite all files
j) Start Account Ability.
If your data is found, you can safely delete the YYYYDATA folder you restored.
Alternate Solution: (Applies to versions 15 and above)
a) Start Account Ability
b) Close any open tax forms
c) From the 'Module' menu, select 'Re-allocate -> Account Ability's YYYY Database'
d) Browse to the YYYYDATA folder that you restored
e) Double-click the database file (e.g. AA2007.abs, AA2008.abs, etc.)
f) Exit and restart Account Ability.
If your data is found, you can safely delete the YYYYDATA folder you restored. |
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| Can I disable the 'Backup Reminder' displayed before exiting Account Ability? |
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Yes. From Account Ability's 'Preferences' menu, select 'Desktop'. Remove the check in front of the preference 'Remind Me to Backup on Exit'. |
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