Advanced Support

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FAQ

Most frequent support questions and answers

Network Install Instructions

These instructions are assuming that you are installing the Network Version of THS onto a computer that ALREADY has THS Executive installed. If you wish to move THS to a new computer AND upgrade to Network, perform the “How to move an installation to another computer” below first.

This is because the Network version performs a one-time transformation to format local databases to Network compatible versions upon installation.

Once you have THS Executive Version installed and logged in on your computer, follow the steps below.

  1. Download and run this file: https://taxhelpsoftware.com//Downloads/ServerSetup.zip
  2.  Once downloaded, run the setup and take all defaults (don’t change any setting, passwords, ect.)

    The next step is dependent on if you have a anti-virus controlling you windows firewall i.e. Norton, trend micro ect. if there is no anti-virus go to step 3 and skip 4 if there is go to 4 and skip 3.

    3. (If no anti-virus is controlling the firewall) When the setup is complete go to the windows firewall and allow this program on the firewall: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Binn\Sqlservr.exe

    4: (If there is anti-virus controlling the firewall)

          1. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager

          2. Click on SQL Server Network Configuration

          3. Click on Protocols for TAXHELPSOFTWARE

          4. Right click on TCP/IP → Properties

          5. Select IP Addresses at the top of the pop up

          6. Scroll to the bottom and look under IPAll

          7. Record the TCP Dynamic Ports Value (Usually starts with a 6 and it             should not be “0”

          8. Exit SQL Configuration Manager

          9. On the Start menu, click Run, type WF.msc, and then click OK.

          10. In the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, in the left pane,              right-click Inbound Rules, and then click New Rule in the action pane.

          11. In the Rule Type dialog box, select Port, and then click Next.

          12. In the Protocol and Ports dialog box, select TCP. Select Specific local        ports, and then type the port number of the instance of the Database              Engine, This is the PORT number recorded in step 7 above. Click Next.

          13. In the Action dialog box, select Allow the connection, and then click           Next.

          14. In the Profile dialog box, select any profiles that describe the                      computer connection environment when you want to connect to the                Database Engine, and then click Next.

          15. In the Name dialog box, type a name and description for this rule,               and then click Finish.

    5. Still in the windows firewall allow this UDP port: 1434

    6. If you have not installed the desktop version of Tax help software (THS) download it here: https://taxhelpsoftware.com/ths-install/

    7. Enter new license key and put in this license key: (Your server license key)

    8. Select a backup location where we will keep the database backups and select a time (I usually do 0:00 but anytime at night will be fine)

    9. Select Where the transcripts and report will be saved. This will need to be a network drive so all computers on the network can see the files. At the top of the screen it shows the current location you will need to set a new location if this location is not shared.

    10. Next either there will be some login credentials already filled in or it will be blank. If there is, just click next. If there is not, create a custom login for this user.

    11. Click execute and once the upgrade is complete they should be able to login.

    At this point The setup of the network server should be complete

    12. Go to one of the clients you want to connect to and install THS if it is not already: https://taxhelpsoftware.com/ths-install/

    13. Put in one of the client licenses and browse for the machine that you installed the server on. If you can’t see the server try putting in the ip address of the server into the text field and verify connectivity between both machines.

    14. select the location you selected in step 9

    15. Next either there will be some login credentials already filled in or it will be blank. If there is, just click next. If there is not, create a custom login for this user.

    16. Click execute once the upgrade is complete you should be able to login with any login that you have created up to this point.

Network error checklist

There is an endless number of possible Network errors, so here are some quick fixes that resolve most issues.

Make sure that the server is online, and that the files are accessible. If the file path for THS reports was changed, that change must be made respectively within the program under System > System Settings OR Network Settings in THS.

Uninstall antivirus. Sometimes disabling the antivirus is not enough to ‘release’ the THS files. Even with the same antivirus/firewall, some computers may work, some computers may not.

Make sure any VPNs are disabled. The local server machine must be discoverable on the local network.

Ensure that the network drives are mapped properly and that the appropriate sharing and administrator privileges have been applied.

Check Task Manager and make sure that the CPU or Memory is not being maxed out. If you have multiple applications running, this can slow down or completely halt THS.

Reboot your machine, if possible. Sometimes your computer just needs a good restart to get something working again. It is healthy to completely reboot or restart your computer at least once a week.

How to move an installation to a different computer

Please contact support at Support@auditdetective.com before attempting. You will need a reset license since moving to a new computer

  1. Start on the old computer and open file explorer.
  2. You are looking for the THS backup files, transcripts and reports usually found in the documents folder. If you can’t find them in the documents folder you can find the file path in the THS software at system>system settings, copy and paste the file path into your file explorer.
  3. Copy all the THS files you find there and move them to a shared drive/flash drive.
  4. Once on the new computer, go to the shared drive and copy and paste those files back where you originally had them on the old computer (the first file path we copied and pasted).
  5. Once pasted go into THSTempFiles and copy the most recent THSTaxProbackup with substantial file size. Sometimes the newest backup is empty and will only have a file size of about 16,000 kb. Most proper backups will be larger than this.
  6. Go to: This PC> C Drive> Users> “name”> double click in file path bar and type “ \appdata “ at the end of the existing file path. > Local> THSTaxPro> Data
  7. Paste the THSTaxProbackup in the folder.
  8. Rename THSTaxPro to THSTaxProold.
  9. Rename the THSTaxProBackup you pasted in there to THSTaxPro.sdf
  10. Open THS, go to system>system setting to check that the file path is pointing in the right location.

Tax Help Software does not open

There are a number of reasons why THS can fail to open. Here’s a list of our most common fixes.

1. Antivirus is preventing the boot. Try uninstalling your antivirus and then uninstall and reinstall THS.

2. Open Tax Help Software through your desktop icon or your programs list. Sometimes, opening the program through the pinned taskbar can result in the program not updating properly.

3. If you are on a Network version, you need to be on teh same network as the THS Server install for the program to work properly.

4. If you are greeted with the following or similar errors and you have already attempted the above, here are some instructions to fix it:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator

2. Re-register all WMI .dll files:

cd /d %windir%\system32\wbem
for %i in (*.dll) do regsvr32 -s %i

3. Re-register all WMI .exe tools:

for %i in (*.exe) do %i /RegServer

4. Manually rebuild the root\cimv2 namespace:

mofcomp cimwin32.mof
mofcomp cimwin32.mfl

5. Test if it worked:

wmic baseboard get serialnumber

If none of the above fixed your issue, your database may be partially corrupted. Let us know and we will be happy to get you back up and running as soon as possible.

THS Printer will not install when running reports.

If you get an error stating unable to install THS Printer run the manual install at the following link:

THS PDF PRINTER INSTALLATION

Install/Update Error: …\Local\Temp\VSD528D.tmp\SqlLocalDB2012\x64\sqlcmdlnutils.msi has changed since it was initially published.

Please install this Microsoft Program and then try reinstalling. For most users this is automatic but occasionally it needs to be done manually:

  1. Download Database Program File Here: https://download.microsoft.com/download/8/D/D/8DD7BDBA-CEF7-4D8E-8C16-D9F69527F909/ENU/x64/SqlLocalDB.MSI
  2. Run this file after it downloads. This is a Microsoft file needed for the Database in THS.

When installing the program the error "Failed to install SQL Compact 3.5 Database" occurs?

This is a Microsoft Program that is already on most computers. Occasionally it fails to install. This is a required program THS needs to create a database on your computer. This program can be installed manually.

  1. Go to https://www.taxhelpsoftware.com/Downloads/SQL_Install_Files.zip and download the zip file.
  2. When the program asks where you would like to extract the files to I recommend the Desktop so you can easily find them. The two files you need are SSCERuntime-ENU & SSCERuntime_x64-ENU. (These files can be deleted after they are installed).
  3. Install the SSCERuntime-ENU version first. After it is complete install the SSCERuntime-x64-ENU if your computer is a 64 bit (If it is not a 64 bit it won’t install).
  4. Once the program is installed you should be able to download and install the THS Program. Here is the install link: https://taxhelpsoftware.com/Products/THS_Pro_Product.html

Program cannot find a part of the path error.

“Could not find part of the path”

This error occurs when THS cannot access a specific file path (may vary for the user).

Typically, this is a server issue. Perhaps the server path was not mapped correctly, the connection is timing out, or something was changed on the server-side. It could also be a permissions error, or antivirus preventing THS from accessing the path.

Recommended Diagnostic Steps:

  1. Ensure that the file path is correct

    Copying and pasting the file path directly from one computer to another (emailing the path) can ensure that the path is exactly correct.                   

  2. Verify Path Access

    The network sharing setting on either computer may have been turned off, or locked to admin. Also, disabling VPNs is recommended.                 

  3. Check Drive Mapping Status:

    In File Explorer, verify the mapped drives (under “This PC”). If the drive is disconnected, attempt remapping it.                                                       

  4. Check Network Connection

    Ensure the computer has active and reliable internet/network connectivity. Verify the server or computer hosting the shared folder is turned on.   

  5. Permissions Check

    Double check any firewalls, antiviruses, privileges, network sharing settings, and VPNs to make sure that both PCs are on the same network.    


Download Process Monitor To Analyze Program Crashes

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/procmon

The system cannot find the file specified

If the system cannot find the file specified, this means that your computer’s antivirus has blocked THS’ processes.

Our recommended fix is to completely uninstall your antivirus, then uninstall and reinstall THS.

How to completely uninstall THS

To ensure that THS is completely uninstalled, we recommend using Control Panel to uninstall the program.

In your Windows search bar, type Control Panel and find the application.

Once you are in Control Panel, navigate to Uninstall Programs (your menu may look different).

From there, locate TaxHelpSoftware in your list of programs and uninstall it.

Using THS on Mac (Parallels Install)

TaxHelpSoftware is built for Windows, but there is a method to install THS on your Mac device.

You will need both a Parallels license and a Windows 11 license, neither of which are affiliated with THS, nor are they included in your THS license.

First, you will need to purchase and install Parallels at https://www.parallels.com/

When it downloads you will simply install it and enter your Parallels license key.

From here, you now need to install Windows 11 inside of Parallels. The software may already prompt you with a Windows installation, if not, there are additional instructions on their website:   https://kb.parallels.com/en/4729       Also:       https://kb.parallels.com/125375

Now to activate Windows 11 you will need to purchase a Windows 11 license key, they can be purchased from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/. You can use Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro, and you will select to download it instead of ordering a USB drive.

Once you get Windows 11 installed and activated, all you need to do is install THS as usual inside of the Parallels window.

To use TaxHelpSoftware in the future, you simply need to open the Parallels application (may also appear as Windows) and run THS from there.

The database file is larger than the configured maximum database size

This error indicates that your THS records database has exceeded 4 gb in size.

We recommend clearing out some inactive clients. If that is not possible, contact our support for options to upgrade to a Network license. This unlocks the database size cap and allows for users connect to the local network to access and use THS on their own computers with their own licenses. These licenses are priced the same as the standard Executive licenses.

If this error occurs prior to Network installation or is occurring with a Network version already installed, then THS Support will need to log in remotely to your computer and run a tool that shrinks the database size. Please contact THS Support to schedule an appointment to fix this error.

Move Network Installation to other PC

Moving a Network server/client install requires THS Support. Feel free to contact our support team via phone or email and we will be happy to schedule an appointment to assist.

Access to file is not allowed

This is an antivirus issue, try disabling/uninstalling your antivirus and reattempt the THS boot/install.

A transport-level error has occurred when receiving results from the server

This error code means that the online connection to the server is not consistently strong enough. Resolving the poor internet connection would fix this.

Auto Login UID not valid

Sometimes a specific tax pro can get blocked from using Auto Login, they may have to try Manual Login and see if that works.

Open system, TDS settings, and switch the checkbox for Manual Login to On then follow the steps.

IRS Transcript Management System

The original program that requests, downloads, and analyzes IRS Transcript Data to find opportunities and issues with your client’s taxes.