Troubleshooting Connections with QuickBooks for Windows Desktop

Due to the nature of communication between QuickBooks Desktop and integrated applications, there are a few possibilities that can cause QuickBooks to lock access to the company file and block the Finagraph linking process.

Important: Before connecting with QuickBooks (or any desktop accounting system) you must have version 4.6.2 or newer of the Microsoft .NET Framework. If you start to link and receive a "Cannot Start Application" error then download and install the latest .NET version as outlined in this article.

Note: You must access the Finagraph site from the same computer where QuickBooks is running. If you are using a hosted virtual server, ensure that you open your browser (e.g. Chrome, FireFox, Internet Explorer) from within the virtual server connection.

When Finagraph is unable to communicate with QuickBooks, you'll receive an error similar to these.

• QuickBooks Desktop must be running.
• We are having trouble communicating with QuickBooks.
• Could not connect to QuickBooks Desktop.

Before trying another link, let's look at several of the items that could be effecting communication. To start with, make sure that you're logged into QuickBooks Desktop as the Admin user (or a user that has the ability grant permissions to integrated applications). Also, ensure that the correct company file is open and no other dialogue windows are open inside QuickBooks (any window that is waiting for your input including the Preferences page).

A. Verify that integrated applications are allowed for this company file.

1. In the Edit menu of QuickBooks, choose "Preferences."
2. Then select "Integrated Applications"
3. Open the "Company Preferences" tab.
4. Verify that the first option that says "Don't allow any applications to access this company file" is unchecked.
5. Review the list of Application below, if there are any entries for "BBC Easy" or "Finagraph", select them and click the "Remove" button so that you can start fresh with a new link attempt.
6. Go back to your Finagraph page and try again to create a New Finagraph

B. Verify that there aren't any pending updates for QuickBooks.

1. In the Help menu choose "Update QuickBooks"
2. Open the "Update Now" tab.
3. Click the blue button with the lightning bolt labeled "Get Updates" and let the system proceed with any updates.
4. When the updates complete, close QuickBooks completely and then re-open it.
5. Go back to your Finagraph page and try again to create a New Finagraph

C. Check the status of the QuickBooks process in Windows Task Manager.

If the Finagraph FinancialLink is still unable to find the QuickBooks file, there are a couple more things to check using the Windows Task Manager:

1. Open up Task Manager: Right click on the Task Bar on your desktop and choose 'Start Task Manager' 
2. In Windows 7: Open the Processes Tab.
1. Windows 8: click "More Details" and then open the Details tab.
3. Click the button to show processes from all users 
4. Windows 7: In the view menu choose "Select Columns"
1. Windows 8: right-click on a column header to "Select Columns"
5. Scroll to through the list and find "UAC virtualization" (3rd from the bottom). Check the box and click OK. 
6. Look through the list of Processes and find QBW32.exe (if QuickBooks isn't running yet, go ahead and start it and log into the right company)

Some things to look for:

• Is there only one QBW32.exe shown in the list? If there are more than 1, close QuickBooks, and then use the Task Manager to "End Task" on any that are still open. Then open up QuickBooks again and try to create a New Finagraph.
• What does the QBW32.exe show in the "UAC Virtualization" column? It should say "Disabled" if it says anything else, then QuickBooks was started in an "Elevated" mode and you'll need to look at the shortcut used to start the program. In order to connect, QuickBooks must not have been started with the "Run as administrator" option - that is different than logging in as the QuickBooks Admin account. Close QuickBooks and reopen without the "Run as Administrator" option, then try to create a New Finagraph.

D. Install Windows Updates and reboot the computer.

The Windows operating system may have a lock on the company file or a block on the communication port preventing 3rd party applications from access.

1. From the start menu, search for "Control Panel" and open it.
2. In the search bar type "update"
3. Click the link for "Check for Updates"
4. Install any updates that are available.
5. Reboot Windows.
6. Go back to your Finagraph page and try again to create a New Finagraph

If you're still unable to link with QuickBooks for Windows, please contact Finagraph Support for further assistance by using the "Submit a request" link at the top of this page.