Just the other day I had a user call in who had a computer failure and wanted to transfer QXpress to another computer.  This is one of the most common issues that users call in to me about and I figured I would use this as a topic for my latest blog entry.  In order to completely transfer QXpress to a new computer, there are 3 things you need to understand.  First, you will need to install the QXpress application on the computer you’d like to transfer your license to.  Then you’ll need to register the installation on your account.  Finally, you will need to transfer your company database to your new computer, link QXpress to that database and synchronize with QuickBooks.

Almost all of the users I speak with realize that they will have to install QXpress on their new computer.  Most however, try to install it using the original CD that was provided to them when they first purchased our software.  However, if this version is outdated you might encounter some problems, like not being able to synchronize with a newer version of QuickBooks.  What I would recommend is to log on to your account at www.qxpress.com/myaccount.  From here you can download our latest version of QXpress as long as you have a valid Keep Me Current Plan.

By default, a brand new installation of QXpress will start in trial mode.  This means you will only have access to your first 10 QuickBooks customers in QXpress.  To enable your full version of QXpress you will need to register it.  When you install QXpress, the Login Form will appear and you’ll need to make sure you select the correct version you purchased (Standard, Gold, Platinum or Enterprise).  You’ll also see a five-digit key, which is a unique number that we use to ensure each installation is valid.  This key is also used to generate a password that will fully activate QXpress. (Tip: if you don’t see your Key or Password fields in the Login Form, click the “Register” button).  View the following Tech Knowledge Article for step-by-step instructions on how to generate a new password: www.qxpress.com/t.cfm?i=279

Now that you have QXpress installed on your computer and it is properly registered, all you have to do is open the database.  As most of you know there are two parts to QXpress.  There is the application that you interface with (QXpress.exe) and the database where all of your information is stored (i.e. C:\Program Files\QXpress\filename.mde).  The database will not only store all of your data, but it saves all of your settings and templates for route lists, work orders, invoices and reports.  So all you will have to do is place a copy of .mde file on your new computer.  If you are transferring QXpress because of a computer failure, you will need to retrieve the database from your hard drive (you may need to consult an IT professional on how to do this).  If your hard drive is the cause of your computer failure then hopefully you have an up-to-date backup of your QXpress database that you can restore from, otherwise you will have to manually re-enter all of your information.  Once you have the file on your new computer or if your database is saved on a different computer like a server or your office manager’s computer, you can go to the Login Form in QXpress (File > Log Off /Log In) click File... > Open Other database and open your database.  All you have to do is click Start and you are in your company database.

So, that’s it right?  You have a brand new installation of QXpress on your new computer.  It is fully registered to give you complete access to all of your customer data, and you have successfully moved your data to your new computer.  That’s everything right?  Not quite!  You have to synchronize QXpress with QuickBooks because the link between QXpress and QuickBooks is maintained on each local computer running both programs.  So even though QXpress and QuickBooks are synchronized on your other computers in your network using the same shared files, you will still have to establish the link between the two programs on your new computer.  Also, in order to do this you will have to make sure all other users are logged out of QXpress and you are logged into QuickBooks as the administrator in single user mode.  Fortunately, you should only have to do this for the first sync and then QXpress will remain synchronized with QuickBooks from this day forward.

Hopefully, if you run into an issue where you need to move your software to another computer, this will make things a little bit easier for you.

See you next time,

Darrol