Quickbooks 2005 > Upgrade path

Hello there, hk21x.

I understand how you wanted to help your uncle set up QuickBooks Desktop 2005 on the new computer.

You'll still be able to install QuickBooks 2005 as long as it's loaded as a clone for Windows 2007. However, the option to upgrade to R14 isn't possible anymore since this version is already discontinued a long time ago.

If you have other QuickBooks-related concerns, you can post them here anytime.

@hk21x 

Your version is outdated and too old and I'm not sure Support will help provide the installer file. You have to google it but you might also get malware. You may have 2 options:

1. Purchase the one time license for QB Desktop 2020 to upgrade your version

2. Convert to QB Online

https://quickbooks.grsm.io/UK

Are you suggesting cloning the hard drive as a whole into a VM?

Is it not possible to upgrade through the licenses (2005-2008-2011-2014-2017 and then to 2020)?

If so, am I able to get a copy of those versions?

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@hk21x wrote:

Is it not possible to upgrade through the licenses (2005-2008-2011-2014-2017 and then to 2020)?

 

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It will be difficult to find the trial version for QBD UK version. You can purchase a 3rd party upgrade service as the last resort.

Who can provide such 3rd party upgrade service?

@hk21x 

Click my username and you will find our website address to send a direct message for assistance.

Hi @hk21x 

This discussion may help...

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-uk/other-questions/how-to-upgrade-company-file-from-o...

However, take note of Gordon's post.  It's been a while since I was involved in the QB Desktop forums but I remember he was a bit of a guru!

There was a huge problem with the upgrades not longer after QB2005.  The internal handling of VAT changed & caused headaches for a lot of users.  My memory's a bit vague but people were left with (often very large) discrepancies in the VAT Control account.

I stayed on QB2005 until 2019 at which point I moved to QBO Essentials.

It took a lot of work (& I didn't migrate everything) but it's possible to export Invoices/Bills/Expenses from QB2005 into XSL format then run through Excel to CSV format which QBO will import.

Hope this helps.

Hi @hk21x 

I've just re-read your original post & wound up my old XP box that still has QB2005 installed.

God I miss XP & QB2005 

You have the original QB2005 CD & that installs under W7VM - correct?

Do you have the old hard drive working or readable?

If you're installing W7VM I figure you might be up for a bit of fiddling around.

Again, I'm dredging the limits of memory here, but I used to transfer the QB datafile from one PC to another (so I'd have a live/working installation for me & read-only installation for another user).

As part of this I think the read-only install was offline (auto-updates turned off) & I used to copy the patches from one PC to another (I was much braver back then!).

The QB updater from that time was very simple.  It checked the server (which is now dead), downloaded the patch files & installed.  The patches were saved in \Components\DownloadQB14

There is an option in the updater for a Shared Download - which saved to \DownloadQB14

Inside \Components\DownloadQB14\Patch is qbpatch.exe & quite a number of .rtp files (which I think are the downloaded patches).

I'm thinking - if you can simply copy over the DownloadQB14 folder from the old PC you will already have the patches you're looking for to upgrade from R1 to the last saved version on the old PC.  Maybe running the qbpatch installer manually will do the job?

Hope this helps.

Wow! Thanks for the offer. I am intrigued.... how do we proceed with giving it a go? I'd just be after the updater primarily at this stage but appreciate the write up!

Paul 72, do you know if the same disaster regarding the Vat Control account happens in QB Desktop 2006?

@Oscar10 

Do you need to upgrade your data from an older version to QBD 2006 or else?

Thank you SIAB.  No I don't want to upgrade.   We first bought QB in 1999 in the UK and have been using it ever since.  We upgraded several times and ended up with a perpetual licence for desktop Quickbooks Pro 2005 Version R19.  We then bought 2008, but reverted to 2005.  In 2020, we tried QBO - no good for us.  Then we upgraded to DT 2021 in 2021, thinking that would be OK but our historical VAT transactions still went crazy so we went back to 2005, which worked fine! 

However, on 1st July last year, Intuit de-activated our licence.  The notice which popped up told us to contact Intuit Customer Services in UK and give all the details of our QB and they would in turn give us an activation code.  After 3 weeks, they said our licence key, at 20 digits, was too long to generate a code, and if we got it changed to 16 I think it was, they could then generate a re-activation code.  Then I read on a forum somewhere the licence key can be changed on CAMPS, but when I found our account, although our company name was correct, it had an Arizona address and phone number, not ours in the UK!   No tabs could be accessed.   

Now I understand that QB 2005 MAY be the last DT QB before Intuit changed something about how the VAT is treated and anything later will mess up the Vat entries, but I don't know if this is correct or not.  We can have a QB DT 2006, and it would be great if this is still OK re the Vat, but I haven't been able to find out for sure whether it is or not. 

The other query I had was, is there a later version of 2005 than the R19 we have?  Is there an R20?