Hi there, dannez.
Thank you for posting here in QuickBooks Community. And, I appreciate you for providing detailed information about your concern so I can provide accurate details.
When starting to create a new company in QuickBooks Dekstop, it is important to know the necessary system requirements. This is to make sure your QuickBooks Desktop is compatible with the setup to start to activate the software. This could be the reason that you're unable to create a new company. That said, I'd recommend checking the system requirements for QBDT 2021. You can click this article to see the complete information: System requirements for QuickBooks Desktop 2021.
Then, once you download QuickBooks Desktop, you'll need to install the product so you're able to start the activation.
Here's how:
- Open the file QuickBooks.exe you downloaded.
- Follow the on-screen guidance. Accept the software license agreement and then choose Next.
- Enter your Product and License numbers. Then hit Next.
After that, decide which install type is right for you. With this, you have two options for installing QuickBooks. These are express install and custom and network.
Use express if you’re:
- A first-time user
- Reinstalling QuickBooks.
- Going to use QuickBooks on just this computer (not as part of a network of computers).
- Select Express and then Next.
- Select Install.
- When it finishes, select Open QuickBooks to get started.
Use a custom install if you're:
- Installing QuickBooks somewhere other than the default location (such as on a server).
- Hosting your company files on a server.
- Setting up a multi-user network.
- Select Custom and Network Options and then Next.
- Select the option that describes how you’ll use QuickBooks.
- On the next screen, select Change the install location.
- Select Browse to decide where to put your QuickBooks folder. Most people put it in their Programs folder.
- Select Next to start the install.
- When it finishes installing, select Open QuickBooks to get started.
Once done, you can now activate the software to get started. Follow the steps below.
- Open QuickBooks.
- From the Help menu, select Activate QuickBooks Desktop.
- Follow the steps on the screen to verify your info.
For additional information, you can refer to this article: Install QuickBooks Desktop.
If the issue persists after trying those solutions above, let's try to perform other troubleshooting steps to help us isolate this. To start, ensure that QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) has the latest release. There are two ways to download the update. You can either perform the process within the software or download the patch through the website. Please refer to this article for further guidance: Update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release.
Please open this article to see steps on how you can run the repair tool for QBDT to help fix common errors while installing or updating the software: Repair your QuickBooks Desktop for Windows.
Please let me know if you have any other concerns or issues by clicking the Reply button below. I'll be here to assist. Have a good one!
