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July 30, 2021
Question

QuickBooks Desktop 2020 update loop

  • July 30, 2021
  • 3 replies
  • 1 view

Hello,

 

I'm trying to assist a user in updating their QuickBooks Desktop 2020 install, but continually receive the "Reboot Required" message. When a QuickBook update becomes available, updates are done by our IT team, not the users themselves. So, I login as the user, get the update files, then run QuickBooks Desktop 2020 as administrator to complete the update. This time, however, I'm receiving the message that an update is available whenever I'm logging in as the user, and then I'm receiving the message "reboot required" when running the application as an admin. Even after rebooting, the reboot message still appears when running as admin, and the "update available" message appears when running as the user. I've tried the following:

 

  • (As admin) Clicked Update Now -> Get Updates
    • Closed QuickBooks
    • Ran QuickBooks as admin, rebooted
    • Still receiving update prompt
  • Downloaded "QuickBooks Tool Hub"
    • Ran Installation Issues -> QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool section
    • Reattempted update, reboot required
    • Rebooted, still receiving update prompt
    • Ran Program Problems -> Quick Fix my Program
    • Ran Program Problems -> QuickBook Program Diagnostic Tool
    • (As user) Help -> Update QuickBooks Desktop -> Update Now tab -> checked "Reset Update" box -> Get Updates
    • Ran QuickBooks as admin, rebooted, still receiving update prompt

 

I'm not really sure where to go from here, but it appears to be an unbreakable loop. I'm also now unable to open QuickBooks as admin, as it just pops up with a "restart required" message, then closes. Although running as user is still possible, updating as user is not. I'd like to refrain from doing a clean install as long as possible. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

3 replies

Level 9
July 30, 2021

We can repair QuickBooks Desktop, Schnuggs.

 

You can run the repair tool to help you fix common errors right away.

 

To start, let's ensure that you have created a backup copy of your company file. Then, you can restart your computer so there will be no programs that may affect or be affected during the repair. Once ready, you can follow these steps on how to repair QuickBooks:

 

  1. Open the Windows Start menu, then select Control Panel.
  2. Select Programs and Features then Uninstall a Program.
  3. Click QuickBooks from the list of Programs, then Repair
  4. Select OK to start the repair. 
  5. You may have to restart your computer to complete the repair.

After the process, you can update your QuickBooks to the latest release again to make sure you have the most recent fixes and security updates. However, if you're prompted with an error code after the repair, you can use this article to resolve the error you're getting: Fix QuickBooks Desktop install errors.

 

Keep me posted on how this works. I'm just around the corner to help you with your questions. Take care!

john-pero
Level 12
July 30, 2021

Open Task Manager, halt ALL running QB applications including database manager(s), Perform a cold reboot (COmpletely shut down, not just restart)  Then try the repair tool again. I believe this is how I had to fix this issue.

 

Also take a peek at your .ND and .TLD files as they become bloated over time.  It is never a bad thing to occasionally rename these as OLD as they will be recreated when you log in again.

 

I would presume you know that all users must exit the application and that you have to change to single user in order to update since this is not your first go around

SchnuggsAuthor
July 30, 2021

Ok, here's what I did:

 

  • Confirmed QuickBooks is in Single User mode
  • Halted all QB applications via task manager
  • Renamed the .TLG file .TLG.OLD
  • Cold rebooted
  • Reran the tools:
    • QuickBooks Install Diagnostic Tool
    • QuickBooks Program Diagnostic Tool
    • Repaired via Add/Remove menu
  • Opened QuickBooks as admin, received the message "Reboot required"
  • Opened QuickBooks as user, received the message "There's a new QuickBooks software update waiting for you. Looks like you don't have the required permissions. Contact your system administrator."

 

Doesn't look like the suggestions worked. Any other ideas?

July 21, 2022

The other suggestions didn't work for me, the repair was not an option, only uninstall. I tried the QuickBooksToolHub, it ran a bunch of updates and still didn't fix it. Then I looked at the C:\Program Files (x86)\Intuit\QuickBooks 2021 and found the QBUpdateUtility, ran it and it fixed the problem by updating QB to the latest version.

Tori B
QuickBooks Team
July 21, 2022

Hi there, @PlamenHristov

 

I'm happy to see that QuickBooks Update Utility resolved your issue. Thank you for sharing what worked for you, so that our other users can see and try that suggestion too. 

 

Please feel free to reach out to the QuickBooks Community at any time. Have a wonderful day! 

May 17, 2023

Three years later this still exists on QB 2022. Non admin users of a company cannot update their QB because of this loop. Even after IT team runs the program as admin to fix the issue. How do they not know how to fix this?