H&R BLOCK 2019 BUSINESS SOFTWARE WILL NOT OPEN ANY MORE

First, thanks to "Imiola" their post - which inspired this detailed reply:

"IMIOLA Replied on January 6, 202:

I was having the same issues. i.e., could not load HRB 2018, 2019 and 2020 business portion.  As of 1/5/21, after trying just about everything mentioned in the many replies with no results I finally figured it must be something to do with the recent Window update version since it all loaded OK prior to sometime in mid-December 2020 prior to a Windows update. So I opted to return to a prior Windows version and all 3 years loaded and I'm back in business! "

Here is what I did in detail to get H&R Block Taxcut BUSINESS 2020 up.

1. I had the same experience. I used WIN10, Settings, Updates, View Update History, Uninstall Updates. I did exactly what Imiola did - I rolled back all December 2020 updates.

 - First, I was able to get 2019 Taxcut working again

2. THEN, with H&R Block Taxcut BUSINESS, I found out that you *must* manually delete ALL "2020" directories under C:\Program Files; C:\Program Files (x86), *AND* C:\Program Data\H&R Block Busines 2020.  ***ONLY AFTER DELETING "H&R Block Business 2020" in all of these three directories and then doing a fresh re-install was I able to get 2020 up and running, and import 2019 files! :-)
3. Make Note of thesed directories (including latest back editions of software):

https://www.hrblock.com/taxes/products/software/updates/buswin-instruct.html

https://www.hrblock.com/tax-software/updates-back-editions.html

4. I have used the following to try and stop future WIN10 updates (for now):

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-stop-updates-installing-automatically-windows-10

DEC2020) Article on latest for WIN10 updates:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows\_10-update/cumulative-updates-december-2020/a82b6353-8745-42d3-b144-c2787aa16283

SHAME on H&R Block for not posting this information and not even answering their support line!  (Their advanced tech team has been very good in the past.)

AND DOUBLE SHAME in H&R Block Personal 2020 for adding screens asking for your personal data to trick you into giving H&R Block your tax return data! Horrible!  I had to warn my elderly mother!!

Lets send jeff dot jones at hrblock dot com and alan dot lowden at hrblock dot com some direct user feedback.  2019 was bad - 2020 H&R is atrocious.

AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU ON THIS SITE.  I HAVE BEEN BANGING MY HEAD AGAINST THE WALL FOR THREE WEEKS!

Just giving the solution I found.  After I got them to give me a new 2019 software download file so I was able to reinstall 2019 (it didnt work after install) so then I did the fix from this page to get 2019 database restored.  After that was all completed.  2019 worked perfectly again.  After I saved 2019 new database the 2020 software was able to import it. 

My 2020 software is working but won't import my old return.  Does anyone have a trick to get that to work?  I had the same problem last year but was able to install the software on another machine then recover the file off the same and then used that data set to import.  That same trick isnt working.  

(I get the rollover access error - Unable to access prior-year return information because it is currently in use.  Please close the prior year application and try the import process again.) I cant install the 2019 on any computer now. 

I had uninstalled the 2019 program (because it didnt work anyways).   I had a copy in another location but nothing will work. 

 I have both the C:\ProgramData\H&R Block Business\H&R Block Business 2019 file copied before the install

I also have .atx19Export file. 

I was having the same issues. i.e., 

could not load HRB 2018, 2019 and 2020 business portion.  As of 1/5/21, after trying just about everything mentioned in the many  replies with no results I finally figured it must be something to do with the recent Window update version since it all loaded OK prior to sometime in mid-December 2020

prior to a Windows update. So I opted to return to a prior Windows version and all 3 years loaded and I'm back in business!

After all the frustration with these programs........UGH.............either microsoft or H&R block did something with an update because when I did the last updates......my programs now work no problem.  I took a chance and ordered the 2020 program and have no problem with it, thank goodness.  Can't explain what happened though.  I did lose all my saved 2019 returns though, so I have to enter info that year so I can export to 2020 program.

Hope everyone else is having some good luck with these things happening too. 

Joanna

I cannot get past #10. When I click Help, Customer Support - I don't see Restore Database.  

I see Online Customer Support and Refresh App Configurations.

Anyone else is having problem finding Restore Database in H&R Block 2019?

Thank you

I had the same problem but I figured it out.  I had made a mistake when reading the instructions.  Step 2 refers you to the data directory, but in step 7 you are told to go to the program directory to paste the restoredatabase.dat file.  I mistakenly assumed step 7 was also referring to the data directory so that's where I put the file.  As a result, the "Restore Database" option didn't appear in the program menu.  When I put the file in the program directory as specified in the instructions, it worked perfectly.  Good luck!

So thankful for this discussion thread.  Saved me a bunch of trouble.