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

Thank you for the answer. It worked perfectly once I understood that I had to put the fixes in the correct H&R folder. Now, is there anything we can do about 2017? That one also fails to open.

As an update to my prior post I did receive a phone call back today from H&R Technical Support.  The person who called from H&R today has been very helpful during the last two years as issues have arisen.  As I understand it there is one file, which is provided by Microsoft, that H&R Block's business software relies on that Microsoft has not updated to be compatible with the Windows 10 updates in DEC 2020 (and similar issues in prior years). So essentially Microsoft is shooting itself in its own foot - and H&R Block Business (and other software companies reliant on Microsoft) are all in the same boat. [Links for prior years attached below.]

H&R is trying to improve the situation. I know the person I spoke to at H&R is doing everything that can be done to make things better.  Just very bad luck of timing for H&R this year.

For tax year 2018

https://support.cch.com/sfs/

for tax year 2019 and newer

https://support.cch.com/sfs/

My ‘educated guess’, after “dealing” with H&R for 15+ years, is that the database that they use for Taxcut Business is very “sensitive”.  Each year Microsoft makes patches that seem to affect the H&R product making it not work. ( It seems like H&R does very poor produvct planning and testing. ) H&R Also some versions would not work on Win10. I would find a WIN7 or WIN8 machine for 2017. (For years I ran Windows XP just for Taxcut.). 

And, if it helps anyone, I run WIN10 on VMware Fusion, on my Intel Mac. (( NOTE1: And prior, for many years, WIN-XP on Fusion.))   (NOTE2: You cannot run VMware Fusion or its competitor Parallels on the new Apple M1 Macs!). 

So, what I do,  is keep the old XP VMware Virtual Machine (VM) for older TaxCut, if I ever need to go back.  

This current situation is untenable. Microsoft made some really important security updates, all of which had to be removed to get H&R 2019 and 2020 working.

I may move this year to Drake Tax software. A bit more expensive - but has Windows and Web versions.  I cannot lose this much time each year - nor can I leave Windows 10 unpatched.

I think it is unlikely H&R is going to get its act together.

Posted CCH support solutions worked for 2018, 2019  and the  2020  version

thanks!

I tried the solution but my copy of HRBlock for 2019 does not have a "Restore Database" option in the help menu. How did you get the solution to work?

Hi, 

I also no longer got the “Restore Database” option. Ignore that.

Same as my last post: This is where I was also  ‘stuck’ with 2019.  I solved 2019 issue by following the steps in my previous post to uninstall all DEC2020 Microsoft WIN10 updates. Then reboot. Then 2019 ‘magically’ worked again.  Good luck and reply if you get stuck!

I have exactly the same problem. Your log file looks just like mine. The last time I used the 2019 business program in July it worked just fine. Now it won't open. I installed the 2020 HRBlock Business program today and it will not open last year's data base. Says the the files are in use by another program and to close it. But no such situation; there is no other program running. I even rebooted to be sure nothing is open. No luck.

Did you ever get the problem resolved? The last message says to uninstall HRBlock then reinstall. Did that work?

This is where I was also  ‘stuck’ with 2019.  I solved 2019 issue by following the steps in my previous post to uninstall all DEC2020 Microsoft WIN10 updates. Then reboot. Then 2019 ‘magically’ worked again.  Good luck and reply if you get stuck!