Important: If you subscribe to HandiSoft Online, do not proceed. The Access Group handles your Installation and Rollover process.
Book a Rollover Service
If you prefer to have our Professional Services team install and rollover your HandiSoft software, submit a request to book a rollover service.
Alternatively, a support team member can guide you through this article or provide remote assistance. Please note that these services are subject to our rollover service pricing. Before starting, you must confirm your agreement to this paid service.
HandiSoft updates website
Updates page for ODB standard non-SQL customers.
Updates page for SQL customers.
Do I use ODB or SQL?
Installation Prerequisites
Ensure a suitable working backup has been made of the HSoft folder that holds the Applications and Data folders.
If you use HandiTax, log in to HandiTax 2024, then go to Client, Recalculate clients tax details, #All, Select. The window will close when complete.
Ensure you know the exact path to the HSoft folder on the computer where the HSoft folder resides.
Note: If you install in the incorrect location, client data will not be available in the new products.
Ensure that all users have exited out of all HandiSoft and Microsoft Office programs.
Install on the Server computer for the quickest installation. (Not essential)
Install on a computer where HandiSoft has previously been installed from it. (Not essential)
The installation may require your antivirus protection to be temporarily disabled if a decompression error occurs.
Remote Desktop Session Host Server (Terminal Server) Prerequisites
To install an end-user application on a Remote Desktop Session Host server, the Remote Desktop Session Host Server must first be switched into a special install mode called RD-Install to ensure that the application will be able to run in a multi-user environment. After your applications have been installed on your RD Session Host server, you must switch the server back into execution mode, RD-Execute, before users can remotely connect to your server. You can switch between the install and execute modes from the command line using these commands:
change user /install
change user /execute
To determine the current install mode of your RD Session Host server, use this command:
change user /query
Step-by-step installation guide for HandiSoft
HandiSoft Products can be downloaded and installed if you have purchased the licence for the new financial year. You can download the HandiSoft Product Installation program from the link in the email that you received or from the updates pages above.
Note: Ensure that the installation path chosen is the parent directory holding the HSoft folder. Installing to the incorrect path will result in no client data rolling forward.
Navigate to the location of the downloaded file and double-click the HsSetupFull.exe - this can usually be found in your Downloads folder.
The installer screen pops up, click Next.
Confirm you have a recent working backup, then click Next.
Read and agree to the License Agreement before proceeding with Next.
If using a machine which HandiSoft was previously installed, there will be existing choices for the installation location. Choose the correct installation location, or click Change to Browse to the change installation location.
Choose the installation type:
The Complete installation installs the application files and this is required on the computer where the HSoft folder resides.
The Workstation installation creates the necessary shortcuts to the location in the previous step and checks the SBR dependencies. This is useful for network workstation installations.
Choose the shortcut folder. Leave this as the default location. Shortcuts will be created in the nominated location and also on your Desktop.
At the Checking License Information point, the system looks for the prior year's index file in the HSoft folder and checks that your licence has been renewed for the new year. If the index file exists and you have renewed, proceed to step 15.
If the prior year's index file is not found, the Product Licence Details window will display.
Enter your Customer Reference Code and Customer Identification Number to continue. This information can be found in any HandiSoft product under Help, About.
If you enter your customer ID details and an Attention message occurs, click Cancel, then OK.
Click the Renewals button to access the Access Renewals Portal.
Create a case for the Renewals team to confirm they have received your renewal and that it has been processed.
Click Close, then Yes to abort the setup. Restart the installation process once confirmation of your renewal is received.
Your licenced products should be automatically pre-selected. Ensure that HandiTax 2024 is checked, as this will also be updated to the latest version during the installation.
For SQL installations, skip to step 17. For ODB installations, choose to Install Software, Perform Recalculation and Roll Over Clients to 2025, then click Next.
Review the designated install folder. If the location does not contain HSoft at the end, review the path and instructions in step 5. Once confirmed, click Install.
Setup actions are performed for each program you are installing. This may take some time.
Allow the installation to install the files as necessary without cancelling the process. If errors appear during this phase, the most likely reason will be that the files being installed are currently in use by a user(s). To resolve this issue:
Ensure that all users are out of the programs and click retry.
You may need to reboot the server machine to ensure that no existing application files are in use. Your Server Administrators can log in to Computer Management to release any open files.
If your practice is licenced for Access Practice Management or Access Ledger, and you receive an Error: 'The following file is in use and cannot be updated C:\Program Files(x86)\HSoft\Apps\HSDA.exe'.
The following information applies to ODB only. SQL customers please skip to step 18 and also complete the Manual Rollovers (SQL and ODB) section at the bottom of this article.
Prior year Client Recalculation: Highlight #All and click Select
Tax Roll-Over From Prior Year
Leave the default choices and click OK.
CAUTION: Do not select Current clients only if you use other HandiSoft programs.
Confirm Rollover
Click Yes for the rollover process will commence. Allow the process to complete without cancelling.
Rollover Summary Report
On completion of the rollover, a report will display the total clients and total returns rolled over. It will also display a list of clients that have rolled over with a substituted accounting period. Print if required, then Close this report.
The SBR Dependency info window will appear. Click Next.
Select Check SBR dependencies and finish installation then click Next.
The installation process will check the machine to determine whether the required Microsoft Dependencies are installed to enable HandiTax to be SBR-ready.
Click Finish once the HandiTax SBR Dependency Checker process is complete.
Installation Complete
The installation is complete and you can Finish here.
One user can open HandiTax 2025 to confirm the rollover is complete and you are satisfied with the results.
Important: Ensure you are satisfied with the rollover before commencing any work. If you are not satisfied or concerned that your objectives have not been achieved, restore your backup immediately and attempt the installation and rollover again.
Workstation Installations
For networked computers, choose the Workstation install from the Select Install Type window. This needs to be run on all workstations that access Handisoft to ensure that they can use the current year's software.
Manual Rollovers (SQL and ODB)
Manual Rollover of clients from one year to the next for SQL clients, or ODB clients that did not select the automatic roll-over option.
Note: The following manual rollover procedure needs to be done by SQL clients or ODB clients who didn't choose the automatic rollover above.
If your practice previously used HandiTax 2024, you must rollover your data into HandiTax 2025 as follows:
Start HandiTax 2024.
Go to Clients, Recalculate clients tax details.
In the Client Expressions window, highlight #All, then click Select to start the recalculation.
When the recalculation is complete, close HandiTax 2024.
Start HandiTax 2025 by logging in as the Administrator, especially if you use Practice Manager Security. The Tax Roll-Over From Prior Year window will automatically open if you did not complete Option 3 during the installation. If it does not, go to Tools, Roll-over files from 2024.
Complete the window fields. For more information, press F1 to display the online help. CAUTION: If you have other HandiSoft Products (HandiLedger, Practice Manager, etc.) installed, do not select the Current Clients only check box.
Click OK to start the rollover.
SQL Clients: On first opening of any of the HandiSoft programs after the installation, please ensure that all tables have loaded prior to any other program being opened or another user opening a HandiSoft program.