MikeL's Windows NT/XP howto - Google Drive
(29-Oct-2012)
Using "Google Drive" is pretty easy for most apps, but to use it for
QuickBooks there's a few tricks you'll need to know. The author has
done this setup, and in fact, uses it on a daily basis. I've made
this available in order to help others to perhaps succeed as I went
through a lot of trouble getting to this point.
DISCLAIMER: The author of this HowTo accepts no
responsibility whatsoever for your ability to use these directions, or
for any consequences of your having used these directions. Make
sure you make backup copies of any files before messing with this.
Also note that if you talk to Intuit about this, they will probably
tell you not to do it and that they will not support you.
MOST IMPORTANT!
Do not do this in a multi-user QB environment. Only use this setup if
the customer is a single user. For example an individual who uses QB
for their business, and you, the accountant need remote access to the
file.
If both parties were to go into QB and mess with the file at the same
time, the changes made by one or the other of you will be lost,
and there's no way to determine what changes were made.
I cannot emphasize this enough -- from now on your world is
different. From now on, NEVER, EVER START QB WITHOUT FIRST
PAUSING GOOGLE DRIVE. (Details below.)
First time for yourself, then for each customer.
- If you don't already have one, make yourself a Google account.
- Go to Google, click "Sign
In" at top right corner, and log in.
- In black bar across the top, click on "Drive" (one of the
options towards the right).
- Click on "Create" (left top, red button). Take "Folder", give
it a name, perhaps a shorthand for the customer, hit Enter.
- The new folder will appear below "My Drive". Mouse over the
right end of the name, a little arrow appears, click on that, and
hit "Share...", take the next "Share..." option.
- Make sure "Who has access" includes Private and yourself.
- Click in "Add people" box, and enter your customers gmail
account, then hit "Share & Save". Observe that they're now on the
list and have the privilege "Can Edit".
- Hit "Done".
- You'll want to have a seperate folder for each customer, and
grant access only to that customer.
First time on your machine, and on any customer machine (only done once on each)
- Go to Google, click "Sign
In" at top right corner, and log in.
- In black bar across the top, click on "Drive", one of the
options towards the right.
- Click "Download Google Drive" (bottommost option on left). You
must accept terms and install.
- You may get the save dialogue, hit Ok, doesn't matter where you
save it. If it doesn't auto-start, run the program (may have to
double-click on name in downloads dialogue), and hit yes, "Run" this
file.
- (optional) Delete the temporary google drive installer program
(googledrivesync.exe).
- Google drive window should open up. You'll need to sign in with
same google account info used above, yourself on your own machine,
but use the customers account on the customers machine.
- (optional) Click on "Advanced". Check the folder location being
used, probably your home directory, or perhaps your "My Documents"
directory, with "Google Drive" appended. You may wish to jot this
down for later.
- Click "Start Sync".
- You'll get a new folder window.
- As far as GD is concerned, you're down -- you can now drag and
drop stuff in and out of this window and it'll go into "the cloud"
where you can access it from other machines.
- However, there a special considerations for QB -- please
continue.
Special considerations for QuickBooks - CRITICAL - do not proceed in QB without doing the following
- (You only need to do this entire section once.) On desktop,
right-click on "My Computer" icon, take "Manage".
- In Computer Management app, click little arrow to expand
"Services and Applications".
- Click "Services", click "Standard" tab on bottom of large middle
pane.
- You'll probably need to widen the Name column a bit by dragging
the right edge of the column header.
- Scroll down in middle pane and find "QBIDPService".
Right-click, and take "Properties".
- In properties dialog, change "Startup Type" to "Disabled", hit
"Ok" to save. Please note that you are disabling proper handling of
mutli-user in QB -- see disclaimer above.
- Right-click on QBIDPService again, take "Stop" option.
Observe that this is now blank in "Status" column and "Disabled" in
Startup column.
- Note that you do not need to do anything with
QBCFMonitorService.
- You're done with Computer Management, close window.
First time after setting up GD -- you'll only do this once:
- This is the last time you will EVER start QB without first
pausing GD.
- Start up QB. If you are in the habit of leaving files open when
you close, you may need to take File->Close.
(If so, you
will want to get out of this habit now - henceforth always close
your Company file before closing the QB window.)
- As of QB2011, the entry file dialog shows the full path to the
location of the data file you've selected. Jot this down if you
can't memorize it. If you're using an older version it's up to you
to find it, try using the File->Open dialog.
- Close QB.
- Move the files (there should be 4 of them) to the GD directory
you've created by whatever means you wish.
- I recommend opening the File Explorer, find the dir you just
jotted down.
- Open the GD folder by right-clicking on the GD icon in the
system tray
- Right-mouse button drag-n-drop from File Explorer window to
GD folder window.
- I'd suggest using "copy" option for now and deleting old
copy in a few weeks when you're happy all is working.
CRITICAL -- you must do this EVERY TIME YOU ENTER QB
- Every time you go to use QB on a customer file, you MUST PAUSE
Google Drive.
- To do this, right-click on the tiny Google Drive icon in the
system tray (bottom right corner of screen), and hit "Pause"
option.
- This is also true for the customer. If they cannot be
trained to do this, best not try this setup for them.
CRITICAL -- you must do this EVERY TIME YOU LEAVE QB
- When you are done in QB, you MUST un-pause Google Drive.
- Right-click on Google Drive icon in system tray, take
"Resume" option.
- Note that when you do this, the file will be in use for
perhaps several minutes while Google Drive sends a copy up to
the cloud. You cannot go back into QB until it is done and you
have paused Google Drive again.
- If you were to try to go back in before it's done, you will
regret it, not even just for a "read-only" glance -- QB will try
to open the file, sense that it is use by someone else (GD), and
will error out. Don't do it. No.
- Also note that you must allow this to complete, e.g. if
you're on a laptop, you must wait until the Google Drive app
stops shifting and says "sync complete" before you can shut
down.
- Note that you could choose to NOT resume GD before shutting
down -- just remember that the files will not have been updated
in the cloud for use at the other end, and that the moment the
computer is started up next, it will try to do that sync and
you'll have to be prepared to let it complete.
- This is also true for the customer. If they cannot be
trained to do this, best not try this setup for them.
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Mike Lempriere
(running on host bayanus)