QuickBooks Connection Error Messages

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The solutions below are used to diagnose and solve the following QuickBooks Error Codes: 80040401, 80040402, 80040403, 80040404, 80040405, 80040406, 80040407, 80040408, 80040409, 8004040A, 8004040B, 8004040C, 80040416, 80040417, 80040418, 8004041B, 8004041C, and 8004041D.

WHAT CAUSES AN 80040408 ERROR?

Unfortunately, this is one of those errors that can happen for a lot of reasons and there are several steps that you can take to resolve this issue.

Simple things to check:

• Make sure you have the correct QuickBooks file specified.  All third party applications need to know which QuickBooks file it's supposed to be working with.  Perhaps you initially created a test file to experiment with, or you have recently upgraded to a new version of QuickBooks.  This is especially true if you work with a 3rd party application that is linked to one specific QuickBooks file.  Somewhere, within the 3rd party application, you linked it to your QuickBooks file.
• For Certified Payroll Solution - Open QuickBooks with the correct data file and from the Certified Payroll Solution System Setup Menu, choose System Preferences and the Data Locations Tab.  The Data Locations tab contains 4 different fields (as of 9/28/09); delete the "address" (file location) in the white box below where it says QuickBooks File"; click OK; and try again.  (Making the QuickBooks File location "blank" tells CPS to work with the open company file).
• For Construction Application for Payment Solution - Open QuickBooks with the correct data file and from the Construction Application for Payment Solution System Setup Menu, choose Data Locations.  The Data Locations tab contains 4 different fields; delete the "address" (file location) in the white box next to where it says QuickBooks File"; click OK, and try again.  (Making the QuickBooks File location "blank" tells CAPS to work with the open company file.)
• For Wage Manager Solution - Open QuickBooks with the correct data file and click the button titled "Use Open QuickBooks File"
• For Crew/Overtime Entry Solution - Open QuickBooks with the correct data file and from the Crew/Overtime Entry main window, click Overtime Setup -> QuickBooks Setup and delete the "address" (file location) in the white box near the top of the window.  Without exiting this window - click the "Acquire data from QuickBooks" button.

Why do I need to delete the location of my QuickBooks file in order for this to work?

Well, it's kind of like this.  When you upgrade your QuickBooks data file from say QuickBooks 2006-2008 to QuickBooks 2009, you probably don't change the name or the location of the file, BUT the file structure changes - it's no longer a QuickBooks 2006-2008 file - it's now a 2009.  Now, our software "knows" its always worked with a 2006-2008 file that lives in that "location", but it's not the same file anymore.  So, by clearing the location of the file in our software, having your "new QuickBooks 2009 file" open, it knows it's now supposed to use this file.  Otherwise, it's kind of like moving and not leaving a forwarding address.

• Make sure you have the proper version of QuickBooks running.
• Make sure you have the correct QuickBooks file open and with the proper version of QuickBooks
• Have you applied all of the QuickBooks Maintenance Releases or "patches"?
• Make sure permissions are set so the application can access the QuickBooks data.
• Permission in QuickBooks are set by the QuickBooks Administrator in Single-User Mode under Edit -> Preferences-> Integrated Applications-> Company Preferences; and are further documented in the manual provided with your software.  Enterprise users may have specific instruction depending upon the version.
• Be sure that permission is granted to access SSN and other sensitive data, for Certified Payroll Solution and Wage Manager Solution, because wages are considered "other" sensitive data.  This only applies to QuickBooks 2003/2004 and Enterprise 3.0/4.0 - any flavor.
• Do you have multiple versions of QuickBooks installed on your computer?  Having multiple versions of QuickBooks installed on your computer causes problems with integrated applications and is a known problem at Intuit.
• For Certified Payroll Solution from the Help Menu, choose Help, Repair, and Reset QuickBooks after update; window will appear listing all installed versions of QuickBooks -> select the version that you now want the program to work with and follow the on-screen prompts/instructions.
• For Construction Application for Payment Solution from the Help Menu, choose Help, Repair, and Reset QuickBooks after update; window will appear listing all installed versions of QuickBooks -> select the version that you now want the program to work with and follow the on-screen prompts/instructions.

Special Note for Certified Payroll Solution & Construction Application for Payment Solution.

While both of these programs are multi-company compatible; each company should have it's own license.  If you have multiple QuickBooks companies that you are using under 1 CPS and/or CAPS license, erroneous certified payroll reports or AIA billings are extremely likely to occur.  If you have multiple companies, you should have multiple CPS and/or CAPS licenses; contact us for details and discount pricing.

Once the basics are covered and the error persists; there are further steps that can be taken, each of which has a good chance of solving the error.  Try each suggested resolution individually and in the order shown.

The #1 Best Resolution

• In QuickBooks, single-user mode and logged in as the Administrator.  Go to the Edit menu -> Preferences -> Integrated Applications -> Company Preferences tab -> highlight and remove the integrated application that you are having trouble with.  Try connecting again.  If this doesn't work, you'll need to go into the integrated application and remove the location of the QuickBooks file - you should contact the developer of the program for assistance in this matter.

If the above does not resolve your problem, here are other things that we've found to work:

• Close all running programs, remove any diskettes or CD's from all drives, and reboot your computer.  While your computer is starting up, press the F8 key (on the top row of your keyboard) every 2 seconds, until a simple text menu appears.  If Windows boot normally, try again; this time pressing the F8 key more frequently than before.  Depending upon your version of Windows, 2 or 3 different menus will appear.  Using your arrow keys, select to boot in "Safe Mode with Networking".  You may also need to specify which device you wish to boot to; and usually the first or highlighted option is correct.  Once Windows boots in safe mode, start QuickBooks - giving it a few minutes to load completely; then close QuickBooks and reboot Windows normally.
• Rebuild the QuickBooks data file.  In QuickBooks, switch to single-user mode, from the Window Menu, choose Close All.  From the File Menu, choose Utilities and Rebuild Data.  You will be forced to make a backup of your data (save this somewhere that it can be easily found and deleted; like "My Documents") and then the rebuild process will start.  This process may take quite awhile depending upon the size of your QuickBooks data file and the speed of your computer.

As the last resort; QuickBooks needs to be un-installed and then re-installed (this resolution was provided to us in 2006 by IDN Support).

• Backup your QuickBooks file
• Un-install QuickBooks; by clicking on your Start Button, choose Control Panel, and Add/Remove Programs
• Using "My Computer" or "Windows Explorer", navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Intuit folder; right click on the QuickBooks Folder and choose delete.
• Reboot your computer
• Install QuickBooks
• Update QuickBooks with all applicable updates
• Open your company data file
• Try again

Windows Vista, 7, or 8 Users can receive this error if:

• The User Account Control (UAC) is set to "OFF". This setting is found in the Vista Control Panel -> User Accounts section and must be set to "ON" (as recommended by Microsoft).
• Your QuickBooks file resides anywhere other than the PUBLIC folder in a network environment or the PRIVATE (Your User Name) folder in a single user environment.
• Both QuickBooks and the integrated application should have been installed and run with Standard User Permissions (NOT elevated to run as Administrator) - see Windows, QuickBooks & 3rd Party Apps - the Struggle Within on our blog for addtional information.