Error H101, H202, H303, or H505: when opening your company file

1. Verify hosting

   In a multi-user environment, hosting should only be enabled on the hosting computer (server).

   1. On each workstation (not the server or hosting computer), open QuickBooks and choose File > Utilities.
   2. If you see Host Multi-User Access on the list, this computer is not hosting the company file and you can go to the next computer. Note: Don't change anything if you see Host Multi User Access at your workstation.
      
   3. If you see Stop Hosting Multi-User Access, select that option.
      
      

   1. Click Yes to confirm.
   2. In the Company File Must Be Closed window, click Yes.
   4. Repeat steps 1-3 on each computer.
2. Verify QuickBooks services

   When working with QuickBooks in a multi-user mode, QuickBooks services need to be running on the server computer.
   
   

   1. Make sure the QuickBooksDBXX (XX represents the year of QuickBooks) and QBCFMonitorService services are started.
      
      1. Click the Windows Start button.
      2. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the run box.
      3. Type services.msc and press Enter.
   2. In the services window, scroll down and look for the QuickBooksDBXX service. Note: XX represents the year of QuickBooks you are troubleshooting.
      • If you do not see the QuickBooksDBXX service:

        
        

        • If you only use the Database Server Manager (the entire program itself is not run on the server) make sure that the Database Server Manager is installed on the server. Note: Each year of QuickBooks you have on the workstations will need to have its Database Server Manager installed to use multi-user mode.
        • If you run the entire program on the server, open QuickBooks, go to File-> Utilities-> and make sure hosting is enabled (it should say Stop Hosting Multi User access. If it says Host Multi User mode, click it to enable hosting on the server).
   3. Double-click the QuickBooksDBXX service and make sure the Startup Type is set to Automatic and service status is Started.
   4. Repeat steps 1-3 above for the QBCFMonitorService.
   5. Open QuickBooks in multi-user mode on each affected workstation. If the issue persists, try to make sure the QuickBooksDBXX service is a member of the administrator group and has the appropriate permissions.

   If you still see the error, try the next solution.

For Windows 8

IMPORTANT: AVG Antivirus 2013 users: In depth research by our engineering team has determined that a conflict exists between QuickBooks and AVG AntiVirus 2013 on Windows 8. The conflict has been isolcated to AVG, and if you are using AVG AntiVirus 2013 or AVG Antivirus 2013 Free on Windows 8 and have an H202 error, you will need to uninstall the AVG program and enable Windows Defender (built into Windows 8). You will need to contact AVG support if you have any questions or wish to keep the AVG 2013 software.

 

Perform the following on each computer:

1. Hover the mouse in the upper or lower right-hand corners and select Settings
2. Click on Control Panel and choose Windows Firewall
3. On the left, click on Advanced Settings
4. On the left, right-click on Outbound Rules, and choose New Rule
5. Choose Ports and click Next.
6. Select TCP and in the specific local ports box, enter in the following ports:
   • QuickBooks 2013: 8019, 56723, 55353-55357
   • QuickBooks 2012: 8019, 56722, 55348-55352
   • QuickBooks 2011: 8019, 56721, 55343-55347
   • QuickBooks 2010: 8019, 56720, 55338-55342
7. Click Next and select Allow the Connection.
8. Click Next to enter a name in the name field (for example, "QuickBooks ports" ) and click Finish.
9. Repeat steps 1-7 for the Inbound Rules.
10. Open QuickBooks in multi-user mode.

If you have a third party antivirus/firewall program, you may need to configure any other firewall or antivirus software. Note: For a temporary solution, you may disable the anti-virus/firewall program to identify it as a problem and make sure to re-enable it when you're done with the test. If the error persists, continue to step 3 (Ping the Server Computer).

For Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows Server 2008

Perform the following on all computers:


1. Click the Start menu and enter firewall.
2. Click on Windows Firewall with Advanced Security.
3. On the left side, right-click on Outbound Rules, and choose New Rule. Note: It's a little tricky, you have to left-click Outbound Rules first to highlight it, then right-click on it.

    

   

    

4. Choose Ports and click Next.
5. Select TCP and in the specific local ports box, enter in the following ports:
   • QuickBooks 2013: 8019, 56723, 55353-55357
   • QuickBooks 2012: 8019, 56722, 55348-55352
   • QuickBooks 2011: 8019, 56721, 55343-55347
   • QuickBooks 2010: 8019, 56720, 55338-55342
6. Click Next and select Allow the Connection.
7. Click Next to enter a name in the name field (for example, "QuickBooks ports" ) and click Finish.
8. Repeat steps 1-7 for the Inbound Rules.
9. Open QuickBooks in multi-user mode.

If you have a third party antivirus/firewall program, you may need to configure any other firewall or antivirus software. Note: For a temporary solution, you may disable the anti-virus/firewall program to identify it as a problem and make sure to re-enable it when you're done with the test. If the error persists, continue to step 3.

For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003




1. Configure any other firewall or antivirus software to allow the QuickBooks ports access through the firewall.  Note: For a temporary solution, you may disable the anti-virus/firewall program to identify it as a problem and make sure to re-enable it when you're done with the test.
2. Open QuickBooks in multi-user mode.

If the error persists, continue to step 3.

Ping the server computer

Important: These steps are highly technical in nature and may be best performed by a qualified IT professional present. The scope of this test is to see if QuickBooks can reach the server from the workstation(s).


1. Identify the name of your server if you don't already know it.
   1. Open a Windows Command Prompt:
      • Windows 8: Press the Windows Key + R to open a run command and type CMD and press the Enter key
      • Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows Server 2008: Click the Windows Start button, enter cmd and press the Enter key.
      • Windows XP, Windows Sever 2003: Click the Windows Start button and choose Run. Enter cmd and press the Enter key.
   2. Enter ipconfig /all, and press the Enter key.
   3. Make note of the Host Name.
2. Open a Windows Command Prompt:
   • Windows 8: Press the Windows Key + R to open a run command and type CMD and press the Enter key
   • Windows Vista/Windows 7/Windows Server 2008: Click the Windows Start button, enter cmd and press the Enter key.
   • Windows XP, Windows Sever 2003: Click the Windows Start button and choose Run. Enter cmd and press the Enter key.
3. Enter ping [servername], and press the Enter key. For Example: If your server name is Server1, you would enter ping Server1 and press the Enter key.
4. You should see a reply for each packet with none being lost. Important: If you see packet loss or a slow reply, your network should be diagnosed by a qualified IT professional.
5. If using a mapped drive to connect to your company file on the server, bypass the mapped drive by navigating to the server shared folder via UNC (Universal Naming Convention) path from the workstation computer (ex: //server/QBData/).
   • If the path to your company file is on your network and begins with a drive letter, it's a mapped drive.
   
6. Use the UNC path, found in the title bar, to navigate to your company file within QuickBooks.

   

If the error persists, proceed to solution 4.

It may be necessary to edit the Windows hosts file.

If the error persists after editing the Windows hosts file, continue to solution 5.