Error: "Server Busy. server busy message, . This action cannot be completed because the other program is busy."

When opening QuickBooks or when QuickBooks tries to perform an action--such as sending a transaction from QuickBooks using Microsoft Outlook, backing up a company file, accessing Help, downloading an update, creating letters and envelopes, creating payroll forms, reconciling an account or entering a service key--the following message appears:

Server Busy. server busy message, . This action cannot be completed because the other program is busy. server busy message, . Click Switch to or Retry.

Low system resources primarily cause this issue, but it can also occur if other issues prevent QuickBooks from completing a task.

Monitor how much memory your computer is using to see if your system resources are low. server busy message, . You may need to end a process that is using a lot of memory.

Warning: Ending a process may negatively impact your operating system, program, or data. server busy message, . Intuit recommends consulting an IT professional before ending processes about with which you are unfamiliar.

Note: QuickBooks support agents can't translate which processes are running on your computer if they are not Intuit processes. server busy message, . However, an IT professional may be able to help you.

Note for ProSeries and BasicSeries Users: If you had ProSeries installed on your computer, and uninstalled it, this could be causing the Server Busy error. server busy message, . Rename the C:\ProWin07 folder to C:\ProWin07Old. server busy message, . (If you had the basic series, the folder is C:\Basewin07 or C:\Base07. server busy message, . Rename either of these folders to C:\Basewin07Old or C:\Base07Old.) The error should no longer occur.

If the steps above don't resolve your issue, it could take a few minutes to an hour or more to resolve this issue using the steps below:

1. Close QuickBooks if it is open.
2. Close any other open programs. server busy message, . If you must have a program open, make there are no dialog boxes open in that program. server busy message, . (For example, Microsoft Word may have a dialog box open that is asking you to save a document. server busy message, . This is one reason the Server Busy message can appear.)
3. Look for a Windows Update window and check the system tray on your Windows taskbar to see if Windows is installing an update. server busy message, . If Windows updates are installing or need to be installed, let them finish and restart the computer as directed by Windows. server busy message, . If no update is running, proceed with the next step.
4. Right-click the Windows taskbar and select Task Manager.
5. Click the Processes tab.
6. End any of the following QB-related processes if present. server busy message, . (Click to select a process and then click End Process):

   QBW32.exe QBHelp.exe qbupdate.exe support.exe mrtmngr.exe

   qbdagent2002.exe qbdagent2001.exe qbdagent.exe axlbridge.exe

7. Open QuickBooks. server busy message, . If the error persists, continue with the next step.
8. Turn off hosting on all computers that don't store the company data file.
9. Make sure that firewall, antivirus software, and internet settings are correct.
10. Remove QuickBooks Update Agent from the Startup folder from the computer displaying the "Server busy" message:
    1. Click the Windows Start button and choose All Programs > Startup
    2. Right-click QuickBooks Update Agent, choose Delete, and then click Delete Shortcut
    3. Turn off shared updates.
    4. If the issue persists, continue with the steps below:
    5. Search for the file Reboot.bat.
    6. Double-click the located file. server busy message, . A DOS window opens and, after several moments, closes. server busy message, . Don't manually close this window.
    7. Restart your computer and then reopen QuickBooks.
    8. If the error still occurs, repair your existing QuickBooks installation.
    9. If the message persists, run a clean uninstall of QuickBooks. server busy message, . When finished, reinstall QuickBooks.

Actions to take with an IT professional

If the above steps don't resolve your issue, try the following actions with the guidance of an IT professional:

• Attempt to run QuickBooks and perform the action causing the error in Windows Selective Startup and then Windows Safe Mode.
• If you are running QuickBooks on a network, restart your computer, and then reconnect your computer to all mapped drives.
• Find out if backup or mirroring software is running on the server or network. server busy message, . If so, it may be actively scanning the hard drive, blocking access to QuickBooks files and causing this error. server busy message, . Test this by temporarily disabling the software to see if the QuickBooks issue recurs. server busy message, . If it doesn't, there is a conflict with the scanning software that must be resolved with help from your system or network administrator (if you have one), the vendor from whom they purchased the software or hardware, the manufacturer's or software developer's Web site, or a local computer consultant.

Note for QuickBooks 2005 and earlier: Delete the temporary QuickBooks image file (.qbi) on the computer that stores the company file.

1. Search for files, entering the name *.qbi.
2. If [CompanyFileName].qbi appears in the search results, right-click the file, choose Delete, and click Yes to confirm.

If this solution does not resolve the issue, you can read discussions and post messages and questions relating to your issue on the Intuit QuickBooks Community site for free or you can contact a technical support agent for additional guidance. server busy message, . Fees may apply.