FileCabinet CS Installation Toolkit

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Follow this guide to ensure the successful installation and operation of FileCabinet CS.

Installing another application? Check out the Installation toolkits for the CS Professional Suite.

Before you install

Recommended pre-installation steps

Taking care of these items now will save you time throughout the year. Otherwise, you're more likely to run into slowness and errors during tax season.

  1. Turn the Windows User Account control to "Never Notify". Reboot your computer after making this change.
  2. Confirm you are an Admin-level user.
  3. Create antivirus exceptions. Do not temporarily disable your antivirus as a workaround.
  4. Create firewall exceptions. Do not temporarily disable your firewall as a workaround.
  5. Set Windows permissions.
  6. For terminal server installations, review the Terminal server best practices for CS Professional Suite applications.

Installation instructions

Where are you installing?

Before you download or start the installation, you need to get to the right workstation or server.

  • For a standalone installation, sit at the workstation where you want to install FileCabinet CS.
  • For a Local Area Network based server, sit at a workstation or the server.

    Do not install to the C: drive of the server. Instead, install to a mapped drive that all workstations can access.

  • For a Terminal Server, see Terminal server best practices for CS Professional Suite applications for installation examples and procedures.

If you have a network or Terminal Server, it's important that you know which drive you're installing to. The decision is up to you, and you'll need to create the installation path and any necessary folders before you start.

Download the installer

  1. Go to the workstation or server where you want to run the installation from.
  2. Go to the CS Professional Suite download page.
  3. Sign in to your account.
  4. Click the link to download FileCabinet CS.
  5. Click Proceed to Download.
  6. Click Download Now.
  7. If you are given the option to Run or Save the download, choose Save.

Close applications

These applications need to be closed on all workstations on the network:

  • CS Professional Suite applications
  • Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook.

Rebooting the server is the best way to make sure all processes for those applications are closed.

During installation

Run the installer

  1. Go to folder where the file was downloaded.

    With Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox open, press CTRL+J on your keyboard to open the download history.

  2. Find the downloaded file FileCabinetCS_CD2010.exe.
  3. Right-click the file and choose Properties.
  4. Click the Compatibility tab.
  5. Uncheck Run this program in compatibility mode and click OK.
    • If the option is grayed out, click the Change settings for all users button and then uncheck Run this program in compatibility mode. 
  6. Right-click the download file again and choose Run as Administrator.
  7. If prompted to allow the program to make changes to this computer, click Yes. 
  8. When the installation begins, wait for the files to extract.
  9. Click Next to begin the installation. You must read and accept the license agreement to proceed with the installation.
  10. You'll see the Product Selection dialog with these options:
    • Install products: Mark the FileCabinet CS option and check the location where the program will install.
    • Other installation options: If you want to schedule the installation for later, mark Defer installation until a date and time specific later in this installation process. 
  11. Click Install. The rest of the installation process is automatic.
  12. Click Finish.

Run the desktop or workstation setup

You might need to run a desktop setup. Click the for your environmental configuration below.

Standalone workstation installations

The desktop setup for your workstation is already complete. If you don't see your desktop icon, you can run the setup to get one. See Desktop setup installation.

Local Area Network based installations

You need to run the desktop setup on each machine that needs access to the program. See Desktop setup installation.

Terminal Server based installations

The server should already have a desktop icon once the full program installation is finished. If there is no icon, run the desktop setup on the server. See Desktop setup installation. If users aren't remoting in to the server to use FileCabinet CS, run the desktop setup on each workstation.

Troubleshooting installation issues

Setup has detected that you are attempting to install to a computer with an unsupported operating system listed below

If you receive the message "Setup has detected that you are attempting to install to a computer with an unsupported operating system listed below", take the following steps.

  1. Find the downloaded file fcsdownload.exe.
  2. Right-click the file and choose Properties.
  3. Click the Compatibility tab.
  4. Uncheck Run this program in compatibility mode and click  OK. If the option is grayed out, click the Change settings for all users button and then uncheck Run this program in compatibility mode. 
  5. Right-click the download file again and choose Run as Administrator.
  6. If prompted to allow the program to make changes to this computer, click Yes. 

Unable to execute the specified command line

If you receive this error, right-click the fcsdownload.exe and choose Run as administrator. If you still receive this error, consult your firm's IT professional to help disabling the Windows User Account Control and verifying that permissions are set according to Permissions guidelines for the CS Professional Suite.

Access denied

An "Access denied" error indicates that either the file is in use or the user running the installation does not have the necessary permissions to access the file. To resolve this error, complete the following steps.

  1. Verify that all CS Professional Suite applications and all Microsoft Office applications are closed. If this is a network installation, these applications must be closed across all machines on the network.
  2. Once all applications are closed, try the installation again. If you receive the access denied error again, take the following steps to close open files.
    1. Go to the server and open Administrative Tools, then click Computer Management. 
    2. From the left-hand panel, choose System Tools > Share Folders > Open Files. 
    3. Close any files in the WinCSI folder or files referencing Microsoft Office programs.
  3. Try the installation again. If you still receive the access denied error, reboot the server. This will ensure that all files and processes associated with CS Professional Suite applications and Microsoft office applications are closed.
  4. If the server has been rebooted and you still receive an access denied error, log in with an admin-level user account and try the installation again. If you are already logged in with an admin account, verify that the recommended permissions have been set according to Permissions guidelines for the CS Professional Suite.

Cannot apply updates while other users are accessing FileCabinet CS directly or through an integrated application

If you receive this message during the installation, or while applying program or license updates, see FileCabinet CS: Cannot apply updates while other users are accessing FileCabinet CS directly or through an integrated application.

Firm ID and PIN do not match our records

If you receive this message, your firm's Licensee or Firm Delegate needs to log in to the My Account page and click on Manage Firm to verify or change the license PIN. For more information on changing your PIN and recent license PIN policy updates, see Managing your license PIN.

Compatibility mode

If you are trying to install and recieve a message about Windows service pack requirements, take the following steps.

  1. Download and save the executable file for the installation to your desktop.
  2. Right-click on the executable file and choose Properties.
  3. In the General tab, if it exists, click the Unblock button next to Security: This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer.
  4. Click the Compatibility tab.
  5. Unmark Run this program in compatibility mode. If this option is grayed out, click the Change settings for all users button and unmark the option on the next window that opens.
  6. Click OK to close the Properties.
  7. Right-click the executable file and choose Run as administrator.  

Unknown file copy error

If you receive this message, see Unknown file copy error for instructions.

After installation

License installation

After completing the installation, open FileCabinet CS. If you need to download updated licenses, you will be prompted to enter your Firm ID and PIN. The license process is automatic, but if it fails, see the "Installation issues" section above. After downloading and installing the licenses, FileCabinet CS will restart. Once the program is open again, choose File > CS Connect, mark Retrieve available updates and click Call now to check for and install updates.

SQL installation

If you use the SQL database format for your data and have a fresh installation or are unable to see your SQL data location when inside FileCabinet CS, you will need to run the SQL setup. See Installing FileCabinet CS on a SQL Server for instructions.

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