UltraTax CS: Application does not open or start

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There are instances where UltraTax CS will not open or start when launched. Sometimes, no error message is displayed after attempting to launch UltraTax CS. Many of these issues are due to interference from third-party applications within the workstation or server environment.

Troubleshooting Questions

In order to narrow down the cause that is preventing UltraTax CS from launching, please answer the following troubleshooting questions and click on the links for details.

If you have a network installation of UltraTax CS and the application does not open on one workstation, go to a different workstation to see if the application will open.

If the application does open from another workstation, it indicates that there is nothing wrong with the UltraTax CS application itself, but something in the operating environment of the specific workstation that is experiencing the behavior that is preventing UltraTax CS from launching.

If it does not open from any other workstation, it indicates that there may be an issue on the server-level that is preventing UltraTax CS from launching. Possibilities include a bad installation, lack of permissions,  and third-party interference.

If you are troubleshooting a specific workstation where the program won't open, try logging onto to the workstation as a different user and attempt to launch the application.

If the application does open while logged in as a different user, it indicates that there is an issue specific to the original user that is preventing the application from launching. For more information, see user-specific troubleshooting.

If you cannot open the application while logged onto the workstation as a different user, e.g. local administrator or domain administrator, then it indicates that the issue is specific to the workstation environment. For more information, see workstation and server-specific troubleshooting.

Error messages are sometimes helpful as they can explain why UT won't open.

Other times, error messages are generic and do not provide enough detail. For example, the errors "UltraTax CS 2014: utw14.exe has stopped responding" and "UltraTax CS has stopped working" are generic errors that only signify that the UltraTax CS application is not responding but does not explain why.

If you have a specific error message, search the Help & How-To Center for the error message to see if there is a specific resolution.

If you were able to launch UltraTax CS previously, e.g. yesterday, in the last week, in the last month, then it indicates that something has changed in your operating environment that is now preventing UltraTax CS from launching. If this is the case, it is important to review possible changes in your operating in that time frame such as third-party applications installed, updates to antivirus and firewall applications, updates to the operating system, etc.

If you have prior years of UltraTax CS installed, attempt to open the prior versions of the applications.

If you are able to open a different version of UltraTax CS, it will narrow your troubleshooting to a specific version of the application.

If a different version of UltraTax CS doesn't launch, it indicates that something is affecting multiple versions of the application.

Network-wide Troubleshooting

If you are able to determine this issue is happening network-wide (on all workstations), see the items listed below:

Open files

Occasionally an open file stuck on the server may prevent UltraTax CS from launching.

To close open files on the server:

  1. Have every user on the network close out of all CS Professional Suite and Microsoft Office applications. You may have to utilize task manager to make sure CS Connect Background Services are also no longer running.
  2. On the machine where the data is located, access the Manage Open Files screen.
    • Right-click on Computer ("This PC" on Windows 8) in the start menu or on the desktop, then select Manage. In the Computer Management window, expand Shared Folders under System Tools and select Open Files.
    • In Windows Server 2008 - In the Control Panel, select Administrative Tools, then select Share and Storage Management. In the Actions pane on the right-hand side, select Manage Open Files.
    • On Windows 2012 - Click on the Start menu, and in the search field, type compmgmt.msc. In the console window, expand Shared Folders under System Tools and select Open Files.
  3. Find any file that in its name or path references a CS Professional Suite, then select it and close it.

    Note: If the open files will not close or if closing them does not resolve the issue, try rebooting the server.

Disable the UltraTax CS home page

See how to Disable the Home Page, on the Home Page overview. If you are able to open UltraTax CS after disabling the home page, then the home page files could be damaged or corrupted and need to be reset. To reset the home page files:

  1. Have everyone close out of UltraTax CS. 
  2. Navigate to X:\WinCSI\UTYYSys, where X represents the drive on which UltraTax CS is installed and YY represents the year of the application. 
  3. Delete or rename the following files:
    1. utYYhome.con
    2. UTYYHome.HST
    3. UTYYHome.MHT
  4. Open UltraTax CS and new home page files will be generated. 

User-specific Troubleshooting

Through troubleshooting, if you have narrowed down the issue as user-specific, see the items listed below that may resolve the issue of UltraTax CS not opening.

Run Desktop Setup as administrator

  1. Browse to X:\WinCSI\UTyy\Desktop, where X represents the drive to which UltraTax CS is installed and yy represents the version of the application, e.g. yy = 14 for UltraTax CS 2014
  2. Right-click setup.exe, then select Run as administrator

UltraTax CS user profile

It is possible that the user's UltraTax CS profile is corrupt. To troubleshoot the UltraTax user profile:

  1. Browse to X:\WinCSI\UTyySys, where X represents the drive to which UltraTax CS is installed and yy represents the version of the application, e.g. yy = 14 for UltraTax CS 2014
  2. Rename the file _yUSUMSC.[user], where y represents the version of the application and [user] represents the Windows login ID. This file is known as the user preference file or user control file.
    • Example: Rename to file to _4USUMSC.Bob to _4USUMSC.Bob.old
  3. Attempt to launch the application.
    • If you are now able to launch the application, no further troubleshooting is required.
    • If you are not able launch the application, you may rename the user preference file back to the original file name and continue troubleshooting.

Clearing the user's Temp directory

To manually clear a user's Temp directory:

  1. Close all applications.
  2. Go to the Start menu.
  3. In the Search programs and files input, type %temp%. Then hit the Enter key on your keyboard. This will open your local Temp directory.
  4. Select all (CTRL + A on your keyboard) the items in the directory, then hit the Delete key on your keyboard. Click Yes to the Delete Multiple Items dialog box.
    • If you are prompted with the File In Use or Folder In Use dialog box, mark the checkbox Do this for all current items and click Skip.
  5. Attempt to launch the application.
    • If you are now able to launch the application, no further troubleshooting is required.
    • If you are not able launch the application, continue troubleshooting.

Permissions

If you are able to start the UltraTax CS from a workstation while logged in a local administrator or domain administrator but not as a user, then it indicates that there is a permissions issue for the user. To learn more about permissions, please see Permissions guidelines for CS Professional Suite applications.

Workstation and server-specific troubleshooting

PDF Viewer

UltraTax CS requires Adobe Reader DC to be the default PDF viewer and can crash or not work as intended without this setting. See Adobe Reader and Acrobat considerations for CS Professional Suite for more information.

Third-party applications

Listed below are examples of third-party applications that can prevent UltraTax CS from opening.

Note: Thomson Reuters is not responsible for the setup, configuration, or troubleshooting of third-party applications. If you require assistance with these applications, please contact the appropriate software vendor or your qualified IT professional.

Antivirus Applications

Antivirus applications are necessary to protect your workstation or server environmental from viruses, spyware, malware and other harmful and unknown threats. Thomson Reuters does not recommend running a machine without an antivirus program installed. At the same time, Thomson Reuters does not recommend a specific brand or type of antivirus application. What we do recommend is that the proper exclusions and exceptions are made within your antivirus application to prevent any potential interference with any CS application.

For more information, see Antivirus guidelines for CS Professional Suite applications.

ToolBar Applications

Toolbars are a type of malware that comes in the form of a toolbar extension to your Internet browser. ToolBar programs that have been known to cause this error include iLivid Download Manager, iLivid Toolbar, Windows JZip ToolBar, Imesh ToolBar, Windows Search QU ToolBar, Page Rage Bar, Media Bar, Bandoo Toolbar, Search Results Toolbar, and in some instances, Google Desktop and Google Toolbar.

Search Protect

Search Protect is a browser hijacker, which we have observed will prevent UltraTax CS 2011 and 2012 from launching when installed. If you experience this behavior, check your Control Panel for Search Protect and uninstall it.

Windows Components

UltraTax CS requires .NET Framework and Visual C++, two Windows operating system components, to run the application. If one of the Windows components is not installed or corrupt, it may prevent UltraTax CS from opening. 

For more information, see .NET Framework and Visual C++ Considerations for CS Professional Suite.

Uninstalling and reinstalling the application

If you have reached a point in troubleshooting where it is necessary to uninstall and reinstall the application, please make note of the following:

  • If you have a network installation and uninstall UltraTax CS from the Control Panel, it will uninstall UltraTax CS from the network location for all users. This is not a recommended troubleshooting step if one user or more is able to access the application.
  • Uninstalling UltraTax CS does not affect client data or application settings.
  • When reinstalling the application, please make sure you are logged in as the administrator or that the installation is run as administrator.
  • When reinstalling the application, please make sure that your antivirus is disabled so it does not interfere with installation.
  • If you reinstall the application and are still experiencing issues, as the next troubleshooting step, you may want to install UltraTax CS to a different location to see if you experience the same or different behavior. For example, point the installation to your local C:\ drive or different network drive and attempt to launch the application.

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