Blog

How to Change Power Button to Logoff (Win 7 and Win 8 w/ Classic Shell)

February 9, 2014 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on How to Change Power Button to Logoff (Win 7 and Win 8 w/ Classic Shell)

A great way to regain some familiar functionality to Windows 8 is to install Classic Shell. It’s puts the Start button back on the desktop. However to customize it’s functionality, you must access it’s setting in the Start>All Programs>Classic Shell>Classic Shell Start Menu Settings.

One of the settings that we change on our remote access machines, it to replace the Power button’s default function from “Shutdown” to “Logoff” because it’s too easy to hit shutdown and turn off a remote machine. In Win 7, in a blank area to the right of the Power button, right-click, choose Properties, and select Logoff from the Power button action dropdown menu. But, that method does not work with Classic Shell in Win8.

But, not to worry, there is a way to accomplish the same functionality in Win, you just have to access the settings  Start>All Programs>Classic Shell>Classic Shell Start Menu Settings, then click “Show all settings” checkbox, then select Main Menu tab, then scroll down to Shutdown command, pick Log off.

 

In Windows

How to count back change in manual point of sale

February 6, 2014 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on How to count back change in manual point of sale

How to count back change

This comes up in training on Point of Sale installations, how do you make change easily in a manual situation? The “count back” method is the best method to use, as it doesn’t require doing much math in your head and is self-checking.

Say the sale is $63.19 and the customer gives the cashier $100.00.

  1. The cashier should place the bills across the top the drawer or aside so that it can always be proved what amount the customer gave if a dispute arises.
  2. Always start at the sales price and count up to what the customer gave you.
  3. Beginning with the coins: say out loud what the running total is: twenty (penny), twenty-five (nickel), fifty (quarter), seventy-five (quarter), and $64 dollars (quarter).
  4. Continue the running count, with the bills:  sixty-five ($1 bill), seventy ($5 bill), eighty ($10 bill), and one-hundred ($20 bill).

 

If the sale is $63.19 and the customer gives the cashier $100.04.

  1. The cashier should place the bills and change aside so that it can always be proved what amount the customer gave if a dispute arises.
  2. First, subtract what coins the customer gave from the sales price. $63.19 – $0.04 = $63.15 and start counting back from there.
  3. Beginning with the coins: say out loud what the running total is: twenty-five (dime), fifty (quarter), seventy-five (quarter), and $64 dollars (quarter).
  4. Continue the running count, with the bills: sixty-five ($1 bill), seventy ($5 bill), eighty ($10 bill), and one-hundred ($20 bill).

In Cash Flow Management, QuickBooks POS

How to find your past posts on LinkedIn

January 20, 2014 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on How to find your past posts on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has made some changes recently and there’s no more menu to easily find posts that you are following. But this direct link will get you there: http://www.linkedin.com/groupWatchList?viewWatches=

 

In Social Media & Networking

How to create new year’s accounting folder structure from last year’s

January 13, 2014 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on How to create new year’s accounting folder structure from last year’s

Each January, we have to create to a new accounting folder structure. It’s great to have each year have the same structure as the previous one for quick switching between year’s data. This is a tedious task to accomplish manually, but is very quick to do with Window’s command line and the built in xcopy program.

If you are a client of ours, where we perform at least monthly accounting, we will do this for you. If we have not, you can do it yourself, but please make sure it has not already been done!

1. Make Sure that the parent folder exists in the Destination Directory, ie “2014”.

2. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder(Source Directory) that contains the structure that you want to copy, select the path, and copy it.

3. Go to the Start button, type cmd and click on cmd.exe.

4. When the black Command Prompt window shows, type: XCOPY “

5. Click on the little black icon in the upper left hand corner, select Edit > Paste. The source directory should paste in.

4. Enter one double quote (“) and a space, then one more double quote (“).

5. Back in Windows Explorer, locate the destination directory, select the path, and copy it.

6. In the Command Prompt window, Click on the little black icon in the upper left hand corner, select Edit > Paste. The destination directory should paste in.

7. Enter Enter one double quote (“).

8. Add a space and then /T /E

8. The Command Prompt should show XCOPY “SourceDirectoryPath” “DestinationDirectoryPath” /T /E

5. Press Enter.

6. Your original folder structure should now be copied (without files) into the destination directory.

In Windows

IRS Semi-weekly and Next-Day Payroll Tax Deposit Requirements

December 21, 2013 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on IRS Semi-weekly and Next-Day Payroll Tax Deposit Requirements

If you have a tax liability of more than $50,000 in the look back period (2012Q3 + 2012Q4 + 2013Q1 + 2013Q2), the semi-weekly deposit schedule applies to you. As a semi-weekly schedule depositor, your deposit of accumulated taxes for wages paid on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday is due by the following Wednesday. Deposit of accumulated taxes for wages paid on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday, is due by the following Friday.

Additionally, if your accumulated 941 tax liability reaches $100,000 or more at any time during a semi-weekly period, your electronic deposit is due by the next business day. This is known as the $100,00 Next-Day Deposit Rule.

These rules do not apply to federal unemployment FUTA 940 type payments, as different deposit requirements apply to FUTA tax.

Source Internal Revenue Service CP-136 “Your 2014 Federal Tax Deposit Requirements for 941”

 

In CA Payroll Taxes, Payroll Taxes, SD Payroll Taxes

IRS Offers Tips for 2013 Year-End Giving

December 20, 2013 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on IRS Offers Tips for 2013 Year-End Giving

IRS Offers Tips for 2013 Year-End Giving

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Offers-Tips-for-Year-End-Giving-2013

In IRS Tax Info

12 Tips to Speed up Windows 7

December 10, 2013 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on 12 Tips to Speed up Windows 7

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=251692&a=251692&po=1,00.asp

In Windows

How to speed up your computer: Disabling Windows Aero on Win 7

December 10, 2013 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on How to speed up your computer: Disabling Windows Aero on Win 7

Disabling Aero in Windows 7 is very simple:

Right click the Desktop
Click Personalize
Under ‘Basic and High Contrast Themes, click ‘Windows 7 Basic’

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow_viewer/0,3253,l=251692&a=251692&po=12,00.asp

Source: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/does-disabling-aero-really-improve-performance-in-windows-7

In Windows

Recommended (Default) Location to Store QuickBooks Company Files

December 8, 2013 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on Recommended (Default) Location to Store QuickBooks Company Files

Recommended (Default) Location to Store Company Files

To store your company files, you can use the recommended (default) location or choose another location. We recommend that you do not store your company files in the Program Files folder.
Note: To accommodate the Windows 8, 7 and Vista operating systems that limits the use of the Program Files folder to QuickBooks program files only. The Program Files folder is no longer a viable location to save data files.  You may receive an error “You’ll need to provide administrator permission to copy to this folder” as Windows 8, 7 or Vista even if you are logged in as the administrator. This is because the Program Files folder is now a special folder that allows only certain types of files to be stored within it and this is the error that will appear.
If you already have a company file in the Program Files folder, QuickBooks assists you in moving your company files to a recommended location when you install QuickBooks and when you first open your company file.
Solution Description

Recommended (default) folder location used by QuickBooks for company files

As the default, QuickBooks uses the following locations when creating new company files or moving existing company files:

Windows 8/7/Vista: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files

Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\(Shared) Documents\Intuit\QuickBooks\Company Files

 Note: Windows XP users see the folder as “Shared Documents” when browsing (clicking folders) but QuickBooks and Windows display the folder only as “Documents” in paths and addresses.
In QuickBooks Tips & How-to's, Software

How to login to your Intuit QuickBooks Account

December 8, 2013 • Jeff Cecchini • Comments Off on How to login to your Intuit QuickBooks Account

How to login to your Intuit QuickBooks Account

You think that this would be straight forward to login, download your software, or manage your account settings but it really isn’t if you just try to go to the main site intuit.com, instead go to:

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/commerce/account/secure/login.jsp#

In QuickBooks Tips & How-to's, Software