CUSTOMER SERVICE MEMO CSTP1502

for 2015 Edition of HowardSoft's Tax Preparer®

How to avert inability to run Tax Preparer's start-up .vbs file

Background. Starting with the 2015 Edition of Tax Preparer, the software is started by a VBScript program (with file extension .vbs). The proper software for running VBScript programs is installed with all Windows versions since 1998. However, computers that have been inappropriately customized or subject to viruses or other damage may no longer be able to run .vbs files. As a result, when such computers attempt to start Tax Preparer, neither the Tax Preparer Control Panel nor the Main Window appears. Instead, they are greeted only with a window showing the contents of the .vbs file or an error message indicating no program to run a .vbs file. This memo describes alternative ways to eliminate the problem and successfully start Tax Preparer.

Solutions. Recommended solutions are given below in order of preference, highest preference first:

•   Associate .vbs files with Windows Script Host. If your computer has been customized to associate .vbs files with Notepad or other editor instead of a proper host for VBScript, you may be able to eliminate your start-up problem by changing the association through the computer's Control Panel. However, how you reach the proper page depends on your version of Windows. For example:
  •   For Windows 8 or 8.1 press the Windows key then choose Apps by category->Windows System->Control Panel->Default Programs->Associate a file type or protocol with a program. Once the list of file types appears, scroll down to .vbs and note the Current Default. If it is not Microsoft (R) Windows Based Script Host, you should click the Change program... button (above upper right corner of frame) and view your choices of programs. If you find Microsoft (R) Windows Based Script Host, click that program and OK it. Otherwise, you must try the next solution.
  •   For Windows XP click Start->Settings->Control Panel->Folder Options->File Types. Once the list of file types appears, scroll down to VBS and highlight it. You will see the current association in the bottom half of the window, under Details for 'VBS' extension. If Opens with: is not Microsoft (R) Windows Based Script Host, you should click the Change... button next to it and view your choices of programs. If you find Microsoft (R) Windows Based Script Host, click that program and OK it. Otherwise, you must try the next solution.
•   Specify Windows Script Host for Tax Preparer only. If you cannot associate the Windows Based Script Host with .vbs files, you may still be able to start Tax Preparer's VBScript files by specifying the host in its icons. And even if the Windows-based host is missing, an appropriate Console-based host may still exist on your computer. For this approach you must change the properties for each and every Tax Preparer icon you expect to click to start Tax Preparer, including both Desktop and All Programs icons. For each icon, perform the following steps:
  •   Right-click the icon.
  •   Click Properties (at the bottom of the drop-down menu).
  •   Click the Shortcut tab.
  •   In the field for Target:, pre-pend the existing entry with one of the following, separating it from the existing entry by a space:
    •   Preferred (Windows Based Script Host): C:\Windows\System32\wscript.exe
    •   Alternative (Console Based Script Host): C:\Windows\System32\cscript.exe
  •   Click OK.
  The preferred choice forces Tax Preparer to start as intended. However, if the file wscript.exe is missing from the computer or is damaged, you will be forced to use the alternative, which flashes an extra Command Prompt window on the screen before starting Tax Preparer. If neither alternative works, you will be forced to use the last solution below.
•   Right-click and Open with Command Prompt. You can accomplish the same thing as the above Console Based alternative without changing the properties of the icons. However, instead of left-clicking the icon to start Tax Preparer, you must right-click the icon and choose Open with Command Prompt.
•   Bypass .vbs startup. The final alternative is to omit the running of our .vbs files altogether. This is the least aesthetic of all the solutions but may be your only choice if the above methods do not work. For this approach you must change the properties for each and every Tax Preparer icon you expect to click to start Tax Preparer, including both Desktop and All Programs icons. For each icon, perform the following steps:
  •   Right-click the icon.
  •   Click Properties (at the bottom of the drop-down menu).
  •   Click the Shortcut tab.
  •   In the field for Target:, change vbs to bat at the end of the entry.
  •   Click OK.
  Thereafter, clicking the Tax Preparer icon will cause the program to start normally, but only after an extra black Command Prompt window appears on the screen and remains there. However, you can close this spurious window once the Main Menu appears in the Main Window.