H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile

6 Responses to H&R Block At Home 2009 Premium Federal + State + eFile

1. 

   P. Kopec on January 24, 2010 at 5:20 am

   I’m a long time user of this product but I’m disappointed with this version. Immediately on install from CD I got a warning of the Artemis! virus. It completed install even though it complained about missing a temporary file in c:config.msi folder. It seems to work ok but it will not update the Federal forms at all. Right when the update is about to complete (4 seconds remaining) it stops and reverses the installation of the update. No errors, no reasons. I called H&R Block help line and of course with no errors, no help. Unfortunately, the software is no good if the forms can’t be updated. If it matters I’m using 64-bit version of Windows 7. I uninstalled/reinstalled a couple of times and same problem. I even downloaded the update file directly from the H&R Block website, again same problem. My only option is to return it for a refund.
   Rating: 1 / 5
2. 

   Allan Ray Miller on January 24, 2010 at 7:06 am

   There are two bugs that affect H&R Block At Home 2009 for some Apple Mac users. Since both problems prevent customers from updating the program from the H&R Block web servers, customers must correct both problems manually before any updates from H&R Block are possible.

   Who it affects: Mac customers who both: 1) have multiple login accounts on the Mac and 2) attempt to run H&R Block At Home 2009 from a non-admin account.

   Problem #1: During the installation process the initial update fails due to file permissions. Error message is: “1008:5,-5000 Access denied error. You do not have enough access privileges for this installation”

   Resolution: 1) Stop the program installation and log in under the admin account, 2) open a Finder window, 3) open the Applications folder, 4) uninstall the H&R Block 2009 program by dragging the icon to the Trash, 5) in the Finder window open the Utilities folder, 6) run the Disk Utility program, 7) select your hard drive as the disk upon which to operate, click on the “Repair Disk Permissions” button and wait for that process to complete, 9) reinstall the H&R Block 2009 program under the admin account.

   Problem #2: When running H&R Block 2009 using a non-admin login account, the program crashes immediately upon launch due to file permissions. Error message is: “Initialization Failed. Exception thrown during initialization: File open failed. File = /Users/Shared/H&R Block/2009/update.tim in open:MacFileWriterImpl”

   Resolution: 1) Exit the program and log in under the admin account, 2) open a Finder window, 3) open the Macintosh HD icon, 4) open the Users folder, then the Shared folder, then the H&R Block folder, 5) right-click on the 2009 folder, 6) select “Get Info” on the menu, 7) on the pop-up window in the “Sharing & Permissions” section set ALL permissions that say “Read Only” to instead say “Read & Write”, return to the Finder window and open the 2009 folder, 9) right-click on the update.tim file, 10) select “Get Info” on the menu, 11) on the pop-up window in the “Sharing & Permissions” section set ALL permissions that say “Read Only” to instead say “Read & Write”.

   Upon successful resolution of both of these problems the customer will be able to run H&R Block 2009 from a non-admin account to do their taxes. As of the date of this note however (1/22/2010) all program updates must still be made using the admin account.

   I discovered and diagnosed this on my own machine. Fortunately I’m a geek and so was able to figure out the problem & share it with others. Obviously H&R Block did not test this scenario before they shipped the program. Dunno if a similar problems exists on Windows machines. Also dunno if there will be further problems when I download & install the State program. I haven’t gotten that far yet.
   Rating: 3 / 5
3. 

   B. Lavin on January 24, 2010 at 9:07 am

   The price for H & R block premium is a lot higher this year than last year. And I wish it came without the state software as an option. It is very user friendly, but the auto save is a pain. For years, even when I turn it off it still auto saves. Also the price keeps changing on amazon. The lowest I have seen was 43.79 and the highest was 54.99, so check for price changes before you buy it. I would have given it a 4 if not for the price (I paid 54.99) and not being able to get federal only.
   Rating: 2 / 5
4. 

   Roger S. Waldbaum on January 24, 2010 at 9:39 am

   After two hours on the telephone with customer support this software could not be successfully installed. The customer service rep was GREAT! Clear English, located in Kansas City, technically VERY knowledgeable and extremely patient and understanding. It’s a shame he did not have a better product to support. I have returned this software to Amazon for a refund.
   Rating: 1 / 5
5. 

   Sonal P. Patel on January 24, 2010 at 11:19 am

   I just bought the CD version of H&R Block at Home Premium version and my Mac can not even read the CD.
   
   I am updating this post after installing on my iMac by copying on a USB from a powerbook, and seems it installed fine!
   
   I am not sure, but the laptop could read the CD, both had same OS–10.6.2.

   Their customer service also called me to help. If anyone had trouble installing from their own CD on iMac, I would love to know, how you resolved it.

   Sure, it is a great software, so easy to use…I have changed my rating to 5 star now!
   
   Only if I knew, why I could not install on my mac directly from the CD, that would have been helpful.
   Rating: 5 / 5
6. 

   bmw cars pic on May 28, 2011 at 2:49 am

   You have certainly been very busy writing up this great post, It was very interesting to read. Can’t wait to see what you write about in the next month.

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