Point of Sale client workstation won’t connect
Description
When you turn on your Point of Sale client workstation, you see the Select Company window and you can’t enter anything in the Select a Company Data file field.
Why this is happeningThis issue can be caused by any of these connection problems:
.The server workstation is not in multi-user mode.
.A firewall is blocking access to the server.
.Either the client or server workstation (or both) is having trouble connecting to the network.
.You are connecting with a dynamic or changing IP address.
Detailed InstructionsMake sure you are not using a dynamic or changing IP address with your workstations, and then try the following 3 solutions.
Solution 1: Be sure your server workstation is in multi-user mode
Note: If you are using Point of Sale Free or do not have multiple workstations, skip to solution 2.
1. Open Point of Sale on your server workstation.
2. Choose File > Switch Company File to Multi User mode and then try again.
If it says switch company file to single user mode:
1. Choose File > Switch Company File to Single User mode.
2. Close Point of Sale. Reopen Point of Sale.
3. Choose File > Switch Company File to Multi User mode and then try again.
Solution 2: Configure all firewalls to allow Point of Sale access to the network
Note: We partner with companies that make Internet security software in hopes of preventing the majority of conflicts that can arise. However, updates and stringent settings can interfere with the ability of Point of Sale to access the server database.
Read these articles to learn how to configure your firewall:
About Windows 7, Vista, and XP firewalls and Point of Sale
Point of Sale firewall configuration files, ports, and paths
Solution 3: Test the workstation’s access to the network and edit the host file
Note: The following steps can be used to test the network. Because they are technical, you may want to consult a network specialist before proceeding.
Step A: Ping the server computer to test network connectivity
Note: In Windows 7 and Vista, the IP address is also referred to as the IPv4 address.
1. Get the computer name and IP address of the Point of Sale server computer:
a. On the Point of Sale server computer, click the Windows Start button and select Run (In Windows 7 and Vista, click Start and choose All Programs > Accessories > Run.)
b. In the Open field, enter cmd and click OK. A DOS window opens.
c. At the prompt in the window, enter ipconfig /all, and press Enter.
d. Under the Windows IP Configuration heading, locate the Host Name line and write down the name you see there. This is the name of the Point of Sale server computer.
e. Under the Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection heading, locate and write down the IP address. This is the IP address of the Point of Sale server computer.
f. Close the window.
2. Verify (ping) the IP address from the Point of Sale client computer:
a. On the Point of Sale client computer, click the Windows Start button and select Run (In Windows 7 and Vista, click Start and choose All Programs > Accessories > Run).
b. In the Open field, enter cmd and click OK. A DOS window opens.
c. In the window, enter ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address you wrote down in step 1e. Press Enter.
d. The window should display: pinging [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] with 32 bytes of data.
. Ping responses are: Reply from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, if it successfully found the IP address of the Point of Sale server computer.
. Request timed out, if it can’t find the Point of Sale server computer.
Note: If this happens, contact an IT specialist to determine why the network is not accessible.
e. Close the window. If the ping command successfully located the IP address of the Point of Sale server computer, continue with the next step.
3. Verify (ping) the server from the client computer:
a. On the Point of Sale client computer, click the Windows Start button and select Run (In Windows 7 and Vista, click Start and choose All Programs > Accessories > Run).
b. In the Open field, enter cmd and click OK. A DOS window opens.
c. In the window, type ping host-name. For host-name, use the name you noted in step 1d. Press Enter.
d. The display should read: pinging hostname [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] with 32 bytes of data. In this case [xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx] is the IP address that was associated with the server (host) name. Ping responses are:
. Reply from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, if it successfully associated the host name with the IP address of the Point of Sale server computer.
. Request timed out, if it cannot associate the host name of the Point of Sale server computer. If this happens, try step B.
Step B: (Optional) Edit the Host file to direct the client workstation to the server manually Note: Your client workstation should be able to connect to the server without resorting to this step. If performing this resolves your issue, you may want to contact your network specialist to determine whether a network setup issue is interfering with your client finding the server automatically.
1. Find the computer name of the server workstation
Note: This is the same server name and IP address you determined in step A1.
a. On the server workstation, click the Windows Start button. In the Start Search field, type cmd and press the Enter key.
b. In the MS-DOS window, type ipconfig/all and press Enter.
c. Under Windows IP Configuration, locate and write down the Host Name.
d. Under Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection, locate and write down the IP address, and then close the window.
2. Edit the Host file on your client workstation
Windows 7
Important: The Hosts file cannot be edited in its current location and you will have to copy it to the desktop to make the changes detailed below.
a. Right-click the Windows Start and select Open Windows Explorer.
b. Click Computer in the left window and go to C:WindowsSystem32Driversetc. c. Copy and paste the Hosts file to your desktop:
i. Right-click the Hosts file and select Copy.
ii. Minimize the window, right-click any free space on your Desktop, and select Paste. d. On your Desktop, double-click the Hosts file. When prompted, choose Notepad as the program to open it.
e. Click in the first available line after the last IP address listed and type the IP address of the server.
f. Press the Tab key once, and then type the name of the server.
g. Choose File > Save and then close the file.
h. Copy the new Hosts file back to the etc folder:
i. On the desktop, right-click the Hosts file and select Copy.
ii. Return to the window you minimized earlier, right-click any free space, and click Paste.
iii. When it asks whether you’d like to overwrite the file, click Yes.
i. Open Point of Sale.
Windows XP and Vista
a. Right-click the Windows Start and select Open Windows Explorer.
b. Click Computer in the left window and go to C:WindowsSystem32Driversetc. c. Double-click the Hosts file. When prompted, choose Notepad as the program to open it.
d. Click in the first available line after the last IP address listed and type the IP address of the server.
e. Press the Tab key once, and then type the name of the server.
f. Choose File > Save.
g. Close the file and open Point of Sale.
If this solution does not resolve the issue, you can read discussions and post messages and questions relating to your issue on the QuickBooks Point of Sale Community Forum. You can also review other available support options for additional guidance.
