I’m old school. I’m from the generation where once you bought software it was yours as long as you owned it. So when you need to reinstall your OS such as replacing your computer or upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 your legacy software should still work assuming you have the media and license for it.
But that’s not the reality. I recently did a clean install of Windows 11 on my PC and reinstalled Quickbooks Pro 2007 along with all my other programs. A few weeks later, when I tried to log in again, I found out that my registration period had expired, and I needed to call a 1-800 number to speak with tech support about it.
However, after doing my due diligence and searching online for a solution, I discovered that hundreds of others had encountered the same issue. And when they called tech support they’re told their software is obsolete and if they want access to their data they need to buy a new version of the program. This applies to other Intuit products too like Quicken.
Clicking Begin Registration brings you to the next screen where you have to input a code that is provided by Intuit tech support.
If you try to bypass registering by clicking Register later you are returned back to the registration screen above which of course you can’t bypass. As a result, you’re effectively locked out of the software you rightfully own and are licensed to use.
How to bypass Quickbooks Pro registration
After many hours searching online for workarounds and trying a few which did not work I stumbled upon the solution. You have to navigate to C:\ProgramData\Intuit\Entitlement Client\v3 delete both the EntitlementDataStore.ecml and IntuitEntitlementLog.txt files in the directory.
The only challenge with this is that by default C:\ProgramData is a hidden folder so you have to first enable viewing hidden items in the Windows Explorer options. Deleting these 2 files will reset the QuickBooks Pro 2007 registration timer and allow you to once again use the software you purchased.
The tradeoff is that you have to delete the files every couple of weeks but that can be easily solved with a Windows Scheduled Task.
Creating a Windows Scheduled Task
Before creating a scheduled task I create a simple batch command .bat file with the following 2 lines below which when executed will delete the registration files.
Del “C:\ProgramData\Intuit\Entitlement Client\v3\EntitlementDataStore.ecml”
Del “C:\ProgramData\Intuit\Entitlement Client\v3\IntuitEntitlementLog.txt”
After opening Task Scheduler click Create Basic Task and follow the prompts.
On the Trigger screen select Daily and then click Next.
On the Action screen select Start a program and click Next.
On the next screen enter the path to your .bat file and then click Next.
The final screen is just a confirmation of the settings you configured. Click Finish.
After clicking Finish the scheduled task is ready to run automatically as long as your computer is turned on. There are advanced options you can set such as running the task if the schedule is missed or even running it when you’re not logged on the computer.
In Summary
If you ever find that the legacy version of QuickBooks Pro or Quicken, which you rightfully own, is forcing you to register and pushing you to purchase a newer version, try deleting the registration files. This should allow you to log in again without upgrading.
I want to make it clear that I legally own this software and have a valid license, which I purchased for $200+ back in 2007. Deleting the registration files does not bypass the need to enter a valid license when installing. While I plan to upgrade to a newer version eventually, it will be on my own terms—not when Intuit decides they want to extract more money from me. Thanks for reading!
