QuickBooks license error

Many software vendors use random pieces of information about your system’s hardware to create a license file. Intuit does this to create a file called EntitlementDataStore.ecml that is used by QuickBooks to determine if you are the rightful owner of QuickBooks. Make a change to your system, however, and you could find yourself getting a licensing error when you start QuickBooks.

This happened to a system I was working on last week. I cloned the system to a new hard drive and everything worked fine except Quickbooks. Here’s how I fixed it:

[Requirements]

  • QB License Number
  • QB Product Code
  • QB Validation Code

[step 1] In QuickBooks 2010 and newer on Windows 7 or Vista navigate to:

C:ProgramDataIntuitEntitlement Clientv6.0

QuickBooks 2009 and Enterprise 9.0: C:ProgramDataIntuitEntitlement Clientv5
QuickBooks 2008 and Enterprise 8.0: C:ProgramDataIntuitEntitlement Clientv5
QuickBooks 2007 and Enterprise 7.0: C:ProgramDataIntuitEntitlement Clientv3

On Windows XP navigate to:

Quickbooks 2010 & up: C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataIntuitEntitlement Clientv6.0
Quickbooks 2009: C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataIntuitEntitlement Clientv5.0
Quickbooks 2008: C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataIntuitEntitlement Clientv5.0
Quickbooks 2007: C:Documents and SettingsAll UsersApplication DataIntuitEntitlement Clientv3.0

[step 2] Locate the file called EntitlementDataStore.ecml and rename or delete it.

[step 3] Re-launch QuickBooks and notice that the software is now no longer registered. Click Help->About and when you see the QuickBooks Splash screen press CTRL+R+P

[step 4] Your QB license number and product code should already be filled out, simply enter the verification code you obtained when you initially registered the software and Click Register.

That’s it.

Comments

4 responses to “QuickBooks license error”

  1. Tom Avatar
    Tom

    Actually a the only way to obtain a VERIFICATION CODE is by registering Quickbooks via telephone. You can re-register using your quickbooks userid and password.

    1. ron Avatar
      ron

      this was a great help. Thank you

  2. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    This was incredibly helpful. Thanks so much! I’m running the 2011 verisoin of QB and just upgraded my computer to a SSD hard drive. I cloned my old hard drive and when the computer booted up with the new one Quickbooks came up with this license error and I couldn’t run the software (Error 3371, Status 11118). I followed the steps (Windows 7) above and it was up and running in 2 minutes. When QB started it just asked me to register and I simply signed into my online account and it did the rest, I didn’t need to put in my license info, verification code, etc.

    I had previously called tech support and they tried to charge me to fix it – I’m not even convinced they understood the problem. Many thanks!

    1. David Vielmetter Avatar

      Glad to help.

      David