Biting the Bullet - Small company accounting package

Channel Hopper

Channel Hopper

Suffering fools, so you don't have to.
Staff member
My Satellite Setup
A little less analogue, and a lot more crap.
My Location
UK
HMRC are no longer interested in hand written accounts, even double ledgering (can one make a mistake with it ?), so I'm in the market for a software package that can handle the quadrillions that pass through the business on a daily basis.

I've looked at Sage 50, currently on offer for about £115, but the blurb suggests it is incompatible with the trusty XP machine, only working with Vista onwards.

Questions

Can it be made to function without rewriting / doctoring ?
Is there another package out there I can use on a completely isolated machine for the accounts only, or
Do I really need to think about a Windows upgrade on one machine only ?

I have considered using an olde iMAC that is sitting here - doing nothing - for the financial side of the business. Sage cannot apparently work on it, but......
Is there another that is simple to use, and
Are there any pitfalls I might have when it comes to transferring records to the taxman or Companies House on such an alien system ?

Thanks in advance
 
XP machine...simpler to upgrade OS ;)
 
satelliteman said:
XP machine...simpler to upgrade OS ;)
Click to expand...

Upgrade to what though ?

I can leave the existing PC (all drivers intact, able to do the deed with the attached camera/scanner/printer/pic programmer/emulators, even the PCI card that does the wi-fi with the big antenna on the rear panel in times where the ethernet cable has been nibbled by mice/daughter)

If I upgrade I could lose all of that................
 
Windows 7 and use XP mode or VMWare
 
Channel Hopper said:
I have considered using an olde iMAC that is sitting here - doing nothing - for the financial side of the business. Sage cannot apparently work on it, but......
Is there another that is simple to use, and
Are there any pitfalls I might have when it comes to transferring records to the taxman or Companies House on such an alien system ?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Stick Windows on the imac in a virtual machine.

How to install and run Windows on any Mac using VMWare or Boot Camp
 
Couldn't you try the Sage 50 free trial on your XP machine? It seems to be the 'standard' and HMRC know it. You'd probably get more hassle from them if you expected them to try something 'new.'
 
On their website.... 'Sign up for a free trial.'
 
Tried that earlier, the template that is sent (on Sage 50 Essentials anyway) is already full of dummy business transactions that cannot be adjusted or deleted.

It looks like a spreadsheet that gives knowledge on the process, but not a package to gain experience by inputting real data.

Unless there is a button I haven't pressed yet.donotpush.gif
 
QB.webp Hmmmm.

I tried multiple times to access data from the Sage template, adjusting things here and there and gave up.

A quick trip to the experts at PC World (I know......) and I took the empty Sage 50 to the counter, one of about eight on the shelf, ready to shell out on the software - I don't do that often and rested for about ten minutes while the minion walked to the stock room at the rear of the shop to recover the impportant internals.

Looking in the discount bin next to me, I saw a familiar colour packet containing quickbooks Simple Start in a security box. £99 (Sage was £115).

The minion returned with bad news, no Sage product in the stockroom - why the numerous cartons on the shelf then ?

So I asked about the quickbooks and again man goes to stockroom and returns with packet.

I look closer and it is Wn 7 , 8 AND OS X 10.7, 10.8 and 10.9 - Yay !

Underneath though is the sentence - Activiation required by January 2016...........

Why they are selling obsolete software is beyond me, but by then I was becoming desperate, HMRC waits for noone.

I asked about a discount as I had now missed the supermarket opening times for my tea and got a fiver off (£95) and assurance that if I can't register it I can bring it back.

Got home about an hour ago and have been looking at the reviews - confusing since there is also a ( completely different US version) , and a UK online version. The Intuit site is totally lacking in detail.

I finally resorted to scouring the Amazon.co.uk page and found the exact version I parted money for , not good.View attachment 92999
 
View attachment 92999 brings an error page up.
 
The attachment is the image of the review in the previous post.
 
battenfan said:
Nothing here? Comparison of accounting software - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
What about GNU Cash? Pas 76 - GnuCash
Click to expand...


It is not clear if GNUCash is PAS 76 compliant. If it is then GNUCash should carry the appropriate kitemark.


Page also updated 2011 and a lot has changed wrt HMRC guidelines.

As mentioned in the opening post, I am used to the 'double ledger' system on paper and Quickbooks continues to use this format in the programme (at least I hope so). I am however a little concerned they might want £300 plus shekels from me a year on, however the lack of any other accounting package at the local PC World is governing what I do today.
 
Go to eBay and buy a second hand version of Sage Instant Accounts that comes with the activation key. It is inteneded for small business users and an older version will be OK with XP.

You should be able to update the HMRC parameters with a download from Sage or manually.
 
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moonbase said:
Go to eBay and buy a second hand version of Sage Instant Accounts that comes with the activation key. It is inteneded for small business users and an older version will be OK with XP.

You should be able to update the HMRC parameters with a download from Sage or manually.
Click to expand...

Do you know the last year Sage was XP compatible ?
 
Channel Hopper said:
As mentioned in the opening post, I am used to the 'double ledger' system on paper and Quickbooks continues to use this format in the programme (at least I hope so).
Click to expand...
Is double ledger the same thing as double-entry bookkeeping? Software that lacks double-entry would be an exception is my guess.
(See DEB column in wikipedia link)
It's difficult for me to grasp exactly what it is HMRC wants. Maybe I should just stop writing about stuff I don't know anything about.
 
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