How to Fix QuickBooks Error H202?

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“I am working remotely with my organization. When I tried to access QuickBooks in multi-user mode to collaborate with the team for an ongoing financial project, I encountered an error. There was a message saying, ‘This company file is on another computer, and QuickBooks needs some help connecting.’ I tried everything, from checking internet connectivity to firewall and hosting settings.”

Are you trying to switch to multi-user mode in QuickBooks but interrupted by the error code H202? It is one of the most complex errors in the H series that you encounter due to network connectivity or improper server settings. It occurs when you attempt to switch to multi-user mode preventing the user from accessing the QuickBooks files.

To help you resolve this error, we’ve prepared this guide that’ll explain what H202 error code is in QuickBooks and how to resolve it without losing the business-critical data.

What is QuickBooks Error H202?

QuickBooks H202 error, as mentioned earlier, falls under H series error category. Users observe it when they’re switching from single-user to multi-user mode. When a computer fails to connect to the host computer and can’t give you access to the QuickBooks file, it gives you the error message:

“This company file is on another computer, and QuickBooks needs some help connecting.”

Here’s how to fix this problem: On the computer where the company file is located, open the Start menu, then open QuickBooks Database Server Manager. The Database Server Manager will scan your files and restore the connection.

Causes of the QuickBooks Error H202

Before you try to resolve QuickBooks error code H202, it is important to know about the root cause of the issue. Here’s what can lead to this error:

• Conflict with the DNS server.
• Hosting configuration settings are not properly configured.
• Firewall is blocking QuickBooks to communicate with other workstations (computers).
• Unstable network connection can distort the communication between server and your workstation.
• Multiple workstations are hosting a file in the network.
• Corrupt or damaged network data (.nd) file.
• Unavailability of the required permissions to access the folder containing the file.
• QuickBooks DBXX, QBCF, and other QuickBooks services are not operating on server.
• Firewalls block incoming and outgoing communication.
• Unresponsive Database Server Manager of QuickBooks.

Symptoms of Error H202 in QuickBooks

You now know the reasons for the intuit QuickBooks error H202, but how will you identify the encountered error? If you notice any of the following symptoms, the reason behind it is QuickBooks error code H202.

• Unable to switch to multi-user mode: If while accessing a QuickBooks file remotely or for shared collaboration, you are unable to switch to multi-user mode from single-user, there is H202 error.
• QB slows down or stopped: When you’re working with a company file and suddenly, your screen freezes and displays the error message, QuickBooks has stopped working/ not responding/ not opening, it’s a sign of error code H202.
• Error message for H202: When your screen displays the error message, “This company file is on another computer, and QuickBooks needs some help connecting,” there is QuickBooks H202 error.
• Folder containing the file is inaccessible: Sometimes when you try to access the folder where your company file is stored is not accessible through your workstation. This is a sign of QuickBooks error H202.
• QuickBooks software freezes: There is QuickBooks H202 error if while accessing the company file, your QB software freezes.

All these symptoms can help you identify the occurrence of the QuickBooks h202 error. It is important to resolve them within time to avoid interruptions in your workflow and productivity.

Solutions to Resolve QuickBooks H202 Error

Try out the following solutions to fix QuickBooks Enterprise H202 error; however, we suggest you backup your QuickBooks (QBW) file before proceeding. It will prevent losing data if something goes wrong.

Check and Fix Internet Connectivity

Bad network connectivity can intervene with your access to the QB file on the host computer. It is important to check and fix the network connectivity issue to get rid of the H202 QuickBooks error. Here’s what you need to do.

1. Check network connectivity

To avoid seeing this error, analyze your internet connection. It is achievable by sending a ping from your workstation/computer (on which you noticed the error) to the server. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Press Windows key + R to open the command prompt window.

Step 2: Enter the ping servername command and hit the Enter key on your keyboard.

After this step, if there is a packet loss experienced or the system shows a late reply, fix the network issues.

2. Resolve network issues

Run QuickBooks File Doctor tool to resolve the network issues causing trouble. It will help you troubleshoot and resolve all the errors of the H Series. To run this utility, download and install the tool, and perform the following steps:

Step 1: Launch the QuickBooks file doctor and select the file you want to access.

Step 2: Click on Browse to select files if you can’t find the files.

Step 3: Select Check your file and Network and then Continue.

Step 4: Enter the QuickBooks admin password and click Next.

If the issue was due to bad network connection, the QuickBooks H202 error will get fixed. However, if this method doesn’t help, proceed to the solutions in the further sections.

QuickBooks Services Should be Running

Sometimes, the company file shows issues because some of the QuickBooks services, such as QuickBooksDBXX (XX is the version of your QuickBooks) or QBCFMonitorService, are not running. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Press Windows + R key and open the run window.

Step 2: Type services.msc and hit the Enter key.

Step 3: Find QuickbooksDBXX from the list of services and double click on it.

Step 4: It will open the QuickbooksDBXX window.

Step 5: In the General tab, select Automatic as the Startup type.

Step 6: Check that Service status is Running or Started, if not, select Start.

Step 7: In the Recovery tab, select Restart the Service for: First failure, Second failure, and Subsequent failure dropdowns.

Step 8: Apply the changes and click OK to save the changes you made.

Similarly, start the QBCFMonitorService with the steps performed above. This will help you get access to the company file and resolve QuickBooks Enterprise H202 error.

Verify the QuickBooks Hosting

Another solution you can try to fix the error QuickBooks error H202 is verify your QuickBooks Hosting. Here are the steps to do it:

Step 1: Open QuickBooks on the hosting workstation.

Step 2: Click on File and then Utilities.

Step 3: From the options, if there is Host Multi-User Access, the current system is not hosting the file.

Step 4: Proceed to the next system and make sure to not commit any changes to the system.

Step 5: In Utilities, if you see Stop Hosting Multi-User Access, select it and with the company file closed, tap on Yes.

Rename Transaction Log and Network Data files

When your company file fails to open on your workstation, renaming .tlg and .nd files can help you fix the QuickBooks error H202 issue.

Step 1: Start by locating the .tlg and .nd files make sure they are in the same location as the .qbw company file.

Step 2: With QuickBooks closed on all computers, go to the folder containing all the files.

Step 3: Right-click the .nd file and choose Rename.

Step 4: Add the extension .old to the file name; for example, change CompFile.nd to CompFile.nd.old. Press Enter.

Step 5: Follow the same step for .tlg file and rename it to CompFile.tlg.old.

Start QuickBooks, open company file, and the .nd and .tlg files will again be created automatically. If there are no errors, switch to multi-user mode and confirm that the file is accessible without any issues.

Create New Folder for QBW files

At times, creating a new folder for the QuickBooks file helps to resolve the QuickBooks error code H202. Change the original saved location of the company file. This abolishes the conflicts arising from the existing company file. Find below the steps to create a new folder for QBW files:

Step 1: Go to Server Computer and in C drive, click to “Create a new folder.”

Step 2: Select the company file and TLG file from original folder and copy them using Ctrl + C keys.

Step 3: Go to the new folder and paste the files using Ctrl + V keys.

Step 4: In the end, check if the error QuickBooks H202 error is resolved and open the file in multi-user mode.

Configure Firewall Settings

Firewalls, antivirus, and other security systems can often be an obstruction in the path of QuickBooks files. You can run a diagnosis to see if any firewall is blocking the access. follow the steps to configure QuickBooks firewall settings for uninterrupted communication:

Step 1: Make exceptions in your Windows Firewall settings.

Step 2: Adjust the permissions and then restart your workstations.

Step 3: Now, access the company file on all workstations.

Step 4: Select File and then Switch to Multi-user Mode in QuickBooks.

Add Server to Windows Host Files

Adding server to Windows Host files will help you resolve QuickBooks H202 error. It makes locating company files quite an easy job for the QuickBooks desktop. First, edit the company file to add computer server to the Windows host file. Here are the steps to add the server:

Step 1: Open Windows host file using any of the following locations:

C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\Etc.
C:\Windows\Syswow64\Drivers\Etc.

Step 2: Double-click on the host file.

Step 3: In the prompt “How do you want to open this file,” select Notepad.

Step 4: Enter the IP address and name of the system for both server and computer.

Step 5: Click on the Tab key and try accessing the file in the multi-user mode.

Ping Host System Through your Workstation

A smooth and stable network connection is required for connecting and accessing the company file. Ping the host workstation from your computer and verify that there is good network connectivity between both systems. for this, first, enable Network Discovery on the server computer and workstation where there is intuit QuickBooks error H202.

Step 1: On your host computer, press the Start/Windows key and enter Network in the search box.

Step 2: Select Network and Sharing Center and then Change advance sharing settings.

Step 3: Turn Network Discovery on in the Network Discovery and File and Printer sharing section.

Let’s now find the Server name from the host computer.

Step 4: Open Run window, type cmd to open the command prompt.

Step 5: Write ipconfig/all and press Enter.

Step 6: You can see the Host name under Windows IP configuration. Copy it and paste it either in your sticky notes or notepad.
Now ping your workstation from server computer. It will allow you to test the connection.

Step 7: Launch the command prompt again and type ping servername and then Enter.

Repeat the same steps for all your workstations to get a reply for ping. If there is no packet loss, the network connectivity is good. However, you might need expert help if there is a packet loss.

Restart Database Server Manager

There are many users who have reported the issue ‘intuit QuickBooks error H202’ getting resolved simply with the restart of Database Server Manager. Here’s how to restart:

Step 1: In the Run window, type services.msc and then click OK.

Step 2: Right click on the services: QuickBooksDB19 (2009), QuickBooksDB18 (2008), or QuickBooksDB17 (2007). Tap on Stop.

Step 3: Now, right-click on the service and hit Start. Close the window.

Recreate Network Data File

Network data files are crucial to provide QuickBooks with access of company files on a network. However, if there’re damages or corruption in these configuration files, you may see H202 QuickBooks error in the multi-user mode. Recreate your network data file using the following steps:

Step 1: Open the company file folder and find the file with the same name but with .nd extension.

Step 2: Right-click on it and select Rename to provide a new name.

Step 3: Do the same for all files with the .nd extension and QuickBooks will create new ND files automatically.

Repair your Company’s QuickBooks File

Damaged and corrupted QuickBooks files are also often a cause of QuickBooks error code H202. You can use the QuickBooks built-in tool, Verify and Rebuild, to repair the company file and resolve the error.

It will help you get rid of minor issues from the file allowing you to restore the data and access files in the multi-user mode easily.

Add QuickBooks Ports in Firewall Settings

You can make sure that the firewall is not blocking the port numbers you’re using in the multi-user mode. Configure the following port numbers in your Firewall settings to avoid seeing QuickBooks error code H202.

1. No specific ports for QuickBooks 2019
2. QB 2018 Firewall Ports: 8019, 56728, 55378-55382
3. QuickBooks 2017 Firewall Ports: 8019, 56727, 55373-55377
4. QuickBooks 2016 Firewall Ports: 8019, 56726, 55368-55372

Run QuickBooks Diagnostic Tool

With the QuickBooks diagnostic tool, you can find issues in the software and resolve them to get rid of QuickBooks H202 error. Start with the following steps:

Step 1: Download and install QuickBooks diagnostic tool on host computer.

Step 2: Launch the tool and scan the folder where company files are stored.

Step 3: Jot down the IP address that’s displayed while running QB Diagnostics Tool.

Step 4: Configure all the firewall ports as suggested in the previous method and instructed by the QB diagnostic tool.

Step 5: Follow the on-screen instructions and then try accessing the company file on your workstation.

Solutions for QuickBooks H202 Error for Non-Windows Computer

It can often be a case that the user accessing the QuickBooks company file is using a computer other than Windows, such as Linux or Citrix. These methods to resolve QuickBooks H202 error might not work in that case. Therefore, here are some methods to try for Fedora Linux and Citrix workstations.

For Fedora Linux Computer

If you have a Linux computer as server, follow the given steps:

Edit Host File of Each Computer

Run the step-by-step process to edit the host file and add the domain name of the server:

Step 1: Open file explorer and go to the location
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\drivers\etc and click OK.

Step 2: Double click on file named hosts.

Step 3: Choose Notepad from “How do you want to open this file?” Click OK.

Step 4: Enter the Linux Server’s IP, then press Tab key, and enter the domain name of the Linux server.

Step 5: Go to the File menu, click Save and then File>Exit.

Modify the QBGlobalAppConfig.ini File

To modify/edit Modify the QBGlobalAppConfig.ini File on your Linux host computer, perform the following steps:

Step 1: Launch Terminal window on your system and go to QBGlobalAppConfig.ini file.

Step 2: Verify the default ports according to the table below and remove spaces before and after the equal (=) sign.

You can find this list of default ports in Linux Database Server Manager.

Step 3: Save the QBGlobalAppConfig.ini file.

Step 4: Stop both QBDBFILEMON and QBDBMGRN services and reboot them.

Step 5: Finally, map the system drive where the company file is placed with every workstation in the network.

Step 6: Setup mapped drive to the IP address of the Linux server.

For Citrix Computer

Workstations functioning with Citrix might often encounter QuickBooks Enterprise H202 error in case the file is hosted with the client-side application virtualization instead of the server-side to access QuickBooks.

Using server-side virtualization can help you get rid of error code H202 QuickBooks with the help of a network administrator.

Wrapping Up

Resolving QuickBooks error H202 is a diffuclt task that requires a lot of effort. However, with the best and reliable methods, you can try to fix QuickBooks H202 error and access your financial transactions stored in the company file. It is important to be proactive and identify the symptoms of the QuickBooks Enterprise H202 error to easily resolve them before the situation worsens.

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