License Code Multiple Request by TT 2019 Desktop App

[rorsmith]

Wierd, removing the USB drive worked for me too!

[Lori2020]

@nothappy18I have been dealing with this issue since 2019 tax return software, this is second year it happened, which is unforgivable. Earlier this year I was finally able to speak with an employee in the office of the president of Intuit. He sent me a free download for the 2020 tax return software for me to test and I was able to recreate the problem by downloading the Turbo Tax software with a flash drive plugged into one USB port and an external DVD drive plugged into a second USB port. A few days later I unplugged the flash drive and the external DVD drive and then opened Turbo Tax and it asked for licensing code. The employee recently called me and said that Intuit had identified the issue and it should be fixed for 2021 tax return software. Here is my suggestion for fixes this year, and I implored the Intuit employee to post these suggestions on this forum and to quit accusing customers of having stolen or pirated copies of Turbo Tax.

MY SUGGESTION FIX: PRIOR to downloading the program, UNPLUG all peripheral/external devices in USB ports, including flash/thumb drives. If you are repeatedly asked to enter the licensing code before TurboTax will open, stop and do not do that because if you do it five times you will be forced to buy another program. This problem is caused by a software issue that impacts a small number of customers who had peripheral/external devices plugged into their USB ports when they downloaded the program. Plug the devices back into the USB ports and restart Turbo Tax. If that does not work, save your unfiled 2020 tax return on your hard drive or flash drive. Then: 1) uninstall Turbo Tax; 2) unplug all peripheral/external devices in USB ports; 3) restart your computer; and 4) download/install Turbo Tax again.

[Mike136]

@Lori2020 - Thanks for taking the time to follow through on this to the point of finally getting Intuit to recognize this serious problem. Otherwise, we would continue to get denials from Intuit and irrelevant recommendations for solutions such as disabling AV software, which should never be a requirement for software installation. Although I have not had this problem to the degree that you and others have reported, probably because I installed from a CD and not via download, I am amazed at Intuit's incredible arrogance when responding to the many complaints that have been posted. As they say, the truth will eventually come out. 

[noftsierb]

If Intuit cared about you as a customer AT all they could fix this in about 3 hours of offshore programming.   Which proves they don't care.  And its a waste of time and money to pretend they don't what the issue is an overload the call center.  If they had any business sense they would fix this and not waste money on paying reps to do not much in the way of helping.

[Lori2020]

@Mike136when it happened again in 2020 Turbo Tax program I knew upper management could not be aware of this issue or it would have been fixed. I finally made progress about two months ago when I tweeted about the problem to Intuit, Turbo Tax and Intuit CEO Sasan Goodarzi. Immediately a Turbo Tax customer service rep replied to my tweet with the same wrong solutions that do not work. She also failed to acknowledge the problem with peripheral devices and suggested I DM (direct message) her. I told her to quit lying and accusing customers of stealing software. Soon after that is when I got a call from the employee from the president's office.

[Daniel Buonomo]

I have been using TT for many years and now 2019 and 2020 has been a constant problem. They allow the key to be entered 5 times and what is happening is that every time i have gone in (maybe after the update) it ask me for my activation code... so now I can not get in again.   I have worked with the customer support and they help me resolve my home and business programs (so far so good) but now it is doing the same thing to my business TT.  I have uninstalled it and thought that may help but to no avail.  So now I have to go back to Customer support and try to get this fixed..... very annoying!!!   Maybe another tax software company is in order for next year....  

[crispy34]

Oh my god you freakin genius.... This problem has plagued me for weeks! I tried disabling antivirus/wan config/opening from different files, but it still asked for activation. 
I had two external hard drives connected by USB, each of which have turbotax files on them. I disconnected the external drives, opened TT19, and it worked fine without requesting activation.

What a stupid problem with a basic solution.  THANK you!  (I would have only solved it by accident)

[Daniel Buonomo]

I have used TT beginning in the 80’s and when they tried to put activation process on it maybe 10 or more years ago - it was a disaster then and they abandoned it -  back then I was ready to go to another software company... maybe it time again to consider it... 

This has been a mess and I paid for the licenses a couple of times but NO MORE... TT is not the least expensive product to begin with but when you have to keep paying for it...

I did not realize what was happening and each time I opened my old file and had to reenter the code I did not mind until the 6th time... what a mess...

it appears to be a good way to make more money

not next yes!!! 

[stevekayak]

I turned on my USB-connected Canon printer to print out a Quicken Tax Summary and TT started asking me for an activation code.   I've been using TT all day doing different returns and jumping between different returns; I'll bet I've opened and closed TT thirty times today alone, with no problems.  Then, all of a sudden, it starts asking for my activation code.  Panic....., did some research online and low and behold......

Turned the printer off and got in to TTax again with no problems.......

TT appears to be using the age-old method of hardware footprint in determining how many computers you load the software on (a method Microsoft quit using decades ago).  When you first install the software, TT takes a 'picture' of your connected hardware.  Any deviation from that setup, TT assumes it is a different computer.  If, after successfully getting in and working in TT you suddenly start being asked for the activation code again, look at your hardware!!!  What printers or thumb drives or external hard drives, etc.; ANY USB DEVICES; were plugged in / turned on / not plugged in, etc. when you loaded the TT software the first time.  Get your pc back to that original configuration and you should have no trouble getting back into the software.

WHY TT TECH SUPPORT DOESN'T STILL OFFICIALLY MENTION THIS FIX WHEN SO MANY OF US HAVE DISCOVERED IT (see other threads along this same subject line) IS BEYOND ME!  IT IS SO SIMPLE, YET FOLKS LIKE @EbonyA , SUPPOSED EXPERTS, STILL DIRECT PEOPLE TO THE COMPLICATED, AND MOST LIKELY WRONG, SOLUTION VIA THAT LINK. 

KISS PRINCIPLE; Keep It Simple Stupid.....

Start simple and work from there.

[richardreed2104]

This program sucks.  I have lost it multiple times and it wants the code again.  Just about to change to something else and lose my money,,,

[DwightWasHere]

Un-friggen-believable.  The USB removal did the trick.  I wasted at least 3 hours trying to fix this.

[fg2001gf]

It is incredible that as of Aug 16, 2021 Turbo Tax (Intuit) still did not fix this problem with asking activation multiple times on the same machine.

It happened to me again last week and then I found out that there was a USB flash drive connected.

I removed it and T.T. then came up fine. 

At first I thought it was because I updated to Windows 11 (Insider Build), but clearly that was not the case.

[VHAADEE]

Mi license code does not work and i cannot access my files

[stevekayak]

@VHAADEE 

I turned on my USB-connected Canon printer to print out a Quicken Tax Summary and TT started asking me for an activation code.   I've been using TT all day doing different returns and jumping between different returns; I'll bet I've opened and closed TT thirty times today alone, with no problems.  Then, all of a sudden, it starts asking for my activation code.  Panic....., did some research online and low and behold......

Turned the printer off and got in to TTax again with no problems.......

TT appears to be using the age-old method of hardware footprint in determining how many computers you load the software on (a method Microsoft quit using decades ago).  When you first install the software, TT takes a 'picture' of your connected hardware.  Any deviation from that setup, TT assumes it is a different computer.  If, after successfully getting in and working in TT you suddenly start being asked for the activation code again, look at your hardware!!!  What printers or thumb drives or external hard drives, etc.; ANY USB DEVICES; were plugged in / turned on / not plugged in, etc. when you loaded the TT software the first time.  Get your pc back to that original configuration and you should have no trouble getting back into the software.

[Larry_CA]

NOT HELPFUL.  THESE ARE ALL RELATED TO 2019 TURBOTAX ITEMS.  MINE IS THE 2021 TURBOTAX DELUX AND AT THIS POINT I NEED TO TALK TO A TURBOTAX ASSOCIATE.  CALL ME AT [phone number removed].

MY ORDER NUMBER IS QSTCA152202980.  AT THIS POINT I FEEL I HAVE WASTED $74.90.

DISSATISFIED,

LAWRENCE CASEY-ALLEN