Rating: Summary: TurboTax for 2002 may break your computer... Review: The Digital Rights Management system that Intuit placed on TurboTax for 2002 does much more than just require "activation" of the program before it can be used.One of the things it does is write data to an otherwise inaccessible place on your hard drive (track 0). If this location already has data on it that it required for your hard drive to boot properly (like some Maxtor and WD utilities that allow you to use a large drive), your machine will not boot unless and until you are able to restore the overwritten data from a special recovery diskette. Of course, if you do this, TurboTax will no longer run and you will have to pay for it again before you can use it. Even formatting your hard drive will not remove this data. After installation, TurboTax runs processes in the background, using up your memory and slowing your computer, whether TurboTax is running or not. If you install TurboTax and then upgrade your computer, chances are that TurboTax will mistakenly believe that you are trying to pirate the software by installing it on a different machine and will refuse to run until you pay for it again. If you try to unintall the software using the uninstaller that Intuit now provides, it will not remove all elements of the software and leaves the special data on track 0 of your hard drive. These are all documented facts (see ExtremeTech.com, PC Magazine, and others). There have also been reports of damage to the Windows registry, changes to the system that prevent you from burnng a CD (of anything), and system crashes. So beware! It is too late for me -- I have already bought and paid for it. But after 15 years of buying TurboTax, this will be the last year.
Rating: Summary: DO NOT BUY!!!! Review: The product does the normal decent job on your taxes, but it also makes Windows XP Pro unstable and also will not allow Roxio to install. I am a System Admin. Many of the users bought Turbo Tax and Roxio. Roxio will not work if you install Turbo Tax first. It loads into a sector of the disk that is extremely difficult to remove. Both the trial version and the retail do this. FYI the way to remove the "worm" is done by doing a low level format. Which is unforgivable.
Rating: Summary: Switch to Tax Cut Review: This used to be the Gold standard for Tax software before the folks at Intuit got greedy. I believe that you ought to pay for any software that you use, but on the other hand, companies ought to be up front with customers when they put sneaky spy programs on your computer. Intuit violated this cardinal rule when it placed Cdilla on all copies of Turbotax. This program reports back to the servers at headquarters so that you can't load a copy of TurboTax at home and at work. They did not even put an uninstaller on the disk. When word got out about this program the company then put an uninstaller on their servers. Switch to TaxCut!! They don't have anything like this on their disks.
Rating: Summary: If I could give it 0 stars I would Review: I did not have any problems "activating" this "product". But what I can't do is update it (one-click update or manual) or even register it. It seems it has major problems with doing anything on the internet. Tech support indicated this was a known problem with the manual update downloads that they offer and the only solution was to get Customer service to send an update on CD. I suggest Intuit invest in H&R Block because they are sending a lot of customers over to TaxCut. I will be returning my copy of TurboTax. It shouldn't take longer to install tax software then it does to complete ones return. Intuit may soon be more hated then the IRS.
Rating: Summary: No more TurboTax for me. Review: Copyprotection isn't a right when the company installs "hidden, unremovable" software on *MY* computer. The software they install is no better than a virus! Teach them a lesson; don't by software from Intuit any more!
Rating: Summary: There must be a better product! Review: I'd give this product zero stars if I could. Not only is their customer service worthless but the software comes included with spyware. The program worked until I removed the spyware then program was rendered useless. Went to tech support. They suggested I alter some ini files. Still didn't work. Uninstalled and reinstalled it (which put the spyware back on). Still doesn't work. Now I have to find some other PC to do my taxes on. I don't know about you but not everyone has a second PC. I have used Turbo Tax for many years but this is the last!
Rating: Summary: Turbo Tax vs Tax Cut Review: After years of using Tax Cut, I switched to Turbo Tax for the 2002 filing year. I happened to read some of the reviews here, and I was a little apprehensive, espcially with the "new" activation "feature" (tounge in cheek). For me, the activation feature went without a hitch and caused no problems. The download to update the software took about as long as it used to take under Tax Cut. The install went without a hitch, save for the very obnoxious habit of installing all these little icons to try "other" services. That's a little tacky and should not happen without expressed permission. That is the reason why I gave Tax Turbo got "4 stars" instead of "5 stars". Yes, the actual tax program blows away Tax Cut in certain areas: 1. I felt the GUI was cleaner and more intuitive than Tax Cut. 2. GUI felt much more responsive than Tax Cut on my machine. 3. The forms were larger font and thus easier to enter the data. 4. The "Help" is better - both "Tax" help and "Program" help. They both allow you to go straight to forms, which I do -- then I go back and do interveiw at the end as part of my check. Just my personal preference to go straight to the "common" forms and enter all the data right away. In summary, I liked it better and would probably stay with Turbo Tax for next year. Also, the program's interview was very in-depth and it picked a couple of deductions/credits that I would have certainly missed on my own , saving me over $700. It was a little pricy, costing over $70 with the state program, but with $40 in rebates (which I mailed in right away), it bought the net cost to just over $30 - which I am "ok" with. But "rebates" are another pet peeve of mine - I would rather just purchase the Fed and State together at one price and be done with it. Tax Cut woul have been around $25 net, so there is not a real big difference.
Rating: Summary: I guess it is better than hand writing your tax return... Review: As long as you are going to only install the software once on one machine and only print from that machine. I wonder what happens if your pc crashes and you need to rebuild it, I guess you have to go buy a new copy. Rebate after rebate.. they let you go online and fill out a rebate form but you still have to mail the damn thing in with the original form ?? what is that??? What is the point??
Rating: Summary: Too much pain for install Review: I was reading the reviews but did not know it could happen to every one. I could not activate this product even with internet connection( I have a DSL). As soon as you start the install the stupid message about purchasing another license comesup and you have to go thru' few times. I think I will return this and go back to taxcut.
Rating: Summary: Beware Turbo Tax Installation Problems Review: Let me first say I have happily used TurboTax for many years. This year we purchased TurboTax deluxe (for tax year 2002). Many, many hours later and following a number of frustrating calls to their tech support and visits to turbotaxsupport.com we still can not get this program installed! My wife formerly worked with computers for a living so I am confident the problem is not on our end. Techsupport told us this is a fairly common problem and there were instructions available on their website. Well, these instructions are 3 pages long and require that you uninstall or disable other programs such as virus protection first! If I could have rated this product 0 stars I would have. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of the options.
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