Your Rightworks Desktop will be loaded with the applications that you (or your account administrator) selected from the AppHub portal for Rightworksportal. This can include several years of Drake Tax and Drake Accounting. Adding applications must be done from the AppHub portal for Rightworks; for more information, see Rightworks - Installing Applications.

To get started, you must configure your Drake Software programs and complete some basic setup steps. If you have a backup from your local computer, you will simply be able to restore that backup after activating your program. This article will discuss the set up for the following situations:

Local to Rightworks

Drake Tax

1. In your locally installed Drake Tax, go to Tools > File Maintenance > Backup.

2. Choose the following options under Manual One-Time Backup:

   • Back up to local or network location:

     • Choose the appropriate location such as C:\Drake23\Backups

   • Perform full back up

   • Include DD Archive Cabinet (optional)

3. Click Backup.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 in each year of Drake Tax that you will be using on Rightworks.

5. Launch your Rightworks Desktop.

6. Launch Drake Tax within your Rightworks Desktop.

7. Go to File > Convert Demo to Standard. Enter in your Drake Serial Number.

8. Go to Tools > File Maintenance > Restore.

9. Choose the following options under the Restore section:

   • Restore From: Local or network location

   • Restore Location:

     • Choose the appropriate location by browsing to your local computer's C drive or network installation (same as step 2 above). This will then show as \\tsclient\DRIVELETTER where DRIVELETTER is the local or network drive letter. For example, it will show as \\tsclient\C\Drake23\Backups.

   • Select backup to restore:

   • Select the date and time you made the backup, for example Manual Full Backup - 8/3/2024 4:23:33 PM.

   • Click Preview

10. Choose either Restore Everything or Custom Restore. Make additional selections as needed.

11. Click Restore.

12. When complete, click Exit.

13. Go to Tools > Repair Index Files > Repair all indexes > Continue > OK.

14. Repeat the steps above as needed for each year of Drake Tax that you are moving from your local computer.

Drake Accounting

1. In your locally installed Drake Accounting, go to Client > Backup. Verify the backup location before continuing.

2. Select the client or clients you want to back up. Select the check box next to Client Code if you wish to back up all of the clients at one time.

3. After selecting the clients, click Backup to begin the process.

4. A progress bar will appear at the bottom of the Backup Client(s) screen, and will disappear upon completion.

5. Launch your Rightworks Desktop.

6. Launch Drake Accounting within your Rightworks Desktop.

7. Complete your initial setup.

8. Go to Client > Restore.

9. Click Change Path.

10. Browse to the location that you chose in step 1 above.

11. Choose Restore All.

New users of both

If you are new to both Drake Software and Hosting on Rightworks, after you have established your Hosting account, you will just set up Drake Tax and Drake Accounting on the cloud. This will involve the same steps as the local desktop installation, summarized below.

Drake Tax

1. Launch your Rightworks desktop.

2. Open the earliest year of Drake Tax that you will be using.

3. Go to File > Convert Demo to Standard. Enter your serial number.

4. Complete your setup following the setup assistant.

5. Go to Tools > Install State Programs. Install any needed states.

6. Repeat in each year of Drake Tax that you will be using. Note that you can bring settings forward from year-to-year, however, you must confirm your Setup > Firms and Setup > ERO screens in every year of Drake Tax.

Drake Accounting

1. Launch your Rightworks desktop.

2. Open the earliest year of Drake Accounting that you will be using.

3. Complete your setup (see Drake Accounting - Setup Panel).

4. Repeat in each year of Drake Accounting that you will be using.