Install Drake software (Drake Tax + Drake Accounting)

Quick Guide

1. Get the Drake login and Drake account number from the customer (email + password). We may already have it on file in PCRT. You will need them available during the download process because Drake's software download website requires MFA sent to the registered user's email.
2. Login at https://support.drakesoftware.com
3. Go to the Downloads section
4. Download the relevant software (Drake Tax, Drake Accounting, or both)
5. Run the installers one at a time
6. When prompted for an installation destination, the installer should recognize where a previous tax year was installed and suggest that drive as the install location. If not, choose the same parent folder where all the other Drake software is installed from previous years. If this is a brand new installation, choose the C:\ drive as the installation destination unless the customer has a dedicated spot for it (such as a separate drive)
7. The installer will prompt for the Drake account number and product serial number. Enter the Drake account number and Serial number when prompted. You should have the account number and the serial number is listed on the download page for that product in their account
8. When done, verify that the new installation shows up when you navigate to \\ip.of.the.server in File Explorer.
   • For Drake Tax, the folder name will be DrakeXX where XX is the year for the new version
   • For Drake Accounting, the folder name will be DrakeAccountingXXXX where XXXX is the full year for the new version
9. On each computer that needs to access the software:
   • Navigate to \\ip.of.the.server
   • Find the newly installed software
   • Create a shortcut on the computer's desktop to the relevant executable
     • Drake Tax: DrakeXX\FT\DSTARTXXXX.exe
     • Drake Accounting: DrakeAccountingXXXX\DrakeAccountingXXXX.exe
   • Run the program to make sure it opens properly