
Automate QuickBooks Updates: How I Reverse-Engineered Intuit’s Patch Installer
If you’re anything like me, you’re constantly updating QuickBooks manually and wasting a lot of precious time. Intuit claims that these updates are automatic, but clients always seem to get hit with the “Install Now” prompt when they are in the middle of an urgent task. Not only do these updates require administrator approval to run – Intuit goes out of its way to prevent users from being able to automate QuickBooks updates in any capacity. They prevent interacting with their software either through the command line or by automating UI-related tasks.
After wasting too much time and energy on this, I decided to take things into my own hands and ended up reverse-engineering their patch installer. In this post, I’ll share my journey of overcoming the obstacles set by Intuit’s restrictive update system.
Introducing the QuickBooks AutoPatch Script
Driven by my need to simplify and automate QuickBooks updates, I decided to create a solution that could handle everything automatically—from detecting installed versions of QuickBooks to downloading and applying the latest patches. And that’s how the QuickBooks AutoPatch Script was born. It’s a powerful tool that eliminates the hassle of manual updates and ensures everything is up-to-date with minimal effort on your part.
Key Features
- Seamless Integration: Designed to work with any Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) agent, making deployment a breeze.
- Hands-Off Operation: Executes without requiring any user input, providing a truly automated experience.
- Simple Deployment: A single script file for easy rollout across multiple systems.
- Automatic Detection: Detects and installs the appropriate patch of all installed versions of QuickBooks (2016 – 2024)
How I Built the QuickBooks AutoPatch Script
I began this project a few months ago when I stumbled across a GitHub repository by adamef93 called Automated-QB-Updates. I quickly integrated the script into my workflow and began making improvements. While the original script could download the patch installers, it still required manual user interaction to complete the installation. Additionally, it had to be manually updated to ensure it always used the latest patches. Despite these limitations, the script served as an invaluable stepping stone, guiding me toward fully automating the entire QuickBooks update process.
If you’re interested in exploring the original public script, you can check it out on GitHub. Please note that this version is free to use but is quite limited in functionality and will not receive any further updates.
For a more robust and fully automated solution, consider purchasing the updated script below.
Overcoming Automation Roadblocks
The biggest hurdle I faced was understanding how the QuickBooks update process works and figuring out how to automate the patch installer’s UI component. I spent countless hours trying to automate the user interactions required by the installer, but despite my best efforts, these attempts were largely unsuccessful. However, this challenge pushed me to think outside the box and ultimately led me to a solution that was even more effective than I initially envisioned.
I ended up deconstructing one of Intuit’s patch installers and stepped through the entire process while recreating its actions in Powershell. Not only do their patches need to be executed in a specific order – they also require running non-executable files as if they were executables. These methods complicate automation and make the update process less transparent and more difficult to manage. By meticulously stepping through the installer’s actions and recreating them in PowerShell, I was able to replicate the necessary steps and bypass the need for user interaction entirely.
Testing and Refining
Given that my role requires constant QuickBooks maintenance, I had ample opportunities to test the script extensively. I began by running it in sandbox environments, where I could safely experiment without affecting live systems. Over time, I refined the script, tweaking its performance and functionality based on real-world feedback.
Once I was confident in its reliability, I rolled the script out to production environments. Since then, it has been tested across dozens of different environments and has successfully updated hundreds of individual workstations. The results have been overwhelmingly positive, with the script proving to be a robust and efficient solution for automating QuickBooks updates.
By continuously refining and improving the script, I’ve been able to create a tool that not only saves time but just works.
Why You Should Consider Automating QuickBooks Updates
- Save Time: Free up hours spent on manual updates to focus on more important tasks.
- Increase Efficiency: Reduce downtime caused by unexpected update prompts.
- Enhance Security: Ensure all installations are running the latest patches to protect against vulnerabilities.
- Simplify Management: Easily deploy and manage updates across multiple workstations.
- Pricing: No recurring fees—just a powerful tool to enhance your productivity and service quality.
Ready to streamline your QuickBooks updates?
I believe in one-time purchases, so I’ve made this script available for a one-time payment of $500.
For a live demo or to discuss how this script can fit into your operations, feel free to contact me. Let’s work together to make QuickBooks maintenance effortless.
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