When launching POS Terminal it freezes on the splash screen

Legacy KB ID: 3565

Question

When I launch the POS terminal why does it freeze on the splash screen?

Answer

Short Answer:

There is a conflict in a configuration setting in either of two places:

          The QuickBooks PDF Converter is assigned to COM1;

          2 POS peripherals are assigned to the same port.

Detailed Instructions:

Check the Quickbooks PDF Converter:

Windows Start > Control Panel > Printers&Faxes > right click Quickbooks PDF Converter  > Properties > Ports

If COM1 is ticked, tick the box LPT1 > OK > Close

Reboot the PC and launch POS Terminal

If the problem persists, continue with the next step.....

Alternate method for gaining access to the PDB file

The default location is
Windows 7 & Vista:  C:\Reckon\Retail POS 20xx-xx Administrator\QBPOS.PDB
Windows XP*:  C:\Reckon\Retail POS 20xx-xx Administrator\QBPOS.PDB

If your PDB file is in a different location, view that location in the Point of Sale INI file:

Vista & Windows7:  Windows Start > Computer > Users > Public > Public Documents > Reckon > PointOfSale > PointOfSale.ini

XP:   Windows Start > My Computer > Documents & Settings > All Users > Shared Folders > Reckon > PointOfSale > PointOfSale.ini.

Copy the existing PDB onto the desktop

Rename the PDB in the original location to QBPOS.PDB.OLD

Open POS Terminal and an error message appears that the PDB file was not found (because we have renamed it)

Click on Search > tick the C Drive only > Search > select the PDB found on the desktop

Terminal will now open to the Options screen and indicate which peripherals are in conflict;  eg Customer Display + Cash Drawer.

Assign the correct ports for each peripheral. 

Restart POS Terminal – it should open normally. 

To put the corrected PDB file back to the original location.

Close the POS Terminal

Copy the PDB file on the desktop to the original location.

Rename the PDB file on the desktop to ...\QBPOS.PDB.OLD

Launch POS Terminal and search for the PDB file then select the file in the original location. 

Confirm that POS Terminal functions properly with the modified PDB file from the original location.

Delete the PDB.OLD files on the desktop and in the original location.

Additional Information
*  In 2008/09 versions and earlier, the installation path on a Windows XP was:
C:\Program Files\Reckon\Retail POS 20xx-xx Administrator\QBPOS.PDB.