Easy Download, Good Software, April 7, 2010

This was my first software download from Amazon, so I had to install their program. Running XP and Firefox latest version (3.6ish), it only took a couple of minutes to get the tax software on my laptop and running. I did have some momentary confusion between Deduction Pro and At Home. Next year Block should consider having At Home autolaunch after the install, or at least prompt for At Home to start. The software itself is as good as ever. I used Turbo Tax for a couple of years, then switched to TaxCut and have 3-4 years experience with their style. The only drawbacks I see for most filers are grouping some major tax relief options with minor ones, and a lack of clarity in the help files as to where in the software to go to input certain data. In my case, I missed the tuition deduction checkbox, and the help file did not direct me to the right section of the interview to add it in. Links in the help file would eliminate the problem, and would not be difficult to add. OTOH, the addition was copied to both the federal and state forms. Overall a good product, both the software and the download experience.

      1 star is too good for this. Buggy with no tech support., April 6, 2010

As others have stated, software is glitchy and buggy. Worst of all, tech support is non existent. Currently, I am stuck not being able to download my State software. H&R Block @ Home tells me I need admin privilege to install it even though I am the only admin on the computer! I have used Tax Cut past three years with this same OS(XP)and never had this problem until now. I tried using the chat support, which is laggy, disconnects randomly, and randomly wipes out what you are typing. Unacceptable! When I finally communicated the problem to the tech, he just Googled for an answer! It took him 10-15 minutes to do that, then copied and pasted a fix for the 64 bit Vista OS. I'm running 32 bit XP! He didn't have a clue. Now, with 9 days until Tax day he says Tier 2 support will contact me in 5-6 days to look at my problem. 5-6 DAYS! Yes, folks, don't buy this buggy software from a company that doesn't know what customer service is.

      Don't buy if you are a nonresident alien, March 29, 2010

Don't buy this software if you are a nonresident alien; it does not include the 1040NR form you need to complete. You'll just have to go to irs.gov and do it yourself. Looks like I threw my money down the drain here.

      Download and installation not easy, March 28, 2010

I purchased the download version because I thought it would be easy and save time and money. After getting the Amazon downloader installed, the product download stalled at 79% and after about 20 minutes, I canceled and restarted it. This one completed successfully. Next the installer had an error that said "Cannot connect to the database". After moving the installer to the desktop and retrying 3 times, (including allowing Windows 7 to automatically try to re-install), I finally got the program installed. Next came the federal update download which also stalled at about 80%. While I sat waiting (again), I figured I'd write a review on Amazon. Once I actually get to do my taxes, I'll try to update this review with an actual product review. For those who waited until April to buy the software and do taxes - good luck getting it downloaded and installed.