# Turbo Tax and Tax Cut and Use On Only One Computer **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2004, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbo-tax-and-tax-cut-and-use-on-only-one-computer/226728 "2004-01-30T08:24:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbo-tax-and-tax-cut-and-use-on-only-one-computer/226728/1 "2004-01-30T08:24:48Z")
I was wondering if Turbo Tax has the same super restrictive registration that they used last year, and if Tax Cut is now using it or something similar. Seems like a lot of people were mighty pissed at Turbo Tax last year. Perhaps enough that Turbo Tax would not again use the only on one hard drive type registration requirements. I’m sure it converted lots of TT users to Tax Cut. Now the Tax Cut people must be thinking about doing it, but then they must also be aware that they did much better because of all the people that TT pissed off. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbo-tax-and-tax-cut-and-use-on-only-one-computer/226728/2 "2004-01-30T12:57:46Z")
What’s this now? Last year was the first I’d not used TT and used TC instead, due to price and the Money2003 bundling/rebate deal. I bought TT this year, though, because (IMO) Tax Cut sucks ass. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbo-tax-and-tax-cut-and-use-on-only-one-computer/226728/3 "2004-01-30T12:59:44Z")
I read somewhere that they removed that one-computer restriction this year, but I haven’t tried it out yet. I think they might have replaced that with a restriction that you can only electronically submit from one computer, but you should wait for someone who’s used it to chime in. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbo-tax-and-tax-cut-and-use-on-only-one-computer/226728/4 "2004-01-30T13:49:28Z")
Is the restriction a gentleman`s agreement or some sort of software lock? Do you need to register before you can even use the software? ---
**Author:** ![zoltar7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b38774/32.png) [@zoltar7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoltar7)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbo-tax-and-tax-cut-and-use-on-only-one-computer/226728/5 "2004-01-30T15:37:21Z")
TurboTax last year used a software lock that tied the software to a single install on a single machine–I believe it did something to the master boot record that particularly hosed people with multi-boot systems. They caught so much crap for it that they removed the “feature” this year, I don’t know what they replaced it with as I switched to TaxCut. You may also want to look at [TaxAct](http://taxact.com/). The personal edition is a free download. ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbo-tax-and-tax-cut-and-use-on-only-one-computer/226728/6 "2004-01-30T17:52:38Z")
**thinksnow** what did you not like about TC? they seemed to be remarkably similar. Gonna have to check out TaxAct. Last year my computer, my new Compaq computer, took a dump and I was eventually sent a new, remanufactured, machine. If I had used TT, I would have had to jump through all kinds of loops and waited weeks before getting the double secret probation release code from TT so that I could use the software that I bought because the registration was already tied to the computer that died ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2004, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turbo-tax-and-tax-cut-and-use-on-only-one-computer/226728/7 "2004-01-31T02:17:05Z")
I guess I’ll joint point out that TurboTax on the Mac doesn’t (and didn’t) have any such restrictions, just in case any of you are all talking about Macs. BUT they did something new this year the pissed me off – a single state program is no longer included as a free download – it’s an extra purchase. Sure, it’s free with rebate, but rebates suck, and it’s a huge inconvenience. Actually it’s worth the $30 not to climb through the hoops.