The software also allows you to retrieve and input your wage, mortgage interest, and investment data with instant data entry by automatically retrieving W-2 wage data, 1098 mortgage interest, and 1099 investment data from participating employers and financial institutions. It then enters the data into the right forms, reducing manual data entry and simplifying tax preparation.

TurboTax Basic also helps you identify entries that could trigger an audit. Audit Alerts check your return for items that might raise a red flag with the IRS, and provide information on key documents you should keep. In addition, TurboTax Basic helps you make the most of the changing tax laws: it is up-to-date, with all the latest tax law changes.

All federal versions of TurboTax desktop products for Windows include product activation to better ensure customers use the product in accordance with the License Agreement. An independent test of product activation technology in Intuit Inc.'s TurboTax desktop software products confirms the technology does not negatively impact computer performance or compromise customer privacy. The findings of the tests, performed by PCTest Corporation, an independent software-testing lab can be found at http://www.pctest.com/intuit/index.htm. You can still prepare multiple returns from one computer, and install and prepare your return on multiple computers. To fully uninstall the the SafeCast/C-Dilla element of TurboTax, you must download the free uninstall application at the TurboTax Support website. For additional information about product activation, go to http://www.turbotaxsupport.com and refer to TurboTax Product Activation in the News and Tips section.

Yes, it's true you can't install on more than one computer as far as filing and printing your taxes goes. If you want to install it but not sure that's the computer you're going to use to file, take the option to install it as a trial option. You can still do your taxes. When you're sure of which computer you're using, then activate the software. It hardly took any time at all to activate my copy. As for the licensing software c-dilla IS NOT spyware. I checked the vendor's site and it's been used by other companies. The rumors about the software disabling your burner aren't true - my machine has been working just fine.

Once you activate your product, you can print to another computer if you save your tax file under the new PDF feature. Then you can use Adobe Acrobat Reader to open and print it. TurboTax walks you through filling out your taxes in an interview fashion.

You can start from scratch or bring in last year's TurboTax file. You can also see the forms it's helping you fill out. There's plenty of help available if you get stuck. This version doesn't come with the IRS publications included (if you want that, get Deluxe), but that wasn't a problem for me - I already downloaded them from the IRS website. If you decide to e-file, there's a rebate form in the box for the e-filing fee, so you end up paying $0 to file and TurboTax makes it really easy.

Also received my income tax refund last week - around the time TurboTax estimated the IRS would direct deposit it. That was including me having to resend it due to accidentally not typing in a number when I first e-filed. I wasn't charged for the resend.

If you do get errors, all I can tell you is check Intuit's website. I went there and I saw their error list - some are fixable, others weren't fixed yet. They do have a money back guarantee if you have problems with it. Sorry to those people who had heartburn trying to use it. Seems like Intuit didn't quite test their product out before shipping with this many people having problems, but in my case, it worked for me the same as it always has :-)


Still as good as last year!   February 15, 2003
E. Mendez (Alexandria, Virginia USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

After reading all the negative reviews people had posted I was leery about using TurboTax again this year. But analyzing the negative reviews they weren't really reviewing the use of the product but the tactics of Intuit. Since hardly any of those reviews mentioned anything about how the program worked to previous years I decided to use it again since I have been using TurboTax for the past 3 years.

Installation went smoothly, the online updates have been no problem and all my data from last year carried over with no complications. The importing of W-2 and other financial statements was easy to do as well. Very easy to use, as usual, for preparing my taxes.

If you've been debating after all these negative reviews, I recommend you use it. Intuit has supplied a patch to remove C_Dilla off of your machine when you uninstall the software if that is one of your concerns. My computer has not been acting any slower like some people had mentioned.


excellent program   February 11, 2003
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

I have used turbo tax products for over 5 years. I found it very easy to use - no problems whatsoever. Everything was clear. They provide you with all the tax info you need to prepare your return. I'm not too happy by the security they imposed this year, yet it is a good program and you can uninstall the security device after you are done with your taxes.


Ignore the naysayers   January 30, 2003
15 out of 29 found this review helpful

I just installed TT2002 and managed to do my taxes in about an hour. It helps that I keep a folder into which I drop all my tax documents so all I had to do was open an envelope, bring up the Easy Step Navigator and type in the form number - TT does the rest. I just fill in the numbers. Oh yea, and I automatically downloaded the W2. No mess, no stress.

No problems. I've read thru the reviews and felt compelled to add my 2 cents. The product is sound, the help system is the best I've ever encountered. For years, I spent $250+ to have an accountant do my taxes. This was incredibly easy and much cheaper than my accountant.

My tax situation includes: two salaried incomes, unemployment income, contractor income (it was a tough year!), business deductions, itemized deductions based on mortgage, property taxes, charitable contributions. Contributions to a SEP-IRA, and having to write off worthless stock (my old company went bankrupt).
I'm running it on a Mac OS X and yes, I can still burn CDs.

I'm not sure what all these other folks are complaining about, but my experience has been problem free.


TurboTax Works. It does not contain Spyware   January 22, 2003
6 out of 17 found this review helpful

I am appalled at the complaints that other reviewer's of this product have raised. TurboTax works, it saves us time and money and these complaints seem to be extreme.

I bought this program, filled in my taxes and printed out the form. They also offered my an e-file option. I'm a satisfied customer.

The only inconvenience that these folks are complaining is about is an anti-privacy function. You have to type in a short code when you first use the program so that you can't buy one and let 50 people use it. Seems like commonsense to me. No personal info is sent to the company and it is far less invasive than the things that MSFT, AOL and everyone else is doing. If they didn';t do this, they would be out of business and we would all have to go back to the days when accounts and the IRS were in control. Definitely not a good choice.