When Quicken works, it works well.  But when it breaks, it’s a headache.

The support people that you call or chat with probably don’t know the correct solution to the EWC-DC message, and could waste several hours of your time trying to trace the problem, as they did for us.

Here’s the solution: The message occurs because the login name for your bank account and the login name for Quicken Billpay are the same.

Steps to take:

1. Change your Quicken Billpay login id to something different from your bank login id
2. Reactivate Quicken Billpay using your new login ID
3. Done

If you need more details on how to do steps one and two, follow the instructions offered by Quicken, but not very publicized, even to their own reps: EWC-DC Mismatch. Ignore the section Titled “Solution 1.”

Windows 7 is an improvement over XP, and a drastic improvement over the failed Windows Vista. Searchers who read reviews know it’s worth upgrading.

Still have an Office XP license? Windows 7 can handle it. This writer has Microsoft Office 2002 running on two Windows 7 computers, with all the security updates that Secunia requires to keep your computer safe.

Yet Secunia PSI got pretty upset anyway. It flagged high threat security holes in Excel, Powerpoint, and Word.

I uninstalled Access and Outlook. For the rest, it was a bear to find the right security updates for each. About two hours worth of bear. Microsoft, after all, isn’t motivated to keep us from spending our money on upgrading to the latest Office.

So here are the security patches for Office 2002 that Secunia seemed to demand:

• Office XP Service Pack 3. Choose this file name: OfficeXpSp3-kb832671-client-enu.exe.
• Powerpoint Security Patch
• Word Security Patch
• Excel Security Patch

And don’t forget to download the Compatability Pack so you can work with DOCX files.

This works in at least Quicken 2008 and 2010:

1) Please Open the Quicken Program
2) While holding ["CTRL + Shift"] keys from the left side of the keyboard
3) For 2008, go to “Online” menu and click on “One Step Update.” In 2010, instead go to “Tools” and click on “One Step Update.”
4) A small window will say ”You will no longer be prompted for the registration”
5) Release the “CTRL” and “SHIFT” keys.
6) Click on “OK” button

This can come in handy if you’re getting registration connectivity problems, such as the mysterious “webpage was canceled.”

Through three operating systems, tidystorm has found one thing to be consistent about windows — its update fails sometimes. You can find myriad causes and solutions on the web, but there’s one solution to try first:

Empty C:\Windows\Temp

It can take a little doing. You might have to disable your antivirus or other resident programs. Sometimes it’s just easier to do it in safe mode.

Once you’ve emptied the temp folder, reboot, and start your windows update over. Often, it’s all you need to do.

Secunia PSI exposes security vulnerabilities. That’s a good thing. Applications are slow to respond with their new, secure versions. That’s a bad thing.

As such, there’s now more need than ever for web sites like oldapps.com and oldversion.com.

At present, for example, it is best to use Firefox 3.5.8., even though Firefox has a 3.6 version. Its 3.6 version has security vulnerabilities.

Unfortunately, not all sites make it easy to find their old versions, but you don’t have to hunt around. Just use a specialized archive web site instead.

The home page of those sites can be bypassed. Instead, use your search engine, for example type “old firefox” and you’ll find this in your search results: old versions of firefox.

Filehippo.com also does a nice job of offering old versions. Use search for that too.

And Secunia PSI aside, you might want the older, free version of an app, like this: type “old lavalys everest”. You should find old version of everest in your search results.