How to perform a clean install of Document Management System (DMS)

If DMS database is encountering errors or won't open, it may be necessary to repair it by performing a clean install.

• The repair doesn't impact your database or files.
• Try a DBRepair before running a clean install.
  • See Running DMS database repair utility for details.

Before you start

• Because the process often involves restarting your computer, we recommend you print these steps for reference.
• You'll need to know where your DMS database is stored. See How to locate the DMS database for more information.

This requires modification of the Windows Registry. Serious problems may occur if the registry is modified incorrectly. Intuit strongly recommends having an IT professional make these changes if you are not comfortable with editing the registry. It's also strongly recommended to make a backup of the registry before proceeding. See here for further instruction.

To perform a clean install of DMS:

1. Close DMS and all other Intuit products.
2. In the Windows Search bar, enter Control Panel.
3. Choose Programs/Uninstall a program.
4. Right-click either Lacerte DMS or ProSeries DMS depending on your version and choose Uninstall.
5. On the InstallShield Wizard screen, choose Remove and then Next.
6. Choose Yes when asked if you want to completely remove the selected application.
7. Once complete you'll be prompted to restart your computer. Choose Yes, I want to restart my computer now and click Finish.
8. Once completed, open File Explorer and navigate to: C:\Program Files (x86)\Intuit.
9. Right click on the DMS folder and choose Rename.
10. Change the name to DMSOLD.
11. Hold down the Windows key on your keyboard and press R.
12. Type %temp% and press OK to open the Windows Temp folder.
13. Look for DMSTemp.
    • If present, right-click on DMSTemp and choose Rename to change the name to DMSTempOld 
14. Hold down the Windows key on your keyboard and press R.
15. Type regedit and press OK.
16. Backup your Windows registry if you have not yet done so.
17. Navigate to the appropriate Current User registry key for your installed version of DMS:
    • ProSeries DMS: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ProSeries
    • Lacerte DMS: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lacerte
18. Right-click on the DMS folder in the registry, choose Delete, and click Yes. If you don't see the DMS folder, proceed to the next step.
19. Navigate to the appropriate local machine registry key for your installed version of DMS:
    • ProSeries DMS: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\ProSeries
    • Lacerte DMS: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Lacerte (or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Lacerte)
20. Right-click on the DMS folder, choose Delete, and click Yes to confirm.
21. Restart the computer.
22. Browse to your DMS Database folder.
23. Run the DMSETUP.exe file to reinstall DMS.

For more information:

• Installing Lacerte Document Management System
• Installing ProSeries Document Management System