About PerpetualBooks
PerpetualBooks is an independent reference for one thing: helping businesses and accountants keep QuickBooks Desktop running on their own terms -- long after Intuit stops selling and servicing it.
Who publishes this
PerpetualBooks is operated by E-Tech, a data-services company that has worked with QuickBooks company files since 2000. Our team has spent two decades recovering, repairing, and converting QuickBooks Desktop files across every edition and version -- which is exactly the expertise needed to keep old versions alive and healthy.
How we verify
- Dates and policies are cited. Load-bearing facts -- discontinuation dates, stop-sell details -- link to Intuit’s own documentation, and we flag anything we can’t confirm rather than guess.
- Procedures are tested against real files. Steps reflect how QuickBooks Desktop actually behaves, not a rewrite of someone else’s article.
- Pages carry a “last reviewed” date. When Intuit changes something, we update the page and the date.
- No phone-bait. We do not run fake “support” numbers or scare tactics -- a genuine problem in this niche.
Our independence from Intuit
PerpetualBooks is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or authorized by Intuit Inc. “QuickBooks” and “QuickBooks Desktop” are registered trademarks of Intuit Inc., used on this site only to identify and describe the genuine product our guidance supports. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Privacy and your data
You can read every guide on PerpetualBooks without an account. If you choose to create a free membership, you sign in with Google, and that sign-in is the only point at which we collect personal data. This section explains exactly what we access, how we use it, and how to have it deleted.
Data we access
When you sign in with Google we use Google Sign-In (OpenID Connect) with the minimal “openid” and “email” scopes only. From your Google Account we receive and store:
- your Google account identifier -- a stable ID that lets us recognize you on return visits;
- your email address; and
- whether Google has verified that email address.
We do not request or access your Gmail, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, or Google profile, and we neither receive nor store any Google access or refresh token. We make no calls to any Google service other than verifying your sign-in. After you are signed in, we also record standard first-party operational data: a hashed session token, your IP address and browser type, sign-in timestamps and count, and which pages you view while signed in.
Separately, if you write to us through our contact form, we receive what you type there -- your email address, your name if you give one, your message, and the IP address and browser type the message arrived from -- so that we can answer you. That is the only data the form collects, and none of it comes from your Google Account.
How we use it
- To sign you in and give members access to member-only content.
- To send the opt-in Monthly Survival Bulletin to your email address, unless you have unsubscribed.
- To keep the site secure and working -- managing your session and understanding which guides members find useful.
We never use your data for advertising, and we never sell or rent it.
How we share it
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers. Google acts as your sign-in provider; its handling of your Google Account is governed by Google’s own privacy policy. We rely on a small number of service providers -- for website hosting and for delivering the bulletin email -- who process data only on our behalf and only as needed to run the service.
Cookies
We use a secure session cookie to keep you signed in and a small, non-secret pb_member flag so the site knows to stop showing you sign-up prompts. We do not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.
How we protect it
All traffic is served over HTTPS. Sign-in uses the OAuth 2.0 authorization-code flow with PKCE, state, and nonce protections. Session tokens are stored only as hashes, never in plain text, and access to member data is limited to authorized E-Tech personnel.
Retention and deletion
We keep your account data for as long as your membership is active. Messages sent through the contact form are kept for up to 24 months after we have answered them, then deleted. You can unsubscribe from the bulletin at any time using the one-click link in every issue.
To request deletion of your account and all associated data -- your Google account identifier, email address, and sign-in records -- open our contact form and ask us to delete it. You can also request a copy of your data or a correction from the same form. We confirm every request by email and complete it within 30 days. No account or sign-in is needed to submit the request.