QuickBooks Error 3008

QuickBooks error code 3008 occurs due to an invalid security certificate that isn’t accepted by the internet explorer. Servers that QuickBooks connects to are often secure, but the firewall may block the connection nonetheless because the firewall believes the connection to be harmful to your system. You have to add QuickBooks desktop and related programs as an exception so that the network connection isn’t blocked when required.

Some users, after scanning their program files, found that damaged program files lead to the QuickBooks error 3008. And this is quite understandable. If the files themselves are damaged, then how is the accounting software supported to run when it requires the file to execute a particular action. This particular case requires the users to rely on the repair utility to fix the program files.

In this post, you’ll learn how to fix QuickBooks error 3008.

What is the QuickBooks error 3008?

QuickBooks desktop error code 3008 results from an invalid security certificate or a certificate that isn’t trusted by the Internet Explorer and Windows Firewall. The connection is blocked, leading directly to the error. Some cases of this error can result from damage to program files.

Solutions for QuickBooks error 3008

The main solutions include fixing and configuring network-related software such as Windows Firewall and Internet Explorer. After that, we can look at fixing the program files if they’re damaged.

Solution #1:  Configure the Internet Explorer

When your system easily connects to the internet yet the network connection from the Quickbooks desktop fails to work, you need to configure your internet explorer settings to make them compatible with the accounting software.

Here are some important points to note:

• Check if you can perform the action from another computer using QuickBooks.
• Install the latest Windows Updates along with Internet Explorer 11.

Here are the steps to configure the Internet Explorer options to fix QuickBooks error 3008:

1. Go to the Tools option in Internet Explorer.
2. Click on Internet Options.
3. From the General tab, click on Delete.
4. Click on Temporary Internet Files.
5. Click on Delete.
6. Go to the Connections tab, then choose the LAN settings.
7. Checkmark the option Automatically Detects Settings.
8. Remove any entries for a Proxy server.
9. Click on Ok, then again on Ok.
10. Go to the Advanced tab.
11. Mark the two options SSL 2.0 and 3.0.
12. Choose the option to ensure that Internet Explorer checks for the publisher’s certificate.
13. Go back to the Advanced tab, and ensure that all versions of TLS are also checked.

Note: consult your system administrator before you make changes to the internet settings. Incorrectly configuring these settings can disable the network connection from your system.

You can also check the cipher settings to see if the connection strength is enough to connect to the INtuit servers and execute the required action.

Here are the steps to verify if QuickBooks error 3008 is occurring because of cipher strength:

1. Launch the Internet Explorer.
2. Go to https://www.intuit.com.
3. Press the ALT button to view the menu.
4. Click on Files, then Properties.
5. Look for information related to Connection. It should state 128 bit encryption.

A cipher strength lower than 128 bit results from damaged Internet Explorer files. In this case, you’ll have to repair the Internet Explorer itself.

To repair the Internet Explorer, you can download the setup for the latest version of this browser and launch it on your system. Simply following the on-screen instructions can help you to fix the errors related to Internet Explorer. Once reinstalled, reconfigure the internet explorer and add Intuit as a trusted website.

Now that you’ve properly configured the internet explorer, launch QuickBooks desktop and try to perform the same actions. If you still get the error, then move to the next solution.

Solution #2: Correct the date and time settings

When working with online services, it’s important to ensure that your date and time settings are correct. Many services disconnect automatically if they find that the time set in the machine does not match the actual time for the selected time zone.

So here are the steps to verify the date and time settings when you receive Quickbooks error 3008:

1. Go to the Control Panel from the Start menu.
2. Click on Date and Time settings.
3. Verify the current Time and Date.
4. Choose the correct Time Zone.

Even server computers can get the date and time wrong. So you’ll have to verify the settings properly to resolve the error.

Solution #3: Verify payroll subscription

If you get this error when you try to use the payroll features, then you should verify the status of your payroll subscription. Once the status is verified, the payroll status should appear as active. If it’s inactive, then you need to resubscribe to the service in order to use it.

Here are the steps to verify payroll subscription when you get QuickBooks error 3008:

1. Launch QuickBooks desktop and log into the company file.
2. Go to the Employees menu, then Payroll Service.
3. Go to the Account/Billing Info, then login into your Intuit account.
4. From the Status option, click on Resubscribe.
5. Go through the on-screen steps to pay for the subscription and reactivate it on your system.

It may take up to 24 hours to reactivate your payroll subscription so that you can start using the service once again. Some users may have to reconfigure direct deposit, a feature that lets you deposit paycheck directly into an employee’s bank account.

Solution #4: Repair the program files

Damaged program files always cause errors such as QuickBooks error code 3008. You can easily repair these program files from the control panel. Simply choose QuickBooks desktop, then choose Uninstall/Change.

After logging into an admin account on your windows computer, go to the start menu. 

1. From the control panel click on programs and features.
2. Choose uninstall a program, then select QuickBooks desktop.
3. Click on repair instead of uninstall so that the repair utility can be launched. 
4. Go through the instructions provided by the repair utility and repair your accounting software. 
5. When the repair process finishes, click on finish and restart your system.

If you have already installed this software and are getting this error, then you should obviously install the latest updates available for your version of the desktop software. These updates are released on a regular basis, so users need to install them manually if automatic updates are active.

Here are the steps to update the software:

1. Login to QuickBooks with an admin account. 
2. From the help menu click on update QuickBooks desktop.
3. Click on check for updates, then in the get updates tab mark the option for reset updates.
4. Click on get updates now.
5. After QuickBooks downloads the update files, you can exit the program.
6. When you get the confirmation message for installation of the updates click on yes. Restart your system once the updates are complete.

If you still receive the same error, then download and install QuickBooks tool hub, and scan your system for program file errors. The scan may take some time, but it will identify any damage and fix it automatically. Further, you can look at installation issues to identify any dependencies that may have been uninstalled from your system.

Conclusion

QuickBooks error 3008 can inflict a lot of damage on your productivity. Many users encounter this error while using the payroll service, so they cannot use direct deposit nor calculate the payroll taxes. So you can use the steps to configure various software in windows to fix this error on your system.

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