Cloning an SSD where Peachtree (Sage 50) "Another user is using this company" Issue Fix
Issue after cloning an SSD where Peachtree (Sage 50) shows
an error like:
"Another user is using this company"
or
"Cannot open the company file – it’s in use by another user."
This is often caused by cloning the system without resetting
certain registry keys or configuration files that Peachtree uses to
track sessions or system identity.
✅  Causes:
- Registry/Machine
     ID conflict – Cloning keeps the same registry identity, causing the server or
     Peachtree to think the same user is connected multiple times.
 - Lock file
     not released – Peachtree uses *.LCK or *.PTL lock files to track users. These might persist or not be properly
     released after cloning.
 - Peachtree
     thinks the old system is still online, since the hostname and
     registry info are the same.
 
Fix Steps:
1. Delete Lock Files
On the machine hosting the company data:
- Go to the company
     folder (usually under C:\Sage\Peachtree\Company\YourCompanyName)
 - Delete the
     following files:
 - *.LCK
 - *.PTL
 
Make sure no other users are logged in before doing this.
This forces Peachtree to treat the cloned system as a new machine:
For Standalone Installation:
- Press Windows + R → type regedit → Enter.
 - Navigate
     to:
 
3. 
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Peachtree\Version\[Your
Version]\Datapath
- (Or for
      64-bit: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Peachtree\Version\[Your
      Version]\)
 - You may
     delete or rename the SystemID or
     similar keys (make a backup first).
 - Also
     change the computer name in:
 - Control Panel > System > Change settings
      > Rename this PC.
 
For Multi-User Setup:
- Check the
     Peachtree .ini
     configuration file (e.g., Peachw.ini) and
     ensure it's pointing to the correct host path.
 - Located
     typically in: C:\Program Files
     (x86)\Sage\Peachtree
 - Edit the DATAPATH= and MULTIUSER=TRUE values.
 
3. Restart Peachtree and
Reconnect
- Restart
     the application.
 - Reopen the
     company file.
 - If
     networked, restart the Peachtree services (on the host PC) from Services.msc:
 - Peachtree BusinessLogic Service
 - Pervasive PSQL Workgroup Engine
 
Additional Tips:
- Avoid
     using a cloned system at the same time as the original unless you
     change its machine name and registry values.
 - If
     Peachtree is shared across multiple users, ensure that the Pervasive
     database engine is not conflicting.
 
Comments
Post a Comment