When attempting to sign into Lacerte, an error message indicating "Sign in Completion Failed. Remote name could not be resolved" appears.
It also will include the address that could not be resolved, typically oauth.platform.intuit.com
What causes this?
This issue will occur when your Domain Name Server (DNS) does not have an up to date IP address for the web address.
When this happens, your computer is unable to locate the destination. If the destination is one of our login servers, you will be unable to sign into Lacerte.
Intuit uses Amazon Web Services, so while it is not an often occurance, ocassionally our IP address may change and cause these errors if the DNS are not updated immediately.
How do I fix it?
Most firms use the DNS that is included with the Internet Provider. Internet Providers have processes in place to update the DNS with the new IPs.
We cannot say how long until a given provider updates their DNS, however generally it would be withing a couple of days of the change.
There are a couple options available that you or your IT tech could perform:
Option 1 - Flush DNS
Its possible your ISP's DNS has been updated and your machine is using cached information. Flushing, or Clearing the DNS information may resolve the issue.
- Click Start
- Type CMD
- Open the Command Prompt application from the search results
- Type: ipconfig /flushdns
- Press Enter
- Type: ipconfig /registerdns
- Press Enter
- Close the Command Prompt window and reboot your computer.
Option 2 - Use an alternate DNS
Generally DNS issues are isolated to a specific DNS. Using an alternate DNS will resolve the issue if the other DNS has been updated.
While the steps are straightforward, it does involve adjusting settings on your network connection, so we advise checking with your local IT tech if able.
- Right-click on the Start menu and choose Run.
- Type out Control Panel and press OK.
- Navigate to Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
- If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
- Right-click on the connection that is active, selecting Properties.
- Click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then select Properties.
- In the Properties window, choose Automatic for both bubbles. Or use 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
We generally recommend using use Automatic for both Ipv4 settings. Another option would be to use the Google's DNS - it uses 8.8.8.8 for the primary and 8.8.4.4 for the secondary.
Google also provides a setup article that walks you through configuring your computer to use Google DNS.
Option 3 - Work offline
While generally not ideal, if Option 1 and Option 2 do not resolve the issue, you can work offline if you are on a Stand-Alone setup.
Disable your Wifi or disconnect your network cable, then open Lacerte.
Due to not having a network connection, Lacerte will not attempt to reach the authentication server, so you will not encounter the error.
