Are you having an issue with your SOLIDWORKS? If so, there are many tools out there to help make SOLIDWORKS perform at its best for you. One of these tools is the ability to repair your SOLIDWORKS installation. A repair is best suited for when you have identified or are concerned there is an issue on a specific machine, which points to a potential problem with the installation of the software, not the software itself. A repair of an installation will verify all the files required by the program are present, fix any problems that may be found, and register all the files again, if applicable. The repair will not change any of your current settings. If a repair seems like it may be a solution for you, please follow the steps below.
Steps for running a repair of an installed SOLIDWORKS product are as follows:
Step 1. Close SOLIDWORKS, if it is currently running.
Step 2. Temporarily disable any antivirus software and the User Account Controls running on the machine.
Step 2.1 To disable antivirus software, click on the Start icon and type “antivirus” in the search menu. There are many different brands of antivirus software available and they are all a little different; however, most will have an option on the main page to Disable or Temporarily Disable.
Step 2.2 To disable the User Account Controls, or UAC, click on the Start icon and type “UAC” in the search menu. Click on Change User Account Control Settings. Move the slider bar to the bottom where it says Never Notify.
Step 3. Locate the installation media. The installation media will be the file set(s) used to install and/or upgrade to the current product’s version and any service pack. The installation media needs to be in the same location where the installation and/or upgrade was originally run.
Step 3.1 If the media was on a DVD, insert disk one.
Step 3.2 If the media was from a download, confirm the files are still present. The files could have been downloaded to a user specified location or the default location. The default download location for SOLIDWORKS is: C:\Users\USER NAME\Documents\SOLIDWORKS Downloads.
Step 4. Open Control Panel and click on Programs and Features.
Step 5. Right click on the SOLIDWORKS Product and select Change.
Step 6. Select Repair the individual installation (on this computer) and hit the button for Next.
Step 7. All the SOLIDWORKS products currently installed on the machine will be displayed in a list. Select the product(s) to be repaired and hit the button for Repair.
Step 8. The repair will begin. The time it takes to run can vary, depending on the products selected. If only SOLIDWORKS is chosen, the repair will take approximately twenty minutes.
Step 9. When the repair is complete a summary page will appear. Click OK and the installation manager will close.
If the repair cannot complete or fails, you will be prompted to end the repair and save log files. Contact CADimensions or your local Value Added Reseller, VAR, with the log files to discover why the repair failed.
Please Note:
A repair cannot be performed on an administrative image. If you try to change a SOLIDWORKS product installed from an administrative image, you will not see the option Change when right clicking in Programs and Features. You must uninstall and then reinstall the administrative image, if you believe there is an issue with the installation.
I hope knowing more about the repair tool and how it can be used will be helpful should you ever run across an issue with a SOLIDWORKS product.
Happy Modeling!