How to manually remove a disconnected PDM Vault View
SOLIDWORKS
What is a disconnected PDM Vault View
In certain circumstances, a PDM Vault View can become disconnected from the PDM Vault. While the root cause of this can be one of a number of things, if you encounter a message that says “No database is connected to this view” when trying to connect to or delete the view you may have to manually remove the vault view.
In order to avoid data loss it is recommended to leave the files in the directory intact if there are any files checked out to any user on the affected computer.
Common Causes of Disconnected Views
View created for a different user; this can happen in one of two ways:
- Selecting the “Only for me” option
- Not running View Setup in “Run as Administrator” mode which cannot enable the option “For all users on this computer”
- Windows Reset or Reinstallation without formatting the hard drive
Once it is confirmed that the vault needs to be removed or recreated, proceed with the process below to convert it to normal folders, making it possible to delete or manipulate as a normal folder structure.
Step 1: Delete Associated Registry Keys
The following machine-specific registry keys may exist, if so delete them:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Databases\<VAULTNAME>
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Databases\<VAULTNAME>
If only one vault is present, remove this key:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ConisioAdmin
If there is more than one vault view, remove this key (applies to each vault that has an orphaned view):
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ConisioAdmin\Servers\<Server Name>\FileVaults\<VAULTNAME>
Step 2: Remove the "desktop.ini" file from the root of the vault folder
- Open a Command Prompt using the “Run as Administrator” option
- Navigate to the root of the vault in question
- Type the following commands, without the quotes, and hit enter to run each command:
- “attrib –s –h –r desktop.ini”
- “del desktop.ini”
The vault view folder should now be a normal folder and can be deleted, renamed, or moved to allow for whatever is needed next.
SOLIDWORKS PDM
Learn more than just how to remove a disconnected PDM Vault View by signing up for our training or by requesting a demo below.
SOLIDWORKS PDM enables your teams to securely store and index design data for fast retrieval, eliminate concerns over version control and data loss and collaborate on designs in multiple locations. For more information or tips about SOLIDWORKS PDM, request a demo here.
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