Troubleshooting SOLIDWORKS Installation Issues
The following information provides advice and techniques for troubleshooting SOLIDWORKS installation issues. In some cases these steps will allow you to resolve issues yourself or prepare you for a fast resolution with the help of a support representative. Before proceeding with an installation, please consult our “Preparing for Installation” guide to prevent or minimize the potential for problems.
- ● If your SolidWorks Installation fails using the SolidWorks Installation Manager, please click the “Save logs for support…” button to zip all the installation log files for troubleshooting.
- ● What should I do if my SolidWorks installation fails?
- ○ After the log files are saved, reboot and verify the following:
- ▪ You have Administrator privileges on your computer.
- ▪ Antivirus has been turned off.
- ▪ Your computer is running a supported operating system and meets minimum system requirements (SOLIDWORKS System Requirements). If you have an active Subscription, please search the Knowledge Base in the Customer Portal for the install error you received. If an article exists for your specific install failure, this will be the fastest method for obtaining a solution. If you cannot locate an existing Knowledge Base item and the above 2 conditions are met (Admin rights and system requirements), please contact MLC CAD Systems Technical Support.
- ● What should I do if my upgrade of SOLIDWORKS fails?
- ○ If your upgrade fails it is recommended to uninstall and re-install SOLIDWORKS using the Installation Manager version that corresponds to the version and service pack you are upgrading to.
- ● What should I do if the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager is not downloading files?
- ○ Proxy server restrictions can prevent applications from downloading files, which can in turn prevent the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager from downloading files automatically. You can download files manually and then install them using the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager. Select the option in the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager to download individual files. Based on your product selections and system requirements, a web page appears in a separate window containing links to download all required files manually.
- ○ The ability to download files while using the Installation Manager is reserved for SOLIDWORKS customers on active subscription. For customers that are not on a current subscription, please contact MLC CAD Systems technical support to obtain installation media. Additional information can be found in How to Download SOLIDWORKS
- ● What should I do if a Blank White SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager Screen appears?
- ○ If you see a blank white screen on the SOLIDWORKS installation manager, it is typically caused by Windows blocking HTML files from appearing on your screen. Learn how to resolve this issue here
- ○ Sometimes when extracting a Zip file, Windows will block certain HTML files in the installation media. To correct this problem follow the steps below:
- 1. Browse to the downloaded installation file location
\sldim\lang\english\HTML\ - 2. Right-click on the frameset.html and select properties from the shortcut menu
- 3. If an Unblock button is present in the properties dialog then select it.
- 4. Repeat this process for other HTML files in the folder if they are blocked
- 5. Re-launch the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager process
- ● SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager Log Files
- ○ SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager log files are available to assist in troubleshooting installation problems and are helpful to the MLC CAD Systems Technical Support team if a Support Case needs to be created.
- ○ These log files are located with other SOLIDWORKS application log files in the following location:
- ▪ C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\SOLIDWORKS\Installation Logs\installed_version
- ▪ This directory contains the SummaryIMLog_nnnnn_nnnnn_nnnn_nnnnn.txt file, a general log of SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager progress. The Other Logs subdirectory contains more detailed installation log information.
- ▪ NOTE: To see the log file directories, you might have to configure the Windows Folder options to Show hidden files and folders. If the application data is located on a drive other than C:, adjust the directory path accordingly.
- ▪ TIP: For self-support, search for “return value 3” in the log file to get to likely failure point.
- ● What information should I include if I create a Support Case?
- ○ The following items should be included:
- ▪ A screen shot of the error message
- ▪ Installation log files (It is best to include the entire zipped log files folder)
- ▪ Troubleshooting steps performed so far