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  • A little more insight about installing and uninstalling Autodesk software
    I've gotten a couple of tweets and blog comments about my last post regarding uninstalling software.
    I got question as to why not just use the license transfer utility.If you click start, programs, Autodesk, choose your product, then click the Portable License Utility (PLU) program, you'll actually find a neat little tool.Here's what it does. It will take the activated serial number of your software program, then ask you to log into your Autodesk subscription account. It will then extract the serial number from your computer and store it online in your account. Thus, you have deactivated the registered and activated license on that computer, rendering it unusable or as a viewer. You then go to the new computer, install the same software and open the PLU program. It will ask you for the serial number and product code, log you into the online system and then activate the software on the new computer.
    The Portable License Utility software still requires you to uninstall software (if you want) on the old computer and install it on the new computer. It's great if you want to be able to use your one license on multiple computers by easily allowing you to move your activation code/serial number around on multiple computers.
    Well, what if you have Building Design Suite Premium on one computer and Revit Architecture Suite on another computer. Can you use the PLU and take the Revit Architecture license from Building Design Suite and use it to activate Revit Architecture on the other machine with Revit Architecture Suite. Of course not.
    Wouldn't it be great to install Navisworks Manage on each computer, export the Building Design Suite Ultimate license and use it for Navisworks on another machine. Of course it would, but you can't do that.
    Steve tweeted me a question about whether we're using Network versions of the software. Building Design Suite Ultimate is $2275 for the network activation. We only have standalone licenses in our office as everyone uses their own license full time. Even if we did have network licences, you still have to uninstall and reinstall software if you're moving computers and software.
    Here's a question I've come across from my previous life. What if you have Revit Architecture Suite on 10 computers as standalone licenses and buy a network license of Building Design Suite Ultimate. Can you just install the networked version of Navisworks Manage on each computer that has the standalone software? What about if you wanted to install the standalone Revit Suite and then install the wonderful one click option of the Building Design Suite Network version. Anyone have success with this issue?
    Even if you have all network licenses of your software, you still have to fully uninstall and reinstall the software if there are any changes. If you have a standalone license of a product or suite and then convert it to a network version, you again have to fully uninstall everything and reinstall it as the network version.
    Lastly, to the question I got of "you know, it might be easier to keep them on there or have different ghost images to flash onto the systems." There are issues with having multiple product versions of the software on a single workstation. If you're on subscription, you can log into subscription center to request prior version usage. Having ghost images is a great idea, but if various users have different products, say Photoshop, Veo or IES GAIA, you'd still have to reinstall those products. Ghost images also don't account for service packs and Microsoft updates.
    I guess this part below is if you aren't upgrading a new version and want to add a prior version to a computer. Please note that it does say "If you have your original software and serial number of your previous version, which has been kept on subscription, install software as you normally would. Note: You will be limited to the number of seats you already own." Maybe this is just if you buy Revit Architecture Suite 2012 and then get a project that requires Revit Arch 2010 and you were only using AutoCAD previously.

    http://subscription.autodesk.com/sc/local/enu/portal/vip/admin/priorVersionFeature3.jsp?submit-page=signin&mode=login&po=enu

    Previous Version: Getting Started

    Autodesk Subscription customers may now use previous versions up to three releases back* from the latest product release up to the total number of licenses of the product currently under Subscription.

    Eligible Product List (PDF) Previous Version licenses are available only for products listed in this document.

    This is available to both stand-alone and network licenses on Subscription. To review the licenses on your subscription, please refer to yourCoverage Report.

    To use a previous version, please select the license deployment that applies to you and click the Continue button.

    Stand-alone license
    Network license

    If you have your original software and serial number of your previous version, which has been kept on subscription, install software as you normally would. Note: You will be limited to the number of seats you already own.

    Use of previous versions is governed by your Subscription Terms and Conditions.

    Previous Version FAQ Frequently asked questions about the Previous Version benefit for Subscription customers.

    Uh, Autodesk, the Eligible Product List link refers to 2011 products and not 2012 products. Maybe someone wants to update the PDF.

    Subscription Help

    Previous Version: Stand-alone licenses

    Please select one of the following as it applies to you.

    I need a license/serial number.
    I need additional seats and already have a serial number.
    I need to install and activate my CD or DVD.
    I need a CD or DVD.



    What may not be clear is that when you get the new version of a program, can you just keep the prior version on the same computer? It appears that the answer is yes, but it's very unclear in Autodesk FAQ on the subject http://download.autodesk.com/us/subctr/pdfs/previous_versions/faq/PV_FAQ_eng.pdf, if you can just leave it on there or have to request the prior use serial number. I've read the document 3 times trying to figure out the nuances of it and it's ambiguous. If you go off subscription, then you can only have one version (typically the most current) on your machine. You can't install a prior version on a different machine. It looks like you can run the current and prior version on the same machine at the same time. I was always led to believe that if you installed the prior version, you couldn't run the current version. Of course, with Revit, since you can't save backwards, and if you're working on multiple projects with different versions, you'd need to have multiple versions of Revit on your machine.

    Autodesk should rewrite the document to make it crystal clear so the compliance department doesn't come knocking on your door.

    Autodesk, if I have Revit Architecture Suite 2012 on my computer and then on April 16th, install Revit Architecture Suite 2013 on the same computer, do I have to request a previous version serial number for the 2012 version or do I just register and activate the 2013 version, keeping the 2012 version on there with no issues? Would I have to uninstall Revit 2009 if I happened to have that version on the same machine? What if my hard drive dies and I want to install 2011, 2012 and 2013 on a new machine? What exactly do I have to do then? Does the Portable License utility work for the prior versions in case I want to upgrade to a new computer?

    OK. I hope we're all more confused about this then before. I certainly am.


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  • Autodesk - Services & Support - How to remove all Autodesk products from a Windows system (and waste your entire day)
    Ah, perfect timing. I recently had the pleasure of playing musical suites with some software on various computers at the office. We had hired two new designers and needed to move around some computers. Autodesk had this wonderful sales pitch about the ease of installing the Design Suites. Building Design Suite Ultimate has 13 pieces of software.
    The one-click workflows prepare your design data in the Suite environment that is most appropriate to your task so you can quickly start designing, engineering, simulating, and visualizing your design.
    You get this cool little thumb drive, stick it in your computer and with one click, all 13 applications get installed. You know what they don't tell you? That if you have to uninstall the suite, you have to manually uninstall every single program. So, if you're not doing anything for about 5 to 10 hours, you can spend some quality time not working while uninstalling the software. Now, if you have to do this for several computers, expect that productivity goes way down.
    In my case, we got two new computers. We had to install Building Design Suite Ultimate on one and Building Design Suite Premium on the other. So, I had to uninstall those Suites from two computers. Then, those two computers had to be installed with Revit Architecture Suite. We were also switching around two other computers. Thankfully for me and the end users that couldn't use their computers, I installed LogMeIn and spent time over a weekend, randomly logging in to each computer to remove the software and then install the new versions.
    So, when Autodesk tells you how wonderful it is to have a one click install and doesn't tell you about a one day uninstall, there's a major disconnect. Also, if I'm going from Building Design Suite Premium and switching to Revit Architecture Suite, you'd think there would be a better way than to have to uninstall everything and then reinstall a whole new package. Wouldn't it be great if you could just put in a new product key and deactivate just the software you're not using or entitled to in the suite.
    You know what? It'd be faster to reformat the hard drive, install a new copy of windows and start from scratch. That would actually take less time than uninstalling Building Design Suite Ultimate. Autodesk should be releasing the 2013 products starting around March 28th. Autodesk is ending a promotion on April 13th. That means that the new Revit 2013 Suites will be shipping a day or two after that. Expect that Revit Architecture will ship on April 15th or 16th. So, when that day arrives, expect to lose a lot of time. Imagine 9 million versions of AutoCAD being upgraded and taking two hours to uninstall. Wow, that's 18 million hours of downtime. Let's hope it's not all billable time.
    Now, here's Autodesk's latest Knowledge Base article about your future upgrade planning.

    http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=2887771&linkID=9240857&CMP=OTC-RSSSUP01
    Autodesk - Services & Support - How to remove all Autodesk products from a Windows system

    How to remove all Autodesk products from a Windows system

    Issue

    A previous attempt to install or uninstall an Autodesk® product failed to successfully complete and now you are unable to install or reinstall an Autodesk product on your system.

    Solution

    In these cases, it is strongly recommended that you clean your system by uninstalling all Autodesk products and supporting applications (add-ins, utilities, enablers, etc.), and by removing related files and settings before attempting to reinstall. The end result is a clean system on which you can install your new Autodesk product.

    Before you begin

    • These procedures are intended to completely remove Autodesk products and related support files from your computer including customization files such as menus, AutoLISP, PGP files, etc. If you wish to preserve any existing customization, you must manually back up those files before executing the procedures that follow.
    • Before you starting uninstalling your Autodesk products, we recommend you restart your system to ensure that any pending Windows OS updates get applied first.
    • Some options are presented differently depending on the version of Windows you are running. The following procedures include descriptions for the Windows® 7, Windows Vista®, and Windows XP operating systems. Follow the appropriate instructions for your operating system.

    For most Windows-based Autodesk products, the process of uninstallation is handled through the Windows Control Panel:

    1. From the Windows Start menu, open the Control Panel.
    2. Select “Uninstall a program” (Windows 7/Windows Vista) or “Add or Remove Programs” (Windows XP).


    Windows 7 / Window Vista


    Windows XP

    The first thing to note is that each Autodesk product is listed separately and must be uninstalled separately.

    List of installed applications
    List of installed applications

    Even though you may have installed all of the products in a suite in a single installation, each individual Autodesk product and related add-in, enabler, bonus pack, or other supporting application must be uninstalled separately.

    Uninstall peripheral applications

    If you're going to uninstall a product, you should uninstall the related peripheral applications before uninstalling the main application. For example: if you're going to uninstall 3DS Max Design, you should first uninstall the FBX add-in for 3DS Max Design. Uninstall this and any other related add-ins and then uninstall the main applications. This also applies to modules such as the VBA enabler, Subscription Advantage packs, and Autodesk material libraries.

    Note: When uninstalling the Autodesk material libraries it’s important to remember that these libraries are shared across all Autodesk products and should not be removed unless you are removing all Autodesk products from the system.

    1. Select the product to be uninstalled and click the “Uninstall/Change” link (Windows 7/Windows Vista) or the “Change/Remove” button(Windows XP).
    2. In most cases this will launch an uninstaller for the selected component, allowing you to uninstall it from the system.

    Repeat this process for all add-ins and supporting applications before beginning uninstall of the main Autodesk products.

    When uninstalling the material libraries, it's best to uninstall from largest to smallest. Begin by uninstalling the medium resolution image library–assuming that library is installed on your system–followed by the base resolution image library, and then the Autodesk material library.

    Uninstall Autodesk products

    Once you have uninstalled all peripheral applications, you can begin uninstalling the main Autodesk products:

    1. Select the product to be uninstalled and click the “Uninstall/Change” link (Windows 7/Windows Vista) or the “Change/Remove” button(Windows XP).
    2. At this point, the Autodesk installer will open in maintenance mode offering you the options to: Add or Remove Features, Repair or Reinstall, or Uninstall the selected product.

      AutoCAD 2011 installer
      AutoCAD 2011 installer in Maintenance Mode

    3. Click the Uninstall option and click Next to confirm that you want to remove the product from your computer (if you are prompted to remove shared files, click Yes to All).
    4. After the Uninstall is complete, click Finish to close the installer.

    Repeat steps 1-3 for each Autodesk product to be uninstalled.

    Note: The uninstall procedure for some Autodesk products may require you to restart the computer when the uninstall has completed. If this is the case, restart the computer as instructed, return to the Control Panel and continue removing any remaining Autodesk products.

    Delete remaining Autodesk product files and folders

    Warning: The following steps instruct you to delete folders at locations that would affect all installed Autodesk products. These steps assume you have previously uninstalled all Autodesk products and related peripherals and that it is safe to remove those folders.

    1. Using Windows Explorer, locate and delete the installation folder for each Autodesk product that was uninstalled in the previous procedures, e.g., "C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010" or "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2012".

    2. Delete the folder, "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Autodesk Shared"

    Note: These locations may be different if your OS is configured to store the Program Files folder on a drive other than C: or if you installed your Autodesk product to another drive and folder name.

    3. Delete the following user profile folders (substitute your login name for %username%):

    Windows 7/Windows Vista

    • C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk
    • C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Autodesk
    • C:\ProgramData\Autodesk

    Windows XP

    • C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\ Application Data\Autodesk
    • C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Autodesk
    • C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk

    Windows 7 and Windows Vista: Depending on your system settings, Windows Explorer may not automatically display all the subfolders under the Users folder. If you cannot locate these folders by navigating to the folder, copy and paste the above folder locations into the Windows Explorer address bar.

    Windows Explorer Address Bar
    Windows Explorer address bar

    Delete remaining Autodesk product entries from the Windows registry

    Warning: Improperly editing the Windows registry could render your operating system unusable. Microsoft provides a wealth of critical information that you need to know about the registry in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com/support.

    Use the Microsoft® Registry Editor at your own risk and only after backing up the registry. Instructions on backing up your registry can be found in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

    Additional information about the registry is available in the Help topics in the Microsoft Registry Editor.

    1. Log on to the workstation as a member of the local Administrators group.
    2. Launch the Run dialog by typing [Windows key] + R (Windows 7/Windows Vista) or clicking Start > Run (Windows XP).
    3. In the Run dialog, enter REGEDIT in the “Open” edit field and click OK.
    4. In the Registry Editor, locate and delete the following subkeys:

      - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk
      - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Autodesk


      Deleting a subkey in the Registry Editor
      Deleting a subkey in the Registry Editor

    5. Close the Registry Editor.
    6. Restart the computer.

    Before reinstalling any Autodesk products

    At this point, each of the previously installed Autodesk products—along with residual files, folders, and registry settings—should now be gone from the system and you are almost ready to start installing (or reinstalling) your Autodesk products. Before you begin, we recommend you perform the following tasks to help ensure a successful installation:

    1. Reboot your computer. You should really do this even if you have not been prompted to reboot. Restarting your system before installation helps ensure that any pending Windows OS updates get appliedbefore you starting installing your Autodesk products.
    2. In Windows Explorer, delete the contents of your Windows Temp folder, but do not delete the Windows Temp folder itself. You can locate the Temp folder by entering %TEMP% in the Address bar of Windows Explorer.
    3. Close all running applications. Some applications—Microsoft Outlook, for example—can interfere with the installation process. So, before you begin installing, it's just a good idea to shut down other applications that are running.
    4. Disable any virus-checking software running on your system. Virus-checking applications may block certain activities detected as suspicious, e.g., accessing the registry or adding/removing/updating DLL files, even though these activities are common when installing or removing programs. Not only can it slow down the installation process, but it can actually introduce corruption. So make sure that your virus checking software is turned off before you install, and make sure you turn it back on when you're complete.

    Several anti-virus programs can be disabled by right-clicking its system tray icon and selecting Disable from the shortcut menu (for more information about disabling your anti-virus software, refer to the vendor of that software). In some cases, disabling the anti-virus application from the system tray may not be sufficient and it may be necessary to use the task manager to end the process for the anti-virus software that is still running.

    To verify that an anti-virus program is not still running in the background:

    1. Press [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Delete].
    2. Click Task Manager.
    3. On the Processes tab of the Task Manager, select the process for the anti-virus program and then click “End Process”.

    You are now ready to install your new Autodesk products on the clean system.




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  • Learn SDS/2 Connect - Revit Structure
    Source/Link:  Learn SDS/2 Connect  BIM -BIM & BEAM

    Design Data recently launched SDS2Connect which is a  Revit Structure add on that designs steel connections. The connections designed in SDS2 are validated for constructability and also has the option to code check to select national codes including AISC and CAN codes. To support this release and to follow up on the strong interest for this solution Design Data  introduced a new learning series for SDS/2 Connect called 30 @ 3 LIVE. This biweekly webcast includes a short, features-based, SDS/2 Connect demo, as well as a question-and-answer session designed to give attendees the opportunity to learn interactively.  The demo from the last session showcases how to use SDS/2 Connect as a sketch tool inside Autodesk® Revit® Structure  To view this demo click here.  For more information on SDS/2 Connect click here.

    SDS2