What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?

What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
Deni Cox – CAD-1
Jennifer Hoskens – CAD-1
AC5409 - Have you ever had one of those days? A day when everything goes wrong, specifically
AutoCAD? This class is designed to discuss several annoying things that AutoCAD does and how to fix
them, in hopes that it will make your day better. We will discover how to fix bizarre or missing ribbon
and toolbar content. We will talk about getting AutoCAD back to "vanilla" so that you can determine if
the problem is related to installation or configuration. We will learn how to get AutoCAD to start looking
like you want every time. Finally, we will discuss some troubleshooting tactics for when AutoCAD just
will not start.
At the end of this class, you will be able to:
 Discover how to fix toolbar or ribbon buttons displaying as question marks
 Figure out the cause of and repair missing toolbar and ribbon content
 See how to get back to "vanilla" AutoCAD to get things working again
 Learn how to get AutoCAD to start the way you want it to, every time
 Use troubleshooting tactics when AutoCAD won’t start
About the Speaker - Deni started using AutoCAD® with version 2.6 in 1987 in the private sector.
She moved to the reseller network in 1989 where she began her career supporting and training end
users on Autodesk® products. She has had the opportunity to instruct in the community college arena,
within the reseller network, at AUGI® CAD Camp in 2005, and at Autodesk University in 2009. Deni
has successfully completed both associate/professional certifications from Autodesk, and currently
holds the status of an Autodesk Certified Professional. While Deni has enjoyed her years as an
instructor, she is extremely happy in her current position with CAD-1 as a technical specialist. It is here
that she enjoys the diversity and challenge of the questions and problems presented by varied levels of
users. Deni is willing to tackle any technical support problem that you have.
E-mail:
Website:
AU@cad-1.com
www.cad-1.com
What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
Introduction
When AutoCAD goes wrong it affects every aspect of the day – from finding the coffee pot empty in
the morning to not meeting your deadline at the end of the day. There are many things that can go
wrong in AutoCAD, and the most annoying aspect of that is, not knowing why it is happening or how to
fix it.
During the next 90 minutes we’ll take a look at some of the more exasperating AutoCAD quirks, from
bizarre or missing ribbon or toolbar content, to the application just not starting. We will discover what
causes the weird ribbon and toolbar behavior, like questions marks instead of toolbar icons and what to
do to fix it. We’ll see how setting AutoCAD back to an “out of the box” or “vanilla” state can help
determine if the problem is with the installation or the configuration. We will take a look at what is
necessary to overcome the annoyance of AutoCAD looking different each time the application is
started. Finally, we’ll learn some troubleshooting techniques for the times when AutoCAD won’t start.
Although AutoCAD’s improper behavior can certainly be frustrating, knowing what to do to counter the
behavior will give you the answer to the question, What the #!@% is AutoCAD Doing?
Bizarre Ribbon or Toolbar Behavior
Ribbon or Toolbar Buttons Displaying as Question Marks
Instead of
Icons
One very frustrating situation is opening AutoCAD only to have several toolbar buttons or ribbon
command icons show up as question marks rather than the images they should be. The fix for this
problem is not universal, and you should first do some troubleshooting to determine the cause. Then
applying the appropriate fix is quick and easy.
There are typically only a couple of reasons that you see question marks on the toolbar or ribbon
buttons instead of icons. The first is referencing the toolbar or ribbon button icon from a .DLL file,
changing the button content, and then saving the button with the modified image. Although images
can be referenced from the .DLL file provided with AutoCAD, they can’t be saved back to the .DLL once
modified. As a consequence, a question mark is displayed in place of the image the next time AutoCAD
is started. The second reason is that a custom icon was created and referenced for the toolbar or
ribbon command button, but that file has been moved or deleted and can’t be found.
Figuring out why you’re getting the question marks instead of the image will determine the appropriate
fix for the problem. The following outlines the troubleshooting techniques to determine the cause of
the question marks, followed by the resolution.
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
In AutoCAD, point at one of the toolbar or ribbon buttons with a question mark, right-click, and select
customize to open the CUI dialog. Expand the CUI dialog box by selecting the expansion arrows (A) to
reveal a fully expanded Custom User Interface dialog box (B).
(A)
(B)
Once the CUI dialog box is expanded, select one of the commands and see what the image name is in
the properties window of the dialog box (B). The name listed in the images category of the properties
window on the dialog box can help determine the reason there is a question mark instead of an image.
Images with a name that begins with RCDATA_xx_xxxx represent a default AutoCAD image, and most
likely the image was referenced, changed and then “saved” to replace the default image. To fix this
problem, remove the command with the missing image from the toolbar, and then drag the
corresponding command from the command list window and drop it into toolbar from the desired
toolbar. If the image displays another name, then a user defined image was most likely used and that
file can’t be found. To fix this problem, locate where the image file (.BMP) is located on the computer
or server, and add that location to the support file search list in OPTIONS. If the image does not exist,
you will either need to remove the command and replace it with one from the command list, or create
a new image for the toolbar or ribbon command button.
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
Blank Toolbar Buttons
Ribbon Panel
or
Copying your customized previous version of ACAD.CUIx to the AutoCAD 2012 folder structure, starting
AutoCAD, and then finding your customized toolbars and ribbon blank is maddening. Blank toolbars or
a blank ribbon is triggered by a couple of possibilities, and knowing which one is the culprit will assist
in quickly implementing the fix. There are different reasons for missing toolbar icons (a blank toolbar),
than there are for a blank ribbon or missing content.
The blank toolbar is most likely a result of starting AutoCAD with the default ACAD.CUIx which creates
an ACAD.MNR. Then the original .CUIx is replaced with your custom .CUIx, which does not correspond
to the existing .MNR. As a consequence, the toolbar is blank. To determine if this is the cause, in
AutoCAD point at one of the blank toolbar buttons, right-click, and select customize to open the CUI
dialog. Expand the CUI dialog box by selecting the expansion arrows (C) to reveal a fully expanded
Custom User Interface dialog box (D).
(C)
(D)
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
If the selected toolbar displays images in the Toolbar Preview area (D) of the CUI dialog box, then the
problem is that the ACAD.MNR and ACAD.CUIx are out of sync.
The fix is to close AutoCAD, delete the ACAD.MNR file, and when AutoCAD is started again, the
ACAD.MNR will be rebuilt using the data in the CUIx. This will result in the blank toolbars showing
images again (E).
(E)
The ACAD.MNR file is located in the following folder:
Windows 7 - C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2012 -English\R18.2\enu\Support
Windows XP – C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2012 English\R18.2\enu\Support.
When AutoCAD is first started with the default CUI, and then a custom CUI replaces the default one, it
is common that no workspace is set current. As a result, when AutoCAD starts the ribbon is blank (F).
Pick the icon resembling a gear that is located in the lower right portion of the drawing editor (G),
revealing the workspace switching (H) menu. If there is not a check mark next to any workspace on
the list, then no workspace is current and that is the reason for the blank ribbon.
(G)
(F)
(H)
There are many times when working in AutoCAD that something unexpected happens, which causes
one to utter the phrase “What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?” The blank ribbon is the easiest to fix.
From the list of workspaces in the workspace switching menu, select the desired workspace (if there
isn’t a custom workspace, choose 2D Drafting and Annotation), and the ribbon will be populated.
Missing Ribbon Tab or Ribbon Panels
After spending time customizing the CUI, adding user defined ribbon panels and tabs, it is frustrating
to exit the CUI and not see the fruit of your labors, no ribbon tabs or panels are displayed. There are
actually multiple steps necessary when customizing the ribbon:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Create the tab.
Create the panels.
Drag the panels into the tab.
Modify the workspace and “turn on” the tab.
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
In the Customize User Interface dialog, expand the tabs collection and make sure that the custom tab
exists. In example (I), our custom tab exists, but there is no way to expand the collection, which
indicates that no panels exist in the tab. First, we must drag the custom ribbon panels and drop them
into the custom tab (J). Populating the tab adds the + symbol indicating that there are panels in the
collection.
(I)
(J)
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
Now that the tab exists and is correctly populated with the custom panels, we just need to select the
tab so that it displays in the workspace. Back in the CUI, select the desired workspace to host the
ribbon tab and panels, and then pick the button Customize Workspace in the top right window (K).
With the CUI in workspace customization mode, the elements located in the top right window change
to blue, and the collection expansion icon (+) next to the ribbon tabs in the left window are replaced
with a check box (L).
(K)
(L)
Check the box next to the custom ribbon tab to “turn on” the tab in the selected workspace, and then pick the
Done button in the Workspace Contents window and the OK button to exit the CUI. You should now see the
custom tab and panels displayed (M).
(M)
Get AutoCAD to Start the Way You Want Every Time
AutoCAD has two general components, the workspace and the profile, that allow users to personalize the look and
feel of AutoCAD to make it their own. There are four default workspaces: Drafting & Annotation, 3D Basics, 3D
Modeling, and AutoCAD Classic; and the default profile is the <<Unnamed Profile>> profile. Each component
controls specific aspects of AutoCAD. The workspace controls the user interface (toolbars, menus and ribbon), and
the profile controls the graphic interface (screen colors, crosshair size, support files, etc.)
My opinion is, don’t change the AutoCAD default workspace or profile. That way you can always get back to the
original state and start over if you get undesirable results. But that is addressed in the next section. The first step of
creating your user defined workspace is deciding whether you are going to continue using toolbars and menus or
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
start using the ribbon. If your preference is toolbars and menus, then start with the AutoCAD Classic workspace. If
you would rather use the ribbon, then start with the 2D Drafting & Annotation workspace. The basic changes
made to the options include the Search Paths, File Names and File Locations, Display Settings, User Preferences
and Selection Settings.
When changes are made to the workspace, toolbars opened and docked or ribbon tabs and panels manipulated,
they are not automatically saved. To preserve the default configuration and ensure starting each time with the
changes, save the current workspace with the user’s name. To accomplish this, select the Workspace
Switching icon (N), select the Save Current As option on the pop up menu (O) and input the user’s
name (P).
(N)
(P)
(O)
When changes are made in the OPTIONS dialog box, those changes are automatically made to the current profile
(so it is a good idea to make a copy of the profile before beginning the modifications).
Now that you have the workspace and profile setup as desired, the key is to use them when AutoCAD
starts so you can be sure that AutoCAD starts the way you want it to each time. This task is
accomplished by referencing the desired workspace and profile in the desktop icon using the
appropriate startup switches. To set the desired switches, point at the desktop icon, right-click, choose
properties, and then in the target line set the following – "C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD
2012 - English\acad.exe" /p “users profile” /w “users workspace”.
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
Setting AutoCAD Back to “Vanilla”
There isn’t much that is more exciting than getting a new version of AutoCAD installed on your
computer. But when you start AutoCAD and it either doesn’t look right or it doesn’t work right, the
excitement fades very quickly. Often times the initial reaction is to remove and reinstall the software,
although that isn’t necessarily going to fix the problem. In addition, reinstalling AutoCAD may force
multiple activations, which causes a raise of the proverbial eyebrow at Autodesk licensing.
To have AutoCAD not “be” right after installation, customization migration, and activation is a pain, but
there is a rather easy technique to get it back to “vanilla” so you can figure out where the problem is.
The actual process is removing the user information thus making AutoCAD rerun the secondary
installer for the user who is having trouble.
Navigate to the following folder - C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk and delete the
AutoCAD 2012 – English folder. Then, in the system registry editor remove the following key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R18.2\ACAD-A001:40. Now, when AutoCAD is
started, the secondary installer will populate the user’s folder structure with the default AutoCAD
content.
With AutoCAD reset back to “vanilla,” test it to ensure it runs without the issues. If it does, then add
the user’s customizations one at a time to determine which piece might have been the problem. Once
the determination has been made, recreate that piece of the customization rather than migrating it
from the previous version.
Troubleshooting Tactics When AutoCAD Won’t Start
There are, unfortunately, many reasons that AutoCAD may not start. Often times the first instinct is to
remove and reinstall, but often that is not the answer. There are several possible reasons that AutoCAD
won’t start, and the fixes are pretty simple, but you have to do some troubleshooting to figure out
what the problem might be.
Sometimes, when AutoCAD won’t start, there is no message to give you a hint as to what the problem
might be. It is frustrating and difficult to know where to begin. Some troubleshooting tactics need to be
employed to determine whether the problem is, the user’s profile, a corrupt file, hardware or software
conflict, or finally the install.
The user profile can be tested by logging into the computer as a different user with equal or higher
rights than the user who can’t start AutoCAD. Logging in as the administrator would be best if that is
possible, since a user with administrator rights is not always the same as the true administrator’s
rights. If AutoCAD starts, then the problem is the AutoCAD portion of the user profile and setting
AutoCAD back to “vanilla,” as described above may be all it takes to fix the problem. If AutoCAD does
not start when you are logged in as a different user, then you have just eliminated the problem as the
user profile.
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
There are a couple of files created when AutoCAD starts which sometimes become corrupt. Simply
removing those will force AutoCAD to recreate them when it starts, fixing the problem.
When dealing with a network copy of AutoCAD, a file called cascadeinfo.cas controls the license search
protocol. When that file becomes corrupt, AutoCAD won’t start because it doesn’t know where to find
the license it needs. Remove the cascadeinfo.cas from the following folder:
Windows 7
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\ADLM
Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Autodesk\ADLM
When dealing with a standalone copy of AutoCAD, a file called adskflex_*_tsf.data contains activations for all 2010
and 2011 products. When this file becomes corrupt, AutoCAD won’t start because it no longer can determine a
“valid activation. When the trusted storage file is removed, you will need to re-register all your products. Remove
the adskflex_*_tsf.data from the following folder:
Vista/Windows 7
C:\ProgramData\FLEXnet
Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\FLEXnet
Occasionally, AutoCAD won’t start because of a conflict with either another application or a driver for a
hardware device. A couple of items that are known to cause startup issues are the communication or
info center and outdated or unresponsive plotter drivers.
The communication center is a background task that runs as a separate process, named either
WSCommCntr1.exe or WSCommCntr2.exe. It establishes inter-process communication with the running
AutoCAD. This type of communication channel is notoriously unreliable and it is not unusual for this
process to continue to run even after AutoCAD closes. If this process continues to run, AutoCAD won’t
start. You can simply start the task manager and end the WSCommCntr process, or you can disable it
in the system registry by changing the key value from 1 to 0. The registry key is
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R18.2\ACAD-A001:409\InfoCenter and the key is
InfoCenterOn – change the value from 1 to 0.
When AutoCAD starts, it goes through the list of mapped network drives and printers (both system
printers and AutoCAD printers). If any of them is unresponsive, that could be a catalyst that keeps
AutoCAD from starting. The easy fix for this is to check that each network location identified in the
mapped drive is functional and accessible; remove any that are not. Additionally, go through each
system printer making sure that it exists and is functional, and then check the AutoCAD printers.
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
Conclusion
We have discovered in this past hour or so that AutoCAD does indeed have some frustrating
eccentricities, but knowing how to identify and resolve the problem helps demystify the behavior. It
isn’t realistic to believe that AutoCAD will ever function fully with perfect behavior, but now that you
have a few troubleshooting techniques under your belt, you are ready to take the next step solo. The
next time you find yourself asking “What the #!@% is AutoCAD Doing?”, take a deep breath and you
will be surprised at how easily you will be able to add your own techniques and figure out and fix what
AutoCAD is doing.
Bonus Information
Borrowed License Dialog
When AutoCAD is started with a borrowed license, a dialog box letting you know that there is a license
borrowed and the duration of the borrow period appears. There is no mechanism to have that dialog
box automatically dismiss after a few seconds, it can only be dismissed by the user picking the Close
button. This quickly becomes annoying, when you start AutoCAD and then go get a cup of coffee
hoping AutoCAD will be loaded when you return. An after-market program called AutoHotkey has a
way to do just that, dismiss the License Borrowed dialog box after a predetermined number of
seconds.
Download the program AutoHotkey from www.autohotkey.com. Then, in Notepad create the following script file –
Loop
{
IfWinExist License Borrowed
{
WinActivate
Send Keys {Enter}
}
Sleep 1000
}
NOTE: End the file on the last line; do NOT put in an enter after the last } or it will cause AutoCAD to
open twice.
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
Network License Manager is Working, but AutoCAD Won’t Start
Reason 1: A network version of AutoCAD running from a remote location sometimes experiences an issue with the
communication between the workstation and the license manager causing an error message on startup - "A valid
license could not be obtained..."
Fix 1: Set an environment variable that instructs AutoCAD to wait longer for a response from the license manager.
The variable is FLEXLM_TIMEOUT and is set as a system environment variable on the computer. To set the
variable, pick the Start button, point at Computer and right-click, and from the menu select Properties – as shown
in Figure 1. In the System window pick Advanced System Settings – as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2
Figure 1
In the System Properties dialog pick the Environment Variables button. In the Environment Variables dialog pick
new under the System Variables (not the user variables). Set the variable name to FLEXLM_TIMEOUT and the
variable value to 5000000 (five million) – as shown in figure 3.
Figure 3
NOTE: Do not put commas in the variable value, and if the error persists, increase the variable
value.
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
Reason 2: The license manager is installed on a computer that is using Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) and the
shipping version of the Autodesk Network License Manger does not support IPv6.
Fix 2: There are two options for resolving this issue – 1) add the workstation as a “local host” in the HOSTS files or
2) upgrade to the released license manager that supports IPv6.
1) You will need administrator rights and have the system files visible, then navigate to
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc and open HOSTS (there is no extension on this file) with Notepad. You
need to remove the # (which represents a remark) and add the computer name after the localhost.
Original line –
#
192.168.1.34
Modified line –
192.168.1.34
localhost
localhost
tlaptopdc
2) Download the IPv6 supported Autodesk License Manager from autodesk.com/support > select AutoCAD
icon > select Data & Downloads link > Select Updates & Service Packs link > Select the Autodesk IPv6
Network License Manager for Windows option > download the 32-bit or 64-bit version appropriate for your
operating system.
NOTE: The README has the instructions for implementing the updated files.
Change the F1 key to CANCEL instead of HELP
Many times we intend to hit the ESC key and insteak hit F1 and have to wait for help to open just so
we can close it
1.
2.
3.
4.
Open the Customize User Interface – CUI at the command line.
Expand the Keyboard Shortcuts collection in the top left window (see below).
Expand the Shortcut Keys collection in the top left window (see below).
Find the CANCEL command in the Command List Window (see below). Choose the first cancel
command that has a macro of ^C^C to make sure it cancels you all the way out of any
command.
2&3
4
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
5. Drag the CANCEL command from the Command List window to the Customization in All Files
window (see below).
5
6. Next, select the CANCEL command in the top left window. When the command is selected, the
PROPERTIES window on the right will change (see below).
6
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What the #!@%™ is AutoCAD® Doing?
7. Pick on the Key(s) in the Access category to expose the ellipses (button with dots) – see below.
7
8. Pick the ellipses button and in the Shortcut Keys box press the F1 key (see below).
9. Finally, pick OK to exit out of the CUI. Now when you hit F1 the
current command is cancelled, HELP will no longer open with F1.
8
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