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SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems
2

SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
I have been having problems with assembly files that open fine sometimes and other times open in a low resolution or cause SW to crash. None of the problems are consistant from file to file nor do they always appear in the same files. I can open an assembly that looks low rez and then open a sub-assembly and it will look great. I tried to set the resolution for "all parts" with the assembly in the tools settings and my OpenGL check box is now checked and grayed out.

I have a Dell 690 with a Quadro FX 4600. The SW site lists the approved driver for the Dell as ...9777 but for the same card under nVidia as ...9778. I have 9777 installed as a suggestion from my VAR.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. The crashing and slow rotation speed with the SpacePilot is a drag. Thanks.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

I seem to recall an issue with motion controllers and SW '08, something about updating the driver? Try installing the latest driver for your SpacePilot.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Yes, I made note of that thread prior to installing 08. Even updated the driver for my mouse. Also, despite my signiture I'm at SP1.1. and OW SP0.1.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

Have you tried unchecking the 'OpenGL' option while there are no files open? There have been reports of the option turning on spontaneously.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Yes. That corrects the grayed out box problem temporarily but the crash upon opening and the glitchy graphics issues still come back. I have the nVidia settings at "SolidWorks" and everything was working as it should with SW07.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

Ok. If you're having the problems when 'OpenGL' is active, then it's not a graphics issue. Are you, by chance, working across a network? What are your operating and system specs?
Have you tried disabling your SpacePilot driver? You may be having a driver conflict issue.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
I really appreaciate your support. My PC is a stand alone as far as SW is concerned. We have a small workgroup hub of four PC's for sharing doc's but only one SW workstation.

My PC: Dell Precision PWS690
Xeon CPU 5160 @3.00GHz
2.99GHz, 3.25 GB of RAM
Win XP Pro 2002 SP2
nVidia Quadro FX4600
SW is 2008 SP1.1 32 bit
OW is 32 bit for 32 bit, SP0.1
SpacePilot
MS "Natural" 6000 Mouse

To what extent do I need to disable the Pilot to test your theory? Shutdown the PC and unplug or a complete uninstall?

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

I think if you disable the SpacePilot driver first, it would be a good start. I seem to recall a thread somewhere regarding some driver conflicts with certain mice (mouses?) as well. I don't remember if the thread was here or on another forum though...it sucks getting old.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Old is a state of mind. That's what those young smart .... wait a second I need to yell at a kid for walking on my lawn. Anyway, I used to design with a pencil and straight edge.

I disabled the driver. The graphics in the main assembly were lousy so I opened the tools/options etc and changed the setting to apply to all parts (again even though I had checked it before) and the OpenGL grayed out. Enabled the driver w/o restarting and SW crashed when I tried to re-open the assembly after deselecting OpenGL. Did a quick search at 3D Connections and Google for driver conflicts and came up empty unfortunately.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

Assuming that your problems are new, have you tried rolling back to the last SP when you didn't have the problems? I, generally, won't upgrade my SP unless the "fixes" are something I actually need. Also, I almost never upgrade to *.1 (or *.2, etc) SP's.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
It's kind of tough to sort out where all the problems start and stop. I have OptisWorks Optical Design and Lighting Add-ins (a SW Gold Partner) and since installing SW08 SP1.0 and OW SP0.0 I have had a few problems. The main issue being that when I would try to explode an assembly with OW enabled SW would crash. It was very repeatable. OW has been very responsive with a SP and North American Tech Support was great in talking me through some installation issues. No more Optis related issues. The crash was happening from the start, with OW installed or not at SP 1.0. I was hoping SP1.1 would clear it up. It was the problems with OW that had me chasing down every driver update I could think of. I ran the SW Rx for the OW techs and the SW VAR. I was holding out for SP2.0 but the crashes seem to be getting more frequent. Another strange thing and (perhaps a clue?) is that I can open a sub-assembly from a problem assembly tree and it will look and rotate great.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

If you have the add-in turned off, does the problem go away? There was another thread regarding add-ins and crashing problems.
Beyond that, I don't know what to say.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
When I turn off the Add-in SW still crashes but if I leave the Add-in off when I open a file (and it actually opens) the graphics look correct. I can then enable the Add-in and have the graphics stay in high rez. SW doesn't seem to crash once the files are open, just when opening an existing assembly file.

I wish the crash were more repeatable so that it would be easier to capture. Thanks again for the tips. I'll send my VAR and OW techs appropriate emails about the issues I am seeing.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Spoke too soon. Graphics problem is there even when the files are opened with the Add-in turned off. I am aware that the Natural mouse is basically a repackaged intellimouse (I think I have that right) and I've found a few threads on problems with driver compatability with those. Perhaps I'll swap out the mouse and see what happens.

Thought I should update in case anyone else is having problems with Add-ins, etc. Thanks again Jeff.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

I wish I could have been more help, Harold. Good luck in your search.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Certified DriveWorks AE
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
Dell M90, Core2 Duo
4GB RAM
Nvidia 3500M

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

Do you have the Microsoft IntelliPoint software install with you mouse?  If you do uninstall it.

The IntelliPoint package that comes with the Microsoft mouses (mice) ((mices)) definately causes conflicts in SW that appear to be graphics issues.

Cheers,

Anna Wood
SW 2007 SP4.0, WinXP
Dell Precision 380, Pentium D940, 4 Gigs RAM, FX3450
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/solidmuse
http://www.phxswug.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
I have uninstalled the IntelliPoint 6.2 software for my mouse. So far so good but it has been only a few hours. SW has crashed once while opening a file with the Add-in enabled but otherwise no crashes or graphics junk. I had read a few posts regarding the drivers and understood that if the drivers were up to date then I would be less likely to have a problem. I'll try working through the next few days with the Add-in on and off to see if they are related. Perhaps there is a repeatable failure to pass along.

Thanks again.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Perhaps SP2.0 will cure my PC. The crashes do not appear to be related to my add-in but they are not repeatable enough to capture using SW Rx.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

Try this 2 minutes test.
Create a block, save and close SolidWorks. Then reopen SolidWorks and open the part1.sldprt.
Do not move the mouse for 2 minutes. Does SolidWorks crash with MS asking to send file?

Bradley
SolidWorks Pro 2008 x64 SP1.1
PDM Works, Dell XPS Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 5 GB RAM, Virtual memory 12577 MB, nVidia 3400

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Thanks for the help. I wasn't quite sure what you were looking for when you suggested that I create a block so I sketched a square, made it a "Block" then extruded it to create a block. Either way, the file opens fine. The crash seems to always happen on assembly files (the "Loading" bar hangs on the first blue box and then gone!) so I made an assembly of the block. Still no crash.

There are plenty of times my mouse is stationary and SW doesn't crash. Conference calls, working in the lab, stuff I'm supposed to do.... The only message that comes up is that SW needs to restart. Nothing from MS. Are you thinking it's the IntelliPoint still?

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

Harold,
Several of our computers would crash within 2 minutes.
To fix our problem we are disabling indexing Service in services.msc in the Start, run dialog.
Also we disable Windows Search in services.msc in the Start, run dialog.
When we start SolidWorks we have both boxes in PDMWorks Workgroup 2008 unchecked in Add-ins. Then when we start SolidWorks we have to turn on the PDMWorks Workgroup 2008 “Active Add-ins” button only. We do not ever start PDMWorks Workgroup 2008 when starting SolidWorks automatically anymore. Only the manual turn on.

Our SolidWorks 2008 sp1.1 does not crash at all for about an hour now.
Our VAR told us this is an issue they are working on with SolidWorks. The VAR came up with this workaround.

Bradley
SolidWorks Pro 2008 x64 SP1.1
PDM Works, Dell XPS Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 5 GB RAM, Virtual memory 12577 MB, nVidia 3400

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Thanks Bradley. I have been starting SW with my Optis Add-in turned off then turning it on when needed. The crashes were still happening. I disabled the indexing and Windows Search as you suggested. It will take a few open and close cycles through out the day to know the effect. I'll be working the weekend so by Monday afternoon I'll be able to tell.

Thanks again.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.0 OPW2008 SP0.0
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

Harold,
Are you using Lotus Notes?

Bradley
SolidWorks Pro 2008 x64 SP1.1
PDM Works, Dell XPS Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 5 GB RAM, Virtual memory 12577 MB, nVidia 3400
e-mail is Lotus Notes

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
No. My PC came loaded with MS Office Outlook 2007. It doesn't always start up properly either and comes up with a message about the Add-in software I am running which I am guessing is the Palm Zire and Chapura software.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.1 OPW2008 SP0.1
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

The reason I asked is because I am not running Lotus Notes on the PC I use for SolidWorks. Those here that are running Lotus Notes will crash SolidWorks if PDM is checked in add-ins within SolidWorks. I have my PDM turned on to start automatically and SolidWorks does not crash.

Bradley
SolidWorks Pro 2008 x64 SP1.1
PDM Works, Dell XPS Intel(R) Pentium(R) D CPU
3.00 GHz, 5 GB RAM, Virtual memory 12577 MB, nVidia 3400
e-mail is Lotus Notes

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Thanks for the tip anyway Bradley. Just for "fun" I purchased the upgrade for the Chapura software to see if the OutLook crashes will go away. Opened three SW files before SW crashed so I'd say they are not related.

Harold
SW2008 SP1.1 OPW2008 SP0.1
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

I just upgraded to SW2008 SP2.0.  My first task was was preparing DXFs and drawings from existing parts, but it was crashing every 1.5 drawings or so.  I tried shutting off the windows search indexing as per Bradley's suggestion above and it hasn't crashed since, through the remaining 25 drawings.  The internet is the greatest thing ever.  Thanks Brad......

Robin

ps.  I'm running SW2008 on a 2GB RAM MacBook Pro under Parallels.  Amazingly, it works fine, though slows down for larger drawings so I'm getting another PC with a hot rod video card.  It runs at least as fast as the year old windows laptops around here.  Anyway, don't let anyone tell you it won't work!

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
That is excellent Robin. I'm glad you posted your results as I owe Anna a star as well. My graphics issues have been taken care of by uninstalling the IntelliPoint package.

Unfortunately the crashes are still happening. The only pattern I notice is that it happens when opening an assembly, not a part, and not a sub-assembly from within an assembly tree, and not a drawing. It also does not happen twice in a row. At least I'm not losing any data.

Harold
SW2008 SP2.0 OPW2008 SP0.1
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

Spacepilot drivers shouldn't be a problem other than having functionality reduced in newer driver versions which is why I have a lot of older ones. The crashes that Jeff "JMirisola" is referring to are only caused by mice and usually by Microsofft drivers.

Use Logitech Mice I've never had any problems with those. The Side Scroll Mouse wheel ones are especially nice.

Also removing the unnecessary tasks is great most of them start with MS or have unintelligible names. you can also use msconfig to remove items from the Start tab so they don't auto launch. Sometimes the mouse drivers will use settings like MMB  = Auto Scroll which can cause funky behavior so make sure it's set to Middle Button.

Another thing that comes to mind might be the Preselect or Dynamic Highlight options causing issues. Maybe using the Selection Filter may help especially in Assembly mode.

Michael

jester

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Thanks Michael. Any experience or preference with the Logitech wired or wireless? I have one of each to try.

I have to say the I really like the ergonomics of the MS Natural mouse. Between the mouse and the SpacePilot my wrists/forearms have never felt more relaxed.

Harold
SW2008 SP2.0 OPW2008 SP0.1
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
Unplugged the MS Natural mouse wireless receiver and plugged in a Logitech MX500 mouse. No change in the pattern of crashes. Did I miss something?

Harold
SW2008 SP2.0 OPW2008 SP0.1 Win XP Pro 2002 SP2
Dell 690, Xeon 5160 @3.00GHz, 3.25GB RAM
nVidia Quadro FX4600
www.lumenflow.com

RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

System:
Dell Precision PWS490
Intel Xeon CPU 2x5140@233GHz
4.00 GB RAM
nVidia Quadro FX3500 with latest SW certified driver
Microsoft Windows XP Pro x64 Version 2003 SP1
Microsoft USB Wireless Intellimouse Explorer with basic Windows driver

SolidWorks 2008 x32 SP2.0

Installed SW2008 a week ago. No problems, no crashes so far. I love it.


RE: SW08 Strange graphics and crashing problems

(OP)
This is a pretty old thread but I thought I should update in case it would help anyone else with a similar problem. My crash issue is under control - no crashes when opening assembly files for three weeks. Most significant change seems to be SP3.0 but it may be all of the changes made along the way.

Changes made including the suggestions in this thread were:
Latest 3DConnections drivers
Uninstalled the IntelliMouse software
Disabled the Windows search
Updated my nVidia driver from the SW recommended 9777 to 6255 per my VAR
Ran the Conversion Wizard (twice)
Installed SP3.0

I am starting SW with my Add-in "on" and I am still using my SpacePilot although the special characters are not working correctly (to be fixed I understand).

Life is good.

Harold
SW2008 SP3.0 OPW2008 SP0.1 Win XP Pro 2002 SP2
Dell 690, Xeon 5160 @3.00GHz, 3.25GB RAM
nVidia Quadro FX4600
www.lumenflow.com

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