Solidworks not working for particular users

We are in a corporate environment and have a few computers that have a
strange behavior. From what I can tell this is a standard load of
Windows XP. But for some reason this particular computer will only let
one user actually run solidworks.

Here is what happens....User A (a domain admin) installs solidworks on
computer. User B (typical CAD user) logs in and uses software just
fine, everything can be accomplished. User C logs in and when the
solidworks icon is double clicked the Splash screen shows up and then
promptly shows an "internal error has occurred in this application".
And then proceeds to send error messages to Microsoft. User B logs back
in and can run everything just fine. Anyone else (even the domain admin
account, or after local cached user profiles are removed) cannot run
solidworks.

Anyone else see this behavior? This has been reproducible on 3.0, 4.0,
4.1 service packs of solidworks. The only solution I have found is to
reload the XP image on these computers. I cannot fix them without doing
this.

--Matt

 

Suggest hiring a competent Windows admin to properly set up user rights
and permissions.

--
Black Dragon

CAD:
A man who doesn't tell his wife
that he's sterile until she's pregnant.

 

i have seen behavior like this before.

1. roaming profiles, if you are using these it can cause this kind of
problem. they can carry problems from one computer to another.
2. clean up of the computer. these other users may have alot of
temporary files and/or IE files on the computer. i call this OOZE of
the user on the computer, yea it sounds corny. this can hamper SWx.
3. administrative rights on the local system. since SWx works all
settings through the registry, most users need administrative
capabilities on the local computer.

i would copy the one user profile on the computer to one of the other
users as a test to see if this is a profile problem, it sure sounds
like one. iQ

 

How come I'm not surprised?

I've never seen a problem with roaming profiles and SWX on a properly
administered Windows network.

That ooze is the matter between your ears running out your nose and
onto your keyboard. I've never seen any such thing on a properly
administered Windows network.

A user running a computer with administrative / root rights is nothing
more or less than simply very stupid. On a properly set up system, a user
need not administrative privileges to write to user specific registry
hives.

Now I know why I was not surpised.

Like I suggested, hire a competent Windows administrator instead of
listening to a bunch CAD operators make wild ass guesses.

 

I have tried all of that. We don't use roaming profiles for many
reasons like you say there are issues with them. The biggest is to
protect the users from themselves. Not many know how to control the
size of their profiles and save files in an appropriate spot (namely the
network not their desktop). This problem exists for newly logged on
users as well, after it starts happening only the one person who has
been successful continues to be successful. I have tried cleaning out
everything I can think of, all the ones you thought of.

Just to give you an idea of the size of the problem. I have solidworks
installed on 105 computers, 80% of those XP. I have only seen this
issue with 5 computers now so not a large portion, And after a reload
it doesn't repeat, so I do think there was something strange about the
original load.

We don't give users admin rights as this is a bad idea. We typically
set them up as power users as they do need some elevated rights but not
many.

--Matt