SOLIDWORKS Frequently Asked Questions

You can upload files from your computer to the Home Folder under My Files.

To upload files:

• Click Upload files 
• The uploaded files appear in the Home folder (under My Files).
• You can create your own Folders using Add Folder option. 
• TIP: Drag and drop files from your local Windows Explorer to the Home Folder (or sub folders you create) once in My Files. Files uploaded here are available to open via This PC > Home Folder

SOLIDWORKS® 3D CAD software delivers powerful design functionality with the intuitive SOLIDWORKS user interface to speed your design process and make you instantly productive.

If you are new to SOLIDWORKS, we recommend that you start with the INTRODUCING SOLIDWORKS Guide.

Below are free training videos from MySolidWorks.com. You can open these videos in a separate Web browser so you can use the training videos along with the SOLIDWORKS in the browser version.

• Editing Parts 
• Bottom up Assembly Modeling 
• Introduction to Drawings and Detailing 
• Starting a Sketch on a Plane or Face 

You can access the training files used in the videos. Click File > Open. In the dialog box, browse to Libraries > Documents > SOLIDWORKS Product Trial > Training Files.

Tutorials are available in the product to help you learn SOLIDWORKS subjects from basic to advanced. Click Help > SOLIDWORKS Tutorials to navigate to the topics.

Finally, a collection of sample files are also included in the SOLIDWORKS Product Trial folder to help you further explore SOLIDWORKS capabilities.

The SOLIDWORKS software is maximized (dynamic) to your browser window size.

To experiment with video resolution settings to find the best balance of performance and clarity:

• Click  Settings  > Screen resolution    (upper left of the browser window) to find the setting that works best. Most people use Match local display.

You might also need to experiment with your browser's zoom level. A value less than 100% causes buttons and menus in SOLIDWORKS to shrink. To make them more accessible, increase the zoom level through your browser’s settings.

Increase the zoom level in your browser's settings to 100%. This setting is available in all supported browsers, but its location varies. In Google Chrome, for example, the zoom level is in the Zoom section of the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar.

This error is related to the installation of SQL Server, which is required for the SOLIDWORKS Electrical software included in your package.

Do you use SOLIDWORKS Electrical? If not, you can deselect it for installation. To do that, run the installation again and on the summary page, click change for ‘Product Selection,’ deselect SOLIDWORKS Electrical from the list, and proceed with the installation.

If you use SOLIDWORKS Electrical, please try the following to troubleshot the issue:

Under Electrical Options, on the Summary page of the Installation Manager, make sure the correct SQL server instance is selected in the Electrical options of the Installation Manager and try the installation.

You can try the following:

• Try renaming the current instance TEW_SQLEXPRESS to TEW_SQLEXPRESS_1
• Try to install with “Install with a new instance of SQL Server”

You can contact SOLIDWORKS Student Edition Support and provide the Installation Manager logs.

To go to the Installation log folder, you can type %appdata% at Start > RUN and press Enter, and it will open the "Roaming" folder. In the "Roaming" folder, go to the "SOLIDWORKS" folder. Under the "SOLIDWORKS" folder, you will find a folder named “Installation log.”  Zip this complete folder and provide it for investigation.

However, before contacting the support team, you can follow this procedure to troubleshoot the issue:

Try a complete uninstallation of SOLIDWORKS using the Microsoft fixit tool:

1. Download the Microsoft fixit tool from this link:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17588/fix-problems-that-block-programs-from-being-installed-or-removed

2. Run the downloaded tool and click Next
3. Click Uninstalling
4. In product selection select ' SOLIDWORKS (version) ' and click Next to follow uninstallation process
5. Repeat the process until all the versions of SOLIDWORKS and all the SOLIDWORKS products are uninstalled
6. Try installation of SOLIDWORKS

Genuine SOLIDWORKS software comes with access to the latest features, updates and upgrades, technical support and a plethora of information and resources. In addition, free certification exams are available to validate your team’s skills and highlight areas of training for improved productivity.

Insures that customer use of the SOLIDWORKS software does not exceed the purchased number of seats.

Integrates the use of a License Server, which grants permission to multiple Licensed Clients to execute SOLIDWORKS and simplifies the license management.

Allows multiple concurrent users to access the software in a distributed, work-group environment, while ensuring compliance and flexibility.

Please refer to the System Requirements https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html

The use of non-genuine software puts consumers and businesses at legal and technological risks, which include:

• Increased risk of civil penalties and criminal prosecution, resulting in loss of capital, reputation and credibility
• Increased risk of exposure to cyber-security threats and malwares that compromise your computers and network, resulting in the loss of confidential data and resources to rectify potential problems
• Increased risk of system failures and network outages, reducing business productivity and loss of opportunities
• No access to technical support, critical updates, version upgrades, and technical documentation

Via the SOLIDWORKS 2010 (or above) Installation Manager, download and install the SNL Administrator on the license server

Launch the SNL Administrator

Reply "Yes" to the question "Would you like to activate now?"

Proceed through the following screens to complete the activation process.

This problem can occur if users have insufficient permission/access to write to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SOLIDWORKS" (registry key). Please ensure the user has write access to the above registry key. In conjunction, ensure the user has at a minimum read access to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\SOLIDWORKS" as it populates the former registry key from this information. (you can run registry editor from Start > Run > type "regedit" (without quotes) and select OK. This will launch registry editor).

Caution: Incorrectly editing the registry can severely damage your operating system. The SOLIDWORKS Technical Support team strongly suggests that you back up the registry data before making any changes to the registry.  In addition to the above cause, this problem can also occur if there is problem with the installation of a Microsoft component (Microsoft Visual Basic 7.1) required for SOLIDWORKS.

If the above solution does not work, please try the following to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Uninstall Microsoft Visual Basic 7.1.  This program is not visible in Programs and Features, so open a command prompt and type:    msiexec.exe /x{90120064-0070-0000-0000-4000000FF1CE}
2. Restart the computer
3. Browse to <DVD or SOLIDWORKS Download location>\prereqs\VBA
4. Double click vba71.msi
5. Double-click vba71-kb2783832-x64.msp
6. Double-click vba71_1033.msi* Please make sure to follow this order.  Also, install the language-specific VBA* by double-clicking the respective MSI file
7. Once done with the reinstall/repair of VBA, perform a repair of the SOLIDWORKS installation

*Install the following package for the desired language:

• vba71_1028.msi Chinese
• vba71_1031.msi German
• vba71_1033.msi English
• vba71_1036.msi French
• vba71_1040.msi Italian
• vba71_1041.msi Japanese
• vba71_1042.msi Korean
• vba71_1046.msi Portuguese-Brazilian
• vba71_2052.msi Chinese-Simplified
• vba71_3082.msi Spanish

Please note that the default download location is C:\users\<username>\Documents\SOLIDWORKS Download\ <SOLIDWORKS _Version>.

Ensure that via HTTP is open on your firewall for port 80, which is used by the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager during the update process.

Each user wishing to claim their exam vouchers needs 2 things:

1) A SOLIDWORKS ID linked to a SOLIDWORKS serial number on Subscription Service and

2) A VirtualTester ID

You will receive certificates for each exam that you pass. You receive an email that directs you to our electronic certificate access page. There you can login and download your electronic certificate(s) and electronic business card logo(s); CSWP’s also receive discounts to partner products and SOLIDWORKS World events. For more information refer to www.solidworks.com/cswp.