Need help with Solidworks stalling

[hititfaster]

Hi folks, just started with a company having worked on AutoCAD for a few years and am pleased to be back working getting into 3D. I am however having a few issues with SW stalling.

I have searched (not new to forums!) but am new to both this forum and to using SW in anger without dedicated IT back-up so please re-direct me if appropriate but know that I have tried quite a few things before posting! Let me expand...

I'm currently working on an assembly containing - I estimate - several hundred parts: these are mainly small (from nuts/bolts/washers to panels roughly 2000x1000 in size and components about the size of a PC tower) and I would say there's a bit of everything with regards to how they have been modelled.

The spec. of my machine is:

Intel Core Quad CPU
Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
1.89gb ram
NVIDIA 1700 graphics card

The manner in which it stalls is this: I experience a noticeable slow-down in (already pretty bad) performance... snatchy scrolling/zooming, very slow responses to things such as mates, very slow opening of all assemblies, amongst other things, before a complete freeze. Once this has happened, either 1) SW literally disappears in an instant and I have to re-start 2) it goes non-responsive and I have to cancel in task manager and re-start. This is happening up to five times a day!

I've tried several things now (see below) and am starting to get pressure from clients and my boss (who is actually being very understanding regarding even the worst case scenario of having to buy a new system - this is approximately two years old) but apart from anything else, it's irritating me as I want to get on with work but can't!

I have tried:

- Checking I have the correct graphics card driver. SW website, proceeded through all the checkboxes, DL'd and installed as per our re-sellers instructions for a 'clean install'
- Altering settings both in the graphics card settings and in SW options for performance over appearance.
- Checking the OpenGL box in options to reduce graphics card work
- Switching to single monitor only (was set to dual-view)
- IT guy has just run a scan with (says on his CD 'New HDD Reg') which he says would show up errors in the hard drive. He is coming back in two days, but that's two days I have to make do and put up with these crashes!
- Sent error and performance logs to SW. Told there was nothing really suspect that they could see. They did also walk me through several things they thought could help but these didn't seem to improve matters.

Sorry to those of you who have maybe heard all this a hundred times before, but I need some help! Any suggestions welcome!

Tom.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

- Checking the OpenGL box in options to reduce graphics card work

Reverse this setting. It needs to be unchecked. You want the card to be doing the work, otherwise the CPU has to so it ... and your CPU is already slow enough.

What Windows version are you using?

If 32 bit ... get another 2GB RAM and add the /3GB switch to the boot.ini file.
If 64 bit ... get at least 2GB RAM

Clean out all temp files.

 

[hititfaster]

I'll reverse that as soon as it's done re-starting and co-incidentally just found a post that suggested clearing out temp files so will follow that as well.

I'm on 64x. RAM had been flagged as being low when I spoke to our re-seller but we haven't put any in yet simply because 1) we wanted to ensure all the obvious had been covered and eliminated before spending more money 2) I don't actually know if the machine is expandable? 3) the reseller said low RAM would usually be indicated by a warning rather than a full on stall/crash.

If it's not improved by tomorrow pm, I'll be suggesting it to the boss though! Thanks and will post re. progress!

 

[williedawg]

try crucial.com for free RAM check and expandability.

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

If the motherboard is capable of running a quad core and Windows x64, it will definitely be capable of accepting at least 4GB RAM. Check the motherboard specs for full details of how much RAM can be installed, and if the CPU can be upgraded.

 

[JMirisola]

Download ccleaner (from ccleaner.com). This will help clear out temp files, dangling dll's, and other such nonsense. You don't mention whether you're on XP, Vista or Win7, nor which version of SolidWorks you're running. These are all pieces of info that will help out.
Much of what you're describing points to a video card issue, but you're lack of RAM is definitely a contributor.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Design Manager/Senior Designer
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[hititfaster]

Thanks for all the pointer guys - cleaned out the temp. files and unchecked that openGL setting before I left work and it did seem to make a difference.

I'm using Windows XP 64x and the client has specified SW 2008 as that's what they have (we have 09 and 10 as well but I haven't tried these to look for the same issues as I need to concentrate on getting this contract done in 08!)

Tom.

 

[lumenharold]

Something that comes to mind when reading your post is that I wonder if the several hundred parts including fasteners have a lot of detail. Threads on the screws, split washers, nuts with chamfers and mating threads will slow down a cutting edge workstation. If you inherited the files, look for extra junk that bloats the file size. You can always suppress the detail until it's needed if that is an issue.

I haven't looked in a while but "Anna's Muse" SW blog (

http://www.solidmuse.com/)had

a few tips on XP a while ago. You might look in the archives there. I also found that running a fast defrag like Diskeeper (instead of the Windows defrag) helped with XP. My two cents.

Harold
SW2010 SP4.0 OPW2011 SP0.2 Win 7 Ultimate
BOXX 8550 Xtreme Dual Xeon 5680 @4.2Ghz
nVidia Quadro 4000

http://www.lumenflow.com

 

[hititfaster]

Right guys, update time! I've been busy with this one and seem to have made some good progress. Deleting the temp files and running ccleaner made a noticeable difference even to general machine speed: for example, double-clicking a folder used to produce a lag before the folder opened, now it's near instant. Web pages open faster... just generally I'm not waiting around for anything, which is pleasant!

I'm currently running a defrag (started it about an hour ago and it's done 16% so I have some way to go!) so as soon as that's done I'll fire up SW and have a play to see what it's done.

The other news is that I ran the crucial scanner, which recommended I replace the four 512mb sticks of RAM with 4 x 2gb sticks (of this type:

http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=CT25664AA667

). The boss has approved this (after seeing it only cost a little over £100) but has asked that I find out if there is any particular way to best install it? I gather that they have to be paired in order to work correctly, but wondered if you have any comments/suggestions for set-up from a CAD users perspective?

Again, thanks for all this - it was like trying to read Swahili two days ago, but now I feel I'm making some real progress!

 

[hititfaster]

MY GOD, WHO LET THE HANDBRAKE OFF!

Not joking guys, SW is flying now. I'm working on the same model as I was prior to the 'spring clean' but there have been no stalls, it's smooth, delay free mates and generally a pleasure to work on.

I'm even thinking about upping the graphics a bit!

 

[JMirisola]

To install the RAM:
Turn off your machine. Open up the PC, remove the existing RAM and install the new. Be sure that each stick is fully seated. Ideally, you'll stay grounded to the machine while replacing them. Close up the PC and fire it up.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Design Manager/Senior Designer
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[SnowCrash]

The boss has approved this (after seeing it only cost a little over £100) but has asked that I find out if there is any particular way to best install it? I gather that they have to be paired in order to work correctly, but wondered if you have any comments/suggestions for set-up from a CAD users perspective?

Pretty much as Jeff described it ;-) the chips should all be the same, even the same Lot if possible.

--
Hardie "Crashj" Johnson
SW 2010 SP 4.0
HP Pavillion Elite HPE
W7 Pro, Nvidia Quaddro FX580

 

[hititfaster]

Hmmmmgggggrrrrhhhh... Grumble, grumble...

I thought this was cured but today I've had issues again. Amazingly, the day AFTER my big deadline!

Being engineers I know you like a challenge so here's where I stand: I worked all day Sunday on exactly the same ass'y as I have been all along, with very little trouble. Smooth, occasionally a touch slow, but otherwise acceptable. The 8gb of RAM we ordered had not been added in at this point as we thought it would be a good idea to wait until after the deadline, so I still had 4x512 pieces. I'm now deleting temp files and running CCleaner weekly.

I had two days off at the start of this week, during which time my boss and a colleague fitted the RAM. According to them, with all 8gb fitted they could not get the PC to run correctly. They performed some renders and my machine (identical to my colleague's in every way apart from the RAM, his still on 4x512) was faster then mine. They spoke to Crucial, who suggested removing two of the four pieces. In a repeat the render test my machine was then noticably faster, so that's where it's been left.

During the course of today my work has been slowed further and further as SW takes more and more time to execute commands. I don't seem to have the instability I had before - there's no crash or complete stall - but it thinks for ages on even basic things like ctrl+drag to create a copied object!

So, summarised, I have two questions:

- What's with the RAM not working correctly? What could cause it not to be accepted, considering the Crucial scan of my motherboard suggested 8gb and our IT guy says it can take even more still.
- Could this slow-down be a network issue? I have nothing to do with the network, but I do know it's been playing up lately and to me generally seems a bit flakey. We've had back-up issues as well if that makes a difference? Could my working well on Sunday be the result of no back-ups or network activity on the weekend?

I have a headache...

Tom.

 

[hititfaster]

N.B. I meant to say, with the 8gb RAM installed, on renders his machine was still faster.

Can you edit posts on here?

 

[JMirisola]

Sounds like they either didn't install the RAM correctly, or there's a conflict between the RAM modules.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
Design Manager/Senior Designer
M9 Defense
My Blog

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

How many RAM slots does the motherboard have?
Are they coloured and is there a RAM stick in each of the matching colours?
Run a RAM testing utility to check the new sticks. They may have been zapped during installation, or some of the slots may be bad.

http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp

A quicker way might be to install only one 2GB stick at a time
in each slot, and run SW. Then try two sticks .....

What settings do you have for the Virtual Memory?
If the RAM is good, try increasing the VM to 2X the RAM or setting it to zero.

 

[hititfaster]

I'll give these a go when I have a bit more time and can get the side off the machine again...

Is there such a thing as an IT company who specialise in or are familiar with SW? My boss is starting to get onto me for spending too much time on this issue when I should be working, but it's a catch 22 - as I'm sure you'll agree - I need the equipment to be running correctly for me to work at or even close to my optimum!

I don't want to get bogged down with this when my real job and skill is as an engineer, not an IT guy. Can you tell this is irritating me?! Rant over...

 

[hititfaster]

Huh, changed the VM to zero and she's flying again... Slightly wary but - again - fixed for now.

 

[SnowCrash]

Is there such a thing as an IT company who specialise in or are familiar with SW?

That would be the VAR, reseller. Your SW support contact can tell you what is needed in a machine, but that is going to be the same as it says on the SW website.
Your local users group can usually point you to a good hardware team.

--
Hardie "Crashj" Johnson
SW 2010 SP 4.0
HP Pavillion Elite HPE
W7 Pro, Nvidia Quaddro FX580