Stability (or lack thereof) 1

[odmullen]

I have been plagued with instability problems with Solidworks. The program crashes almost at random - the only common factor seems to be clicking on some command or feature. Sometimes an error file is written, but not always. Sometimes I can run for two days without a crash, but usually it's at least a daily occurrence.

A typical crash today: I picked one component in the feature manager, depressed Shift, then picked another item three down, intending to select 4 items and hide them. I've done this many times - maybe 15 times today while preparing graphics for a manual. The instant I clicked on the second item, SW crashed and wrote an error log.

I have updated to W2K SP2, Solidworks 2001 SP3, the latest Logitech mouse driver and the latest Matrox Millenium G400 graphics driver. I have plenty of memory (1Gb) and disk space.

Is this unusual, or am I just getting whiny in my dotage? Has anyone solved similar stability problems? Does anyone know of particular settings that might cause unusual instability? I'd sure appreciate any suggestions. All SW seems to be able to suggest is that I try different video drivers.

 

[SBaugh]

Hello odmullen,

1) You might try an earlier version of drivers for that card.

2) If you have a Virus scan program running in the back ground. Turn it off.

3) Don't run more than you need to. If your running SW and you have IE, and Word open and your not using them...close them. There is no need to take memory away from SW. SW is a hog for memory.

4)If you were using Win 95, 98, or ME before you switched to W2K then that alone could have been your problem.

5) You maybe running out of video card memory.

6) Networks have been known to cause problems with SW. If you are opening files over a network..."Don't", if you can help it. Copy the files to your local hard drive. This helps the files open quicker and you don't have to worry about traffic and network issues either.

7) Some key strokes that have been made, may cause a problem as well.

8) Turn your Auto backup off. I found this to be a great option to turn off. Only catch is you have to save more often.

9) Run SW in VGA mode to see if you continue to receive these errors. If you do it's more than likely a video card problem.

I'm using 9.0 Logitech drivers, which ones do you have?
It could be just about anything.

Hope this helps,
Scott Baugh, CSWP
George Koch Sons,LLC
Evansville, IN 47714
sjb@kochllc.com

 

[SBaugh]

I forgot to mention Virtual Memory. Your Virtual memory is to be set 3-4 times the amount of Ram you use.

EX:
512Megs of memory in your machine than your virtual memory should be set to:
Min - 1536 mb
Max - 2048 mb
Scott Baugh, CSWP
George Koch Sons,LLC
Evansville, IN 47714
sjb@kochllc.com

 

[odmullen]

Scott,
Thanks for the suggestions.
1. I've tried the SW - tested versions and later versions with no apparent effect.
2. I'll try that. We're supposed to keep it on as we seem to get attacked a lot, but it's worth trying.
3. I do tend to have a lot running most of the time, but it's very unusual for me to have even 1/2 of the 1GB on my system in use unless I'm doing FEA. I've seen crashes with very little running and I've seen the system happily writing swap files for longer htan I cared to let it continue, so I don't see systematic indication that resources are a problem. Good policy in genera, though.
4. It's better under W2k than NT4 SP6a was. Now I only crash SW, not the whole system...
5. That's a possibility, although it's an AGP card that should be able to tap as much memory as it needs from the motherboard. Might not be seamless though... I'm not sure how I could monitor video memory usage. Any idea?
6. I have to stay on the network to use FlexLM software license management, The files I work with are all on my local drives, however.
7. Possibly - but I don't use the keyboard all that much and had not keyed anything prior to the latest crash.
8. I usually run with auto-backup set to backup after every change except when working with assemblies with enough in-context features that it bogs down, in which case I space it out or kill it. It was off when I last crashed.
9. I've tried that for short periods, but not recently. The problem I have with that is that the crashes occur at such random intervals that I might slug along for days at VGA and not prove anything except that two high-res displays were worth the money...

I just installed Mouse Driver version 9.26.

Thanks again. I'll try what I can of your ideas.

 

[SBaugh]

<snip>
2. I'll try that. We're supposed to keep it on as we seem to get attacked a lot, but it's worth trying.

I turn mine off, we are suppose to keep ours on too. Because of the same reason. But my feelings on that is if the IT or MIS network admins. can't get keep the hackers out, then what are they doing up there anyway.

<snip>
5. That's a possibility, although it's an AGP card that should be able to tap as much memory as it needs from the motherboard. Might not be seamless though... I'm not sure how I could monitor video memory usage. Any idea?

This is from one of my other posts here....Your Video card may also play a part in the crash. The rule is not to use a card that connotes violence like Rage, Fury, Voodoo. If you are doing serious CAD, get a card designed for CAD. Get something like the Oxygen or Elsa cards.

As to monitoring video memory....I'm not sure. We would just watch the task manager and if it crashed before I was out of physical memory we assumed it ran out of video memory.

<snip>
8. I usually run with auto-backup set to backup after every change except when working with assemblies with enough in-context features that it bogs down, in which case I space it out or kill it. It was off when I last crashed.

I have some DEEP In-contexted models. So I understand your point. But believe me, try turning it off and saving more often, and let me know if you see a difference. I sure did.

One more thing to try I can't remember the exact way to do this. But it's either in your model or in your drawing, if you go to Tools\Options\System Options\Performance. There is a setting called &quot;Use Software OpenGL&quot; make sure it is checked.

Hope this helps some more.
Cheers,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
George Koch Sons,LLC
Evansville, IN 47714
sjb@kochllc.com

 

[MadMango]

Snip

&quot;One more thing to try I can't remember the exact way to do this. But it's either in your model or in your drawing, if you go to Tools\Options\System Options\Performance. There is a setting called &quot;Use Software OpenGL&quot; make sure it is checked.&quot;

Don't you mean to make sure this is checked OFF? If this is ON then the SW program will do the number chrunching for the graphics. Having it OFF let's the graphics card do the work.

 

[SBaugh]

Thanks for pointing that out MadMango!! But like I said I couldn't remember the exact way in which to do it. So it was an edumacated guess. I couldn't find the post on that topic either.

Oh well I hope this helps him, Scott Baugh, CSWP
George Koch Sons,LLC
Evansville, IN 47714
sjb@kochllc.com

 

[fedup]

I am also having hassels with solid works 2001 on NT4 sp6a platform. 99 ran fine but since the upgrade graphics problems, crashing, also you cannot rotate on an axsis anymore.

Why Please help. I have tried loading the tnt2 updated drivers and no sucess

 

[SBaugh]

I assume your running a Nvidia Card. Nvidia has not been one of the best cards (in my opinion) to use with SW. Most Nvidia cards are Gamer based. You should look at an Oxygen GVX-1 card. I use the Oxygen GVX-1 Pro. I'm not seeing these problems everyone else is. My setup is doing pretty darn good. Go to

http://www.3Dlabs.com

Setup:
Oxygen GVX-1 Pro
768 Ram
3-4x Ram for my Min & Max Virtual memory setting
Win NT4 SP6
SW SP4

If you can't afford to get a new card try the new Dentonator drivers at

http://www.guru3d.com/download/

or

http://www.reactorcritical.com/download.shtml

As to the problem of using an axis to rotate with. That's true it's a bug, and SW is aware of it, and is working on it right now.

Hope this helps,
Scott Baugh, CSWP
George Koch Sons,LLC
Evansville, IN 47714
sjb@kochllc.com

 

[odmullen]

Fedup
The rotation of views (not parts) about an axis, face or vertex problem was fixed by SP#6. Stability seems a little better, too.

 

[cwesnow]

I have had similar problems in the past w/ SW2000. My problem was running the AMD Athlon 600 mhz chip instead of the Intel, EEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeee! What is required for newer versions on SW if you run the AMD chip is WIN 2000. 95/98 will not run SW from SW2000 forward. SW was designed for the intel engine, must be a bed fellows thing, don't know.
Lots of ram is a good thing as well, I run 512 meg, but 256 will run SW if your system is properly set up, but may be a little slow on huge assy files.

I haven't had problem 1 since I installed WIN2000 & went up to 512 meg of ram. Everyone crosses the finish line, winners just find a better way to get there!

 

[SBaugh]

Bashers,

SW is NOT in bed with Intel! I run an AMD at home and I have not had any problems with it at all. In fact, for the most part, most of my problems stem from Hardware conflicts or just because and not because I use SW. For the most part, I think most of the people that have problems; it is because it stems from the kind of Hardware their using. Whether they using a good CAD video card or they may have some miss matched memory, or whatever. That is why it is crashing or because it may be running slow. I haven't seen hardly any problems with SW since I started working on it in 1995-1996 till now. Most of the people I have spoken with on the phone are not seeing all of these problems either. It could also stem from the way you installed your software or what other software you are trying to run next to SW.

There can hundreds of different things that can cause crashes. I don't think SW is all to blame. I think we are to blame for some of it, or at least the man that installed the OS and other software or built the machine.

I have been wanting to say this for a while now, but I continued to hold back from speaking my mind. I'm tired of watching everyone jump on the bandwagon and bash the crap out SW. SW has done a great job in making their software. I seen it grow from having hardly any features to having sooooo many features that you can’t shake a stick at all of them. And still people complain because it doesn't do this and it doesn't do that. It has come a loooong way from 1995. I don’t like having to find work around, but you have to do that with any software including Inventor, Pro-E, or AutoCAD. Doesn’t matter!

Well I'm I and others I have spoke with think SW has done a fine job, and I know I'll stand behind them 100% in future endeavors.

If your not going to use the better hardware or better memory or the OS, then don’t Bi*ch. Just like the old saying “If you don’t vote, Don’t complain about who was elected”

My opinion is not the opinion of my employer. It is mine and mine alone.
Scott >:O>

Cwesnow,

If you use the cheapest OS (Win 95/98), You should expect to have problems. Win 95/98 Are Not Good Memory managers. That’s why when you changed OS to W2K and bumped up the Memory you problems went away. That’s because W2K is a good memory manager. Now that there is more memory in their and your using W2K, I’ll bet you probably won’t use all of it up now.

Scott Baugh, CSWP
George Koch Sons,LLC
Evansville, IN 47714
sjb@kochllc.com

 

[dsi]

I agree with SBaugh 110%. I have been using SolidWorks since the first release of SW97. I, too, have seen drastic improvements, many of which are spawned from user feedback. The only system problems I have ever encountered had to deal with the video card. I run SolidWorks on WinNT as well as Win98 and have not had any problems with either. DimensionalSolutions@Core.com
While I welcome e-mail messages, please post all thread activity in these forums for the benefit of all members.

 

[cwesnow]

Ok Sbaugh & DSI,

I wasn't trying to bash SW at all, but I went to the SW & AMD sites when I was having problems. And both stated that SW2k would not run on AMD/win 98. It had nothing to do w/ my video card or mem (256 meg) at the time. It was just a simple fact that SWK2 had to have Intel/win 98 or AMD/win 2k to run properly, I have the same video card as I did before S3 w/ 32 meg. And no, I haven't had as much SW experience as you guys seem to have, so I haven't seen all the ups & downs of SW &/or conflicts. I wasn't even exposed to SW until SW98. However, in my short time w/ SW I have seen it come a long way, model w/ SW every chance I get, & believe it's a great jr to ProE. Thanks for all the good advice. . Everyone crosses the finish line, winners just find a better way to get there!

 

[SBaugh]

cwesnow,

I apologize about the post yesterday. The first part of that post was not pointed at you directly, only the ones that I've seen Bashing SW lately. I was hoping that you would have noticed that, by me trying to separate the two by typing a title too who this is intended for.

I should post this to comp.cad.solidworks more than I should have here, but I think there are a lot of people that read through this site as well. Although I don't regret posting this, it has help clear my head......for now.

SW is a fabulous tool and has had great reviews of it. Although some of the reviews that I have read lately, I haven't agree with them totally, and I'm still waiting for answers to the questions that I asked the writter about.

Your problem seems very odd and for SW and or Intel to say that &quot;SWK2 will only work with Intel/win 98 or AMD/win 2k to run properly&quot; This seems bogus to me. But I'm glad you got it working, and hope you have as much fun using it I do.

Good Luck and Cheers,
May you live long and prosper,B-)
Scott Baugh, CSWP
George Koch Sons,LLC
Evansville, IN 47714
sjb@kochllc.com