Thumbnail creation connection lost when installing Pro-E

[DougB1234]

Hello,

I am a UG NX2 user and enjoyed having the UG files come up as thumbnails in various part folders. Not long ago I installed Pro-E onto my system and right after that the thumbnails disappeared.

I have done a ton of searching trying to fix this and all I have come up with is that by installing Pro-E (while still having UG NX2), the Pro-E installation disconnected the thumbnail extractor in Windows XP Pro.

So I am hoping someone out there knows how to reconnect the connection of UG and .prt files for creation of thumbnails. I would greatly appreciate any help you could offer.

Yes I could reinstall UG but personally would much rather not. I hate dealing with LMtools and shy away as much as possible.

Thanks.

 

[cowski]

When you install Pro/E it takes over the .prt file extension (among a host of others). It is easy to reassociate the .prt extension to UG and get the thumbnails back in the process. Open windows explorer Tools -> Folder Options... click on the File Types tab. Now find prt in the list of file types, select it and press the Change... button. Choose 'Unigraphics Component' in the list of available programs and OK.

I had to do this a while back (also because of Pro/E) and it works. There is a side effect that the UG file icons won't look exactly as you remember them, on my system they look like a sheet of paper with the old UG icon on it rather than just the UG icon (minor, but something to be aware of).

 

[ewh]

We lost the thumbnails when we went to 64 bit machines. Any solution? I do miss seeing what the file contains without having to open it.

 

[DougB1234]

cowski,

Thanks for your input. I have tried that and at least on my machine its not working. I am thinking that it is in the Windows XP Registry and that Pro-E snagged the connection to .prt files through there. I did see the change you mentioned though about the UG file icons looking different. Let me know if you see anything else.

Thanks again.

 

[Xwheelguy]

I sometimes wonder if re-installing NX wouldn't take care of this .prt contradiction crap. I would expect Windoze to use the setting of whatever was installed last.

Tim Flater
Senior Designer
Enkei America, Inc.

http://www.enkei.com

Some people are like slinkies....they don't really have a purpose, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

 

[DougB1234]

I am pretty sure you are right nkwheelguy, just seems like it would be a lot easier to switch a setting that I know must be present somewhere. This is I think more a Windows XP issue than anything else. Maybe Vista will have more control of a feature like this.

 

[cowski]

Did you reboot after reassociating the file extension? It may not take effect until a reboot.

Just a thought. I don't remember if I had to or not.

 

[DougB1234]

Yea numerous times. I even went to start looking at the registry but did not feel confident enough about changing values. I think (unfortunately) I will have to reinstall. I am looking at moving to Vista though so may wait to see what happens after that. Save me some time.

 

[Vikingbro]

DougB1234,

Have you checked to see if UGS has certified NX on Vista yet?

I don't remember seeing anything stating that they had as of yet.

Just something to keep in mind...


Chris Cooper
Senior CAD Specialist
Cleveland Golf / Never Compromise

http://www.clevelandgolf.com

http://www.nevercompromise.com

 

[DougB1234]

Funny vikingbro, I was just about to ask the board about this when I saw your response. Anyone know out there? I am running NX2 and my IT guy has Vista loaded on one of the laptops here. Man the thing is beautiful. Just would love to have that on my system but the standard issues come up as you state....comapatability...tsk tsk.

Anyone know clue me in. I ran the online Upgrade Adviser from Microsoft and there were a few things they saw as issues but none of the CAD software. Problem is, can I honestly trust it?

 

[JohnRBaker]

At the moment, it appears that the biggest potential problem with Vista may be the lack of full and robust support of Open GL and the various graphics cards based on that widely utilized and previouslly fully supported standard. Note that the various graphics card/driver vendors are working with Microsoft on this, but at the moment it appears to be a still open issue for not just UGS, but virtually all software vendors that depend on Open GL for their graphics support.


John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
NX Product Line
UGS Corp
Cypress, CA

http://www.ugs.com

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

 

[Vikingbro]

DougB1234,

I just remember the initial problems that NX had when Internet Explorer 7 was released. Granted, the fix was extremely simple (removal of a specific .dll file).

I just figured that something as grand as an operating system might be a bit more intensive, and John Baker has confirmed this.

Good Luck!


Chris Cooper
Senior CAD Specialist
Cleveland Golf / Never Compromise

http://www.clevelandgolf.com

http://www.nevercompromise.com