In this Click Savers I thought I should try and pull together a list for everyone if you are running into the dreaded “Fatal Error” from the AutoCAD platform. Fatal errors are very random and can very hard to track down on what is causing the issue. Of course we would all like to live in the perfect world where any none of our software that we use ever crashes but of course that is when you wake up from your dream!
*If this issue is occurring when working on a specific file you should try the following first:
- Strongly recommend running Audit and Purge on all drawing files (including xrefs) to remove any junk data which may have accumulated in the drawing over its life. If the drawing(s) have xref’s linked to them please use the Recover command which will run an Audit on the main file plus all of the xref drawings that are linked to it. To use the Recover command start a blank drawing first and then start the Recover command, now select the main file to start the process.
- Another great option to do on a dwg file is use the -Purge command with the RegApps option to get rid of unreferenced application signatures. You have to use the “-“ in front of the purge command to get to the RegApps option.
- If the file is really bad you can also use the Wblock command and save the file with a new name. First try the option called Entire Drawing because this will also grab everything that is PaperSpace. If this doesn’t work then you will need to use the option called Select Object and select what you need from ModelSpace.
*Also you could delete the temp files. To delete the temp file, browse to your systems temp folder (Windows Start Button (lower left corner)>Type Run in the Search Area>Type in %temp% and hit enter) and delete the contents
*Make sure AutoCAD has the latest Autodesk Service Packs and Hotfixes applied: http://usa.autodesk.com/support/downloads
*Perform a Windows Update to install the available fixes from Microsoft.
*Update graphics cards drivers: https://www.mg-aec.com/?p=836
*You can test for conflict by running the program in Windows Diagnostic Mode. For instructions on using the program in Windows Diagnostic Mode, see the following solution for more information:
http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS1054234
If the program runs correctly in Windows Diagnostic Mode, it indicates a conflict with software on your machine. Software programs on your computer, such as antivirus, antispyware, or other security programs, may conflict with the startup behavior of your program.
*To check and see if it’s a user account issue, go into the Control Panel > User Accounts and create a new administrative user. Log off as the current user and login as the new user. Then use AutoCAD and see if the same behavior is present.
