Survey: How often does Solidworks crash on you? 10

[cmm]

SW2005-SP1.1 crashes 2 to 3 times per day on my computer and on my coworker's computer. Every time it crashes it gives the "unhandled error" message. We have the exact same setup, which is:

Athlon 64 3400+
1.5 GB RAM
Quadro FX700 with the latest SW-certified driver
WinXP Pro with all updates

I've used Solidworks every work day for the last 3.5 years, and though it has crashed many times I've never experienced a crash frequency quite this high.


Chris Montgomery
Mechanical Engineer

 

[purecoda]

SP1.1 doesn't crash nearly as much for me as SP0.1 did. I'd say I'm down to about 2-3 times a day like you, as opposed to 5-6 (which was ridiculous).

All I can recommend is CTRL-S (quick save shortcut), and do it often.

 

[ctopher]

So far, I seem to crash whenever I insert a datum symbol to a edge of a part on a dwg.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP0.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site

 

[rockguy]

SW2005 Sp 1.1

I might crash once a week. I find it very stable.

 

[sworks]

I'd say 1-2 times a week at most with sp1.1 Early 2005 service packs were 3-5 times a week, but sp1.1 has made things a LOT better. Still not perfect, but honestly no complaints from me.

 

[Theophilus]

I've been using SW since 1997. After a while, you get an idea of what might make it crash--hunches that tend to be right--which are often based on hardware limits or flaws (and sometimes on software limits or flaws).

I get about one crash every two weeks on my machine and about two crashes per day on a client's machine (graphics card problem).


Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reality is no respecter of good intentions.

 

[SBaugh]

I hardly ever crash. The only thing that crashes me, is a customers file that is probably corrupted anyway.

Have you gone through the FAQ and have you tried to do the clean uninstall reinstall process since you move to SW05?

Did you do an upgrade versus a new install?

I agree there are bugs but SP1.1 but not near as many as there were with SP0.0. This happens with all SW versions though. IMO since SP0.0 of SW05 there has been plently of stability and SP1.1 has improved Stablity. If you are seeing issue then you need to full check all aspects of your system. Also are you opening your files over a network, etc..? Call your VAR and leave nothing untold and no stone unturned. If you made a change to your system, or you install Shareware crap programs then you need to mention that. Because everything you do (install or uninstall) on your system will or could make a difference.

Regards,



Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376
faq559-716 - SW Fora Users

 

[macPT]

I'm starting to serously use SW2005SP1.1. Today I've had one crash (the first one), but it was during the recovery of a messy assembly (which is "normaly" critical to SW stability).

I hope that I can attain the stability record: SW2004SP4.1 - less than one crash per week on continuous work.

Regrads

 

[rgrayclamps]

I do not remember when my SolidWorks crashed last time. Mine is very stable. I am using SolidWorks 2004 sp4.0. OS is WinXP sp1.0.

Alex

 

[cmm]

I haven't been able to find a pattern in the crashes so far, except that it always happens when I give a command. In other words, it doesn't crash while I'm idle.

Those of you who are satisfied with Solidworks' stability, what graphics cards are you using? I've always had a suspicion that the relationship between Solidworks and the graphics card/driver is the source of most stability problems. I went with the Quadro FX series because it seemed like Nvidia and Solidworks had a good relationship.

Chris Montgomery
Mechanical Engineer

 

[rgrayclamps]

My graphic card is

NVIDIA Quadro4 980 XGL
Driver Version: 6.14.01.4351

Alex

 

[mreader]

It may be purely coincidental, but since I enabled the 3GB switch(with only 1.5GB installed)SW stability has increased.


Mark

 

[aamoroso]

I am still using SW04 and if I crash once every three or four months I get upset. I rarely have problems anymore at all. One of my co-workers seems to manage to crash 3-4 times a day, the big difference, he clicks like a mad man,click click click click click. I take it it a little more slow than that and I have a lot less problems. Usually he can get himself into a position where the file crashes everytime he opens the Design Table, at that point, I open the file save it and close it and he is back up and running. Sometimes I will freeze up or get slow but then I force the crash myself, dump the temp files, clean my temp directory out and I am all set.

 

[timbochung]

I'm crashing 4-5x a day. It's really quite brutal. When I was using 2004 - it was much more stable.

Tim

 

[ctopher]

I see all the time people double-clicking on EVERYTHING. They double click on SolidWorks and two or more sessions open ... or double click on a menu icon, then it craaaashes.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP0.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site

 

[SBaugh]

Quadro 500 FX driver - 67.22 Latest certified drivers
Quadro 1100 FX Driver - Have used both 53.03 and 67.22 - Stability is not an issue for me.

The video card is help tight within SW. It's a crucial part of SW, but you can't forget the aspects of a computer and the software installed. Send your files to your VAR with an attached RX. The RX provides a wealth of information on your computer. If you Tech support person at your VAR can read the data (Which isn't that hard) then he will be able to provide you some possible solutions or things to try. I'm sure it's something that your not aware of that is causing the problem and not SW.

There are some good points made by aamoroso and ctopher about habits in SW that some people over look or take for granted. Watch evert thing you do when trying to determine what is causing the issue.

Regards,

Scott Baugh, CSWP
3DVision Technologies

http://www.3dvisiontech.com

http://www.scottjbaugh.com

faq731-376
faq559-716 - SW Fora Users

 

[cmm]

Those of you who are satisfied with the stability of Solidworks, I assume you use the software all day, every day like I do. Otherwise this is not a level playing field. I don't at all mean to sound irritable, I am just confused as to why the crash demon haunts my coworker and I every day and not y'all. I am proficient with computers and Solidworks, and I cannot figure it out.

Chris Montgomery
Mechanical Engineer

 

[drawoh]

SW2003 SP5.0
Quadro4 580 XGL with 6.14.10.5218 driver
Win XP
P4 with 2GB RAM

I crash two or three times a day on my current project, an assembly with over 1700 components, almost 300 unique, with over 100 sub-assemblies. SolidWorks is much more stable on smaller assemblies.

My stability improves if I shut down SmarTeam integration, and move my files to my local hard drive.

JHG

 

[rockguy]

I'm using SW everyday all day on a Dell M-60 laptop with an Nvidea go700 graphics card. Our assemblies are 1000 parts or less and I also spend a fair amount of time rendering in PhotoWorks.

 

[Theophilus]

My machine is part-time during most days, but gets hit with 15+ hour days at times as well. Very stable. Sometimes large assemblies with 900+ MB RAM in motion, sometimes few parts with very complex features and lots of them.

One easy-to-see pattern between 2004 and 2005 is that 2005 is more demanding--obviously--because it offers more. But people rarely upgrade their hardware when they upgrade their software. More load, same stuff to run it, I would expect hardware limitation problems to increase--and they do.

AMD Opteron 64
nVidia Quadro FX 500
1GB RAM
XP Pro, SP2, updated
(All from Xi Computer)
Lots of other programs running at the same time
Lots of SW windows open at the same time
Norton Internet Security 2005 (RAM Pig!)
Rare crashes


Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reality is no respecter of good intentions.