AutoCAD 2010

[#1]

Hi all.

After spending hours trying to figure this out, I finally got it to work.
I thought I'll share this with everyone. Hopefully this will save you some time if you encounter same or similar issue.
This applies to AutoCAD 2010 on Vista SP2, but I have a feeling that it might also work on 2008 and 2009 versions.

Issue:

When trying to launch AutoCAD 2010 as a non-admin user or any other new user whose windows profile was created after autocad installation you may get the following errors/warnings:

- Unable to load profile file. Some profile information saved in last session may not be restored.

or/and

- Customization file load failed. File not found: acad

or/and

- Font not found: simplex, Specify Font for FONTALT

or/and

- Missing workspace ribbons


I tried applying Autodesk's document ID TS1053833: Error: Customization File Load Failed which suggested fixing XML Parser
That did not solve my problem.


I also tried changing permissions on various folders under C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010
No luck there too.


This is what fixed my issue:

For some reason AutoCAD needs to know the locations of target folders for its template and other files

Mainly some of the files/folders from here:
C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2010\R18.0\enu\Template
C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2010\R18.0\enu\Support

You can login as a user with the problem and apply the following registry:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R18.0\ACAD-8001:409]
"LocalRootFolder"="C:\\Users\\YourUserName\\AppData\\Local\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD 2010\\R18.0\\enu\\"
"RoamableRootFolder"="C:\\Users\\YourUserName\\AppData\\Roaming\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD 2010\\R18.0\\enu\\"

Replace "YourUserName" with your logon name
Also make note that R18.0\ACAD-8001:409 is the version of AutoCAD that I have installed. This might change from version to version, so check your local registry first and make appropriate changes.


The above fix should work for currently logged on user, however most admins would want this to work for any new user that logs in after the installation.
This will not work for users that profiles already exist on the workstation. For that you can apply the above fix or script it.

Open windows registry and load default user's registry hive.
- regedit
- Select HKEY_USERS
- File -> Load Hive, browse and open this file: C:\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT
- Type in "def" as Key Name (without quotes)

Make sure that you have "Hide extensions for known file types" unchecked as you might accidentally attempt to load C:\Users\Default\NTUSER.DAT.LOG file instead of actual NTUSER.DAT as it will show up as NTUSER.DAT with its file extension hidden.

Then add this key to registry
[HKEY_USERS\def\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R18.0\ACAD-8001:409]
"LocalRootFolder"="%LOCALAPPDATA%\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD 2010\\R18.0\\enu\\"
"RoamableRootFolder"="%APPDATA%\\Autodesk\\AutoCAD 2010\\R18.0\\enu\\"

- Select HKEY_USERS\Def and unload the hive

Note the two variables that I used:
%LOCALAPPDATA% which points to C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local and
%APPDATA% which points to C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming

There is no risk using variables there, because as soon as AutoCAD is done with initialization, it will replace those variables with actual user names.


Regards,
Lukasz Bartosik
Ryerson University.

[#2]

I don't think this problem should occur unless there is some outside force creating an invalid AutoCAD profile for new users. If AutoCAD is already on the machine and a new user logs in, AutoCAD should create a default profile the first time it is used. You can verify this by deleting the key mentioned below. I have tested this extensively with 2009 but I suppose there could be a bug in 2010.

If the user's registry profile is corrupt for some reason you can also just delete it and then start AutoCAD. AutoCAD will then create a default profile from scratch. (HKCU\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\Rnn.n\ACAD-nnnn:nnn)

I could see this problem occuring if someone captured the AutoCAD install and repackaged it and specified that new users were given a default captured profile instead of allowing AutoCAD to create the profile.

[#3]

Hi All,

I am having the same problem with "Unable to load profile file". I am using windows XP with AutoCAD 2010 architecture (network version).

I create a deployment image on a server and then run the deployment image on the local machine for installation.

What I have found is that person you login as (eg administrator) works fine. However, when a different user from the domain logs in the error above occurs.

I exported the whole of the "Autodesk" key from the administrator.

I then loaded the "hive" for a different user and imported the "Autodesk" key. After this I changed every reference for "administrator" to the logged in user.

This worked fine.

However, working in a multi user environment, where we have thousands of users, I cannot do for this for each and every user.

Any ideas.

Thanks.

[#4]

Hello All,

Windows XP with Roaming Profiles

This problem will exist with ANY product based on AutoCAD 2010 (inc Acad MAP) - it does NOT occur with other non AutoCAD products such as 3DS Max or the REVIT products, and the key is AUTOCAD 2010 & ROAMING PROFILES. Organisations who do not use Roaming Profiles have no difficulty. We use the full range of AutoCAD based products and we have Roaming Profiles and locked down PC's.

After several days spent trying to find out what would work for all (we had certain instances of success which confused us initially - but which turned out to offer the clue to a solution) - we chanced upon the cause of the problem.

For some reason when "A.User" tries to run 2010 for the first time after it has been installed by an Administrator - that "user" has to be able to READ/LIST the ACTUAL installation files as used for that particular installation. It makes no difference if the install is Stand Alone off a DVD, or from a copy of the DVD on another drive, OR if it installed from a Deployment Image - the effect is the same - If the "user" cannot Read/List the installation files (at that 1st time use) they will not get a working profile - so the solution is to let them see the DVD or Image at that point. Obviously this is easy for Deployment Images as the location can be readily found as long as the user has READ/LIST permissions. For Stand Alone installations (that have not used an image) then you will need the DVD (or copy DVD) in the appropriate Disk Drive. This could be a nightmare - so I would recommend that install files are copied to the PC and run from a location on the PC - so they can always be located subsequenntly by anyone logged onto that PC at any time.

This is the FIRST time that running an AutoCAD product in such circumstances has required this "read/list" ability at first use. Bizarrely there is no record of this "reading" of the install files - even when we have run Filemon.exe through a failed and succesful 1st time use to record what is going on.

Please Note - that the above FIX will not work if the user has ALREADY FAILED - unless their Registry is cleared out of all references to R.18 products - and that may have to be done when they are active on the PC - with REGEDIT being "run as" an admin and looking at "their" details in the HOT_KEY_USERS area (not HOT_KEY_CURRENT_USER). You do have to know what to look for and where - and it is not easy to explain in this post.

Most of our installs are from network deployments - since we enabled ALL our staff to just READ & LIST the deployment area on our Apps Server we have had no problems for users on any subsequent 2010 deployment based install.

Regards
Brian Napper
TPS Design Systems Manager
London / UK

[#5]

thanks a lot -lukaszb

it depends on your support actually-

if you are supporting on network -whereby you are system admin, the advise from lukaszb should be applied under

HKEY_USER

add the below as string value under this path-[HKEY_USERS\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R18.0\ACAD-8001:409]

"LocalRootFolder"="C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2010\R18.0\enu\"
"RoamableRootFolder"="C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2010\R18.0\enu\"

-AFTER ADDING, PRESS F5 TO REFRESH REGISTRY-

-START TASKMANAGER -GO TO PROCESSES-END EXPLORER.EXE

-FILE-START -START EXPLORER.EXE AGAIN-

-LAUNCH AUTOCAD-IT WILL PROBALLY RUN INSTALLATION AGAIN-LET IT COMPLETE PROCESS

-AND AUTOCAD WILL OPEN WITH NO ISSUES.

KUDOS TO LUKASZB .thank you very much again buddy.the issue that we had is with AUTOCAD 9-FOR MUTIPLE USERS IN VERY WELL KNOWN COMPANY.

ISSUE RESOLVED!!!