Thumbnail Preview not showing up in file open dialog box for AutoCAD 2014

[cadmantony]

This just started happening last week and it's driving me nuts. I have read other discussions in this forum about this subject matter but no help there.

When I click on File>Open The dialog box no longer has a thumnail preview. Only a small grey box hovering on the right that says "Initial View" with a check box. I have attached a snapshot of my Autocad File> open dialog box so you can see what I'm getting on my end.

If I browse for files in windows explorer and change view option to thumbnail I can see the thumbnails just fine.

I've tried everything but I cannot get back my File> Open thumbnail preview.

In Tools> Options I have the thumbnail preview settings all set to save thumbnail preview image. Nothing has changed that I know if for the thumbnail preview to go away.

Any help with this would be appreciated. It's really slowing me down not being able to have thumbnail preview in the file> open dialog box.

Thanks

[rkmcswain · Accepted solution]

So to confirm, you have tried checking/modifying the registry DWORD "PreviewVisible" in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\Rxx.x\ACAD-xxxx:xxx\Profiles\<<your-profile>>\Dialogs\Select_File ?

The value should be 1.

[cadmantony]

Oh by the way: I am using Windows XP. Forgot to mention that,

Well, I tried that but got a little lost along the way. I used Start Button/run/regedit and navigated my way through the registery but could not find a simlar path to check the variable that should be 1. Here is what I get:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\ from here on I have different options. I have r18.0, 18.1, .2, 19.0, 19.1 I'm assuming I'm supposed to view R19.1

Then I have two sub directories: ACAD-D001 AND ACAD-D001:409, the :409 folder seems to have a lot more info.

So the closest path I can find for this is as follows:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.1/ACAD-D001:409/PROFILES/AutoCAD 2014 - English Unnamed Profile\Dialogs\

then there are only 3 dubfolders after that: 3dDwf/AcPublisgDlg\Export Data. Nothing that says "Select File"

I did however do a find command for "PreviewVisible", and it does show up in a much longer path but the variable for "PreviewVisible" is set to  (1).

[cadmantony]

This is something I find very intersting. I just noticed this, this morning. If I click on insert, that dialog box comes up just fine wtih thumbnail preview. But if I click on File Open, that dialog box still has no thumnbnail preview.  Interesting.

[rkmcswain]

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@Anonymous wrote:

This is something I find very intersting. I just noticed this, this morning. If I click on insert, that dialog box comes up just fine wtih thumbnail preview. But if I click on File Open, that dialog box still has no thumnbnail preview.  Interesting.

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Those are different dialogs, with different settings such as location, size, etc.

[rkmcswain · Accepted solution]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Oh by the way: I am using Windows XP. Forgot to mention that,

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Yes, 19.1 is 2014 AFAIK.
I didn't think XP was any different as far as these registry entries were concerned, but maybe so...?
Have you (or your IS/IT people) run any registry cleaners or anything like that?
There should be dozens, if not hundreds of subfolders under "Dialogs", not just three. This is where AutoCAD stores the size and location of most dialog boxes.

[cadmantony · Accepted solution]

so under this path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.1/ACAD-D001:409/PROFILES/AutoCAD 2014 - English Unnamed Profile\Dialogs\     there are oly (3) sub folders.

Howerver, under this path there is another "PreviewVisible" variable:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.1/ACAD-D001:409/PROFILES/feb-2012/Dialogs/Select File

(this path has the 100+ folders you were mentioning under dialogs)

auh ha!!!! In this path, the "select file" folder there is another "PreviewVisible" that is set to 0. I have now set that to (1).

MY THUMBNAIL PREVIEW IS BACK! WOOHOO!

Realy strange having the main dialog information under the sub-folder of "feb-2012".

Now why in the world would a variable in the registry be randomley modified... ugh. Happy it's fixed though. Thanks a bunch!

[rkmcswain]

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@Anonymous wrote:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R19.1/ACAD-D001:409/PROFILES/feb-2012/Dialogs/Select File

Realy strange having the main dialog information under the sub-folder of "feb-2012".

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Sounds like your AutoCAD profile name = "feb-2012"

[cadmantony]

Yes, I just double checked  tools> otpions> Profiles tab.  Sure enough   feb-2012.  Now there is a nice descriptive name for a profile 😉

[Charles_Shade]

Thanks for that. Took some hunting in LT (2014) and this is the Key there for Preview Visible:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD LT\R20\ACADLT-D001:409\Profiles\<<Unnamed Profile>>\Dialogs\Select File

[cadmantony]

OK, so one month later I get the same problem. All of a sudden, file>open>dialog preview is gone. Go through the same steps above and is fixed again. I am wondering why yhre previewvisible variable keeps changing? Should not be doing that.

[Charles_Shade]

Some Profile gets loaded or Windows does an update perhaps?

Does your IT come through and run Registry Cleaners once a month?

[cadmantony]

No profile changes, no registry cleaners, no IT guy. I'm it. Nothing has changed other than maybe a windows update. But that would seem really strange for a windows update to change an Autocad variable? Strangenss.

[rkmcswain · Accepted solution]

In cases like this, I usually forget about trying to find the cause and just implement a workaround.

I would try something like this in "acad.lsp"

(vl-registry-write
  (strcat "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\" (vlax-product-key) 
  "\\Profiles\\" (getvar "CPROFILE") 
  "\\Dialogs\\Select File")
  "PreviewVisible"
   1
)

[cadmantony]

I agree with you. Some things you jsut need to give up figuring out and move on.

A variable modifying lsp rutine.. Wow, that is genuis!

  Thanks!

[Gary_K]

This happens to me everytime I type in DXFIN return.

The lsp routine works like a charm. Thank you rkmcswain.

[dellguy3700]

I am having the same issue with 2015.  I have tried using the 2013 and 2014 advie from above and I am unable to find the right registry key.  I can get close but no cigar. 

[rdoldfield]

OK, my preview window stopped working in Select files yesterday. I've not changed/updated anything in acad2014. I looked and preview is set to = 1.

Any thoughts?

ACAD2014 Win7-64b.

RDO

[melton05]

I am having the same issue with the thumbnail preview.  I regedit the file TWICE and its still dissapearing.  Also i am turning on  the accelerator everytime i start Map2013.

Need a fix on this like yesterday

[pendean]

See the reply from RKMcSwain for a fix with Lisp in a startup, a few replies above your post http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-2013-2014-2015-2016/thumbnail-preview-not-showing-up-in-file-o...