Installation & Licensing

[#1]

Greetings!

This may have been resolved in another post so I apologize if it is redundant.

We have multiple Dell laptop computers (E6420) that we have completely reloaded and installed AutoCAD 2012 (single user version). The problem is that AutoCAD will launch and, before the first window opens, there is an error message box - Exception in acmgd.dll ARX Command: "Unhandled exception e0434352 (e0434352h) at address 756eb760h."

We have not installed any anti-virus and the systems are fully patched. The application load consists of Lotus Notes 8.5, Microsoft Office 2003 SP3, IBM Client Access, and Symantec Endpoint Protection 11.6 (if it were installed).

I have followed the recommendations for installing the current / approved AutoCAD video drivers and I have also downloaded the "latest & greatest" from the Intel website. I have performed a "clean" install of the AutoCAD software between each driver installation and every application change. I have read through about 200 support posts from various websites today trying to resolve this and have conceded that I am no further ahead than when I started.

Our hardware specs are:

Dell Latitude E6420

Intel HD Family Graphics

4 GB RAM

250 GB HDD

Windows 7 Ultimate - 32 Bit

Intel LAN Adapter / Broadcom WiFi Adapter

I have tried turning off the "Enable/Disable Digital Signature Icons", removing/reinstalling the AutoCAD application and cleaning the registry / file structures in between. I have also tried launching the application in Windows Diagnostic Mode with no luck. There are no entries in the Event Viewer either.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

[#2]

I completed some further testing and this is what I have come up with:

First, I completed a step by step build out of our Dell E6420 computer. I loaded out the operating system first followed but all the patches. Then I installed the AutoCAD 2012 application with all the installation options and accessory applications. Then I completed the remaining applications and related patches that we use in our corporate environment. Each installation and each patch was completed separately and a computer restart was performed after each install. The AutoCAD application was tested after each restart to ensure that the patch / install did not corrupt the AutoCAD application. I was able to successfully utilize the AutoCAD application as both a local administrator and a local "user" account.

Second, I joined the computer to our corporate domain and restarted the computer. After logging in with a network administrator account that had been added to the local administrator's group, the AutoCAD application crashed with the same messages list in the previous post. I can still log into the computer with a local account and the application functions without issue.

I cannot determine if the reason for the application crash is due to some policy setting that needs to be changed or some permissions issue. The network administrator account has no affect on the application crash even though it has been added to the local administrator's group.

I would appreciate any thoughts or strategies for resolving this issue.

Thanks,

Mark

[#3]

Good Afternoon,

I have not yet given up on saving the AutoCAD 2012 deployment so I performed more testing.

In this bout of testing I worked with the Windows U.A.C. I had considered that, like many other programs, the U.A.C. could have some affect on the AutoCAD application. When the testing started, the U.A.C. was at the default setting so I logged in to the computer as the local administrator and adjusted the U.A.C. down one level and restarted the computer. Then I logged into the computer using a network account with local administrative privileges. The error messages and iminent crash persisted. So I logged back into the computer the administrators account and adjusted the U.A.C. down one more level which effectively disabled the U.A.C. function. After restarting the computer and logging in with the network account, the application launched and functioned normally. Next, I logged into the computer using a network account with "Power User" privileges and the application crashed again with the same errors listed previously. I logged back into the computer using the local administrators account and changed the permissions for the AutoCAD directory in Program Files to give the "Authenticated User" network group full rights to the folder and restarted the computer. Again, I logged into the computer with a "Power User" account but the application crashed once more citing the same errors previously listed.

My thought is that there is a hidden folder or a registry setting that will need to be modified to allow non-administrative users to successfully execute the application.

Additionally, I have opened and updated a support ticket through AutoDesk Technical Support but have yet to receive a response.

Any input or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Mark

[#4]

Hi,

You are correct in that these errors are usually associated with the user account not having sufficient permissions for a particular file which is related to the Microsoft .NET Framework. (All AutoCAD-based applications are heavily dependent upon the .NET Framework.)

The particular file in this case, is machine.config, located inside C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\CONFIG\machine.config. There might be another instance of machine.config file in a slightly different path, in C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727\CONFIG.

Please make sure that the user account has either Full Permissions or at least “Read” and “Read & Execute” permissions  for machine.config (or for both instances of machine.config if both are present).

The following Technical Solution also provides some helpful information on other locations which need to have full permissions on the system:

http://usa.autodesk.com/getdoc/id=TS1055299

To summarize the solution, here is a list of the locations that need full permissions:

Registry Entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER>SOFTWARE>AUTODESK

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>AUTODESK
 
Folders:

The folder the program was installed in c:\program files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2012 (for example)

Win7/Vista:

C:\Users\All Users\Autodesk
C:\Users\<the current user>\AppData\Local\Autodesk
C:\Users\<the current user>\AppData\Local\Autodesk

Another suggestion is to set the properties to launch the application to always 'Run as Administrator' by choosing this option on the Compatability tab of the program shortcut.

Please let me know if I can answer any other questions.

Cheers,

Alison

[#5]

Allison,

I have completed all of the steps for testing AutoCAD with a restricted user account and have made no progress. 

Is there an all inclusive list of registry keys and files / folders that would allow me to check permissions on our systems?

The problem is that our corporate policy does not allow anyone other than IT to have administrative privileges. I have not been successful in changing that policy (even on an individual basis).

Is there a service pack that will be available to address these issues?

Thanks for all your help.

Mark

[#6]

Hi Mark,

Thank you for the update. While the applications will work correctly at times in a non admin environment, the documentation I posted in the prior reply is the information we have as to where the applications need to have full permissions in order to provide stable behavior. I hope this can help you in some way.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/item?siteID=123112&id=7281983&linkID=9240617

Registry Entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER>SOFTWARE>AUTODESK

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>AUTODESK
 
Folders:

The folder the program was installed in c:\program files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2012 (for example)

Win7/Vista:

C:\Users\All Users\Autodesk
C:\Users\<the current user>\AppData\Local\Autodesk
C:\Users\<the current user>\AppData\Local\Autodesk

These are the five locations that need the full permissions in order to have predictable application behavior.

Cheers,

Alison

[#7]

I have been researching this interesing error and I am hoping this helps:

http://upandready.typepad.com/up_and_ready/2011/08/autocad-family-exception-in-acmgddll-arx-command-...