Automation Error ... All File contents are lost !!!

[Anonymous]

Hello,

We are facing strange issue with all different versions of AutoCAD (2007, 2011, 2013). While users are working on the file, all of a sudden the contents (work done) are lost and it becomes all blank. The file size is same but when we open the file all the work done is not displayed, but just a blank screen.

It happens occasionally and there is some Automation Error in the command line below. The software is not hanging but the open file is in hang state and we have to close it. While closing whether we select yes/no the content (work done) is all lost. The temp location where the files are saved in one of the computer is become huge around 40GB will many Autocad autosave and temporary files; if it has anything to do with it !

Can anyone guide what could be the possible issue ?

Thanks,

[nedwards9820]

The problem does not relate to any particular .dwg. It happens with any
.dwg I'm working on.


-ne

[jggerth]

Yes, that it happens on multiple drawings strongly suggests that it's additional software running on your machine and presumably whatever is doing that "indexing block ***".  So to repeat, where is the command alias ET defined, and how? 

If you uninstall whatever mechanism you are using for your cloud service - does the problem go away?

[nedwards9820]

If I type !C:ET I get back:
#

ET is something I wrote back in 1985 to map EXTEND to a two-character
keyboard command.

from my acad.lsp:
(DEFUN C:ET nil (COMMAND "extend"))

I am loath to disable the cloud versioning backup (I use www.cubby.com)
because it is the only way to recover the file at all. The Automation
Error causes both the .dwg and the .bak to be overwritten with a blank
drawing containing only the blocks (not their instances).

I have not found a way to repeat the error on demand. It seems the only
way to get the error to occur is to work really hard and focus deeply on
drawing.... and then you can easily lose an hour or more's work. I'm not
100% sure but I think the autofilesave also stops working before the
Automation Error wipes the drawing. I've set the autosave to 5 minutes,
but I never seem to be able to recover the drawing from the autosave
directory.

-ne

[jggerth]

OK, so what ever is happening is going on at a lower level that your two-key LISP shortcuts - apparently it's intercepting command calls, and doing the indexing.  As a suggestion - you may want to preface the comaand name you are calling with dot underscore,as in ._extend vs extend.

that (the indexing) is not normal.  Once you track that down, you'll know what's causing the automation error.  A rouge arx, a badly-designed dotNet , leftover VBA.

If you type in VBARUN, does anything show up in the Macros dialog??

Also try RKs suggestions to look for arx files that are loading....

[nedwards9820]

Thanks for all the help/suggestions.

when I type VBARUN I get a message that Visual Basic is no longer installed
with AutoCAD. Presumably this is a good thing.

This appeared in the command history when I looked back to see if ET
normally calls the updating of indexes:
______________________________________________________________________________________________-
Command: VBARUN

Automatic save to D:\Temp Autocad\temp\SBS trap room 131001_1_1_0178.sv$ ...

Command: Updating Indexes for block *Model_Space
Done.
Updating Indexes for block A$C21490C66
Done.
Updating Indexes for block Key Section 02
Done.
Updating Indexes for block *Model_Space
Done.
Updating Indexes for block A$C21490C66
Done.
Updating Indexes for block Key Section 02
Done.

Command: ET
extend
Current settings: Projection=UCS, Edge=Extend
Select boundary edges ...
Select objects or : nil

Select objects or : Specify opposite corner: 1 found

Select objects:

Select object to extend or shift-select to trim or

_________________________________________________________________

I'm pretty sure the ET command does not normally call the updating of
Indexes (I've never seen it do that anyway, and it didn't in the above
example.

Does the record above indicate that AutoSave is calling the updating of
Indexes?

I don't have any .arx files loading. There are no .arx files in the only
directory I use to load .lsp commands. I have only one .vlx file
(CopyViews.vlx) but I only load this when I need it -- it does not autoload
at startup.

-ne

[rkmcswain]

---

@nedwards9820 wrote:
Does the record above indicate that AutoSave is calling the updating of
Indexes?

---

The updating of the indices is normal when INDEXCTL /= 0

But it should only happen during a SAVE, QSAVE, SAVEAS, or autosave.

Maybe try setting INDEXCTL to 0 to eliminate this from the problem here (this is a per-drawing sysvar)

[Anonymous]

Hello,

We are still getting such Automation Error in all Draughtsman's computers despite of re-installing complete OS and Software.

; error: Automation Error. Drawing is busy.

Select objects: *Cancel*

If anyone got a solution or work-around for it, please reply !

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

try to update and download Autocad Service pack...

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/dl/index?siteID=123112&id=2334435&linkID=9240618

Regards

[nedwards9820]

I have the update installed and still have the error.
-ne

[amrfooda2008]

The same problem is happening to me and I am losing all my work. That's really terrible.The problem that I dont know if this is a 3rd party virus or Autocad software error. It seems I will turn to work with Microstation soon if this problem persist as I see that Auto Cad is not concerned with such terrible problem.

[nedwards9820]

The data loss is an extremely serious problem and very demoralizing, but it
seems only a few people are experiencing this.

My strategy is to use an on-line file-saving service with versioning (I use
cubby.com) so that I can recover older versions of the .dwg and .bak files
from the online record of the working directory.

I also set the auto-file-save to 5 minutes and point the back-up directory
to d:\AutoCADtemp and have that constantly monitored by the on-line
file-saving service. And still I typically lose 5 or 10 minutes work.

I've bought a new computer and have not yet had the Automation Error on the
new machine.

-ne

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

@ nedwards9820

>> I've bought a new computer and have not yet had the Automation Error on the new machine.

So it depends on the system as your problems are now gone ... it's a great step to know that.

And now: what are the differences between your old system and your new one? That might bring all users with such problems a step more to a solution!

@ amrfooda2008

>> The problem that I dont know if this is a 3rd party virus or Autocad software error

Do you have 3rd party apps/tools/plugins/... installed? If so have you tried to run AutoCAD without that addon's? Have you tried to run AutoCAD with another AutoCAD profile or within another Windows user account?

BTW: what have you tried yet ... or was your message just for posting that you want to continue based on Microstation?

If you want help then let us know what you have tried, what software is running on your system, what hardware (especially graphic card) you have ... without any info we can't do anything.

>> as I see that Auto Cad is not concerned with such terrible problem

Really? What answer have you got when you contacted the Autodesk support? (directly or via your AutoCAD dealer)?

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Since the time we are facing this issue, we have tried below things,

- Re-installed AutoCAD but same issue.

- Created new profile but same issue with new profile as well.

- Installed latest version of AutoCAD with service packs, but not luck

- Format and installed Windows OS and AutoCAD again. No other software/tools or plug-ins installed/enabled, but no luck. (The PC is IBM brand i5 processor, 4GB memory, 1GB dedicated graphic card).

We have may branches with draughtsmans repectively in every branch office. Strange thing is that it is hapenning with all of them. Initiallly few branches were complaining, but some were fine. Now it is like spreading and all have the same issue !

Thanks,

[nedwards9820]

In my experience, installing a new OS on a new hard drive and making a
fresh installation of AutoCAD does not solve this problem.

I have sometimes reverted to using DraftSight as this does not have the
problem.

-ne

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> In my experience, installing a new OS on a new hard drive and making a
>> fresh installation of AutoCAD does not solve this problem.

Previously you wrote that a new system does not have that issue. So if you had the problem on the old system including a fresh setup of the OS I guess you have used the same drivers and one of those might then be the source of the problem.

And especially as you had the problem and you have found a way to get around it YOU are the one who can show thee differences to possibly give the hint to solve the issues for others. Up to now you have not helped anyone else to get rid of it.

For me: I have not lost drawings for ages now (also none of the customers I support).

- alfred -

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> Format and installed Windows OS and AutoCAD again. No other software/tools or plug-ins installed/enabled,

>> but no luck. (The PC is IBM brand i5 processor, 4GB memory, 1GB dedicated graphic card).

What OS and what graphiccard do you use (type and driver version)?

I hope it's not a 64bit Windows because then 4GB is the very lowest limit anyway.

- alfred -

[nedwards9820]

My system that has the Automation Error problem is Win64bit and 4G. The
motherboard would not configure more than 4G even though I had the memory
chips.

I don't know if the memory manager switch works in AutoCAD Win64bit, but it
might be worth trying:

"To enable the 3GB switch on Windows Vista? or Windows 7:

Right-click Command Prompt in the Accessories program group of the Start
menu. Click Run as Administrator.
At the command prompt, enter "bcdedit /set IncreaseUserVa 3072"
Restart the computer.
To disable the 3GB switch:

Right-click on Command Prompt in the Accessories program group of the Start
menu. Click Run as Administrator.
At the command prompt, enter "bcdedit /deletevalue IncreaseUserVa"
Restart the computer."

-ne

[pendean]

Your Windows 64bit PC is physically limited to 4Gig of RAM? Who sold you that? There has not been a 4Gig-only motherboard in years and no reputable manufacturer is allowed by Microsoft to sell a 64bit version of Windows in such a carol lied system.

You are either very mistaken or only running a 32bit version of Windows (or worse, you installed 64bit Windows on a sub-standard PC).

[nedwards9820]

Who sold it to me? Well, it was Toshiba. The UK model of the M750 (touch
screen laptop) accepted 8G; but when that wore out when I was in our US
office I picked up the US version of the M750 and swapped in the hard drive
and memory... but only 4G would configure and Toshiba confirmed that for
the particular US model the motherboard would not accept more than 4G. So
I have a 64bit windows installation but only 4G of memory. The OS was not
the one shipped with the laptop.

[pendean]

You have a hobbled/crippled playtoy, not a work laptop. Sorry you got scammed by a sales person, that's unfortunate.

64bit Windows is a serious OS that has no place on a hobbled device designed for casual use (and a different OS).