AutoCAD Mechanical SP2

[mrattray]

Why does the installer for AutoCAD Mechanical SP2 tell me I need "acad.msi" from the C:\AutoDesk\ folder? Is this intentional?

[TravisNave]

Yeah, I can't imagine that it should.  I don't recall updates requiring media now for some time.  Might be worth trying to replicate to see if this is a bug.  Did you do a partial install or something?  At the very least, if you deleted your original download, you can get it again from your Subscription Center or from the Virtual Agent. 

[mrattray]

I just noticed this in the read-me file:

"Administrative Privileges

During installation, you will be prompted for the original installation media or a network image. To apply this Service Pack, you must have administrative privileges to install and uninstall products."

This is obnoxious. AutoDesk really expects me to re-download the entire PDSU so I can install an SP?

[TravisNave]

Seems like overkill. Can you just download Mechanical?

[mrattray]

I don't have a stand-alone license for Mechanical. I only have it as part of my PDSU license, therefore I only have links in my subscription center for PDSX, vanilla ACAD, Alias, and ShowCase.
Do you know of another way to download specific products?

[TravisNave]

You can download just Mechanical from the Virtual Agent:

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-...

[mrattray]

Thanks, Travis. I wasn't familiar with the Virtual Agent. I was able to download a stand-alone copy of ACAD M using your procedure. I still received the error message when I attempted to apply the service pack, but I was able to browse to the file and successfully apply the update.

I'm still not pleased with AutoDesk's approach. It may not be a very big deal considering I was able to apply the patch, but considering I run a somewhat small SSD (256GB) I'd rather not leave AutoDesk's massive installation files for every product sitting on my disk indefinitely.

[Steve_Bessette]

Typically when applying a Service Pack (SP) or update for an Autodesk product, the SP will need to verify the version of the actual installed program and then look back to the installation package to verify its version prior to updating.  If the installation package is not in a location that is accessible, the SP will not apply.  Knowing that this is not always ideal to keep the package on the local system, a workaround would to have this package located on a network location that you have access to or an external storage device (ex. thumb drive / flash drive).  

Best Regards,