So, I got a bad drawing from a vendor today, which locked up autocad. Now, each time I start, it tries to "auto recover" and gets hung again.
Is there a way to start Autocad in "safe mode" or something similar?
Solved! Go to Solution.
Solved by dmfrazier. Go to Solution.
Thanks, but don't I need to enter that in on the command line? CAD hard locks as soon as it starts. Is there a way to set the recoverymode switch from outside of the program?
"Is there a way to set the recoverymode switch from outside of the program?"
There probably is, but it doesn't have to be that complicated.
RECOVERYMODE is a system-wide variable (stored in the registry), so if you launch AutoCAD with some other DWG (or no DWG), and change the setting, when you then attempt to open your problem DWG it will be set the way you want it.
However, I don't think this will solve your issue.
Try launching AutoCAD as described above and use the RECOVER command to attempt to "fix" the problem DWG.
I appologize... I must not be explaining this well.
When I open AutoCAD with no drawing, or any old known-good drawing, it still opens the drawing recovery manager (listing a handful of recently used drawings under "Backup Files", including my problem drawing), and then locks up. Hard. No mouse action. No ability to type on the command line. Dead.
At this point, I'm not at all concerned with getting that problem drawing to work. I just want to use my CAD again.
So, if I poke around in the registry, I'll find a Recoverymode setting, and maybe should set it to zero?
I appologize if I'm being thick-headed, and I do appreciate you guys trying to help me.
MW
Again, my apologies. (You explained it fine. My brain was napping.)
If you want to try a registry edit, I think this is the key (assuming AutoCAD 2010):
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\AutoCAD\R18.0\ACAD-8005:409\Profiles\<your profile>\Drawing Recovery\
LoggedFileCount
Change it to 0 (zero).
If you see a list of "LoggedFile(n)" entries above the "LoggedFileCount" DWord, these (particularly if the path points to the problem file) can be removed.
If you are nervous about editing the registry, another option would be to re-load a previously exported profile (ARG, assuming you have one), which will contain the same key string, but based on a time before the problem DWG came along. You can launch AutoCAD with that profile by creating a temporary desktop launch shortcut with the /p switch, so the target would look like:
"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\<your product>\acad.exe" /p <your profile>.
Hope this (actually) helps.
(P.S. I don't think the registry tweak above changes the RECOVERYMODE variable. Instead it just removes the changes to the registry made when that variable is set to record recovery info. I couldn't find a registry entry that clearly was meant for storing the RECOVERYMODE setting itself.)
WooHoo! You got me 99.9% of the way there!
Followed your path in the registry... still hung.
Drilled down one more folder named "Unresolved", which had similar entries of file count and file names... cleared them out as well... still hung.
Rebooted computer after all of that and I, my friend, am back in business!
I REALLY appreciate the help!
Done... But we could only get a double, so if you want to join us, we'll have to call the front desk for a cot.
OK, I'm going to come up with more technical problems just to keep you guys from running this thing off a cliff.
So, how do I copy and rotate something at the same time? Not like an array, but I want to make a copy of " | " but want it to look like " -- " in its new location. I recently ran into this in EagleCAD (for PCB's if you are not familiar with it). When you are dropping your copied object, i think you right click and it lets you rotate it.
Been using AutoCAD since the DOS days, but figure I only know about 1% of the tricks.
(Now that I know not to be too complimentary when expressing appreciation for the help, anyone who can answer this question will get a "...like, thanks, I guess, or whatever" just so I don't end up in a hotel room with blind squirrels, wondering who the heck is on that cot.)
"...wondering who the heck is on that cot."
Good laugh. No need to worry - he can be trusted. He's a doctor!
"how do I copy and rotate something at the same time?"
I think Express Tools has MoCoRo command (Move, Copy, Rotate, plus Scale, even).
There are likely others that will pop up shortly. (I think this functionality may have been incorporated into the MOVE command in 2013.)