AutoCAD 2013 Fatal Error 0xffffffe8 at 61021bc6h

[michele336]

For some reason 4 out of 5 computers at our office are experiencing fatal errors when the users type the command "UNITS." This is only happening in one or two particular drawings. This problem was first experienced when AutoCAD decided to randomly switch the drawing units from inches to millimeters. (So I guess we have two problems - let's focus on the fatal error issue though.)

I would sort of understand the problem if all 5 computers had the issue.  Using the 5th computer I was able to reset the units to inches and save the file. The other users are able to open the re-saved file and draw in the correct type of units, but if they type the "UNITS" command the fatal error returns.

Of the 4 crashing machines 3 are running Windows 7 and 1 is running Windows 8. One of those Windows 7 machines is all up to date with Windows Updates including Service Pack 1 (or I can't find any more updates). The non-crashing machine is running Windows 7 and is all up to date on Windows Updates including SP1.  Since I tend to work in AutoCAD 2014 the "good" machine acted like it was a brand new launch of 2013 when I tested the problem with that version so I don't believe AutoCAD 2013 SP2 has been installed on the "good" machine.

Any ideas what might be causing this, and how to fix it? Preliminary research was pointing to a Windows problem, but why would this only happen in a select few AutoCAD files?

[pendean]

You said the problem us only present on a few files: try fixing them with RECOVER command (or RECOVERALL command if your files contain XREFs).
And I agree with you: all patched need to be installed.

[michele336]

I have managed to get one of the crashing computers all up to date with both Windows and AutoCAD updates. I then went into one of the "glitchy" drawings and unfortunately received the same fatal error message when I attempted the UNITS command.  Any other ideas?

[pendean]

So you useed RECOVER command to open the file? Or RECOVERALL command if it contains Xrefs?

"went into" tells me nothing.

[michele336]

I ran the RECOVERALL command on the original file (which had Xrefs). One error was found and was fixed according the the attached Recovery Log. I then opened (i.e. went into) the A-1 file in question and received the same Fatal Error message upon entering the UNITS command.

I have copied the file mentioned above to my laptop and the UNITS command worked perfectly. A co-worker did the same with her laptop and it worked perfectly. However, another co-worker is having the same Fatal Error problems on her laptop.

In an attempt to find a solution I used one of the crashing machines and detatched the Xrefs one by one and attempted the UNITS command. The file continued to have the same Fatal Error. I also purged the file and the UNITS command still produced the same Fatal Error. I saved this purged file (attached here as XXStruthers - A-1- Floor Plan Test 3.dwg) to the office server and opened it on my "good" desktop machine and the UNITS command still worked fine.

I ran the RECOVER command on the "XX...Test 3" file (since it now had no Xrefs) and the log said one error was found and fixed (I forgot to save that Recovery log), however I still received the Fatal Error with the UNITS command on the crashing machines.

I am now thinking this error is somehow linked to drawing objects that were created with AutoCAD Civil 3D. Unfortunately installing the AutoCAD Civil 2013 3D Object Enabler for AutoCAD Architecture still did not solve the problem on the crashing machines.

So the .DWG file attached here works perfectly on the machines the other file worked on, and fails with the UNITS command on machines the other file failed on. If you can figure anything out from the file, that would be great! FYI, the file should look like a blank file with no drawing information in it. If you want one of the original files with project data, I would prefer to send that in a private email.

Thanks for any help.

[michele336]

I just received an email asking if my issue was resolved, and it is not. Anyone have any ideas on what I can try next to fix my problems enumerated throughout this Topic string?

[pendean]

>>>...So the .DWG file attached here works perfectly on the machines the other file worked on...<<<
The problem is unique to your PC if no one else in your office has issues with it.
What's unique about your PC, or it's software, or it's settings, or AutoCAD add-ons, or lack of add-ons, or missing object enablers etc.? I got a Proxy notice alert when I opened your file, are you missing an Object Enabler? Are you using something other than plain AutoCAD? Does running -EXPORTOAUTOCAD command in all your files to create cleaner Proxy-free versions of your files help?

You don't seem able to share a lot of information my friend.

[michele336]

I feel some background information is needed. I work at a small Architectural firm. By default I became the AutoCAD guru in the office when I started a year ago because I have been a user since AutoCAD Release 10 back in the mid-1990s.  While I am good at establishing office standards and giving tips on how to improve our day-to-day use as Architects, I am not a sophisticated AutoCAD expert. Since we are a small firm, we do not have an IT department, just a guy who comes in once in a while to take care of major hardware and software issues (after he finishes his regular day job) that we, the regular employees, can't fumble into solving on our own. He has no specific knowledge of the Autodesk software, just general IT stuff.

So with that said, I am not familiar with the -EXPORTOAUTOCAD command. (I see that it changes to -EXPORTTOAUTOCAD with 2 "T"s when I input it on the command line in AutoCAD 2014.) When I enter it I have no idea what to select from the menu of options that pop up "Format, Bind, bind Type, Maintain, Prefix, Suffix, ?" When I sought more information on the command through the F1 key I received no useful information in English, and I am not sure that the information I received in Spanish (I think) was going to be useful either. When I did a Google search I also found nothing related to AutoCAD in the search results.

I also don't know what to look for or where to look for regarding:

"What's unique about your PC, or it's software, or it's settings, or AutoCAD add-ons, or lack of add-ons, or missing object enablers etc.?"

This particular file has been tested on 7 different machines now and the UNITS command causes a fatal error on 4 out of the 7, but the other 3 are all fine. As mentioned in my earlier posts, there are so many variables that are different between these 7 machines that I am overwhelmed and really have no idea where to start. If you can give me some more insight on how to use the -EXPORTOAUTOCAD command I will give that a try and see what happens.

[michele336 · Accepted solution]

After a long time we realized that the computers that were having the fatal error issue were running AutoCAD Architecture and not "plain vanillia" AutoCAD. When those users switched to "plain vanillia" AutoCAD there were no more fatal errors. Evidently there is some incompatibility between some of the "enabled objects" and AutoCAD Architecture.

If anyone else has this problem, try switching to "plain vanillia" AutoCAD and see if that fixes the problem.