Troubleshooting Network Saves (Part 2)

[Anonymous]

Hello everybody, I need some advice on how to deal with a problem I have been having since last October/November. I started a thread a few months ago, and thought I had my issue resolved, but turns out I just kind of pacified myself, so I'll start from square one. I started using a new computer (Dell Optiplex 7020) at our office in October of 2015, and the way that my boss and I share files is he has a shared folder where all of our job folders and files are located, and I am able to access those folders and files over our network. When I have my computer connected to the network over LAN, I can save any type of file to the shared folders except for .dwg, .rvt, etc. (any type of Autodesk product cannot save without becoming corrupted). I understand how the saving process works with AutoCAD (another user explained it to me already), but the strange thing is when I use a wireless USB internet adapter, I have absolutely no issues except for greatly decreased download speeds (as to be expected with wireless vs. wired internet). So my question is this: why does wireless saving work for me and wired does not? I have checked every possible setting, and even discovered that my computer's motherboard was meant to run Windows 8.1 (designated by Dell)...my boss had Windows 7 installed just for familiarity's sake. So this week after talking with Dell, I re-installed Windows 8.1 but I'm still having the LAN save issue. Now granted, there are still updates that Windows is finding and installing overnight, so the resolution may well be hidden in those updates, but I don't have the time to follow the links to see what each update will fix. I know that I should probably just get over it and use wireless, but now that we are making the switch to Revit, the time I have to wait to open the files wirelessly is incredibly long (speeds average probably 3 mb/s, files average around 20-30mb in size). My current thinking is that I need to replace my network card, but the Dell tech rep I talked to this week said that the wrong OS on my computer was causing my issues, but I'm still having them. Sorry for the long post, but any suggestions are welcomed with open arms. Thanks.

Previous thread: http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-2013-2014-2015-2016/troubleshooting-network-saving/m-p/5885257...

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

if your network card for cable (lan) has another ip address range than the wlan usb board then it might depend on the firewall settings (on your system or on the system of your boss) which gives the wlan address range more permissions/less blocks.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the prompt reply Alfred, I checked both computer's IP addresses, and the default gateway, dns, and dhcp are the same on both computers, the only difference is between the IPv4 addresses, mine is slightly different than his (I'm guessing that's to identify each connection independently?). I checked both machine's firewall settings, and they are set up so that file sharing shouldn't be a problem. I wasn't in the same workgroup as he was, so I changed that and rebooted, but I'm still having the same issue. I'm just a loss for words as to why Word, Excel, JPEG, etc. will save and not corrupt but .dwg and .rvt files will...it absolutely blows my mind...

[Anonymous]

Update: We have tried a second computer that is used for additional storage, and the same issue happens. I'm going to go back and review firewall settings and read/write permissions for both computers, but I figured any updates would be useful knowledge (hoping at least).

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

>> We have tried a second computer that is used for additional storage, and the same issue happens

That is the proof that network access to your boss system is limited in permissions.

To your previous mail:

>> I checked both machine's firewall settings, and they are set up so that file sharing shouldn't be a problem

I guess you meant the firewall settings from your boss workstation, but the question is open: did you verify this for both network cards (lan and wlan)?

What happens if you turn off the firewall completely, disable it in the services and try all again.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

Firewall is completely off on both machines, the same problem happens. I noticed that the problem happens not just when I try to create a file and save to the folder (when this happens, the .bak file and .dwl/.dwl2 files are not present in the shared folder, don't know if that is a problem or not), but it also happens if I open an existing file that is not corrupted...AutoCAD tells me that either the file is not valid or that the file requires recovery. When it requires recovery and I attempt a recovery of the file, I get a window inside of the AutoCAD program that appears blue/gray in color and says start at the top.

[Alfred.NESWADBA]

Hi,

ok, next trial: turn off antivirus software on both systems (btw: what antivirus software are you using on your and on the boss's workstation?).

The corrupt file message remembers me to that additional idea.

- alfred -

[Anonymous]

He has Avast installed, I have the Windows defender running that came with Windows 8 (Service Pack 1). I will attempt a save with both services turned off this evening.

[pendean]

A side note: Windows Defender is a baseline very low-end Anti-Virus option. Consider a better AV software solution that has better abilities to actually protect you instead of cover Microsoft against liability.

Remember, a paid solution is far better than a free AV protection solution.

[Anonymous]

Duly noted, I haven't found the time to reinstall my Avast AV since I reinstalled the OS, but thanks for reminding me!

[Anonymous]

Ok, I turned off all antivirus software on both machines, and still no change. However, I have AutoCAD installed on my Macbook Pro for when I'm away from the office and need to work, and it opened, created, saved, edited, and did basically everything fine! I tested this by simply unplugging my ethernet cable our of my work computer and plugged it into my laptop, turned the wireless internet off, and created a new .dwg. I was able to go back and forth and edit on my laptop and my boss's computer (while all of his antivirus shields were up, all I changed was the machine I was using), so I think that narrows my problem down to my machine (specifially outbound files, since inbound files open up without issue).

[Anonymous]

HUZZAH! Four long months of googling and asking for help are finally over. The problem is resolved, I changed two items in regedit and I am good to go now.  THIS ARTICLE SOLVED MY ISSUES. Also, I don't think I needed a new motherboard but Dell did, so it was replaced this afternoon. And furthermore, I realized I had not mapped the shared folder as a network drive, so I imagine a combination of the three solved my issue.