Autocad 2016 stuck at "Checking License" in splash screen. Tried everything.

[joearrabal]

Edit: this problems happens in a standalone install.

I've seen this problem reported in the forums for previous versions of Autocad, but none of the proposed solution worked for me. I installed Autocad 2016 in a new computer without any previous Autocad install. After ~2 months, the program gets stuck in the splash screen showing the message "Checking License". Yes, there are many threads about this out there, but nothing worked for me. 

Let me provide a little more technical detail about this. At some point during the program startup, it starts the "Flexnet Licensing Service" service, spawning a process named FNPLicensingService.exe, and this process hangs. If I kill such process, it seems that Autocad repeatedly starts if again. I also tried to start the service manually and it returns error 1053 (the service does not return the control to the Service Control Manager within 30 seconds). It seems this starts to happen after some time, not sure why. I've checked that FlexNet License Service folder contains files with last write time equal to the date I installed Autocad, which seems logical.

These are the things that I tried:

- Waiting for several hours for the "Checking License" screen to finish.

- Fully uninstalling and reinstalling Autocad

- Disabling antivirus and firewall

- Removing license files under %ProgamData%\Flexnet

- Removing %ProgramData%\Autodesk\AdLm, individual files or the whole folder. 

- Installing from a fresh newly created administrator account. 

- System restore to a restore point where everything worked. 

- Restored %ProgramData%\Autodesk\AdLm and/or %ProgamData%\Flexnet to previous versions. 

Things that I refuse to try because they are atrocities and potentially would hurt my computer:

- Downgrade Internet Explorer version (wtf)

- Formatting PC and start fresh (a coworker states that this happened to him and this is how he solved it)

My system also has Acrobat XI Pro (legal license), don't know if it may be related, and an old install of Autocad 2006, installed with Longbow Converter (the user requested so).

By the way, this happens on Windows 8.1 Pro 32 bits, joined to a domain. PC has Intel i3 processor (can provide more system info if needed/useful).

Please, I beg you, provide a solution for this. I've lost hours of work trying to fix this. Thank you very much.

[jmorris03]

Like others on this email thread, I have tried all suggested ways of resolving this to no avail.

I have been running both AutoCAD 2016 and 2017 successfully on my Windows 10 machine for sometime, without any such License issue.  Now as of about 4 hours ago, it takes 5 to 20 minutes to start up AutoCAD, always getting stuck with the 'Checking license...' message.

Per this thread:

1.  This is a fairly common problem with no specific known fix, just a handful of 'try this and try that and maybe the problem will go away'.

2.  Is a very serious problem, i.e.  prevents the AutoCAD application from being used at all.

3.  And even more importantly, is preventing users from getting their work done, i.e. cost to our companies.

Given the above, I would consider this issue a fairly critical issue that needs resolution by the Autodesk team ASAP.   Could you please escalate this to the appropriate staff at Autodesk and resolve this now.

Thank you,

Joe

[patobranco]

Hi!
When I try to open my Autocad 2017, it is frozen in the initial screen with status "Checking license" for 3-7 minutes. My attempts:
- I created an environment variable increasing the waiting time;
- I formatted the computer, I installed drivers only, without antivirus
- I have edited the ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE registry key;
- I removed .NET 4.6 and installed 4.5;
- Delete and re-created the LGS.data file, with _NETWORK content;
- My LICPATH.lic looks like this: SERVER 172.29.15.232 000000000000 USE_SERVER;
- Change the permissions of the FLEXNET folder.
Please, I need help because it is a long waiting time to open the program.

My last attempt was delete all the text in the key ADSKFLEX_LICENSE_FILE, but isn't work too.

I opened a call with autodesk, when there is an answer I'll post it here.

Good luck for us!

Dalila.

[j.spierenburg]

Hi you all...

I guess there is no working fix for this problem. It didn't work for me for months. And suddenly works for me two weeks ago. I checked for system changes (like windows updates, etc) but i didn't change a thing! So stop reinstalling, formatting drives, etc. You just f*ck up your system. 
The problem has to be on a server of Autodesk. 
They post useless posts on this forum like they are helping... But they don't.
I'm a educational user (free). So i can't really complain. But if you pay for the program (and it's a lot of money!) your realy f*ucked up!

Hopefully there's someone there who will help you out! I think this is a big problem that has to be solved!!

So autodesk... Stop posting "we really try to help" posts, and just let the tech guys fix this! 

Jesper

[patobranco]

Hello everyone

My problem with the slowness when opening the autocad 2017 with license by the network was solved:
We have included an entry in the dns server for the host machine name.

To understand what's happening on your network during checking license, install the wireshark software.

Good luck!
Dalila.

[herczner]

hello all,

if you have more then 1 network adapter (etc external network card,  port replicator... ), disable all. Keep active only one network card in your pc. Thats works for me after all previous sugestions and unsuccessful attempts in this topic.

[mhillis]

Everyone,

I have a potential solution.

Download and run CCleaner (free) and use the 'Clean Registry' functionality.

This has been mentioned a couple of times in this thread, but I wanted to emphasize that I was experiencing the 'Checking License..' standstill this morning.  I ran CCleaner's 'Clean Registry' function and AutoCAD started working immediately after that.

Surely there is some Registry value that can become corrupted and causes an issue when checking the license.. I'm not sure which one, but running CCleaner worked for me.

[nicosius.1996]

OMG!!! Thank you so much! it work !! I was so stress out with this problem. just follow all the instructions and your problem will be solve.

[rkmcswain]

nicosius.1996 wrote:

OMG!!! Thank you so much! it work !! I was so stress out with this problem. just follow all the instructions and your problem will be solve.

There are sixty plus replies ahead of this one. We do not know which one you followed to fix your problem. Please quote whatever you are referring to next time. Thanks.

[it.support]

I have encountered and solved this problem myself this week, and I wanted to let you all know how I fixed it.  The version I am using is AutoCAD 2018 and AutoCAD LT 2018.

Is your "My Documents" folder redirected to a network drive, moved away from its original location?  If so, that could be the cause.

When you start the AutoDesk software, it tries to launch a small web browser window and loads a HTML file named RTEaseReAuthBeginReg.html.  This is in a folder named something like "RT.Hp5100" or "RT.Hp5192", which is created in the "My Documents" folder.

The HTML file tries to load two JavaScript files, "rteregconfdata.js" and "rtthinpackage.js" but browser security prevents these files from loading.

The effect is that AutoCAD appears to freeze at "Checking License".  AutoCAD didn't show me any error or licensing window, but AutoCAD LT did, which tipped me off to the source of the problem.

I reset my "My Documents" location back to the default location (instructions) and moved the two "RT.Hp51xx" folders into it.  I was then able to launch both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT successfully, the license window appeared briefly and then disappeared, and the program launched successfully.

[jmorris03]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have found that the CCleaner suggestion works, as stated in another posted message and as suggested by Autodesk support.

But the problem still does crop up again every couple of weeks on my machine, and I need to rerun CCleaner again against my registry.

The Autodesk support couldn't point to a specific entry in the registry or why the some entry in the registry was being corrupted, but just that it was, and CCleaner would resolve it. 

It does.

Ideally I would have liked to know exactly what was wrong with my registry, but as long as this workaround resolves the stalling on the license issue when it occurs, I can live with that.

[dikmans]

Thank you @jason.dupree this solved the problem!

[aibriand87]

Not sure if this has been resolved since this is an older post. I found the solution doing a fresh re-start so that no autodesk applications were running (desktop app included) and I deleted all files in the C:/ProgramData/FLEXnet folder. This includes the back-up and event log files. Hope this can help someone.

[joearrabal]

Hello.

I am the original poster, and I need to say a few things.

1. This post shouldn't be marked as solved, since I never got a working solution.

2. None of the proposed solution of the people who replied did work. Not CCleaner, nor deleting license files, nor the other things.

There is still some research to do, so please, unmark this topic as solved. 

[caboramer]

I had the same problem with different versions on windows 10 and solved it using the following:

first uninstall autocad

second open Powershell in administrator mode (or CMD) 

and run the following:

Repairing issues with DISM using RestoreHealth option

If there are issues, then you can use DISM with the RestoreHealth option, which will run an advanced scan and repair any problems automatically.

1. Run powershell in administrator mode.
2. its like CMD in administrator mode(you will get a blue windows or black window with white letters)

3. Type the following command and press Enter:

   DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

4. Next TYPE: 
5.  SFC /SCANNNOW and press Enter.
6. then wait until it finishes its repair and restart your computer.
7. then reinstall AUTOCAD in windows 10 and it should work properly now.
8.