Oldest Autocad Version still being used

[markcalloway]

Hi all,

Just wondered what is the oldest version of AutoCAD that anyone is still actively using?

Post your versions bellow...

[Mistress0fTheDorkness]

Well, my company is pretty new, so we're using 2016, as are all of our clients.

Though we did have one client that just upgraded from 2012 when we implemented a CAFM upgrade for them, due to compatibility issues.

[TheCADnoob]

I've done a retro install of R14... though it wasnt for actual use. Just to explore and play. I cut my teeth on 2013 so R14 is basically useless to me haha. I cant do anything the way i like to. Id love to install older versions but the oldest i have got my hands on was R14. 

[TRLitsey]

If you are an electrical kinda person (AutoCAD Electrical that is) you should try to find a copy of a piece of software called Via 6.  It was a third party add on that gave R14 a bundle of tools for electrical schematics and panel layouts.  Autodesk bought them up and migrated it into the AutoCAD Electrical package.  Wouldn't be surprised if a copy is floating around on ebay or someplace like that.  I wonder if there is a web store dedicated to old software.  Like a DOS version of Tetris, ha that would be fun.

[TRLitsey]

You got me curious.  I have an old Win 95 machine in the back of my garage.  Even though it had not been turned on for a few years I keep it because it has some software that is no longer around in any shape or revision.  Fired it up over the weekend.  Ha, it has R12 loaded.  That was before the UNDO command, we had OOPS.  Just checked and the command is still in ACE 2017. haaaaaa

[-niels-]

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@TRLitsey wrote:

I wonder if there is a web store dedicated to old software.  Like a DOS version of Tetris, ha that would be fun.

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Do a google search for "abandonware", you'll find lots of fun free stuff

[odoshi]

I installed DosBox on Windows 7 and put AutoCAD 2.6(?) on it. Worked fine.

[pendean]

🙂

[Anonymous]

Did your 2.6 have a sidebar or tablet menu? I still have my old tablet and the menu overlays for V10 (somewhere). I started with 2.5. I think the old V10 is lurking around on an old computer too.

[odoshi]

I don't have any tablet templates before R14. So, screen menu only 🙂

[rkmcswain]

TRLitsey wrote:
Ha, it has R12 loaded.  That was before the UNDO command, we had OOPS.

UNDO was added as a general command in version 2.5, long before R12.

[lando7189]

I would venture to guess there are a fair amount of AutoCAD R12 seats out there with alot of CAM software dealing with the DXF R12 formats.

- Lanny

[TheCADnoob]

just ran across some one using R13

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-forum/autocad-revision-13-r13-for-windows/td-p/7684447

[Anonymous]

Ummm...we just accepted a job here for a major US company, one everybody's heard and probably used at some point (I'll refrain from naming them).

Their contract demands all the drawings we do for them are to be done in native Autocad 2002.

Well, since we are using Inventor for all our modeling and detailing needs, we can only save/export out DWG's as Acad 2000, 2004 being the next available option. So I think the process will be something along the lines of creating the models as we typically do, in Inventor, create the dwgs in Inventor, export as Acad 2004, then save them back to 2002 from in Acad???

This company is a multi-billion dollar company and they are still on 2002???

We have a request into the CAD Admin there asking for verification of the file format needed since the spec was last written in 2003 when Acad 2002 was still the norm.

[Mistress0fTheDorkness]

@Anonymous wrote:

Ummm...we just accepted a job here for a major US company, one everybody's heard and probably used at some point (I'll refrain from naming them).

Their contract demands all the drawings we do for them are to be done in native Autocad 2002.

Well, since we are using Inventor for all our modeling and detailing needs, we can only save/export out DWG's as Acad 2000, 2004 being the next available option. So I think the process will be something along the lines of creating the models as we typically do, in Inventor, create the dwgs in Inventor, export as Acad 2004, then save them back to 2002 from in Acad???

This company is a multi-billion dollar company and they are still on 2002???

We have a request into the CAD Admin there asking for verification of the file format needed since the spec was last written in 2003 when Acad 2002 was still the norm.

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Um, there was no 2002 format. 2002 used 2000 formatting. Looks like they made a boo-boo when writing that spec. 

[odoshi]

Have you checked if TrueView can save it back?

[TheCADnoob]

The bigger the company the slower the specs move. 

I've had recent dealing with something similar. Their deal was they had built/bought something that couldn't handle newer format and it was deeply rooted into their workflow. 

[Anonymous]

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@Mistress0fTheDorkness wrote:

@Anonymous wrote:

Ummm...we just accepted a job here for a major US company, one everybody's heard and probably used at some point (I'll refrain from naming them).

Their contract demands all the drawings we do for them are to be done in native Autocad 2002.

Well, since we are using Inventor for all our modeling and detailing needs, we can only save/export out DWG's as Acad 2000, 2004 being the next available option. So I think the process will be something along the lines of creating the models as we typically do, in Inventor, create the dwgs in Inventor, export as Acad 2004, then save them back to 2002 from in Acad???

This company is a multi-billion dollar company and they are still on 2002???

We have a request into the CAD Admin there asking for verification of the file format needed since the spec was last written in 2003 when Acad 2002 was still the norm.

---

Um, there was no 2002 format. 2002 used 2000 formatting. Looks like they made a boo-boo when writing that spec. 

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Seriously? There was no actual "2002" release? That's odd that they claimed such. Oops, you meant format, not release.

The spec of these guidelines were written in 2003, so I just figured they mistakenly specified the current release they were using at the time (I've seen that at a lot of places, causing them to update the spec every year...until they learn not to include such).

Thanks for the info, that might help us greatly.

I give you a virtual "Kudo"

[Mistress0fTheDorkness]

😄 thanks, I'll take it. 

2000, 2000i and 2002 all used the same format, and I'm sure you're right on how it ended up there. 

(remember 2000i?!?!? 😄 no? no one does. lol)

[michael.howardPRATB]

I use 2012 on my main PC with 'classic' workspace. The reasoning is that I had an 8 year break in my career due to the  construction downturn and had to hit the ground running. I learnt Autocad on ACAD2000 and the old workspace makes perfect sense to me.

In that 8 years the ribbon became the norm but I kinda didn't have time to pick up speed while learning how to use the ribbon. It's been 9 months now and I'm still saying every day I'll 'embrace the ribbon'!