SOLIDWORKS Frequently Asked Questions

Please refer to the System Requirements https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/SystemRequirements.html

The use of non-genuine software puts consumers and businesses at legal and technological risks, which include:

• Increased risk of civil penalties and criminal prosecution, resulting in loss of capital, reputation and credibility
• Increased risk of exposure to cyber-security threats and malwares that compromise your computers and network, resulting in the loss of confidential data and resources to rectify potential problems
• Increased risk of system failures and network outages, reducing business productivity and loss of opportunities
• No access to technical support, critical updates, version upgrades, and technical documentation

Via the SOLIDWORKS 2010 (or above) Installation Manager, download and install the SNL Administrator on the license server

Launch the SNL Administrator

Reply "Yes" to the question "Would you like to activate now?"

Proceed through the following screens to complete the activation process.

This problem can occur if users have insufficient permission/access to write to "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SOLIDWORKS" (registry key). Please ensure the user has write access to the above registry key. In conjunction, ensure the user has at a minimum read access to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\SOLIDWORKS" as it populates the former registry key from this information. (you can run registry editor from Start > Run > type "regedit" (without quotes) and select OK. This will launch registry editor).

Caution: Incorrectly editing the registry can severely damage your operating system. The SOLIDWORKS Technical Support team strongly suggests that you back up the registry data before making any changes to the registry.  In addition to the above cause, this problem can also occur if there is problem with the installation of a Microsoft component (Microsoft Visual Basic 7.1) required for SOLIDWORKS.

If the above solution does not work, please try the following to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Uninstall Microsoft Visual Basic 7.1.  This program is not visible in Programs and Features, so open a command prompt and type:    msiexec.exe /x{90120064-0070-0000-0000-4000000FF1CE}
2. Restart the computer
3. Browse to <DVD or SOLIDWORKS Download location>\prereqs\VBA
4. Double click vba71.msi
5. Double-click vba71-kb2783832-x64.msp
6. Double-click vba71_1033.msi* Please make sure to follow this order.  Also, install the language-specific VBA* by double-clicking the respective MSI file
7. Once done with the reinstall/repair of VBA, perform a repair of the SOLIDWORKS installation

*Install the following package for the desired language:

• vba71_1028.msi Chinese
• vba71_1031.msi German
• vba71_1033.msi English
• vba71_1036.msi French
• vba71_1040.msi Italian
• vba71_1041.msi Japanese
• vba71_1042.msi Korean
• vba71_1046.msi Portuguese-Brazilian
• vba71_2052.msi Chinese-Simplified
• vba71_3082.msi Spanish

Please note that the default download location is C:\users\<username>\Documents\SOLIDWORKS Download\ <SOLIDWORKS _Version>.

Ensure that via HTTP is open on your firewall for port 80, which is used by the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager during the update process.

Each user wishing to claim their exam vouchers needs 2 things:

1) A SOLIDWORKS ID linked to a SOLIDWORKS serial number on Subscription Service and

2) A VirtualTester ID

You will receive certificates for each exam that you pass. You receive an email that directs you to our electronic certificate access page. There you can login and download your electronic certificate(s) and electronic business card logo(s); CSWP’s also receive discounts to partner products and SOLIDWORKS World events. For more information refer to www.solidworks.com/cswp.

We use the computer-specific information only to verify that your product is used within the scope allowed by the SOLIDWORKS End-User License Agreement (EULA). The information is stored in a database used only for product activation data.

For every seat of SOLIDWORKS that a company has on Subscription Service, users at that company can receive one free core exam, one free advanced exam, and one specialty exam each half of the year (January to June and July to December).  Basically, every January 1 and July 1, the system resets and users will be able to claim a fresh set of exam vouchers.

Product activation is a series of simple steps that takes place upon first launch of your SOLIDWORKS product. Users enter their serial number, which is authenticated with the SOLIDWORKS product activation system to activate the product. The entire activation process is quick and easy, and the majority of users will experience product activation only once.

Future releases of SOLIDWORKS and support services will not be provided without subscription.

If you do not activate your product by the 30th day after you first installed and launched your SOLIDWORKS product, it will stop working until you activate it.

In the unlikely event that the activation servers are unavailable, the customer will be asked to try back at a later time. The customer will be given a 30-day, unrestricted grace period in order to get their product activated. During this time, the customer may use their SOLIDWORKS product without any restrictions.

Although most customers activate their software as soon as they install it, you have a 30-day grace period after your first launch to activate the product (evaluation and other products will have different timing requirements). The software, which is fully functional during this period, will automatically remind you to activate at regular intervals. After 30 days, the product will stop working until you activate it.

You have a 30-day grace period before activation is required. Activating over the Internet is a quick, one-time process. If your computer is temporarily offline, you can activate the next time it's online. Once the product is activated, the activation process no longer needs to connect to the Internet. If you are installing on a computer that will never be connected to the Internet, you can activate your license by emailing your request file directly to SOLIDWORKS.