Monthly Archives: December 2014

Installing plotupdate.exe for AutoCAD 2000 on 64bit Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10

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If you are receiving either an “Out of memory” or “Memory allocation error” while trying to plot inside of AutoCAD 2000, then you are most likely missing the AutoCAD 2000 patch called “plotupdate”.

This blog documents how to install the “plotupdate” patch on Windows7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 64bit. NOTE: You will have needed to install AutoCAD 2000 first

Here is the English readme for the AutoCAD 2000 plotupdate patch which explains what it specifically addresses. Click here for French, German, Italian and Spanish readme for plotupdate.exe

Here’s how to patch your AutoCAD 2000 with the plotupdate.exe

  1. Obtain your copy of the Longbow Converter here
  2. Next download the Plotupdate.exe for AutoCAD 2000 zip and unzip to the folder c:\Autodesk, it will unzip to c:\Autodesk\Plotupdate2000
    1. Note: Click here for French, German, Italian and Spanish plotupdate.exe
  3. Start the Longbow Converter tool
    1. Next, select the 2nd tab named ‘Old AutoCAD Installer Reviver‘
    2. Using the ‘…’ button select the path c:\Autodesk\Plotupdate2000 then click the ‘Run Old Installer‘ button
    3. When asked “Is this an installation media, a service pack/update or plug-in/app for AutoCAD?” say Yes
    4. Next, read and understand all the prompts before pressing OK… Now, I know it’s unheard of these days, but at this point expect to wait at least 45 minutes for the AutoCAD 2000 Plotupdate setup.exe program to appear.
    5. Once the setup starts, install as normal (simply accept all defaults).
  4. Now run your AutoCAD 2000 and plot as normal
    1. Important Tip: You can add new Plotters using the c:\acad2000\addplwiz.exe

Troubleshooting

If your PlotUpdate setup is not starting after 45 minutes

  • try rebooting, then restart the steps above. If it is still failing, most likely it’s because of another application on your system which is preventing our setup routine from starting (perhaps anti-virus, or similar)

If you still can’t get your plotter to work

  • Make sure your Anti-virus and/or Windows Firewall is not blocking splwow64.exe
    • Make sure your Anti-virus and/or Windows Firewall is not blocking splwow64.exe 
    • If the problem persists, you have 2 options
      • Install Autodesk’s free DWGTrueview App which allows full plotting using the latest version of AutoCAD 
      • Fix your AutoCAD 2000 install…
        • start the Converter App
        • Select the 3d tab “Old AutoCAD Program Reviver” 
        • Click the Tools Menu->Reduced Power Mode
        • Using the “…” button, pick your acad.exe folder e.g. c:\acad2000
        • Click “Fix Old Program” and follow prompts

Copyright 2019 (c) Longbow Software

AutoCAD 2000 – MText command gives ‘Not enough memory’ error

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If you are running the AutoCAD 2000 MTEXT command and you receive the error…

“There is not enough memory to complete this operation. Try closing other applications to free memory.”

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Start AutoCAD 2000
  2. Run the STYLE command
  3. Set any font other than a .shx (use the TT version)
  4. Now you can run your MText command

Copyright 2015 (c) Longbow Software

Installing Softdesk 8 Imaging for AutoCAD R14 on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10

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NOTE: We have had the best success installing this product using our Converter solution on Windows 8 and Windows 10

Installing Softdesk 8 Imaging for AutoCAD R14 on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 32bit or 64bit can be very easily defined in these short steps.

A quick word of advice: best to follow the instructions below precisely and to the letter, including folder names and paths, that way you will reduce the risk of having any problems…

  1. First, obtain your copy of the Longbow Converter here
  2. Install your AutoCAD R14 by carefully following the steps detailed here
  3. Using Windows Explorer, copy your entire Softdesk 8 Imaging CD contents to your hard drive, to a folder path c:\Autodesk\imagingR14
  4. Start the Longbow Converter tool, select the 2nd tab, pick the c:\Autodesk\imagingR14 folder, and click Run.
    1. When asked “Is this an installation media, a service pack/update or plug-in/app for AutoCAD?” say Yes
    2. Next, read and understand all the prompts before pressing OK… Now, I know it’s unheard of these days, but at this point expect to wait at least 45 minutes for your Softdesk setup.exe program to appear. Once the setup starts, install as normal (simply accept all defaults).
  5. Next, start your AutoCAD R14. Once AutoCAD starts up fully, simply type preferences at the command line, select the Profiles tab, double click the Softdesk profile and make it the Current Profile. Finally, OK out of the preferences dialog.
  6. Now you can happily run your Softdesk 8 Imaging inside of AutoCAD R14 on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 32bit or 64bit

Troubleshooting

If your setup is not starting after 45 minutes, try rebooting, then restart the steps above.

  • If it is still failing, most likely it’s because of another application on your system which is preventing our setup routine from starting (perhaps anti-virus, or similar) – try installing from Windows Safe Mode
Copyright 2015 (c) Longbow Software

Installing Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 3 on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10

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NOTE: We have had the best success installing this product using our Converter solution on Windows 8 and Windows 10

 

Installing your Autodesk Mechanical Desktop R3 (otherwise known as MDT 3 and built on the AutoCAD R14.01 platform) on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 32bit or 64bit can be very easily defined in these short steps…

Instructions on installing Autodesk Mechanical R2 can be found here…

NOTE: These steps do not bypass normal Autodesk licensing/authorization, you should expect to use your own serial numbers in the normal way.

A quick word of advice: best to follow the instructions below precisely and to the letter, including folder names and paths, that way you will reduce the risk of having any problems…
  1. Obtain your copy of the Longbow Converter here
  2. Using Windows Explorer, copy your entire MDT 3 CD to your hard drive, to a folder path c:\Autodesk\mdt3R14
  3. Start the Longbow Converter tool
    1. select the 2nd tab named “Old AutoCAD Installer Reviver“
    2. pick the c:\Autodesk\mdt3R14 folder and click the “Run Old Installer” button.
      1. Read and understand all the prompts before pressing OK.
      2. Now, I know it’s unheard of these days, but at this point expect to wait up to 45 minutes for your Mechanical 3 setup.exe program to appear.
      3. Once the setup starts, stop and read the next step…
  4. In the setup program…
    1. navigate through each setup dialog as normal **except** when you get to the installation folder, **it’s vitally important to make sure you install to c:\mdt3R14 (not .\Mechanical as usually prompted)**
  5. Now carry on with the install…
    1. Do not reboot once the install is complete.
    2. Ignore any errors related to not being able to create the shortcut folder “Autodesk Mechanical 3”, you will have to create a shortcut on your computer Desktop pointing to your c:\mdt3R14\acad.exe by hand.
    3. You will also be prompted that Adobe reader 3.01 needs to be installed – when you press OK, again, expect to wait up to 45 minutes for the Adobe setup.exe program to appear install as normal accepting all defaults this time.
    4. Again, do not reboot if prompted to do so…
  6. Once installed, go back to the Converter tool…
    1. select the 3rd tab named “Old AutoCAD Program Reviver“
    2. pick the newly installed c:\mdt3R14 folder and click “Fix Old Program“.
  7. At this point, you can actually run AutoCAD, simply run c:\mdt3R14\acad.exe using Windows Explorer… However…
  8. You will notice that you are running raw AutoCAD, to enable your Mechanical Desktop features, carry out these next steps, either…
    1. Add a shortcut (recommended) to C:\mdt3R14\acad.exe making sure that the Target Property of the shortcut is set to:C:\mdt3R14\acad.exe  /p C:\mdt3R14\desktop\desktop.arg
    2. or update your AutoCAD support path by hand…
      1. At the AutoCAD Command line, type the command ‘Preferences’, add new Support path folders c:\mdt3R14\acadm and then also c:\mdt3R14\acadm\support, now click ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’ out of the dialog.
      2. Next, restart AutoCAD.
      3. When you are back in AutoCAD, type ‘Menuload’ at the command line, click browse, then navigate to C:\mdt3R14\acadm\support, change the file filter at the bottom to *.mnu, then open acadm.mnu, finally click Load, then pick Close.
      4. Now restart AutoCAD
  9. Now you can happily run your Autodesk Mechanical Desktop 3 on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 32bit or 64bit
Troubleshooting:
Copyright 2017 (c) Longbow Software

Installing AutoCAD LT 2010 32bit on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10

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NOTE: This blog post specifically solves issues related to these error messages on installation…

  • “This operating system is not supported by AutoCAD LT®”
  • “You cannot install this product on the current operating system”
  • “You are attempting to use a 32-bit installer on a 64-bit operating system”
  • “This is a 32-bit AutoCAD LT® 2010. It cannot be installed on 64-bit Windows”

Installing AutoCAD LT 2010 32bit on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 64bit can be very easily defined in these short steps…

IMPORTANT NOTE: Autodesk no longer supply License Activation codes for this version of AutoCAD. The best way is to transfer your existing license to the new PC but there are other options, we document them here

How to install AutoCAD LT 2010

  1. Obtain your purchased copy of the Longbow Converter here
  2. Start the Converter App and note the user interface
  3. Select the 1st tab named “AutoCAD 32bit Installer Converter“
    1. Using the “. . .” button, selection your AutoCAD installation CD
    2. Next, click the “Convert“ button and follow instructions
  4. Once the conversion process is complete
    1. click Install/Run Setup to start setup
    2. Simply install as normal, remembering to…
      1. Close the setup program when the installation is complete.
      2. Now back in the Converter app and make sure it’s completed the final stage of processing using the “Old AutoCAD Program Reviver” tab
  5. Now run your AutoCAD as normal.

Installing AutoCAD LT 2010 Service Packs

AutoCAD LT 2010 has 2 service packs, instead of calling them sp1 and sp2 they decided to call them Update1 and Update2. You only need to install Update2 because it already includes Update1.

  1. Download the AutoCAD LT 2010 Update 2 (sp2) from here
  2. Unzip and simply run the autocad2010update2.exe to install the update

Troubleshooting

  1. If your installed AutoCAD is hanging on startup then read this post first AutoCAD Freezes on startup (AutoCAD visible but the menus don’t appear)
  2. if your AutoCAD hangs on startup (stuck at the “Checking License…” message, try installing the 32bit version of AutoCAD 2010 on 64bit Windows – we’ve actually found the 32bit AutoCAD 2010 running on 64bit Windows is much more stable and actually faster than the 64bit version of AutoCAD 2010.
  3. If your AutoCAD crashes while interacting with the Ribbon click here
  4. If you are unable to activate your product, or the activation process crashes:
    1. Try uninstalling the July 2014 Microsoft security update
    2. Try downgrading your Internet Explorer (IE) from version 11 to version 10 by following the instructions detailed here
  5. If you have crashing problems using the File->Open or File->Save dialogs inside of AutoCAD please read this blog entry on the File->Open or File->Save Crash in AutoCAD
  6. If your Windows hangs on startup after installing please refer to this help blog
Copyright 2020 (c) Longbow Software

Installing Ulead PhotoImpact 11 on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1

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This blog post is specifically for installing Ulead PhotoImpact 11 on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 both 32bit and 64bit.

For instructions on installing Ulead PhotoImpact 10 on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 click here

Installing PhotoImpact 11 on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 can be very easily defined in these short steps. NOTE: Be sure to use exactly same folder paths as specified below in order to ensure a clean install.

  1. Obtain your copy of the Longbow Reviver here
  2. Using Windows Explorer, copy your PhotoImpact 11 installation CD to c:\PhotoImpact11CD
    1. If your PhotoImpact 11 installation consists of a single file called “Ulead PI 11.exe“, then once you have copied it to c:\PhotoImpact11CD simply rename it to setup.exe
  3. Start the Longbow Reviver tool, select the first tab “Old Installer Reviver” tab, pick the newly copied c:\PhotoImpact10CD folder, then click the Fix and Run Old Installer button. Once completed, read and understand all messages from the Reviver tool…
  4. Next, your PhotoImpact 11 setup will startup and take you through the normal install process with this exception…
    1. When asked, make sure you install PhotoImpact 11 to c:\Ulead\PhotoImpact11 (not C:\Program Files (x86)\Ulead Systems\Ulead PhotoImpact 11)
  5. Once installed, be sure to close the PhotoImpact 11 main setup as the Reviver tool is waiting for it to close before allowing you to move to the next step.
  6. Now go back to the Reviver tool, select the 2nd tab “Old Program Reviver”, pick the newly installed c:\Ulead\PhotoImpact11 folder, then click “Fix Old Program“. If asked “Do you want to me to re-register your Program’s components…”, say No…
  7. Install the PhotoImpact 11 patch from here upi11 patch
  8. Next, start PhotoImpact 11
    1. if a dialog window appears on first launch which appears to hang the system, simply use task manager to End Process PhotoImpact 11 (restarting PhotoImpact 11 will now work)
    2. if the application hangs on first launch, simply use task manager to End Process PhotoImpact 11 (restarting PhotoImpact 11 will now work)
  9. You can now run your Ulead PhotoImpact 11 on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 64bit
Copyright 2015 (c) Longbow Software

Installing Ulead PhotoImpact 10 on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1

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This blog post is specifically for installing Ulead PhotoImpact 10, Ulead Photo Explorer 8.5 and Ulead COOL 360 on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 both 32bit and 64bit (including

For instructions on installing Ulead PhotoImpact 11 on Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 click here

Installing PhotoImpact 10 on Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 can be very easily defined in these short steps. NOTE: Be sure to use exactly same folder paths as specified below in order to ensure a clean install.

  1. Obtain your copy of the Longbow Reviver here
  2. Using Windows Explorer, copy your PhotoImpact 10 installation CD to c:\PhotoImpact10CD
  3. Start the Longbow Reviver tool, select the first tab “Old Installer Reviver” tab, pick the newly copied c:\PhotoImpact10CD folder, then click the Fix and Run Old Installer button
  4. Once completed, read and understand all messages from the Reviver tool…
  5. Next, your PhotoImpact 10 setup will startup and take you through the normal install process with these exceptions..
    1. When asked, make sure you install PhotoImpact 10 to c:\Ulead\PhotoImpact10 (not C:\Program Files (x86)\Ulead Systems\Ulead PhotoImpact 10)
    2. When asked, make sure you install Photo Explorer 8.5 to c:\Ulead\PhotoExplorer85 (not C:\Program Files (x86)\Ulead Systems\Ulead Photo Explorer 8.5)
    3. When asked, make sure you install COOL 360 to c:\Ulead\Cool360 (not C:\Program Files (x86)\Ulead Systems\Ulead COOL 360)
  6. Once installed, be sure to close the PhotoImpact 10 main setup as the Reviver tool is waiting for it to close before allowing you to move to the next step.
  7. Finally, go back to the Reviver tool, select the 2nd tab “Old Program Reviver”, pick the newly installed c:\Ulead folder, then click “Fix Old Program“. If asked “Do you want to me to re-register your Program’s components…”, say No…
  8. You can now run your Ulead PhotoImpact 10, Ulead Photo Explorer 8.5 and Ulead COOL 360 Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 64bit
Copyright 2015 (c) Longbow Software

Installing AutoCAD Mechanical 2007 on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10

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Installing AutoCAD Mechanical 2007 (ACM 2007) on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 32bit or 64bit can be very easily defined in these short steps…

IMPORTANT NOTE: Autodesk no longer supply License Activation codes for this version of AutoCAD. The best way is to transfer your existing license to the new PC but there are other options, we document them here

  1. Obtain your copy of the Longbow Converter here
  2. Copy your AutoCAD Mechanical 2007 installation CD media to your hard drive, to a folder path c:\Autodesk\mdt2007 
    1. NOTE: If you have more CD’s, simply copy the contents of each CD directly over the top of Disk 1, basically, overwrite all files in your previously copied c:\Autodesk\mdt2007 folder with the files from each of the CDs
  3. Next, start the Longbow Converter tool, select the 2nd tab, pick the c:\Autodesk\mdt2007 folder, and click Run. Read and understand all the prompts before pressing OK. Once the setup starts, stop and read the next step…
  4. In the setup program, navigate through each setup dialog as normal, with these exceptions… (if you cannot move past the first screen in the setup, see TroubleShooting below)…
    1. When you click the Install link from your setup you may see a dialog box appear saying – “This program has compatibility issues” – simply check the “Don’t show this message again” and then click the “Run the program without getting help”.
    2. When you arrive at the installation folder path setup dialog, **it’s vitally important to make sure you install to c:\mdt2007 (not Program Files (x86)\Autodesk which is show by default)**.
  5. Once installed, make sure you fully close the AutoCAD setup program (because the Converter is waiting for the setup program to fully close) then go back to the Converter tool, select the 3rd tab, pick the newly installed c:\mdt2007 folder and click Fix.
  6. Now you can run your AutoCAD Mechanical 2007 on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10, both 32bit and 64bit.
    1. NOTE: When starting AutoCAD, if you see a warning dialog when you run saying “This program has known compatibility issues”, simply click “Don’t show this message again” and then click “Run the Program…”

Installing AutoCAD Mechanical 2007 Service Packs

AutoCAD Mechanical 2007 has 2 service packs, don’t install the sp1, instead all you need to do is install sp2… Here’s how:

  1. Download AutoCAD Mechanical 2007 sp2
  2. Unzip the acm2007_swl_sp2.zip into c:\Autodesk\sp2
  3. Start the Converter, select the 3rd tab, pick the c:\Autodesk\sp2 folder then click ‘Fix’
  4. Once fixed, simply run the c:\Autodesk\sp2\acm2007_swl_sp2.exe to install as normal

Troubleshooting:

– If you cannot navigate to the next page in the Setup (because clicking on the install links does nothing)…

  1. Having completed steps 1 through 3 above, Start Windows Explorer and navigate to c:\Autodesk\mdt2007\bin\acadfeui\acadm then run Setup.exe
  2. Once setup.exe starts, resume the instructions above starting at step 4

– If you are unable to activate your product, or the activation process crashes:

– If you have crashing problems using the File->Open or File->Save dialogs inside of AutoCAD please read this blog entry on the File->Open or File->Save Crash in AutoCAD

Copyright 2015 (c) Longbow Software