AutoCAD Freezes on startup (AutoCAD visible but the menus don’t appear)

If your AutoCAD is hanging as soon as it starts (with no Ribbon visible) as shown below…

AutoCAD 2010 Freeze on startup

AutoCAD 2010 Freeze on startup

…then try these steps to fix the problem…

  1. Obtain your copy of the Longbow Converter here
  2. Select the 3rd tab named “Old AutoCAD Program Reviver
  3. Pick the “…” button to select your AutoCAD install folder. (for example C:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2010)
    1. next, click “Fix Old Program”
  4. Try your AutoCAD now, it should be fixed.

Copyright 2017 (c) Longbow Software

Interactions with the AutoCAD Ribbon crashes AutoCAD on Windows 10 (Solved)

Users complain of “autocad crashes when clicking anything” and “autocad crashing when using ribbon

It seems that a new Computers with the latest version of Windows 10 or computers that recently ran Windows Update for Windows 10 has caused Ribbon crashing issues with AutoCAD versions…

  • AutoCAD 2012
  • AutoCAD 2013
  • AutoCAD 2014
  • AutoCAD 2015

AutoCAD starts up, but any interactions with AutoCAD’s Ribbon, Status bar, or Right clicking the Command line causes AutoCAD to crash out instantly with:

Error: Unhandled Exception

We found that this issue is caused by the new .NET 4.7 update.

This update came down as part of KB3186568 and comes as standard in Windows 10 Creators Update (version 1703). Uninstalling all of the affected Windows Updates is not a solution because they are eventually forced down by Microsoft; besides Windows updates usually have security updates which stop hackers from gaining access to your computer so they should always be installed.

Fix AutoCAD Ribbon Crash

We have just released an update to fully fix this issue so you can once again rely on Windows Updates. We have solved this problem via our Longbow Converter App, you will need V11.18 or newer. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Obtain your copy of the Longbow Converter App here
  2. Start the Converter App
    1. In the Converter App pick the 3rd tab named “Old AutoCAD Program Reviver
    2. Using the “. . .” button select the path to your problem AutoCAD
    3. Now click the “Fix Old Program“.
    4. Close the Converter App
  3. Now run AutoCAD as normal, Ribbon crash is solved.

Troubleshooting

To see which Windows Updates you have installed

  1. Right Click the Windows Start Menu in the bottom right and pick “Programs and Features

    Select Programs and Features by Right-clicking the Windows 10 Start Menu

    Select Programs and Features by Right-clicking the Windows 10 Start Menu

  2. Click on “View Installed Updates” in the top left…

    Go to View installed Updates

    Go to View installed Updates

Detecting your installed version of Windows 10

  1. Right Click the Windows Start Menu in the bottom right and pick “Run
  2. Type “Winver” then Enter
Copyright 2019 (c) Longbow Software