NOTE: This solution only works with an Autodesk Inventor Series 2008 installation media.
- Obtain your copy of the Longbow Converter here
- Copy your Inventor Series 2008 CD to your hard drive, to a folder path c:\Autodesk\CDs\InventorSeries2008
- IMPORTANT: If you have more than one CD, copy them all to the same c:\Autodesk\CDs\InventorSeries2008 folder – overwriting any existing files and folders.
- Start the Longbow Converter tool, select the 1st tab, pick the c:\Autodesk\CDs\InventorSeries2008 folder.
- The Converter will say that the media is not fully supported; simply click the Tools->Manual MSI Correction menu option
- Once the conversion process is completed, click the “Run Setup/Install AutoCAD…” button to bring up your Inventor 2008 setup program as normal.
- Un-check all install options except AutoCAD Mechanical 2008
- Install as normal
- Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 users: Once the installation process is complete, go back to the Converter, select the 3rd tab, pick the newly installed C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk\MDT 2008 folder, then click “Fix“
- Now you can happily run your AutoCAD Mechanical 2008 on Windows 10, Windows 7 or Windows 8.
Troubleshooting:
– If you are unable to activate your product, or the activation process crashes:
- Try uninstalling the July 2014 Microsoft security update
- Try downgrading your Internet Explorer (IE) from version 11 to version 10 by following the instructions detailed here
– If you have crashing problems using the File->Open or File->Save dialogs please read this blog entry on the File->Open or File->Save Crash in Autodesk Products