Note

All SolidPractices are written as guidelines. It is a strong recommendation to use these documents only after properly evaluating your requirements. Distribution of this document is limited to Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks employees, VARs, and customers that are on active subscription. You may not post this document on blogs or any internal or external forums without prior written authorization from Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation.

This document was updated using version SOLIDWORKS 2022 SP03. If you have questions or need assistance in understanding the content, please get in touch with your designated reseller.

Preface:

This SolidPractice presents a direct workflow that you can follow to remove existing installations of the SOLIDWORKS software, and replace the removed versions with clean installations.

The SOLIDWORKS software has close integration with the Windows operating system (OS). At times, dynamic-link library (DLL) files, which are responsible for Windows/SOLIDWORKS data exchange, break the link and cause odd behaviors in SOLIDWORKS. Often, a simple repair of the SOLIDWORKS installation cannot address this issue. In this case, it might become necessary to perform a clean installation of the software. A clean installation deletes all of the files and registry keys that link SOLIDWORKS and the OS. This process can help you save time when troubleshooting high-level issues. It can take several days to determine the source of a problem by using tools such as the Wireshark® network protocol analyzer and the Microsoft® Process Monitor tool. Common sources of such behaviors include Windows upgrades, SOLIDWORKS upgrades, corrupted registries (Windows and SOLIDWORKS), and interaction with third-party software.

To perform a clean reinstallation of the SOLIDWORKS software, follow the instructions in this document.

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Return the SOLIDWORKS License to the Server

To return the SOLIDWORKS license to the server, follow these steps todeactivatethe license:

1. Go to Help > Licensing > Deactivate.

2. In the SOLIDWORKS Product Activation dialog box, select the method of deactivation, and then click Next to complete the action.

Turn Off User Account Control (UAC)

1. Press the Windows key, type User Account Control settings, and then click the item when it appears in the results list.

2. In the User Account Control Settings dialog box, move the slider control to the Never notify level > click OK.

Uninstall the SOLIDWORKS Software

Before proceeding, if the system from which you are uninstalling the SOLIDWORKS software also has an installation of SOLIDWORKS PDM, see Appendix A.

1. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.

2. In the list of programs, right-click the SOLIDWORKS installation > click Uninstall.

1. On the Summary page of the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager, ensure the selection of all components as shown in the next image.

2. Under Advanced Options, click Change.

1. On the Advanced Options page, select all of the options, and then click Back to Summary.

1. Right-click the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager title bar, click Installation Logging Levels, and then click Create Windows Installer Logs (Slow). When active, this option creates installer logs that capture any issue during the installation.

2. Click Remove Items.

Delete Specific Folders

After uninstalling the SOLIDWORKS software, delete the following folders:

Note: It is always a best practice to back up program data before deletion.

• C:\ProgramData\Solidworks

Delete Specific Registry Keys

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.

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor.

2. Either rename or delete the following registry keys:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VSTAHOST

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VSTAHostConfig

For x64 installations, also delete the following keys if present:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VSTAHost

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VSTAHostConfig

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\SolidWorks

1. Uninstall Other Software Programs and Components

2. Uninstall the C++ Redistributable Components

1. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.

2. In the list of programs, uninstall all of the C++ Redistributable components.

1. Uninstall Specific Microsoft Visual Studio Components

1. Uninstall the Microsoft Visual Studio Remote Debugger and Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for Applications programs indicated by the red arrows.

2. To uninstall the Microsoft Visual Basic 7.1 software, open a Windows command prompt, and then enter the following command:

MsiExec.exe /X{90120064-0070-0000-0000-4000000FF1CE}

The Visual Basic application does not appear in Programs and Features.

Deactivate the .NET Framework Software

1. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.

2. In the left pane, click Turn Windows features on or off.

3. In the Windows Features dialog box, deactivate the

   .NET Framework

   items by clearing the check box for .NET Framework item, and then click OK.

For example, in the following image, you would deactivate both .NET Framework items.

Uninstall the Bonjour Software

1. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.

2. Right-click the Bonjour program item > click Uninstall.

3. After uninstalling this item, restart the computer.

Reactivate the .NET Framework Software

1. After restarting the computer, return to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features.

2. In the left pane, click Turn Windows features on or off.

3. In the Windows Features dialog box, activate the

   .NET Framework

   items by selecting the check box for each .NET Framework item that you previously deactivated.

4. Click OK to save your changes.

Install the Latest Version of the SOLIDWORKS Software

Before performing the new installation, it is important that you restart the computer once again. After restarting the computer, follow these steps:

1. Open Windows File Explorer, browse to the Download folder, and then open the PreReqs folder.

1. Sort the list of folders from A – Z.

2. Starting from the top of the list, install the following prerequisites (shown in the next image):

• Bonjour.msi (for 32-bit systems) or Bonjour64.msi (for 64-bit systems)

• All prerequisites that begin with VCRedist

• VSTA

1. After installing all of the prerequisites, browse to the sldim folder and run the sldIM.exe program as administrator.

1. IMPORTANT! When the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager appears, make sure that the Create Windows Installer Logs (Slow) option is active. To confirm this, right-click the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager title bar, click Installation Logging Levels, and then verify that a check mark appears next to the Create Windows Installer Logs (Slow) option.

1. Follow the instructions in the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager to complete the installation.

For more information about upgrades and installation, read the “SOLIDWORKS Upgrades” SolidPractice document. This document is available from the Knowledge Base solution S-076254.

Appendix A: Considerations for SOLIDWORKS PDM

The SOLIDWORKS PDM software stores information in the SOLIDWORKS registry. If you use the instructions in this document to perform a clean uninstall of the SOLIDWORKS software, the SOLIDWORKS PDM installation will not function.

If the system from which you are uninstalling SOLIDWORKS also has an installation of SOLIDWORKS PDM, perform these additional configuration steps.

Before step 3 - “Uninstall the SOLIDWORKS Software”

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor.

2. Export the following registry keys to .REG format files:

   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise

   • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise

Before step10 – “Install the Latest Version of the SOLIDWORKS Software”

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor.

2. Import the previously exported .REG format files.

3. Install SOLIDWORKS and then optionally install SOLIDWORKS PDM.

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