Autodesk AutoCAD AutoCAD Mechanical - 2012 Installation Manual

AutoCAD Mechanical 2012

Installation FAQ

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Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2 Installing AutoCAD Mechanical on a Single Computer . . . . . . 5

How can I prepare for a successful installation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

How can I choose the language in which the Installer instructions

are presented? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

How do I choose the language for my software? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Where can I find my serial number and product key? . . . . . . . . . . . 6

What if I've lost my serial number or product key? . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

How do I know if I have enough disk space for the installation? . .

7

How do I select a license type? What is the difference between a

stand-alone license and a network license? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

What is the purpose of a client log file? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

How do I register and activate my software after I have finished the

installation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

What are the additional products available for installation? . . . . . . . 8

Where do I customize my installation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

What are content libraries and how do I install them? . . . . . . . . . . 9

How can I install medium resolution Material Library images? . . . . . 9

How can I be sure available service packs are included in my

installation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

iii

What features can I customize? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Chapter 3 Creating a deployment to multiple computers . . . . . . . . . . 13

How can I prepare to create a successful deployment to multiple

computers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

How do I select a license type? What is the difference between a

stand-alone license and a network license? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

How can I choose the language in which the Installer instructions

are presented? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

What is the benefit of a network licensed version of the software?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

What is the purpose of a client log file? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

What is the purpose of a network log file? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

What is an administrative image? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Where should the administrative image of my deployment be located?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

How will individual users find the deployed administrative image?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

What is 'silent' deployment mode? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

What are the additional products available for installation? . . . . . . 17

Where do I customize my installation? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

What features can I customize? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

How can I install medium resolution Material Library images? . . . . . 19

How do I include Service Packs with my deployment? . . . . . . . . . . 19

What are content libraries and how do I install them? . . . . . . . . . 19

What is the purpose of configuring additional files in a deployment?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

What are the services of the Communication Center? . . . . . . . . . 20

What is Autodesk Exchange? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

How do I modify a deployment configuration? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 4 Maintaining and Reconfiguring Your Installation . . . . . . . . 23

How do I add or remove features after installation? . . . . . . . . . . . 23

What are content libraries and how do I install them? . . . . . . . . . 23

What if I accidentally delete or alter required files? Can I replace or

repair them? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

After repairing my installation, is it possible to recover my settings?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

How do I uninstall my software? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

What are the tools and utilities available for installation? . . . . . . . 25

Chapter 5 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

AutoCAD Mechanical 2012 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

iv | Contents

AutoCAD Mechanical 2012 System Requirements for 32-bit

Workstations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

AutoCAD Mechanical 2012 System Requirements for 64-bit

Workstations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Requirements for GPO (Group Policy Objects) Deployments . . . . . . 31

Contents | v

vi

Introduction

Installation Overview

1

The process of installing or deploying AutoCAD Mechanical 2012 consists of
the three main steps shown in the diagram above.

■ Preparation is very important for achieving a trouble-free and successful

installation.

■ Entering Information varies depending upon the kind of installation or

deployment you need.

■ Installation or Deployment executes quickly once you have made and

specified your choices.

You will either perform an installation on a single computer or create a
deployment for multiple computers. In both cases, you decide whether to accept
the typical default options or select your own options to configure a custom
installation. Although the AutoCAD Mechanical Installer has been designed to
be self-explanatory, you can find answers to your installation questions in the

1

FAQ provided here. Note that complete details for creating deployments are
provided in the Network Administrator's Guide.

What kind of installation will you perform?

Here are the four main installation types with a summary of the data and
decisions they require:

■ Typical installation with default options. For a typical installation,

begin with a proper preparation (page 5). Then, just click through the

installer, providing your serial number (page 6), product key (page 6),

and license information (page 7). Pre-selected components will be installed

with AutoCAD Mechanical.

■ Custom installation with selected options. For a custom installation,

in addition to the items listed above for a typical installation, you will also

need to determine:

■ Which of the additional bundled products (such as Autodesk Design

Review) to install with AutoCAD Mechanical.

■ Which features (page 10) (such as Express Tools) to install with

AutoCAD Mechanical.

■ Whether to install new content libraries or use existing shared libraries.

■ Select standard content libraries to install.

■ Whether to accept the default to create a desktop shortcut.

■ Whether to install any available service packs (page 10), either from

Autodesk or from a local or network drive.

■ Typical deployment with default options. To create a typical

deployment using default options, in addition to providing your serial

number, product key, and license information, you will:

■ Name your deployment.

■ Specify a location for your administrative image (page 16).

■ Specify whether you want a network log file (page 15).

■ Determine whether to run installations to workstations in silent mode

(page 16).

■ Determine whether you want to create a client log file (page 8) in the

Temp directory of each workstation.

2 | Chapter 1 Introduction

■ Custom deployment with selected options. For a custom deployment,

in addition to the items listed above for a typical deployment, you will
also specify:

■ Which of the additional bundled products (such as Autodesk Design

Review) to install with AutoCAD Mechanical.

■ Which features (page 10) (such as Express Tools) to install with

AutoCAD Mechanical.

■ Whether to install any available service packs (page 19) and whether

to merge them with the deployment or append them.

■ Whether to add additional files (page 20) to the deployment.

■ Whether to install new content libraries or use existing shared libraries.

■ Select standard content libraries to install.

■ What modifications to make to the default search paths and the location

of some program files.

■ User preferences.

■ Whether to enable access to communication channels (page 20), live

updates, and RSS feeds.

■ Whether to enable access to online resources.

Installation Overview | 3

4

Installing AutoCAD
Mechanical on a Single

2

Computer

How can I prepare for a successful installation?

You can avoid problems and ensure a smooth installation of AutoCAD
Mechanical by employing the following best practices:

■ Confirm that your computer meets the minimum System Requirements.

(Click "System Requirements" at the bottom of the Installer window.)
Important: Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 (available on product disc) must
be installed before you install AutoCAD Mechanical.

■ Be sure you have Administrator permissions in Windows

■ Remove previous installations of this release of AutoCAD Mechanical,

including any Beta versions.

■ Install all Microsoft Windows

■ Before you install, exit all active applications. An even better approach is to

install AutoCAD Mechanical first thing after starting your computer, before
using any applications.

■ Turn off your anti-virus program.

®

system updates and restart your computer.

®

.

How can I choose the language in which the Installer instructions are presented?

If other languages are available, you can choose the language in which Installer
instructions are presented from the Installation instructions drop-down list on

5

the Installer Launch page. Note that this will also set the language for your
software, although later you can change that by selecting another language
from the Product Language drop-down list on the Install > Configure & Begin
Installation page of the Installer.

How do I choose the language for my software?

If other languages are available, you can choose the one you want to use within
AutoCAD Mechanical. Select a language from the Product Language drop-down
list on the Install > Configure & Begin Installation page of the Installer.

Where can I find my serial number and product key?

Your serial number and product key are on the outside of the product
packaging, or in the Autodesk Upgrade Licensing Information email. The serial
number must contain a three-digit prefix followed by an eight-digit number.
The product key consists of five characters.

What if I've lost my serial number or product key?

Contact the Autodesk Business Center (ABC) at 800-538-6401 for assistance
if you lose your serial number or product key.

6 | Chapter 2 Installing AutoCAD Mechanical on a Single Computer