Catch 22 problem

I have just loaded in a Product Design Suite Professional package on a Lenovo S-30 workstation running Win 7. After the installation, I went looking for AtuoCAD 2013 and to my dismay could not find it. I pestered Autodesk to have one of their installation experts call me to try to help but that didn't work too well.

With some fussing on my own, I now have a shortcut that does go to AutoCAD 2013 but I am not sure why. When I right click on the shortcut and look at the Propeties, the Start In window says AutoCAD Mechcanical 2013 and it is grayed out so it cannot be changed.

This morning I tried to install the Express Tools package and to do that one must go to ADD/Remove and click on AutoCAD 2013 and do a modify. Since I do not have an AutoCAD 2013 item in the list of software packages I can't do that.

Does someone have any suggestions as to how to fix this problem?

Thanks very much.

Have you checked your OPTIONS, PROFILES tab?

I am guessing that you may find Autocad 2013 listed as one of the available profile options.

I hope that helps you out.

I just reread your post, and am guessing that while possibly helpful, that won't solve your express tool issue.

Have you tried the EXPRESSTOOLS command?

You will have AutoCAD Mechanical showing, not plain AutoCAD so use the Mechanical choice or the Electrical one.

Thanks guys -

Went and did the ADD/REMOVE thingy with Mechanical 2013 and from what I saw, EXPRESS TOOLS was already installed. But when I put EXPRESSTOOLS into the Command line, the no such command answer came up.

Any other suggestions?

Check in options, files, for

C:\program files\autodesk\autocad 2013\ express

If not there then add, and make sure the express folder is at the location you add, above is only an example.

And always try with a new autocad profile when stuff doesn't seem to work right.

You need to be running vanilla AutoCAD.

AutoCAD Mechanical runs on top of vanilla AutoCAD - so you have everything.

The problem statement is, "How to get Mechanical to run as vanilla so I have access to Express Tools."

If you to to Start>Autodesk>AutoCAD Mechanical 2013 you should see a option to Runs as AutoCAD.

If for some reason you do not see that option then an icon with the correct path/profile will need to be set up.

Check the first (easy) option and report back what you see.

this example is with Civil, but should be the same with Mechanical.

Ignore the AutoCAD 2013 English folder in this image - I happen to have both installed (Civil and AutoCAD), really a wasted duplication of HDD space, but IT didn't know better.

Hi JD -

Start/Autodesk does NOT show and option to run AutoCAD Mechanical as AutoCAD. But I think that is what is going on because when I right click on the AutoCAD short cut and look at the Properties box there is AutoCAD Mechaniclal in the Target box but it is grayed out so it cannot be changed.

I have managed to get the Express Tools running in Mechanical by Removing and re-installing it. But it does not seem to be part of what I have as AutoCAD 2013 when I do a menuload the Express Tools is missing from the list. And I have no way to Remove/reinstall it.

Any chance I could get you to link to my machine via TeamViewer?

As always, thanks for the help.

Bob Price

In that case you will have to create a new desktop icon with the correct Properties to launch vanilla AutoCAD.

I will be back in a bit with instructions if someone else doesn't pitch in.

That would be supercalifragilistic JD

Thanks

RBPrice, you simply go to the Start button, find AutoCAD Mechanical in the list under Autodesk, click and drag to desktop. Now you can modify to eliminate the mechanical portion so it will run as vanilla. Remove the /p > portion and replace with /p rbprice or whatever name you want for your vanilla profile.

Super - that worked as suggested. It is interesting to me that none of the "experts" at Autodesk knew that when I finally managed to get them on the phone.

Now i just need to be able to install the Express Tools into AutoCAD and that can't be done until there is a listing of AutoCAD 2013 in the Autodesk group that comes up when I bring up the Control Panel.

Thanks a bunch for the help.

You are over thinking this, you will not see AutoCAD in the uninstall through windows control panel, but you will see AutoCAD Mechanical 2013 or maybe AutoCAD Mechanical 2013 - English, just pick that one and go trough the process to add ExpressTools.

Did you verify whether or not there is an Express folder under Programs/AutoCAD 2013 Mechanical/...?

Well - I thought I had it working but it has changed back to Mechancal - I have wasted 100 hours of my time trying to get this software to run.

Is there any chance you could log on to my computer using TeamViewer? I will pay for the phone call to NM

Please

Is there any chance you could log on to my computer using TeamViewer? I will pay for the phone call to NM

 

Please

I know nothing about TeamViewer, sorry.

So you dragged and dropped the Mechanical menu choice from Windows startup which created a shortcut? yes or no

Then you edited that shortcut and removed the reference to mechanical and added your own profile name? yes or no

You are starting AutoCAD strictly from that shortcut? yes or no

After starting from that shortcut a few times you are saying that Mechanical is starting instead? yes or no

Yes to the question about dragging and creating a short cut

Yes to the removal of the reference to Mechanical

Yes to starting from that shortcut

And yes alal that comes up is Mechanical and what is really horrible the one shortcut I had that did open in AutoCAD has now stopped doing that.

As for TeamViewer it is a free to use program that lets you lock onto my desktop. Just search on it and download. Then I need to call you and give my ID and Password and lo and behold, you can move about on my machine and show me what I can't seem to get into my addled brain. All I need is your phone number sent to my email address.

let's check the properties of you vanilla desktop icon.

check your target - should be something like

Make sure your Target is something like

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013\acad.exe" /P AutoCAD

(where the AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013 is replaced with the appropriate folder name for Mechanical)

and

the Start in is something like

"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD Civil 3D 2013\UserDataCache\"

after starting AutoCAD as vanilla make sure the Options> Profile shows

plain AutoCAD

Right now JD it is not on anything: should it be on Administration (AGM Administration) ??

Start In is" C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 2013\acad.exe /t"

The Target is AutoCAD Mechanical 2013 English and is grayed out and cannot be changed

I repeat my request to have you use TeamViewer to get to my screen - it is really easy to do.

It seems to me that until I can get the Target to be AutoCAD 2013 it is not going to work.