Unable to remove service pack from machines

[Proctor]

Hello: I’m trying to remove service pack 2 from 5 workstations. Each has AutoCad Mechanical 2009 w/ network licensing set up on their machines. When I go to uninstall the service pack, it prompts me to put disk 1 of AutoCad mechanical in. After, off the CD, I browse to the 84 bit folder to the acad.msi file.

 

After, I receive the following error:

 

Error 1706. No valid source could be found for product AutoCAD Mechanical 2009. The Windows

installer cannot continue.

 

It uninstalls perfect on my machine using add/Remove; however, my AutoCad Mechanical 2009 is a stand-alone.

 

Has anyone experienced this issue? do you have any ideas how i can remove the service pack?

 

thanks,

Proctor

 

[ReMark]

Why are you removing the service packs in the first place?

[ReMark]

I paid a visit to the AutoDesk website and searched the phrase "remove service packs". In one of the articles the following lines appear:

 

Note: You cannot uninstall an update or service pack if it was added to the original deployment image.

 

Note: This option may not be available for all AutoCAD-based products, refer to the Readme file of the update or service pack for more information.

 

See anything that sparks your curiousity?

[Proctor]

hi Remark...that's a very good question. well, our company has drawings that have custom line types. these line types display so many blocks per foot. e.g. 2 per ft and we give these to the customers for estimates. when i have the service pack on our new version of cad (09 mechanical), i open a drawing done in it and i see -say for example 3 blocks; after, i open the same exact drawing in cad 08 and i see 2 blocks.

 

if i remove the service pack, it clears up this discrepency - the number of blocks for the same drawing for different versions is the same.

 

I notified autodesk and they confirmed it for me but they will take time to fix it...(2011 to be exact).

 

Thanks,

Proctor

[Proctor]

I don't get what this means "if it was added to the original deployment image" ??

does it mean if it's a network license?

 

there's got to be some way to get it off ....?

 

thanks

Proctor

[ReMark]

That certainly is an odd problem and you only have to wait until 2011 for a fix! Jeez, go grab a very large cup of coffee and your LazyBoy recliner and wait it out. Yeah...right. That sucks.

 

I read that "original deployment image" to mean network license but I could be mistaken. I run standalone so I am unable to say for sure. Another (smarter) forum member should be able to enlighten us both.

[Proctor]

ha ha....yeah.. when i read their email that it would be fixed in 2011, I did find it amuzing for sure.

 

I was able to remove it from my machine and it's a stand-alone so i bet you're right.

 

I really need to get those service packs off however, because it's making our block count off.

 

if anyone has any ideas....I would really be thankful.

 

thanks,

Proctor

[Glen Smith]

I do not qualify as smarter, but we have used the network deployment here. You build a network deployment in a central location from which you can install to multiple other machines. Each machine has its own license, so it is different from a network license. IF the deployment was built with the service pack included, It would stand to reason that the service pack could not be removed.

 

Likewise, if the disks that you got from your fav Autodesk reseller were a build that included the service pack, you would not be able to remove that service pack.

 

If you have the original install disks, you could recreate the deployment without the offending service pack and REINSTALL.

 

But thats just a guess.

 

Glen

[Proctor]

Hi Glen - thanks for your comments. Actually, our network person installed cad off a cd that did not include the service pack; after, i

installed the service packs onto each user's machine.

 

Proctor

[ReMark]

Thanks for that explanation Glen. Much appreciated.

 

Then it's (remove service pack) doable?