AutoCAD Launcher

[AQucsaiJr]

I have a few different versions of AutoCAD on my machine. I want the default version, when I double click to open a .dwg file, to be AutoCAD Electrical 2010. Recently all my drawing open in AutoCAD Electrical 2009. Anyone know how I can fix this?

 

I can not uninstall any of the other versions of AutoCAD on my machine because I do need them for different things.

[ReMark]

Isn't this just a file association setting? You want files created in ACADE (no mater what version) to only open with ACADE 2010 and nothing else right?

[hoss]

Either right click on a dwg file and then select Open With, then select choose program, make sure the box "always use selected ..." ticked and select the version you want to be default

or

control panel, folder option, file type, delete existing DWG and make new one

[AQucsaiJr]

Isn't this just a file association setting? You want files created in ACADE (no mater what version) to only open with ACADE 2010 and nothing else right?

 

That is correct. Ussually the AutoCAD launcher will remember the last version of AutoCAD that was launched and open all .dwg files to that version. However, as of recently this is not working and all files are being opened in ACADE 2009.

[AQucsaiJr]

Either right click on a dwg file and then select Open With, then select choose program, make sure the box "always use selected ..." ticked and select the version you want to be default

or

control panel, folder option, file type, delete existing DWG and make new one

 

I don't belive the option for different versions of AutoCAD are present in the right click menu. I belive the only option is the AutoCAD launcher.

[BlackBox]

I don't belive the option for different versions of AutoCAD are present in the right click menu. I belive the only option is the AutoCAD launcher.

 

 

 

 

No, you are mistaken... try this (building on Hoss's comments):

• Right Click a drawing > Open With > Check "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" > Browse
  

Now, assuming you have a desktop icon for your ACADE 2010, choose the correct icon, then hit ok. Tada (no?)!

[AQucsaiJr]

No, you are mistaken... try this (building on Hoss's comments):

 

• Right Click a drawing > Open With > Check "Always use the selected program to open this kind of file" > Browse
  

Now, assuming you have a desktop icon for your ACADE 2010, choose the correct icon, then hit ok. Tada (no?)!

 

Sorry, I do not know allot about how ACAD launches.

 

I set the target application to load being the same launch icon I use to load ACADE 2010 from the start menu and it still launches in ACADE 2009. I guess this is going to be an issue I just have to live with.

[BlackBox]

Sorry, I do not know allot about how ACAD launches.

 

I set the target application to load being the same launch icon I use to load ACADE 2010 from the start menu and it still launches in ACADE 2009. I guess this is going to be an issue I just have to live with.

 

 

No worries, we're all here to learn.

 

*IF* someone smarter than I doesn't offer an alternative solution, might I suggest that you first start ACADE 2010, then open your drawing from within the open dialog window?

[AQucsaiJr]

No worries, we're all here to learn.

 

*IF* someone smarter than I doesn't offer an alternative solution, might I suggest that you first start ACADE 2010, then open your drawing from within the open dialog window?

 

Yes. This is what I am doing now. It is really not a problem, it is more inconvenient because I have always been able to double click any .dwg file and they would open in ACADE 2010.

 

Oh well, Thanks for your help.

[BlackBox]

Yes. This is what I am doing now. It is really not a problem, it is more inconvenient because I have always been able to double click any .dwg file and they would open in ACADE 2010.

 

Oh well, Thanks for your help.

 

 

You're welcome, I'm happy to not help.

[AQucsaiJr]

For anyone who is tracking this, probably nobody but I figured I would paste the Auto Desk replay to this issue:

 

[font=&quot]Thank you for choosing Autodesk Support. [/font]
 [font=&quot]I understand that since updating AutoCAD 2009, your drawings are opening in AutoCAD 2010 instead of AutoCAD 2009 and you want to know how to control which version opens your drawings.[/font]
 [font=&quot]All versions of AutoCAD use the same executable file, acad.exe. Therefore the usual Windows methods of setting which program to open a file, don't work for AutoCAD. The Drawing Launcher is designed to open each drawing with the last version of AutoCAD that opened it, and there is no way to configure it to use a specific version for all drawings. As a work-around, I would advise you to open the version of AutoCAD that you want to use, and open the drawing from within that program.[/font]
 [font=&quot]I regret not having a perfect solution for you, but I do have another suggestion. As far as passing on requests for changes and information to the developers/programmers, I always encourage customers to make their voices heard. As a customer you have even more sway over Development than we do here in Product Support. From the outside looking in, there are a couple of excellent ways to give feedback to our software designers.  The following two links are far and away the best routes:[/font]
 [font=&quot][url]http://www.augi.com/wishlist[/url] [/font]
 [font=&quot][url]http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=1109794[/url] [/font]
 [font=&quot]The first is the Autodesk User Group International website, where (among other things) they maintain a wish-list of customer-submitted product enhancements/changes.  The list gets voted on annually by the (AUGI) membership and the top 10 suggestions are submitted to our developers.  The second link goes directly to our software developers, without any sort of marketing filter, so ideas go directly from customers to the people who can most directly affect changes in the programs.[/font]
 [font=&quot]Best regards,

Kate Webb
Autodesk Support Team[/font]

 

So I guess for now this issue can not be resolved because unfortunately, in my case, no matter how many times I launch AutoCAD 2010, all drawings still launch in AutoCAD 2009 when I use the double click to open method.

[ReMark]

And what version would your drawings open with if 2009 was not installed on your computer? None? Would they fail to open at all?

[AQucsaiJr]

With just 2009 they would open in 2009. With just 2010 they would open in 2010. I have only had this problem since the latest service pack update for 2009. Before that I never had this issue. I have always had AutoCAD 2000, 2007, 2009, and 2010, well since they were released, on my machine.

[irneb]

Similar problem in a thread on AUGI (with some solutions :wink:): http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=115722

 

Also see the links in my post #16.

[iPhoria]

I had this problem recently and go here for my solution

 

http://t3kd.com/blog/2011/03/01/set-which-version-of-autocad-launches/

 

I see the thread is from last year so don't know if anyone has found this solution but maybe it will help future visitors. I don't come on these forums often I just signed up to help out with a solution. So if it works or you have problems please comment in the story on the site.

[AQucsaiJr]

Thank you for the tip. I have actually already tried this and it did not work for me.

[iPhoria]

Really? what was the problem after you made the change? I did it and it worked great the first time.

[AQucsaiJr]

I changed it to launch autocad 2010 and it still launches autocad 2009.

[SLW210]

I had this problem recently and go here for my solution

 

http://t3kd.com/blog/2011/03/01/set-which-version-of-autocad-launches/

 

I see the thread is from last year so don't know if anyone has found this solution but maybe it will help future visitors. I don't come on these forums often I just signed up to help out with a solution. So if it works or you have problems please comment in the story on the site.

 

Could you somehow post the information on CADTutor? A lot of people at work cannot access blog sites.

[iPhoria]

I changed it to launch autocad 2010 and it still launches autocad 2009.

is there anyway you can take a screenshot of your registry key and post it for me to see? I changed it from 2008 to 2010 and it worked perfectly the first shot.

 

Could you somehow post the information on CADTutor? A lot of people at work cannot access blog sites.

It's actually a long post because I mention editing the registry and the cautions, steps to backup the registry so anyone should really read the linked post. However this is the steps I took

 

Click Start, then Run and type “regedit” without the quotation marks

When the registry editor opens make a backup

Then ensure “My Computer” at the very top of the window is selected

Then go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\acad.exe\shell\open\command

 

There is a screenshot below of the registry location. You will find the key, that in the right pane has the path to whichever AutoCAD version is openning by default now. So for example AutoCAD 2008 would be c:\Program Files\AutoCAD 2008\acad.exe etc. Make sure this is the key you edit, as I said editing the registry incorrectly could have dire consequences. You double click the key in the right pane and change the AutoCAD path to the one you want to start by default. In the screenshot below I have already changed it from AutoCAD 2008 to AutoCAD 2010.