8 Frequent Issues when installing Autodesk Products

Installing a software seems easy these days. Just by clicking next on installation wizard apparently will get the job done. But it’s not always like that. Many times the installation failed. We need to know what is the problem and what is the workaround. If you don’t know what’s the problem, you may not be able to install it even you have tried several times.

Don’t smash your computer yet, Let’s try to fix it.

I try to compile 8 most frequent issues in Autodesk product installation, frequently asked in Autodesk forum. Hopefully, this list will help you to fix your installation issue.

Download Issue

If you don’t receive the physical media then you need to download it. I believe students license and Desktop Subscription don’t come with installation media.

You might find problems as follows:

1. Installation Freeze

If you use Install Now option, you might think the installation freeze. Install Now will download required files for installation and install the product on your computer. Depends on your internet connection speed, it may take a very long time. Sometimes people think it freeze and cancel the installation or kill the task. This can lead to another issue. Just let the installation run, even it might take overnight.

I always recommend using Browser Download option. It’s like the old days, download the whole media and then run the installation from local disk. We can easily see if the download is running and know when it’s completed.

Autodesk claims that Install Now is faster because it only download required files. However, you can’t use the media to install on other computers. I feel installing from local disk is more comfortable because it’s easy to tell if the installation is actually running or it freeze.

2. Download File is Missing

You see this following message:

Product download consists of multiple files. At least one file is missing or has not been downloaded yet.

Some products (especially suites) consist of multiple files. I believe Autodesk separate the media into files so they can fit in multiple DVDs. It allows you to distribute the media without using an external drive.

If you see the message, it means you haven’t downloaded all required files. Or they are not in the same folder.

You can read more about downloading installer with multiple files in Autodesk Knowledge here.

Installation Failed to Complete

You tried to install the product, but it’s not successful. You see the installation finished but see the red cross next to some products name. Or you can’t select the product to install because Windows think it’s already installed.

Before we continue, you need to know the exact problem. You can find detailed error in installation log. If you are not familiar with installation log, this documentation shows how to see the log. You can open the log file using Windows Notepad.

3. Application is already Installed

You tried to install your software, but the installer says it’s already installed. This happens because the previous installation was not successful, or uninstalling the product was failed. For example, you terminate the installation.

You can use Microsoft FixIt to remove the installation data from the registry. Autodesk has documentation how to use FixIt here.

Unfortunately, FixIt is not available for Windows 10 yet. If you use Windows 10, you need to remove it manually from Windows Registry.

Warning: Make sure you make registry backup before you manually delete a registry key. Read this documentation how to backup and restore your registry: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/322756

The installation registry is saved here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninst‌ all

4. Microsoft C++

Your software depends on many Windows prerequisite. When the prerequisite installation failed, the installation will not continue. The most frequent prerequisite that failed is Microsoft Visual C++. Try to check the installation log file if you can find line similar like this:

Rollback Microsoft Visual C++ 2012 Redistributable (x64) Failed Failure is ignored, Result=1619

If you see it, you need to uninstall all Microsoft Visual C++ in your computer. You may see different versions of Microsoft Visual C++, uninstall them all. After you complete, try to install the product again.

This is Autodesk documentation about uninstalling Microsoft Visual C++.

Activation Issue

You  have completed the installation, but you can’t activate your product. These are the most frequent reason why the activation was failed.

5. Serial number is not valid

Don’t panic if it says your serial number is not valid. If you purchased a perpetual license, it doesn’t mean you can’t use your product anymore.

There are several reasons why the serial number is no longer valid. Your serial number is probably has been upgraded to newer version. Or you may use a wrong product key.

Check this documentation to see what might be the problem.

6. Activation Limit Reached

You can activate your license as many as the seats you have. If you have 1 license you can activate it on 1 computer. If you are on subscription, you can activate it one more time on your home computer. Remember to read the license agreement: both computers must be used by the same person and can’t be used at the same time.

What if your computer die and you want to activate it on another computer? You still can activate it.

Try this method to activate your license.

Operating system Support

You can’t install your software on any operating system. You need to check if your operating system is supported for your product before you start installing your software.

7. System Requirement

Recent versions of Autodesk software don’t support Windows XP and Vista anymore. Some products won’t run on a 32Bit operating system. For example Revit and 3ds Max. Check the system requirements if your operating system is supported.

Remember that Windows 7 and Windows 7 SP1 are different. If the requirements say Windows 7 SP1, you can’t install it on Windows 7. You need to upgrade it to Windows 7 SP1 first.

You can check the system requirements here.

8. Installing on Windows 10

Windows 10 is not officially supported yet. At least at the day this article is published. But many has already upgraded their operating system to Windows 10 already.

There might be some workaround to install Autodesk products on Windows 10. Like this one on Up and Ready.

Try to check which products that can run on Windows 10, which already tested by Autodesk here. It would be wise to wait until the official announcement by Autodesk. They might release a hotfix or a service pack. But I believe 2017 will be fully supported on Windows 10.

To sum up

There are many things that can make installation fail. Autodesk products rely heavily on the operating system and their prerequisites. The problems listed here are just the problems I find on a regular basis on Autodesk forum.

To avoid problems during installation, I strongly suggest you read this Autodesk knowledge base: Preparing your system for installation.

If you see other installation problems that you often see, feel free to share it in the comment section here.

About Edwin Prakoso

I work as an Application Engineer in Jakarta, Indonesia. I've been using AutoCAD since R14 and Revit since Revit Building 9. I occasionally write for AUGIWorld magazine and also active in Autodesk discussion forum.
I'm an Autodesk Certified Professional (ACP) for Revit Architecture and AutoCAD. I'm also a member of Autodesk Expert Elite, appreciation for individuals who give contribution to Autodesk community.
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