Icad 7.2, Product ID: 7.2.1526.0.P.VC9.
Open Icad with no drawing
Settings > I...Explorer > Layers

Layer "0" is only layer

Click on color box, or try to create new layer with radio button

Icad locks up

"ESC" unlocks and change other items for the layer. Appears the Color window is not being generated, or is hidden (even with all other windows either minimized or made much smaller than full screen size. This computer runs WIN XP PRO SP3, and windows was updated a week ago. The computer has no other issues with other software.

Support suggested reinstall, a 2nd request after reinstall brought no response!


This first occurred on a moderate sized drawings, the above takes it down to basics.

This is something new, Icad has been normal up to yesterday. Have tried different drawings with same results.

Opening one of the drawings with still installed on the same computer

Product ID: 7.1.159 Pro

is normal.


1: With Windows explorer, checked file modification date of all files in the Icad 7.2 folder, none were newer than the reinstall time.
2: Have reinstalled several times, once deleting all traces of Icad 7.2, including the registry and all folders.
3: After reinstall things are normal for a short period. Today was moving a bunch of entities to different layers, and changed probably 8 layer colors before it locked up.
4: Had taken one of the moderate sized drawings, converted to ASCI DXF and back to 2010 DWG, thinking that might correct any drawing file issue. It converted both ways OK, but same problem.

Anybody else same problem??

sounds like it could be a "available resources" issue... mem chip going bad maybe even...

I could not duplicate the on WinXP SP3 system running ICAD 7.2 & only 2G RAM.

I'm seeing some other issues that appear to be related to ICAD being hungry for more resources, but not that one. Considering you start out OK but over time start having this trouble, it sounds like a memory leak, hardware fault, or just plain running out of mem/HD/swap resources.

Thanks for the reply. It doesn't surprise me that you had no problems. Sometimes I can work for several to many hours, and then can't change a layer color (that's for all layers in the DWG), but can change all the other layer properties..

The DWG is only 100k, which is small. I have thought of all the ideas, and keep coming back to a memory leak. The computer is an Intel DP965-LT with dual core P4 3G, 4G memory, and (2) 320G HDD. It is not unusual for numerous applications to be running including security scans with no problems. At first I thought it was a virus, since one was found after the first episode, the infection description didn't seem like it was an issue though. But, I don't discard the idea either. It's just strange that things can be OK for some time, and then go bad, and stay there. Reinstalling solves the problem, but it returns shortly.

I have been bouncing between 7.2 and 7.1, saving as 2010 DWG format. A strange thing yesterday, after opening in 7.1, and changing a bunch of entities to different layers. After turning on a layer that had been off for a while, 20 multi-text entities (part of dimension leader) we not visible. "MA" didn't bring them to view. Selecting each by clicking the area with text edit brought up the text edit window with a RGB or sometimes Bylayer, color, instead of Bylayer. The only way to fix it was edit each entity, change the color to another color and then back to Bylayer. I'm assuming the changes occurred in 7.2, but it's unknown.

I was thinking of installing 7.2 in another folder, then comparing the files, but without having some error checking info, like what Linux has with most install files, plus reliance on other system files, this would be futile.

I am using IntelliCAD STD 7.2 and have NO issues with with any of the layer commands.

I am running Windows 7, not XP.

LouisAZ

There are 2 major differences, I'm using XP PRO SP3, and this is Icad PRO, but have you tried changing a layer color numerous times (say 10+).

As I have been considering the issue from a programmer's viewpoint. Yesterday, I thought I saw, between 7.1 and 7.2 Pro (not sure if this applies to STD also) the number of layer colors available was increased to possibly true color, or some larger number, but haven't been able to find that info again. In some programming languages, it is necessary to allocate a block of memory for a routine, and then release that memory when the routine is complete. If the number of colors was increased, and there was an oversight or error in the allocation, that could cause issues in this area.

Since I have exceeded the number of allowed activations as a result of this issue, and haven't had a response from CMS support, or the built in support of my yesterday's (Sunday) messages, I am not able to try to troubleshoot further.

We found no issue on editing layer color, on new drawing files, or even on drawings being edited.
Sample movie can be found on our Youtube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBXwo5kMF44

We'll keep investigating it, and appreciate the valuable input from users that provide reproducible feedback that we can work on.

Regarding license management, it runs under our End User License Agreement (EULA). Users opt-in to the agreement when downloading or installing our software.
Refer to our support webpage for further information:
http://intellicadms.com/site/support.html

We do not provide free dedicated support to end users, unless they pay for it. Users have the option to buy support from our online store.
The alternative is free support forum, and we welcome a community of volunteers that share experiences. We truly appreciate the efforts and contributions made from this community to this support forum.

CMS, Inc.

The issue has been accepted by Intellicad.org as Feedback 691. Apparently the issue affects only a small number of users at this time. Per Intellicad .org, a problem on only one computer is sufficient for them to proceed. The CMS video does show normal functionality which I had for several months, but would return after several reinstalls.

I don't look on this issue as a support issue, of asking how to do something, but as assurance that a purchased product performs as expected. In this case very basic functionality stops working that has been a part of Autocad and it's clones since at least Autocad version 2.17 in the early 1980's.

The CMS poor timing with responding to E-mail and Forum messages is not excusable. If the forum is not monitored, then that should be indicated up front, but CMS representatives are indicated as monitors it appears. Sorry to say the Forum has little traffic for whatever reason, and a result help is far between. Recently I responded to a several day old message that was questioning how to use rasters with STD version, which is not a feature. It was determined that the person needed to upgrade to PRO. CMS should have answered that one promptly, and likely resulted in an easy upgrade sales.

The activation/EULA issue, I certainly will look at more carefully, and could be reason to choose another product after being with CMS since at least 2004.

One important thing an user needs to remember is that CMS IntelliCAD needs to run with full administrator permissions.

We've tested to change the layer color on IntelliCAD 7.2, layer 0, over Windows XP SP3, and we have not found any crashes while handling layers. However, if the user does not run the software as system administrator then issues may appear.

An update, a work around. The problem only surfaces when the Window's start bar is located on the left side of the screen with Auto0hide = 'OFF". I prefer the bar there with a wide screen monitor to conserve vertical space, and there is plenty of horizontal space available. Just drag the start bar to the bottom, or turn auto-hide "ON". Intellicad.Org has a ticket open on the item, and hopefully will be corrected next update. I checked this out with XP PRO SP3 computer with ATI HD2400 graphics, and a Window's 8 computer with both on board Intel graphics and ATI HD4650 card.

Both computers have ONLY one user, who is administrator. Should not have to run a special way.

Also many people who work in an organization environment will not experience this since the office will have standardized layer colors, and layer colors never get changed.