CAD Software Forum

Had completely functioning 12.0, did not need upgrade but in the spirit of keeping CMS in business and loyalty as a customer, I paid for and got 14.0.

Did everything right by the book, activation seemed to work, program installed, icon on screen then program start splash screen appears for a microsecond and program disappears.

Have sent multiple detailed crash reports to CMS and response is "crickets". Do they even check these?

On one crash report, I learned how to see what is being sent as data and I believe I saw an "exception" occuring involving Visual C++.

A previous poster mentioned not being able to run 13.0 and the problem (maybe) was an out of date version of Microsoft Visual C++.

A helpful forum member posted a link to an updated version of Microsoft Visual C++. I'll give that a try as crash reports don't seem to be getting anyone's attention.

CMS must know about this, it not to their credit that long running customers have to ferret out solutions in this manner.

I know the software is a good buy for what it does and do not expect the kind of support one might get with AutoCAD but come on, at least address the issue.

Maybe this is somewhere in the FAQ but since CMS has everyone's email, would it hurt to send out a little message with link to correct Visual C++ link?

I have yet to implement this solution, that is updating the Visual C++ software and trying to restart the program. You'll hear from me either way, success or crash.

Maybe CMS doesn't know but many of us use this in our offices or in the field as part of our jobs. We need to be able to at least run the program to make a living.

For what it is worth, I have had great success since version 10.0 with the only glitch being an AntiVirus program interfering with activation.

That time, someone at CMS took 30 seconds to let me know to turn off the AV while activating. I run different AV now and it did not quarantine anything or cause visible problem.

This glitch with 14.0 is the first real installation/run problem I have had with CMS and it is negatively impacting my workflow immensely.

Okay, update time.
I downloaded Microsoft Visual C++ v14 Redistributable (x64) - 14.50.35719
This is an attempt to cure the previously noted program crash with CMS Version 14.0 and now 14.1. (I was never notified of the availability of the 14.0 maintenance build that came out).
Problem is that the new Visual C++ version 14.50 will not install on Windows 7 machines. Yes, I know it is old and unsupported but it has no problem running CMS 12.0.

A screen pops up telling me that I have to have Windows 10 or above to install the new version of Visual C++.

I have checked product literature & description for CMS V 14.0 and 14.1 and besides saying it is compatible with 64 bit systems, there is no description of which Windows OS it is compatible with.

Hey CMS: Does your current software, Version 14.1 or even Version 14.0 run on Windows 7? Had I known, I would have just kept V 12.0 and made a living.

Hey CMS: If this version issue of Visual C++ is what is causing the program to crash on start, then by default V14.0 will not run on Windows 7 machines, is this the case?

I'm gonna try one last thing, to see if I can run the Visual C++ in compatibility mode with Windows 7. A long shot but since we are on our own here, worth a shot.

Hi, “I think” 14.5X includes support for visual studio 2026, You might to hunt for a redistributable version that is 14.3XXXXX, which is for visual studio 2022.

I found a link here that has a collection of runtimes, https://www.techpowerup.com/download/vi ... ll-in-one/ I would start with one of the 14.3 versions… best of luck

CMS IntelliCAD is compatible with maintained 64-bit Windows operating systems. v12 uses legacy C++ libraries, whereas v14.x adopts the newest Microsoft libraries. Compatibility with v14.x cannot be guaranteed on non-maintained or "End-of-Life" Windows systems due to lack of official Microsoft support.

CMS Inc wrote: ↑

Tue Jan 06, 2026 5:18 am

CMS IntelliCAD is compatible with maintained 64-bit Windows operating systems. v12 uses legacy C++ libraries, whereas v14.x adopts the newest Microsoft libraries. Compatibility with v14.x cannot be guaranteed on non-maintained or "End-of-Life" Windows systems due to lack of official Microsoft support.

I wish that information was available in the product literature. Perhaps I missed something but as I mentioned earlier, some clarification on compatible OS version is typical with most vendors, I found that information exceedingly difficult to find on the CMS website. That said, I will consider upgrading hardware as I am aware of the fallout of Microsoft non-support. (Though surprising how many things, ATMs, etc are running on much older OS than mine)

I reverted back to my 12.0 license and regained functionality in my office. The upgrade purchase was basically to keep you guys in business as I plan to use this platform for a long time. Appreciate your reply & clarification.

Danielm103 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 05, 2026 1:30 am

Hi, “I think” 14.5X includes support for visual studio 2026, You might to hunt for a redistributable version that is 14.3XXXXX, which is for visual studio 2022.

I found a link here that has a collection of runtimes, https://www.techpowerup.com/download/vi ... ll-in-one/ I would start with one of the 14.3 versions… best of luck

Thanks for helping out. Appreciate your taking time to provide a potential solution.

Danielm103 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 05, 2026 1:30 am

Hi, “I think” 14.5X includes support for visual studio 2026, You might to hunt for a redistributable version that is 14.3XXXXX, which is for visual studio 2022.

That’s probably the right direction. A lot of older software can be picky about which Visual C++ runtime version is installed, and newer 14.5x packages don’t always behave the same as the 14.3x builds intended for VS2022-era applications. Trying a 14.3 runtime first makes sense before digging into more complicated troubleshooting. Hopefully that runtime collection helps narrow it down quickly.

I can understand the frustration here, especially when the software is part of your daily workflow and everything was working perfectly before the upgrade. It definitely sounds like this may be related to a missing or incompatible Microsoft Visual C++ runtime, particularly since the application crashes immediately after the splash screen appears.
It’s also fair to expect at least a basic troubleshooting response from CMS, especially if multiple crash reports have already been submitted. A simple knowledge-base article or email notice about required Visual C++ redistributables could probably save many users a lot of time and stress.
Hopefully updating the Visual C++ packages resolves the issue for you. Please do update the thread with the outcome, because I suspect other users running into sudden launch crashes with 14.0 may benefit from the same fix.

Check if the system is running an AMD graphics driver. If so, roll back the driver version, as the latest release has a bug that causes our software—and several other programs—to crash on startup.