DesignSpark Mechanical crashes at launch. How do I fix this?

Alternatively, you may see the message 'SpaceClaim has stopped working' before the program crashes.

First, try starting the program as an administrator of that PC and make sure any pending Windows updates that require a computer restart are complete.

If that does not work, try the fixes below:

1. If DS Mechanical has previously been working properly but suddenly fails to launch without any error messages, there may be an issue with the user configuration file:

C:\Users\"Your Username"\AppData\Local\SpaceClaim\SpaceClaim.exe_Url_gvqfhgv3kynzmln3sj2zsp2zsbzw0b2t\1.0.0.0\user.config

Please delete this file and launch DS Mechanical again. Also look for similarly named SpaceClaim sub-folders (ending in a large alpha-numeric string) and delete those too- you may have multiple user.config files from different DSM installations.

The software should then work fine.

The 'AppData' directory may be hidden by default on some computers. To view it, do a Windows search for 'Folder options' or 'File explorer options' and then go to 'view' tab-> select 'show hidden files & folders'.

2. If the program freezes without warning, delete the contents of the C:\Users\"Your Username"\AppData\Local\SpaceClaim\ folder and switch to the Windows 8 (Office 2013) ribbon style under File -> DesignSpark options -> Appearance.

If you have just installed the software and it crashes at first launch, the above config file will not be available. In such cases, please log a support ticket with us through the above button (https://designspark.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new). 

As a pre-requisite with the ticket, please attach the following:

Screenshots from Windows Event viewer which records additional information on the crash (like a faulty Windows module). Please send all the relevant screenshots within the rough time frame of when DS Mechanical crashed. Example:

   

3. If you repeatedly see a 30 day error message which blocks DSM from opening, check that the time & date on your PC's taskbar is set/synchronized correctly.

Make sure you are online via a direct internet connection when launching DSM and not through a workplace network with strict policies.

If you are using v2 of DSM and seeing this 30 day message for the first time, please also check this article for a patch issued in October 2020: https://designspark.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360005180754 

4. For Windows 10 users: try opening DSM in Windows 8 compatibility mode. You can do this through the file properties of the DSM executable shortcut. Click OK to apply changes.

If it was already enabled before and DSM is still not opening, disable compatibility mode and 'change settings for all users', then OK to apply changes.

5. If you see an error message like 'unknown software exception.. occurred in..', please try the .NET Framework repair tool: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=30135

6. If your login window is blank when you are trying to open the software for the first time or re-activating it, try the following:

a. Check that your graphics card is support by DSM using this tool

b. Update your graphics card driver if a new version is available. You can do so using 'Windows Device Manager' and look for 'Display Adapters'. Here is a relevant tutorial from Microsoft: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/update-drivers-in-windows-ec62f46c-ff14-c91d-eead-d7126dc1f7b6 

7. If DSM stops responding after the login screen and exits without an error message, first check your event viewer for more details on the crash. If the exception info is the same as highlighted below,

disable FIPS mode for your network adapter. Instructions can be found here:

https://www.howtogeek.com/245859/why-you-shouldnt-enable-fips-compliant-encryption-on-windows/

8. If DSM crashes and the Windows event viewer shows 'MSHTML.DLL' as the faulting module, try the following:

a. Make sure you are on the latest version of Internet Explorer. Check using Windows update if one is available. If it is up-to-date and DSM still doesn't work, go to the next step.

b. Try resetting the Internet Explorer settings to default and see if this helps:

• Press “Windows key + R” to get the run window.
• Type “inetcpl.cpl” and click ok to get the “Internet Options” window.
• Click the “Advanced” tab and click “reset”.

c. If the above doesn't work, try re-installing Internet Explorer: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/browsers/how-to-repair-or-reinstall-ie

d. As the final step, use Windows update to check for the latest .NET framework version and run this repair tool if it is the newest version: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/download/details.aspx?id=30135