SolidWorks Performance Blitz! (Part 6: “Autosave” settings and thumbnails)
April 28th, 2008
| Part 1: /3GB Switch |
| Part 2: Anti-virus Tip/Trick |
| Part 3: Virtual Memory |
| Part 4: Computer Processor |
| Part 5: Computer Maintenance |
| Part 6: Autosave & thumbnails |
Here are some simple settings that will make life much easier to live when using SolidWorks on a daily basis:
1. Turn off thumbnail display of SolidWorks files within Windows Explorer. A computer may appear to freeze up if using Windows Explore to access a folder that contains a lot of SolidWorks files. This is because a lot of resources are required to retrieve and show the thumbnail previews. Besides, those previews can be so small that it is almost impossible to tell what they are anyway. This is a setting within SolidWorks at pulldown Options>System Options tab>General page. Uncheck “Show thumbnail graphics in Windows Explore”. Select OK to save the setting.Â
2. Turn off the auto-recover and the save notification functions. These functions can potentially do more harm than good. Based on my own experience, if auto-recover is on your system may be more likely to crash. It certainly can slow down you computer and inopportune times. On the other hand, save notification is just simply annoying. It can potentially block a portion of the view pane or tool bars where you might be performing some task. It’s just not worth the trouble in the long run. These settings are within pulldown Options>System Options>Backup/Recover page. Uncheck “Save auto-recover info” line within the Auto-recover area. Uncheck “Show reminder if document has not been saved” within the “Save notification” area. Select OK to save the settings.
Categories: How-To, Tip/Trick | Tags: auto-recover, Autosave, save notification, SolidWorks performance, thumbnail, Windows Explore
I use the auto-recover because my computer crashes a lot when working in SW. So, you mean that this option may as well be what makes it crash? Interesting! I was wondering something else. Sometimes, right after the crash, I try to recover the file I was working with and it also recovers files I had been working with previously and that were long closed BEFORE the crash. Why is that? Is there a way to instruct it to recover only the files that were open before the crash and not those that I had already closed?
SolidWorks will crash regardless. However, it may do so less without auto-recover activated. You may lose work, but you know what you lose since your last save.
The best option is to manually save often. From my experience, it even seems that SolidWorks crashes less often when you save more often. It could be my imagination, but it sure seems that way to me.
Hello,
Can anyone help me?
I am not able to see thumbnails of the models in windows explorer, just the basic icon. I have not turned off the thumbnails in options either, as I did use them regularly for quick viewing of the files.
Ray,
Technical question like this are best answered when directly asking your VAR. If not your VAR, then you can ask at http://forum.solidworks.com or the Solidworks area on http://eng-tips.com.