UPDATE: Important notice for customers using PhotoWorks with 64-bit versions of SolidWorks 2009 SP5, 2010 SP1 or 2010 SP2
4:14 PM EST – There is now a hotfix for this situation. The following has been posted to the SolidWorks Forum. https://forum.solidworks.com/message/138978#138978
All customers with PhotoWorks on a 64-bit operating system with SolidWorks 2009 SP5, 2010 SP1, or 2010 SP2 MUST apply this hotfix in response to SPR# 535417.
A PhotoWorks issue has been identified in 64-bit operating system versions
with SolidWorks 2009 SP5, SolidWorks 2010 SP1, and SolidWorks 2010 SP2.
The SolidWorks installation, operating system, program files, and data
files may become damaged or unrecoverable if the PhotoWorks add-in is
enabled when SolidWorks is running and the SolidWorks process is
already using more than 2GB of virtual memory. See SolidWorks Technical Alerts for further details.
Hotfix instructions:
1) Select the version to hotfix (Note: SolidWorks cannot be running when the hotfix is applied):
2) Select whether Run or Save the hotfix. Use Save if you are applying the hotfix to more than one computer.
3) Select Run to extract the hotfix.
4) Select Run to accept the warning.
5) Unzip the files and the hotfix will be applied.
6) Patch complete. Note: You will need to uninstall this patch before applying
SolidWorks 2009 SP5.1, SolidWorks 2010 SP2.1 or higher.
If
you do not get this confirmation message, check to see if you have
selected the correct hotfix for your installed version of SolidWorks.
If this issue is not resolved after applying this hotfix, please contact your Value-Added Reseller (VAR)
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Original entry:
The following technical alert was posted last night for SolidWorks users. You can access it by clicking here
SolidWorks 2009 SP5 (x64), SolidWorks 2010 SP1 (x64), and SolidWorks 2010 SP2 (x64) have been temporarily removed from the SolidWorks Downloads pages due to the technical issue listed below.
An issue with PhotoWorks has been identified in 64-bit versions of
SolidWorks 2009 SP5, SolidWorks 2010 SP1, and SolidWorks 2010 SP2 in
which the SolidWorks installation, the operating system, program files
and data files may become damaged or unrecoverable if the PhotoWorks
add-in is enabled when SolidWorks is running and the SolidWorks process
is already using more than 2GB of virtual memory. These service packs
have been removed from the web site as a precaution in order to prevent
the risk of damage to customers’ systems under these circumstances.
This problem does not affect 32-bit versions of
SolidWorks; hence all 32-bit Service Packs are still available for
download. Furthermore, SolidWorks 2010 SP0 (x64) is not affected, nor
are SolidWorks 2009 SP4.1 (x64) and earlier Service Packs of SolidWorks
2009. Please note also that this issue only pertains to enabling the
PhotoWorks add-in and has no effect on the use of PhotoView 360 for
renderings.
The issue is documented in Knowledge Base solution
S-046282, included below for reference, which will be updated as more
information is available. Immediate hot fixes are planned for each of
these service pack versions, and will be released as soon as possible.
SolidWorks 2009 SP5.1 and SolidWorks 2010 SP2.1 point release service
packs are also being developed with a fix for this issue.
What should I do?
If you are using PhotoWorks on 64-bit versions of
SolidWorks 2009 SP5, SolidWorks 2010 SP1 or 2010 SP2, we strongly
advise waiting for the availability of these hot fixes or point release
updates before any further use of PhotoWorks.
Knowledge Base Solution ID:S-046282
SolidWorks
and operating system may become unstable after PhotoWorks add-in is
enabled when SolidWorks processes are using more than 2GB of virtual
memory. What may cause this?
Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 (64 Bit only) operating systems:
SolidWorks
and operating system may become unstable after PhotoWorks add-in is
enabled when SolidWorks processes are using more than 2GB of virtual
memory.
An issue has been identified where SolidWorks and the
Windows operating system may become unstable after enabling the
PhotoWorks add-in within SolidWorks 2009 SP5 and SolidWorks 2010 SP1 or
later. The issue has been reported to the development team as SPR#
535417. If using PhotoWorks, it is advised to enable the PhotoWorks
add-in only after first opening a new SolidWorks session before any
files are loaded.
A symptom that this issue may occur is
if no PhotoWorks Toolbar or menu appears but the Render Manager tab
remains shown. If you notice these symptoms, it is strongly advised to
end the SolidWorks session with the “end process” selection from the
processes tab of the Windows Task Manager.
.