Autodesk License Issues on Bootcamp.

*"I don't think they're too familiar with how their software works on Bootcamp. "*

Whether you're running it through Boot Camp makes no difference, as running windows on a Mac through Boot Camp is no different than running Windows on any other PC, because a Mac is a PC. The fact that it's made by Apple makes no difference either.

This is not an issue with your Mac and/or Boot Camp. It is an issue with Windows and your Autodesk software, and you need to work with them to get it straightened out.

Same issue here. No solution unfortunately. Autodesk categorically refused to help the moment I mentioned Bootcamp. I was floored by the arrogance of the tech I spoke to, the gist of which was how dare I run their product on Bootcamp, now go away you little standalone person. I managed to get an activation over the phone today, good till I log off.

What kills me is that in effect this is just a registration issue, the app works brilliantly in Bootcamp. Why they can't deal with this administratively is beyond me. So far they've only demonstrated arrogance, but I hear that's Autodesk in a nutshell.

We made the jump to Mac about a year ago and it has been absolutely seamless and problem free, nothing, nada. After 10 years of **** with Windows PC's I'm starting to twitch again.........

So has anyone got any ideas about this ??

This is cheery.
I had hoped they'd fixed this by now.
I read about it somewhere a few months ago, I think a few people managed to fix it but I'm not sure.
Typical Auodesk. I shuddered when they bought Maya.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=9506795&linkID=924 0617

The above helped my situation. So far anyway. I should point out I did notice before finding the document that Windows and Leopard where on different time zones. Not sure if this would cause a license to fail.

On the Autodesk forum. You had to delete a .dat file but only one guy posted back to say it had worked.

Apparently (from another forum) it's actually something to do with Bootcamp. If you delete Mac OS off completely and just use Windoze you've got no problems, it's going backwards and forwards that's the problem.

Autodesk say Apple won't even give them a machine to try things on as all the other vendors do, and Autodesk think it's because Apple don't want competition for their software (which is a bit rich coming from Autodesk who been anti-mac for years).

It is Bootcamp that breaks the license though. It's really stupid because if Autodesk fix the issue and support Bootcamp they instantly sell a lot more software. Maybe they think if they do that Apple will issue another updater and the license would break again.

Who knows?
I for one just wish they all grow up and start putting the customer first. It's the way to sell stuff by and large and we are all paying huge sums of money for Macs and for Autodesk software so it would be nice to think either of them cared about helping us make it work.

Further to my post of Feb 28. After following the advice of the document the serial number stuck so it helped my situation somewhat. But the license continued to break.

Curiously the license on my MP Pro has never been an issue, only on my desktop. Both are running bootcamp (Vista). I compared the settings on both and found differences, so I set the desktop setting to match the MB. So far the license has stayed intact for the past week, a record so far.

Here are the settings that differed and the actions that seem to have helped:

Defender - Tools - Options - Realtime Protection Options - Application Registration (Turned it on)
User Accounts - Turn on User Account Control (Turned it off)
Firewall - Exceptions: Core Networking, File Printer Sharing, Network Discovery. (Allow)

I'm not sure whether any or all of these setting have any relevance, but they seem to have worked. Maybe someone more familiar with Vista can fill us in.

If you find this works for you let us know.
Cheers

I have noted a link below with AutoDesk's comments on this issue.

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/item?siteID=123112&id=9602818&linkID=924 0617

Message was edited by: LukeD

.............and then I pulled a file from a USB hard drive and the license broke again. This is the last straw for us, our brief return to ADesk/Windoze has cost us dearly in terms of productivity/investment and left a very, very bad taste. We should have known better, it's why we switched to Mac in the first place. Vectorworks just picked up a new client.

It's seems no one has heard about Vmware Fusion & it's compatibility with bootcamp. The try running autocad in it. It work's absolutely fine for me.

I have also been having problems with licensing errors while in boot camp. I have been able to run AutoCAD Revit w/ no issues in Parallels. However,I can certainly understand why some don't want to run on Paralells. Parallels in Virtual and is not able to access my 512 mb NVidia 8800 GT graphics card and it appears quite difficult to link it to my plotter and also defaults to 512 Mb RAM. This doesn't work well with my Apple Cinema 23" screen. I have tons of RAM doing nothing in Parallels, when my AutoCAD Revit is the software program that needs the most RAM of all of my software. So I prefer running Windows "natively" on Bootcamp. It is much faster, no comparison.
I have had similar licensing issues on Bootcamp and here's what has helped.I had read other blogs that blamed the clock, external hard drive and boot order.
First, upgraded with the new Bootcamp update that was released in preparation for the release of Win xp sp3. In fact, Apple says you need to update Bootcamp before updating w/ Win xp sp3. This update solved my bluetooth mouse and keyboard problems ( going in and out of commission). Next I put the Windows XP partition as my default boot. So now when I turn on my MacPro and it boots up it boots into Windows, and I access Mac by shutting down and then boot up w/ option key held down to get the boot screen and choose Mac. This solves the clock problem. ( If Mac is the default o.s., then Windows boots up and its clock reads 4 hours later for 5 seconds before showing the actual time.)
So after doing these things, I then loaded AutoCAD REvit 2008 (re-auth.), and loaded some updates that my Autodesk reseller suggested and the computer glitched. I had to force quit the CPU and restart. When I opened the AutoCAD Revit software I got the re-authorize message.

So..Here's what I did differently next time: I loaded AutoCAD Revit Building 2007 first (re-authorized) b/c I wondered if it had to be on the hard drive first, and it has (Revits 9.1 COM New) on the label and I noticed that the AutoCAD Revit Architectural Suite 2008 has (Revits 2008.0 COM Upgrade from Revits A, SUBM:RAC-S 2008 DVD LIC UPG.) I was never told that it was an upgrade! So I think I may always have to have the 2007 version on the hard drive first and then the subsequent upgrades. I didn't REALIZE that the 2008 version of AutoCAD Revit was an upgrade b/c I have the software by itself on my HP laptop w/ no problems. I never had to load both. Before you go OH Well... However, I still think I may be having imcompatibility issues w/ the external Maxtor hard drive. When loading the 2007 version and opening from the external hard drive and leaving the hard drive open when closing out the 2007 AutoCAD Revit, I got an license error message after that,when re-booting into AutoCAD Revit, and it gave me the screen that asks if you want to authorize or continue use for 5 days, and I hit authorize. It then opened normally, not in the authorization menu! So I think it saw the license, but there may be a glitch w/ Bootcamp and AutoCAD Revit and that external hard drive. After I was able to open the 2007 version normally several times,turning the machine on and off, I went ahead and loaded the 2008 version and the updates that the reseller gave me links to w/ no problems. So far , so good. I am being careful to open the Maxtor hard drive after I load AutoCAD Revit and turn it off before I close and leave it.

After all this, I have to say, update everything, be sure you have a Full Version (of your License) Autodesk software, and be careful about hard drive incompatiblity. Autodesk has acknowleged incompatibility issues w/ some usb external drives. However, I don't have any issues on my PC or win/ laptop w/ same hard drive when in AutoCAD REvit.