Mastercam2018 Fails to Start

[Motorsports-X]

I need support from someone at mastercam.  I have a brand new workstation.  it has an I7 8700,  P2000, and 16gb of ram.   It has a clean install of Windows 10 with the lastest 16299.214 update.   Mastercam WILL NOT start.  It ask for an activation code, I click no because im using the nethasp, and it exits.  If I go to nethasp, it does see my seats on the network.  I have tried firewall exceptions for every .exe in the Mastercam program folder. It still will not start.

 

Now, on my workstation. Mastercam for solidworks 2018.  I just get a "failed to load"  message.   This is a top end workstation from last year as well, which up to this point has had 0 problems with mastercam.   mastercam 2018 standalone will start however.  I have tried copying the INI file from this workstation to the other. Still no luck. 

 

MLCCad has been very supportive and spent hours trying to figure it out with no success.  We have modified the nethasp.ini files, and tried every thing we can think of including re-installing the OS on the first computer. 

 

Some help on this would be great CNCSoftware. 

[gcode]

Make sure your Win10 install is fully updated.

The original version of Fall Creator Update 1079 caused serious issues

with Mastecam and many other softwares.

Microsoft just released the fix for it late last week

[Motorsports-X]

 

1 hour ago, gcode said:

Make sure your Win10 install is fully updated.

The original version of Fall Creator Update 1079 caused serious issues

with Mastecam and many other softwares.

Microsoft just released the fix for it late last week

2 hours ago, Motorsports-X said:

  It has a clean install of Windows 10 with the lastest 16299.214 update.

 

 

 

[geirsj]

Maybe also right click mastercam icon and choose run as administrator 

[geirsj]

Sometimes i also have reinstalled the nethasp and chosen run as server and not as service.

and make sure the settings are correct on nehasp local or network

 

[Motorsports-X]

17 hours ago, geirsj said:

Sometimes i also have reinstalled the nethasp and chosen run as server and not as service.

and make sure the settings are correct on nehasp local or network

 

how would you reinstall and select that option?  Thats something I havent tried.   the nethasp.exe program does see all my seats on the network. it just doesnt seem to translate over to authorizing mastercam to run.

[gcode]

check this key with regedit

HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/CNC Software, Inc./

Nethasp mode should be set to Network

Sim Type should be set to N for Nethasp

 

[Motorsports-X]

Workstation one:

NetHASP Mode registry key is not present in either Current user, or local machine registry folders.

Both Sim type Keys  were set to H.  I changed them to N and restarted.  After restart I still get the error "No activation code found. Do you have an activation code"   

Do I manually need to add the nethasp mode key?  again, nethasp.exe does find my seats on the network. 

 

Workstation 2

 there isnt  a registry entry for Mastercam for solidworks 2018 under "hkey _Current_User"  but there is under "Hkey_Local_Machine"   This simtype is set to N and there is not an entry for NetHasp Mode

[gcode]

from Windows Explorer try

right clicking nethasp.exe then select run as administrator

and set it to nethasp and network

Windows 10 can be a PIA with Admin riights

I had to set up a dedicated Admin account to install 3D Connexion Space Mouse drivers,

even though my account has full access rights.

I would set one up and try to lauch Mastercam from that.

Google can tell you how to do it ... and doing it is another PIA

 

[Motorsports-X]

edit - i posted this before i read your reply . just above.  will try to force admin on everything next. 

OK workstation 2 seems to be fixed.  The licensing path for mastercam for solidworks 2018 pointed to c:/program files/common files/mastercam/mastercam licensing.

the nethasp.exe in that program folder did not see the licenses on the network. modified the nethasp.ini in that file with my server address and now it starts in solidworks again.  so it appears workstation 2 is resolved. 

 

Still nothing on workstation 1.

[gcode]

A valid copy of nethasp.ini need s to reside in the root of every Mastercam install that uses the nethasp

If MCfSW2018 is working, copy that nethasp.ini file to every Mastercam install in C:\Program Files

 

[Motorsports-X]

They all have it now. I  just didnt know that program folder even existed or that mastercam for solidworks was pointing to it.  The nethasp.ini file that is in the mastercamfor sw2018 folder was correct, but it was not the nethasp program it was using. I would prefer if mastercam would just load a single nethasp program into its own program folder. 

 

in regards to the other workstation.

I am going to try adding the "nethasp mode" key to the registry entries on workstation one. I changed the permissions and all users have full control  and its still not working. I also tried launching from the admin account (which I already had) and it wont start there either. Im at a loss on this one. 

[crazy^millman]

Delete the .workspace file in the Config folder inside of the my mcam2018 folder and see if that will solve the issue.

[Motorsports-X]

19 minutes ago, C^Millman said:

Delete the .workspace file in the Config folder inside of the my mcam2018 folder and see if that will solve the issue.

I cannont find a .workspace file in any folder inside the /program files/mastercam 2018.

 

Also, I did notice that this time when i right clicked "run as admin"  it said "preparing for first use" but then eventually gave me the same activation code error.

I did add a registry entry "NetHASP mode"  value "Network"  just like it is on my workstation,  but that seems to have had no affect. 

 

[CJep]

Just now, Motorsports-X said:

I cannont find a .workspace file in any folder inside the /program files/mastercam 2018.

 

Also, I did notice that this time when i right clicked "run as admin"  it said "preparing for first use" but then eventually gave me the same activation code error.

I did add a registry entry "NetHASP mode"  value "Network"  just like it is on my workstation,  but that seems to have had no affect. 

 

.workspace is located in the user's my mcam2018 folder in the documents location

[crazy^millman]

1 minute ago, Motorsports-X said:

I cannont find a .workspace file in any folder inside the /program files/mastercam 2018.

 

Also, I did notice that this time when i right clicked "run as admin"  it said "preparing for first use" but then eventually gave me the same activation code error.

I did add a registry entry "NetHASP mode"  value "Network"  just like it is on my workstation,  but that seems to have had no affect. 

 

You are looking in the wrong place. My Documents/my mcamx2018 is where to look for this.

[gcode]

5 minutes ago, Motorsports-X said:

preparing for first use

the first time a new user launches Mastercam a my Mastercam folder gets written

"C:\Users\ *** your user name ***  \Documents\my mcam2018"

Look and see if this folder exists.

I'm thinking Mastercam is trying to create this file and Win10 permission issues are preventing it from being written

When you did the install, did you accept the default location for user files ... or define them somewhere else

If it's trying to write a "my mcam2018" folder and fails, Mastercam will not launch

 

[Motorsports-X]

That would help wouldnt it.  

 I did look in that file, and it is not present.  I also did a global search of the C drive for .workspace files and none were shown. 

[Motorsports-X]

8 minutes ago, gcode said:

the first time a new user launches Mastercam a my Mastercam folder gets written

"C:\Users\ *** your user name ***  \Documents\my mcam2018"

Look and see if this folder exists.

I'm thinking Mastercam is trying to create this file and Win10 permission issues are preventing it from being written

When you did the install, did you accept the default location for user files ... or define them somewhere else

If it's trying to write a "my mcam2018" folder and fails, Mastercam will not launch

 

This folder does exist.  I did accept all the default options for this install, other than user name and company name.  I can add full user control to this folder as well and try that. 

 

edit -- the system, users, etc all already have full control of this folder. 

[Motorsports-X]

Im starting to wonder if I got a bad install file.  It should be the same one I used on my workstation. I downloaded and saved on the server and used it for both pc's and its working on mine.    

Does anyone have a checksum of the install file? 

[Motorsports-X]

Mastercam sent me a new nethasp.ini file that  was much simplified.  and for some reason it started up using that one.

 

im a bit lost as why.. but ok. ill take it. 

[crazy^millman]

1 hour ago, Motorsports-X said:

Mastercam sent me a new nethasp.ini file that  was much simplified.  and for some reason it started up using that one.

 

im a bit lost as why.. but ok. ill take it. 

Cool glad you got it working like you need.

[G Bill]

Has any one ever received error "Failed to initialise COM" while starting mastercam. I'm dealing with it very badly. I haven't got any solution yet. 

[gcode]

3 hours ago, G Bill said:

Has any one ever received error "Failed to initialise COM" while starting mastercam. I'm dealing with it very badly. I haven't got any solution yet. 

Can you tell up more about your computer.

In particular, the OS ( Win7 or Win 10)

and video card

 

[DanielGingras]

4 hours ago, G Bill said:

Has any one ever received error "Failed to initialise COM" while starting mastercam. I'm dealing with it very badly. I haven't got any solution yet. 

The solution to this is actually counterintuitive. Go to your Windows settings and change your default printer to Microsoft XPS Document Writer.