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ptc-44255921-Visitor
1-Visitor
April 20, 2012
Solved

Creo suddenly refuses to start

  • April 20, 2012
  • 9 replies
  • 13455 views

Early today (and the last several weeks) I've been using Creo M090. Suddenly it refused to load. I see the pro_comm_msg.exe process start followed by xtop.exe. The xtop.exe process looks like it is consuming on of my CPUs, but nothing is ever displayed and memory usage is not growing.


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Best answer by ptc-4425592

So I think I'm on to something in case anyone else runs into this...

I have a Dell M6600 laptop. It has a Quadro 5010M and also the Intel internal graphics card. When the "Optimus" technology is turned on in the BIOS to enable both graphics cards to drive several monitors, ProE/Creo will not start. One of my co-workers also had this problem with SolidWorks. So I have to turn this off when undocked, and turn back on when docked.

Not the best solution but it does work.

Thanks for the input everyone.

9 replies

P
ptc-44255921-VisitorAuthor
1-Visitor
April 20, 2012

Please help....deadlines are approaching. And thanks.

DomenicLaritz
DomenicLaritz16-Pearl
16-Pearl
April 20, 2012

Maybe one of Creo's required EXE files is getting blocked by the Windows Firewall?

Search in the firewall rules and delete the one that's blocking.

D
DHLewis13-Aquamarine
13-Aquamarine
April 20, 2012

Check your display settings and the config.pro option for "graphics" Try setting it to Win32_gdi, d3d, or opengl.

If one works and the other doesn't then it points to a Graphics Card/Driver Problem.

B
BrianMartin13-Aquamarine
13-Aquamarine
April 24, 2012

Hi Dan...

A few ideas... first, look through your trail files (if you know where these are) to find out the last day you successfully worked in Creo. Check for any drivers or Windows updates that occurred on that date (or the next day). If you have the abillity to "roll back" the system to a restore point before that day, this may restore your Creo to a working state.

If you don't have this option, try downloading the latest version of Creo Elements Pro/5 which is M130. I'm assuming you're using Creo Elements Pro 5 and not Creo Parametric 1.0 because that software is only at release code M030.

Perhaps re-installing the latest version will resolve the issue. It sounds to me like something changed... graphics driver, windows update, security/firewall issue. Re-installing the software should go through the setup process and ask you to unblock certain applications at the firewall. You always have to unblock xtop.exe, pro_comm_msg.exe, and nmsd.exe.

Please keep us updated and let us know anything that happens. If none of these options solve the problem... maybe there's something more insidious going on.

Thanks!

-Brian

    P
    ptc-44255921-VisitorAuthor
    1-Visitor
    April 25, 2012

    Alright...thanks for the input everyone. I am using Creo Elements Pro 5.

    What I've found is that when my laptop is docked everything works fine. Is the licensing tied to hardware somehow? I'm using a developer partner fixed license setup. I'm going to try and reinstall everything while undocked, my worry is things will stop working when I'm docked .

    I may try to upgrade, but I'm working with another company using the M090 rev so I'm a little hesitant (maybe I shouldn't be).

    Thanks again, any further insight would be appreciated.

    --Dan

    B
    BrianMartin13-Aquamarine
    13-Aquamarine
    April 25, 2012

    Hi Dan...

    You shouldn't be afraid to upgrade to another Build Code of Wildfire 5 even if your customer is on a different build code but I understand your apprehension.

    Wildfire 5 (Creo Elements Pro/5) doesn't actually need to be "installed". If you simply zip up all the directories and files under the application directory into an archive, you can move it to another system, unzip, and run the program without "installing" it.

    So uninstalling and reinstalling doesn't seem to the the problem here.

    Instead, it seems to be your connection. If the license works when docked... you're probably hard-wired into the company's LAN/WAN. When you're undocked, you're probably going wireless. Perhaps you have an incorrect setting for your wireless configuration?

    Some companies have a Guest wireless network which does NOT have access to license servers, data servers, and other protected data. They also have a "truster" wireless network for their workers which DOES have access to all of these protected servers. Could it be that when you're wireless, you're connecting to the Guest network (if it even exists). Or... could it be that you need special permissions when connecting wirelessly to access the Creo license server?

    If you can find out what the name of the Creo license server is, you can test your connection. Well, it's a rudimentary test but it might shed some light on the situation.

    While docked, open a DOS window and use the ping command to test the connection to your Creo license server. if the license server name is CreoServer, you'd enter the command ping creoserver and wait for a response. You should see several responses noting the time it took to contact the host in milliseconds. Try this same command while undocked. If you do not receive the same response from "pinging" the server when disconnected from the dock, you've found your problem.

    A failed ping command usually shows a series of timeout errors as your workstation fails to locate the server. If your workstation can't see the Creo license server when undocked, you may want to contact your IT folks to help you. They should understand how to properly set up your workstation for undocked operation.

    If this is WAY off base and has nothing to do with your particular setup, write back and give us more details. I'm just taking a stab in the dark here based on my experience with docked/undocked users at my company.

    Thanks!

    -Brian

    Patriot_1776
    Patriot_177622-Sapphire II
    22-Sapphire II
    April 25, 2012

    I refuse to start.....(Creo)........

    P
    ptc-44255921-VisitorAuthor
    1-Visitor
    April 26, 2012

    Here is a view of task manager after I try to start Creo. This view doesn't change, xtop.exe stuck at 12-13% CPU and memory usage remains constant.

    TaskMgrView.JPG

    P
    ptc-44255921-VisitorAuthor
    1-Visitor
    April 26, 2012

    I also upgrade to M130, same issue.

    B
    BrianMartin13-Aquamarine
    13-Aquamarine
    April 26, 2012

    Hi Dan...

    I'm really not familiar with this "developer locked license" thing. Is this a dongle-type unit that plugs into a port on your workstation? I feel like I'm missing part of the picture here.

    Thanks!

    -Brian

    P
    ptc-44255921-VisitorAuthor
    1-Visitor
    April 30, 2012

    It's actually a license file that I reference during the installation.

    P
    ptc-44255921-VisitorAuthorAnswer
    1-Visitor
    May 3, 2012

    So I think I'm on to something in case anyone else runs into this...

    I have a Dell M6600 laptop. It has a Quadro 5010M and also the Intel internal graphics card. When the "Optimus" technology is turned on in the BIOS to enable both graphics cards to drive several monitors, ProE/Creo will not start. One of my co-workers also had this problem with SolidWorks. So I have to turn this off when undocked, and turn back on when docked.

    Not the best solution but it does work.

    Thanks for the input everyone.

    I
    iscarpin1-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    April 8, 2013

    Hello Dan.

    Sorry to bother u.

    I'm using Creo 2.0 since mid February.

    Everything was okay until this friday, Creo 2.0 refuses to start I think as you in the past.

    Would you please tell me what did u do exactly to mak Creo working?, thanks a lot!.

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