Revit 2011 or 2012 products crash when attempting to replace material render appearance

Issue

When you attempt to replace a Revit 2011 or 2012 material render appearance the application crashes with an Autodesk Revit has stopped working error.

Solution

Revit 2012 Release

This issue should be improved with the Revit 2012 update 1 release; links are available below to download:

Revit Architecture 2012 UR1

Revit Structure 2012 UR1

Revit MEP 2012 UR1

Revit 2011 Release

For Revit 2011 utilizing the following troubleshooting process should resolve or reduce the occurrence of this behavior.

1. Windows Tablet PC Input Service
   
   Verify if there are any Services (Local) running called Tablet PC Input Service.  If so stop the service, launch Revit, and see if the crash persists.
   
   
   
   
2. Wacom Tablet Drivers \ Service
   
   Verify if there are any Services (Local) running similar to Wacom Consumer Touch Service.  If so stop the service, launch Revit, and see if the crash persists.
   
   
   
   
3. Windows Temp Folder
   
   Close Revit 2011; then empty the contents of the Windows Temp folder at:
   
   %Temp%
   
   You can copy \ paste the address above into a Windows Explorer path.
   
   
4. Windows Accessibility
   
   Verify if the workstation has any of the Microsoft Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Ease of Access Center tools enabled.
   
   For example, with On-Screen Keyboard or Magnifier enabled Revit can crash at the Materials dialog in a similar manner.  If so, test disabling the access tools temporarily to see if the crash persists.
   
   
5. Run as Administrator
   
   Right-click on the Revit 2011 shortcut > Run as Administrator.  See if the crash persists.
   
   
6. Simplified Startup
   
   Restart Windows with Microsoft MSCONFIG > General, and do either a Diagnostic Startup or Selective Startup.  Verify if the crash occurs in a simplified environment.