Autodesk AutoCAD Services & Support

Error on startup or AutoCAD is not installed properly. Please reinstall immediately.

Issue

When you launched the application, it immediately closes.  The following error message may or may not be displayed:

This version of AutoCAD was not installed properly and some features may not run correctly. You should reinstall AutoCAD immediately to make sure all features are working properly. Do you wish to continue anyway?

Solution

We've discovered one source for this issue that stems from a bad registry entry in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.png key. 

There have been cases where the value in the Content Type key contains a leading space.

In some cases, simply removing that leading space in the value resolves the issue.  We don't know how that value is getting set with a leading space - it is not being done by Autodesk - nor do we know if removing that space affects any other applications, however users who removed the leading space did not report any other issues.

  1. Run REGEDIT
  2. Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.png
  3. Modify the Content Type value to remove a leading space (if one exists)

If this did not apply to your system or it did not resolve the issue, these errors may indicate a corruption of the Microsoft® .NET Framework. This operating system component is required for several AutoCAD features, including the Properties Palette, Layer Manager, Ribbon, Menu Browser, Tooltips and other features.  

To correct this issue:

  1. On the Start menu (Windows), click Settings > Control Panel.
  2. In Control Panel, double-click Add or Remove Programs (Windows 2000/XP) or Programs and Features (Windows Vista).
  3. Uninstall all versions of .NET Framework, beginning with the newest version first.
  4. Reinstall only the version of .NET Framework required for your software version. Refer to the list below for AutoCAD requirements. For vertical products, consult the product installation literature for the required .NET Framework version.
  • AutoCAD 2008/AutoCAD LT 2008 requires .NET Framework 2.0
  • AutoCAD 2009/AutoCAD LT 2009 requires .NET Framework 3.0
  • AutoCAD 2010/AutoCAD LT 2010 requires .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1
  • AutoCAD 2011/AutoCAD LT 2011 requires .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1
Support – Terms of Use
AUTODESK DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY DOWNLOAD OR IMPLEMENT ANY SERVICE PACK OR WORKAROUND, OR ANY OF THE TIPS, TRICKS, EXAMPLES OR SUGGESTIONS OUTLINED IN ANY AUTODESK PRODUCT SUPPORT TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS. TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS, SERVICE PACKS AND WORKAROUNDS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU. AUTODESK PROVIDES TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS, SERVICE PACKS AND WORKAROUNDS "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL AUTODESK OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF DATA, OR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, THAT MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF IMPLEMENTING ANY SERVICE PACK OR WORKAROUND, OR ANY SUGGESTION OUTLINED IN ANY AUTODESK PRODUCT SUPPORT TECHNICAL DOCUMENT, EVEN IF AUTODESK OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
  • Did this page resolve your issue?
  • Translate This Page (Beta)

    Learn More about this translation beta.Page is machine translated. Learn More.

    Was this translation useful?

  • Document Information

    Published date: 2010-Apr-06
    ID: TS1056464

     

    Applies to:
    AutoCAD® 2013
    AutoCAD® 2012
    AutoCAD® 2011
    AutoCAD® 2010
    AutoCAD® 2009
    AutoCAD® 2008
    AutoCAD® Architecture 2013
    AutoCAD® Architecture 2012
    AutoCAD® Architecture 2011
    AutoCAD® Architecture 2010
    AutoCAD® Architecture 2009
    AutoCAD® Architecture 2008
    AutoCAD® Civil 2011
    AutoCAD® Civil 2010
    AutoCAD® Civil 2009
    AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2013
    AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2012
    AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2011
    AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2010
    AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2009
    AutoCAD® Civil 3D® 2008
    AutoCAD® ecscad 2012
    AutoCAD® ecscad 2011
    AutoCAD® ecscad 2010
    AutoCAD® ecscad 2009
    AutoCAD® Electrical 2013
    AutoCAD® Electrical 2012
    AutoCAD® Electrical 2011
    AutoCAD® Electrical 2010
    AutoCAD® Electrical 2009
    AutoCAD® Electrical 2008
    AutoCAD® Land Desktop 2009
    AutoCAD® Land Desktop 2008
    AutoCAD LT® 2013
    AutoCAD LT® 2012
    AutoCAD LT® 2011
    AutoCAD LT® 2010
    AutoCAD LT® 2009
    AutoCAD LT® 2008
    AutoCAD® Map 3D 2013
    AutoCAD® Map 3D 2012
    AutoCAD® Map 3D 2011
    AutoCAD® Map 3D 2010
    AutoCAD® Map 3D 2009
    AutoCAD® Map 3D 2008
    AutoCAD® Mechanical 2013
    AutoCAD® Mechanical 2012
    AutoCAD® Mechanical 2011
    AutoCAD® Mechanical 2010
    AutoCAD® Mechanical 2009
    AutoCAD® Mechanical 2008
    AutoCAD® MEP 2013
    AutoCAD® MEP 2012
    AutoCAD® MEP 2011
    AutoCAD® MEP 2010
    AutoCAD® MEP 2009
    AutoCAD® MEP 2008
    AutoCAD® P&ID 2013
    AutoCAD® P&ID 2012
    AutoCAD® P&ID 2011
    AutoCAD® P&ID 2010
    AutoCAD® P&ID 2009
    AutoCAD® P&ID 2008
    AutoCAD® Plant 3D 2013
    AutoCAD® Plant 3D 2012
    AutoCAD® Plant 3D 2011
    AutoCAD® Plant 3D 2010
    AutoCAD® Plant 3D 2009