Ok I know this has been a topic of discussion many times on the old forum but I don’t think it was ever given it’s own FAQ and I think it should. Can a knowledgeable person go through the method of completely removing SW to do a clean install to get rid of the persistent bugs hanging on the machine? I need to update templates and want them to not have old junk hanging on.
Thank you
I found the following manual in the web:
https://www.goengineer.com/blog/complete-solidworks-clean-uninstall-guide
Adding to your suggestion with clean templates:
https://www.goengineer.com/blog/how-to-update-templates-in-solidworks
That’s two completely different issues.
Start with a new computer …
https://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2013/08/complete-uninstall-of-solidworks/
The last “work stations” the company purchased, they were proud to get them for under $1500.
No thank you.
Hope you’ll be proud of a $6000 workstation which work as fast as the old one and crash as much 
Oh no. A $6000 workstation would be much faster, thus it would crash much faster.
When we switched to SolidWorks from Catia v4 in 98, our first SolidWorks workstations were $12,000. Company didn’t bat an eye at the time because the Catia boxes running AIX were $20,000 each. Fast forward 20 years and now I have to pull teeth with the IT group to get decent workstations and they don’t like the $5000 price tag. They are like “Well HP said this $2000 workstation will work for SolidWorks.” We have assemblies that are 10k parts, we aren’t modeling bottle caps.
Jason,
Agreed. The units we sell are in the $140,000 range but that doesn’t seem to matter. A few years ago our manager showed a ROI of 8 months for installing the full version of PDM. Two years ago I was given the go ahead to setup the version included in the Pro seats of SW but the company balked at $2000 in training so we are still just saving to windows folders.
Digression at it’s best 
here I’m using Fusion 360, after a while we’ll have to back into work, can’t afford to go forward… 
No kidding, that sounds vaguely familiar… <()>
Somehow, I feel under appreciated
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I can relate, our designer laptops have a company mandated lifespan of 4 years. Our latest machines, now about 2 to 3 years old, are definitely lighter than their predecessors, but that’s pretty much where the benefits end. They are why more unstable and buggy, and that’s without CAD programs. I can understand wanting to save a buck, and not spending corporate funds frivolously, but at what expense (time is money). If you want the job done right, you’re going to need the proper tools.
If I want to proceed to a complete uninstall and reinstall, I will use this procedure, by Javelin tech. On that link, near the end there is a hyperlink to a clean uninstall & reinstall of SolidWorks, it is exactly that that I use as a procedure.
https://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2013/08/complete-uninstall-of-solidworks/
If I want to do a registry wipe to check if a bug could perhaps be caused by corruption, this is the procedure I use, again by Javelin Tech!
https://www.javelin-tech.com/blog/2019/01/reset-solidworks-registry/
Edit: I know Workstations are costy, but to be honest I find them to be extremely reliable too. I’ve had the same workstation since 2012 where I work at and the only thing I’ve switched is the graphic card.
I wouldn’t go with a workstation if I were a freelancer, but I certainly would if I had a business.
All the same. Keep them cool. If its too hot to touch, put a fan on it.
Last one I build lasted over 10 years until MB went dead. The manufacturer went dead before that.
Start with Slot 1 Celeron 300 CPU. Die with Socket 370 (on Slot 1 adaptor) P4. With 3 or 4 CPU upgrade in between.
Heavily OCed. Water cooled in last few years.
The Dell XPS replaced it is almost 10 years too.
No time to play PC game. So don’t want to build another one.
Guys,
Thank you for the links to both Go Engineer and Javelin. These are what I was looking for. While I am in need, I wanted this information here for others to find as well. I am going to mark one as correct so that it shows answered, but all 3 answers were what I was looking for.