Windows Update KB3072630 Issue with SolidWorks

by | Nov 12, 2015 | 3D Software, SolidWorks

Microsoft launched a Windows Update KB3072630 on 14 July 2015, which caused stability issues of SolidWorks installed or updated after the patch was applied. This Windows update made modifications to the Windows Installer, which affects the way SolidWorks is installed. Some known issues caused by this include:

  • Missing Add-ins (e.g. SolidWorks Simulation, SolidWorks Plastics etc. not showing up in the Add-Ins dialog)
  • Instability in Equations
  • Toolbox components not resizing correctly.

If you face any of the above mentioned issues on your installation of SolidWorks, the step-by-step instructions on this post should help you fix the issues.

The first step is to check if you have KB3072630 installed.

  • Click on the Windows Start button and type in “Windows Update”. Click on Windows Update.

7-WindowsUpdate

  • In the Windows Update window, click on “View Update History” and ascertain that you have KB3072630 installed.

8-ViewUpdateHistory

 

9-Locate Update

Now that we have confirmed that we have KB3072630 installed, we will need to temporarily disable KB3072630 before installing/modifying/repairing SolidWorks, and enable it again after the installation/modify/repair is complete.

To temporarily disable KB3072630:

  • Click on the Windows Start button and type in “regedit”. Click on “regedit” to launch the Registry Editor.

1-Regedit

  • Browse to the registry: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer”
  • Create the Sub Key “RemappedElevatedProxiesPolicies”, by Right-clicking  > New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

2-CreateKey

  • Rename it as “RemappedElevatedProxiesPolicies”.

3-RenameKey

  • Right-click on “RemappedElevatedProxiesPolicies” and click on Modify.
  • Change the value to 1, and click OK.

4-changeDWord1

KB3072630 is now disabled. You can proceed to install / modify / repair your installation of SolidWorks from the Control Panel. Once the process is complete, it is highly recommended to enable KB3072630 again, as it is a critical security fix.

To enable KB3072630:

  • Click on the Windows Start button and type in “regedit”. Click on “regedit” to launch the Registry Editor.
  • Browse to the registry: “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Installer”
  • Right-click on “RemappedElevatedProxiesPolicies” and click on Modify.
  • Change the value to 0, and click OK.

6-changeDWord2

Launch SolidWorks and check if the Add-ins are present, or if the equations are working correctly. This approach is known to have fixed most of the issues faced.

Download KB3072630 Registry Entries:

If tampering with the registry is too nerve-wrecking, you may download the registry keys here!

Download the zipped file, extract the contents and double-click on the registry key to enable or disable KB3072630.

  • KB3072630_Disable.reg – double-click on this BEFORE installing/modifying/repairing SolidWorks.
  • KB3072630_Re-enable.reg – double-click on this AFTER installing/modifying/repairing SolidWorks.

I hope that you found this guide useful.

Happy modelling!

Chevy Kok