Windows Issues

Hardware and Software Requirements | Installing SketchUp

• • Early Adopters (of New OS Versions) Be Cautious And right now that is especially true with 64-bit Window 10 machines with deficient graphics drivers. There is a notable time lag when new operating systems are released and programs and drivers are back in cynic. Older/cheaper computers may never have proper driver updates, so check your computer specs if can be upgraded before installing a new operating system.

  • SketchUp Pro requires .NET Framework. Different versions of .NET Framework can co-exist together. Make sure you have the right version installed. Note SketchUp requires version 2.0.

• • Be sure to place the SketchUp installer executable in a the current user's filepath, not in a "Public" path. (Windows does not like to install from a public folder.)

  • Check to be sure you have full access permissions for the %Temp% directory.

  • Be sure to be connected to the internet during the installation. (Temporarily disable the Firewall.)

  • Check to see if an anti-virus may be interfering with installation. (Temporarily disable the anti-virus.)

  • If UAC (User Access Control) is interfering, temporarily disable it.

  • Lastly, if the 64-bit installer does not work, try the 32-bit installer.

Permissions is something Windows introduced after XP to help prevent malicious code developers from introducing naughty files/apps on your computer.

• • • Install SketchUp as an administrator

      • Right-click on SketchUp installer and choose Run as Administrator

FYI, failure to install SketchUp by right-clicking on installer and choosing Run as Administrator can cause some functional problems with SketchUp.

From Sage TIG:

With Windows, if SketchUp is set either to 'Always Run as Administrator' or you have chosen to 'Run as Administrator', then drag-n-drop will no longer work.

This is because Windows prevents a 'lesser app' affecting a 'higher app,' and Windows Explorer always runs as 'lower app'... so you need SketchUp to be set at the same 'level'...

If you install SketchUp from its installer exe using "Run as Administrator" [right-click > context-menu], then there should subsequently be no need to change how SketchUp runs etc - and all should be well...

So then you can drag-n-drop images [and several other other file types] directly into the SKP window...

But installing SketchUp as an administrator can cause some glitches with other programs, unless those too have their administrator settings set properly, like custom mouse button assignments through Logitech's SetPoint software. This is because programs set to run as administrator cannot run at system startup. So after setting other programs (like SetPoint) to run as administrator, you then need to create a special task in Windows Task Scheduler to have that other program (SetPoint) run at system startup. Grrrr....

• How To Enable Hidden Administrator Account In Windows 10 Good article explaining the administrator account - but hopefully, you will not need to do this - but if you do....

Start an elevated command prompt.

Start > Search > type: cmd

When cmd appears in Results above, right-click it and choose "Run as administrator".

Provide the password / OK to the UAC prompt

At the command prompt which opens type:

net user administrator /active:yes

[press Enter]

Close the command prompt and log off.

You will now see an icon for Administrator on the Welcome Screen.

Log in to the Administrator account.

Right-click the installer executable, and "Run as administrator".

When done with admin tasks, log out, and log back into your normal "User" account.

• • Windows 7: Built-in Administrator Account - Enable or Disable

  • How to change file permissions on Win7

  • How To Take Ownership And Grant Permissions To Access Files & Folders In Windows 8

  • How to take ownership and get full access to files and folders in Windows 10

• Update your graphics card driver. Even a new system may not have the latest driver. And you if updated your operating system, an updated graphics driver hopefully has been developed to go with the new OS.

  • • Some systems require that the manufacturer supplies the drivers.

    • Otherwise, go to the graphics card/chipset manufacturer website

      • • NVIDIA

        • AMD

    • LaptopVideo2Go Third-party NVIDIA drivers for laptops

• Troubleshoot graphics-related issues

If SketchUp works when it is first installed, go to the following SketchUp menu item: Window > Preferences > OpenGL. Uncheck Use hardware acceleration. Restart SketchUp. (Use fast feedback, found in the same Window sub-menu also may have to be disabled).

When SketchUp is initially installed and opened, it checks the computer for graphics driver OpenGL compliance. The program will adjust the OpenGL preferences accordingly. Sometimes that automatic adjustment will not hold. So the settings need to be manually changed.

Enable dedicated Graphics Card on Laptops

Integrated graphics chipsets on the laptop motherboard use less power than a dedicated graphics video card, which is important to extend the battery life on laptops, but it is bad for SketchUp performance. If you are using a notebook computer that has both Intel HD integrated graphics chipset and an AMD or NVIDIA graphics card, you need to tell your computer which card you want to use. Check in the 3D application settings in the dedicated graphic card control panel that SketchUp and your other applications are set to use the AMD/NVIDIA graphics card. Leaving the settings to automatic selection tends to favor the Intel graphics that are incompatible with SketchUp.

Problem: The mouse in SketchUp it is moving VERY slowly.

• • This can happen with Logitech mice that are using the Logitech drivers. You should be able to resolve this by going to the Logitech drivers and disable acceleration in games.

  • Install a new driver, the old driver may be corrupted. Or use the default mouse driver that comes with Windows.

  • Switch mice. Another mouse with a different driver may work better.

If using mouse software, like Logitech's SetPoint, which can be customized to have mouse button assign SketchUp keyboard shortcut to the buttons, but the buttons do not work as expected, it may be caused by program permission issues (see above).

SketchUp will 'ping' an analytics site to give the software developers a headcount of unique users. SketchUp will use the operating system's default browser for all internet browser and dialog window functions. So with Windows, Internet Explorer and Explorer are the default applications. Internet browsing history files can interfere with browser functionality. Try clearing the cache of Internet Explorer or follow Microsoft's guide on this Microsoft support page (especially 4).

Sometimes the Windows installer program can have problems. If the installer is sick, SketchUp may not install or some program parts may be missing from the program directory.

Note: After XP, Windows operating systems tightened up security. SketchUp need to be install under an administrator user account. To install, r-click on the installer and select Run as administrator.

Note: Several of the links below refer to SketchUp 6. SketchUp 7 no longer uses InstallShield installer, so some of the suggestion will not apply to SketchUp 7 problems. But SketchUp Guide Jody recommends, "the suggestion of reinstalling is to update all temp or uninstall files is never a bad idea, regardless of the installation engine used."

• • A failed PC installation with the following error: The Windows Installer Service could not be accessed

  • Google SketchUp 7 setup error Problem solved by getting a new Windows Installer

• More background on installshield problems

• Error Code "-5003 : 0x20" When Attempting to Install SketchUp

• install won't run

• Error when starting Google SketchUp: Tells me that I need to close any previous setup and other applications

  • Extraction failed file is corrupt AndrewS from SketchUp provided detailed instructions to check the integrity of the downloaded installer file.

Try one of Microsoft's repair utilities like Fixit.

Microsoft has a tool to try to fixing the .NET installation on your computer if you are getting error messages regarding .NET Framework - like if the SketchUp installer does not recognize the version of .NET you have installed.

An error ocurred during the installation of assembly ´Microsoft.VC80.ATL,type="win32", version ="8.0.50727.6195", publicKeyToken="1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b", processorArchitecture="86". Please refer to Help and Support for more information. HRESULT: 0x80070424.

• • Why won't installation work? xxxx [dead link] This may occur from:

    • a bad download

    • Windows update in process at the same time as SketchUp install

    • bad Registry key value | relevant forum post

  • Installing SketchUp 7 Error Message "An error occurred during the installation of assembly 'Microsoft.VC80.ATL..." - possible fix with FSUTIL utility

SketchUp loads, but...

Try the old Vista system trick of opening SketchUp by double-clicking on an SKP file.

This may be because the program was installed without administrative privileges. Since Vista, SketchUp required the program be installed as Administrator.

• • • Windows 7 0xc000007b error on startup Forum thread.

    • Installing SketchUp

How to Skip Pro trial mode in SketchUp Make

• • Troubleshoot graphics-related issues. A great many bug splats have to do with graphic driver deficiencies.

  • Problem with SU Clearing out excessive toolbar entries in the registry may help those who have collected 'millions' of plugins.

  • Performace lags when both SketchUp and Firefox are open. Why? Disable hardware acceleration in Firefox while using SketchUp.

  • The next time you are inside SketchUp, close Window palettes, like Components and Materials, before closing SketchUp. The palette browsers have to repopulate before you can use the program. While at it, choose list viewing instead of thumbnails in those browser windows if possible. That can help speed up the modeling process a bit too.

SketchUp uses your operating system's default browser to do things like open window dialogs and search the 3D Warehouse when using the Components browser. If you get the message that SketchUp cannot connect to the 3D Warehouse, on Windows systems, open Internet Explorer, open the Tools menu and check if Internet Explorer was set to Work Offline.

While the Internet Explorer's Tools menu is open, it is a good opportunity to clear the browser cache and cookies if that has not been done recently. From the Tools menu, go to Internet Options > General > Browsing history > Delete. A dialog will open will several things that can be deleted. Keeping the Temp folder clean can help improve browser performance. Microsoft's guide: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308260 (especially 4).

Yet more tips to tune up Internet Explorer if clearing out cache and cookies is not enough...

Update your graphics card driver. More

A plugin also may be the problem. The Plugins folder can simply be renames to prevent plugins from loading. Troubleshooting plugin-related crashes have become easier with SketchUp 8 maintenance release 2. All plugins can be disabled from the Ruby console inside SketchUp.

However, disabling all plugins only helps to identify a problem caused by some plugin, not which plugin. The old method of troubleshooting naughty plugins (and what needs to be done to identify a specific plugin) is to remove half of the plugins from the Plugins directory, restart SketchUp. If the problem continues, remove half of the remaining plugins and restart SketchUp again... You get the idea?

This error may appear if you try to use non-alphanumeric characters in a SKP file name.

TIP: If you have multiple monitors, run SketchUp on the main monitor for best performance. If there still are performance issues, check if your graphics card is compatible with all the monitors. One sketchupper discovered two of his old VGA monitors were not compatible with the graphics card, especially when it encountered the higher OpenGL demands and graphics performance after upgrading to SketchUp 2017, which became jerky as compared to SketchUp 2015 performance. Manage multiple monitors with MultiMonitorTool.. And always, try updating the graphics driver.

TIP: People running 64-bit operating systems may want Mystic Thumbs, a thumbnail generator for Windows Explorer. SketchUp file thumbnail support was recently added. SKP, SKB and SKM thumbnails will show up in an Explorer window.

This problem often popped up on Windows 10 machines with Intel graphics, though other computers experienced the problem too. A workaround was added for users who upgraded to SketchUp Pro 2018. From the Miscellaneous section in the Release Notes for SketchUp Pro 2018:

To set this preference open Command Prompt and enter:

C:\"Program Files"\"SketchUp"\"SketchUp 2018"\jsonpatcheditorPreferences WorkaroundDrawXorRectUseGLFlushNotFlushDraw b true

Note: If you installed SketchUp in a non-default location you will have to update the location above.

OK, there are a few good reasons to do this....

Before SketchUp 8 was released, the Pro trial version of SketchUp could downgrade to SketchUp Free. This feature caused some confusion for some licensed Pro users who neglected to entered their licensing information yet continued using SketchUp after the trial expired and thought they were still using the Pro version. So now there are two separate installations - Pro and Free.

Now a new problem popped up - an incomplete uninstallation of SketchUp Pro 8 when some people go through the SketchUp Pro trial and decide to downgrade and install SketchUp Free. Some files and registry entries may be left behind after uninstalling SketchUp Pro and replacing it with SketchUp Free which makes the computer think the Pro version is still installed,

Help Center General instructions for uninstalling the program. However, this may not be enough...

Reboot (restart the computer) after uninstalling SketchUp Pro to help insure stray files and registry keys have been removed. Then install SketchUp Free. But if that is not enough....

Search for the Pro trial license file and manually remove (or just rename) the file located at:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Google\Google SketchUp 8\SketchUp8.If

Look over the other tips on uninstalling SketchUp listed below - which include clearing the registry...

• • Use Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.

  • can't remove SketchUp6 If SketchUp was not able to uninstall, there are some additional steps to try for a manual uninstallation.

  • Revo Uninstaller An uninstaller which removes all bits, including registry entries.

  • Windows Installer Cleanup Utility Cleans up residual bits and pieces. NOTE: Microsoft retired Windows Installer CleanUp Utility on June, 2010, due to conflicts with Office 2007.

Note: Many people have mixed feelings about registry cleaner utilities. If anyone goes this route, do the research necessary to learn about the Registry, setting up system restore points, and finding the right cleaning utility for the job.

• • Advanced Registry Repair.com Site has video previews of 3 registry cleaners.

  • Backuping the XP Registry An article covering some facts about the brain center of your computer. Don't mess with the Registry unless comfortable.

  • CCleaner All-around fantastic utility for cleaning out accumulated crap which also has a registry cleaning tool.

  • Wise Cleaner Recommended by Microsoft, yet the malware scanner Ad-Adware tagged it as a threat (but then WiseCleaner does alter the registry.)

  • NRUNT Free, complete registry backup utility.

If comfortable mucking about in the registry...

Search the registry for "sketchup". Look for a key for "AllowRevertToFree" with the value set to 0. Change the value to 1. Now open Sketchup from the desktop shortcut. When the opening splash screen prompts that the trial time was up, there should be a button for "Downgrade to SketchUp Free".

untested tip from forum member Marlin84

In case SketchUp was installed on an external drive which latter failed...

If the drive J (or some other lettered drive): is completely removed (not listed in Explorer), the installer starts with an error message "Invalid drive: J:\" and finishes. Trying to uninstall SketchUp from the System Control/Software also fails the same way.

If the drive J: is still listed in Explorer but inaccessible, the installer also starts with an error message "'Program Files' is not a valid short file name." and finishes.

Solution 1: Make J: available again so that you can properly uninstall SketchUp.

Remove your broken hard drive if you haven't yet. If you have a usb thumb drive, insert it. Go to "Computer management" and "Disk management". There should be a list of storage media. Right-click on the thumb drive and change the drive letter to J. Then launch the SketchUp installer and uninstall SketchUp.

Now you can change the drive letter back to normal and reinstall SketchUp to the system's default drive.

Solution 2: Remove SketchUp from the registry.

Try a registry cleaner (CCleaner). If it doesn't find/fix it, try it manually. Open as administrator regedit.exe. Create a backup by selecting the top most element (Computer) and in the menu File → Export... . Then Edit → Search... for the original install location like "J:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 8". You should find at least two entries with name "InstallLocation" and that file path; delete them.

The blue screen of death appears from system conflict. If one happens while trying to use SketchUp, a prime suspect would be a driver, specifically the graphics driver. But a graphics driver is one of many things that can cause a BSOD. A sickly mouse driver can cause a BSOD too. All parts have to play together nicely - hardware, services, drivers, software, OS, BIOS - everything.

To test if the graphics driver is involved, temporarily disable hardware acceleration at the system level - or try installing in Clean Boot mode or Safe Mode as described in the next section.

• • Disable hardware acceleration through the graphics card control panel

  • Disable hardware acceleration through Windows control panels

    1. Right-click on desktop (in XP at least)

    2. Go to Properties > Settings > Advanced > Troubleshoot

    3. Set hardware acceleration slider to none

    4. Try reloading SketchUp

  • If SketchUp functions, then there is a deficiency with the graphics card and/or its driver.

If "lucky," a system failure error report sent to Microsoft will report back with some clues about the failure cause which may help troubleshoot the problem.

For example, if Microsoft reports back there is a problem with some unidentified system driver and you notice mouse preferences have been lost, it would be a good clue that the mouse driver should be updated.

Go to the next section :(

SketchUp won't start on my PC Help Center | The installation won't run

• • Help Center General instructions for uninstalling the program

    • Windows uninstaller windows may have a Repair or Change option in addition to the Remove option. In some cases, the program can be repaired by this method. If that does not work, then uninstall/reinstall the program.

  • Some additional uninstall/reinstallation steps

    • Save SketchUp preferences

      • Windows > Preferences > Files or Shortcuts > Export

    • Uninstalling the program does not remove anything the user-added, like plugins, materials, and components

      • To be on the safe side, make a copy of the customized folders

      • Some folders may be left in the program directory after uninstalling. If they are kept around for the reinstallation, rename the folders by adding something like the word "old" to the title. That way the content of the old folder will not intermingle with the new installation folders.

  • System Restore will roll back your computer to an earlier system state without affecting personal files.

  • Windows XP

  • Windows 7

  • Windows 8

  • Reinstalling your operating system is also an extreme option to keep in mind, depending on the problem. Investigating, finding and fixing software conflict can take a considerable amount of time. Some people may prefer to repair or reinstall the operating system instead. It is sometimes possible just overwrite the operating system files from the installation CD without affecting personal files.

  • How to repair Windows XP

This is not a pleasant process. While you troubleshoot, keep an open mind about what could be the cause...

Update your graphics driver if you haven't already.

If you can open SketchUp, test your driver by disabling hardware acceleration from inside SketchUp. Go to Windows > Preferences > OpenGL and disable Use hardware acceleration. Restart SketchUp. If the SketchUp problem goes away, the real problem is the graphics driver. Keep the driver updated or install an older driver. SketchUp will operate without hardware acceleration provided through your graphics card, but modeling will be noticeably slower. Information

If you cannot open SketchUp

• • OpenGL switch off Disable hardware acceleration outside of SketchUp with tools from Dan Rahtbun and sketch3d_de.

  • Hardware acceleration also can be disabled at the system level.

    • With Windows XP, right-click on the desktop > Properties > Settings > Advanced > Troubleshoot. Select None for hardware acceleration and click on Apply (this will keep the display properties dialogs open so the acceleration can be reversed after testing.) Restart SketchUp. If the problem goes away, adjust SketchUp OpenGL preferences and/or settings in the graphics card control panel. Close SketchUp, re-enable system-level hardware acceleration and open SketchUp again to check if the problem disappears. Repeat as needed.

• • • Post-Windows XP, the same thing as described above can be done while under administrative mode: Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Display > Screen Resolution > Advanced > Troubleshoot. But given the extra hoops one has to jump through to enter administrative mode, it may be more practical to use the OpenGL Configuation app from sketch3d.de or Dan's OpenGL switch.

General system maintenance on your computer is a good place to start to first rule out any issues your system's health as a cause of the problem.

• • Clean your computer. For a desktop, open the case and blow out the dust with canned air. On a laptop, follow your manufacturer's directions.

  • Computer Health This old article mainly deals with XP systems, but much of it will apply to other operating systems as well.

  • CCleaner is a great clean-up utility.

    • Protect valuable cookies by going to Options > Cookies. But a thorough clean would entail getting rid of those too :(

    • Clean out old Prefetch data through the Advanced menu options. Other good advanced options to check include Tray Notifications Cache, IIS Log Files and Hotfix Uninstallers.

  • Scan your system with your anti-virus software. Double-check that scan for missed items by running the free, respected malware finders: Ad-Aware and Spybot.

  • Update Internet Explorer. Programs use the system provided browser for webdialogs and browser use (for security reasons and keeping the program installer smaller.) Update Internet Explorer, clear the cache files, update Adobe Flash for Internet Explorer, etc. See more.

  • Submit SketchUp bugsplat reports. SketchUp Pro uses can submit support tickets within one year of purchasing the license. A bugsplat crash report can help to identify the cause of the problem. Bugsplat reports also help to track the prevalence of recurring problems.

  • Disable plugins. Either temporarily remove user-added plugins from SketchUp's Plugins directory or just rename the Plugins directory so the plugins will not load when restarting SketchUp. If the problem goes away, return a few plugins at a time to the Plugins directory and restart SketchUp until the problem appears again to isolate which plugin is causing the problem. Go to the plugin developer for help or check if the plugin has be updated.

There are at least two reasons to use these two alternative system start modes...

• 1. Some systems may have better success installing SketchUp in clean boot or safe mode, when temporarily disabling the anti-virus software was not enough to get the program to install. This problem has not been popping up in the help forum much, but it is still a possibility.

  2. For more serious installation and troubleshooting problems, clean boot and safe mode can be useful to help isolate whatever process is interfering with SketchUp. Instead of wondering about the cause of the problem - going around blaming your OS, video card or dog - you will quickly get an answer on whether SketchUp will even run on your machine.

Safe mode loads the minimum processes, services and drivers. The graphics driver is not loaded. A default Microsoft driver is used instead. Clean boot isn't as extreme as safe mode, but it too loads less processes than normal mode. Because these boot modes loads less processes than normal mode, if one of those stopped processes was actually a naughty process that interfered with SketchUp, SketchUp may function correctly.

Move on to isolating conflicting background process with clean boot and safe mode. First start the computer in clean boot (see link section below) and try running SketchUp. If SketchUp runs well, then compare the log file* of the running processes in clean boot with the log file* of the running processes in normal mode. Through the process of elimination, note the processes that run in normal mode but not in clean boot. One of the processes that run in normal mode - but not clean boot - could be causing the problem with SketchUp. Try disabling that process in normal mode, through the Task Manager, or use Process Manager, an application now owned by Microsoft. But for a more systematic method use the Windows system utility called msconfig to help isolate the problematic process.

If the problem in SketchUp still exists in clean boot, then try starting the computer in safe mode and create another log file* of running processes. If the problem goes away (bear in mind the default Microsoft graphic driver load so display resolution is crappy and hardware acceleration may not exist) compare the log file from safe mode with the log file* from clean boot. Again through the process of elimination, note the processes that run in clean boot but not in safe mode. One of the processes that run in clean boot mode - but not safe mode - could be causing the problem with SketchUp. But for a more systematic method use the Windows system utility called msconfig to help isolate the problematic process.

* If a conflicting process is a possible suspect for interfering with SketchUp, make a log file of running processes in normal mode, clean boot and safe mode. By comparing the logs from a start mode that run SketchUp correctly with modes that fail to run SketchUp correctly, you may narrow down which process(es) may be causing the problem.

Create the log as soon as the system finish loading so the file doesn't get overly cluttered. Make a process log in normal mode for comparison.

Save process logs through Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Information. The category Software Environment will create several different logfiles.

The free utility HijackThis (more recent coverage leading you to the GitHub fork created by its fans) is one program that can make a log file to track down a naughty process. Several Windows troubleshooting sites, like malwarebytes, may still use it for diagnostic purposes, though those forums also like other more recent diagnostic apps. Open HijackThis and first click on the "Do a system scan and save a logfile " button to start.

To begin interpreting the log file for malware, try the online Process Log Tool from Computer Hope.

Windows 10

• Perform Clean Boot in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

• How to directly reboot in Safe Mode in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

Windows 8

• Perform a clean startup to determine whether background programs are interfering with your game or program Good step-by-step instructions on using msconfig to set up a clean boot and systematically isolate background processes for Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

• How to perform a clean boot

• How To Boot Into Safe Mode On Windows 8 (The Easy Way)

Windows 7

• Advanced start up options General definitions

• Perform a clean startup to determine whether background programs are interfering with your game or program Good step-by-step instructions on using msconfig to set up a clean boot and systematically isolate background processes for Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

• How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7

• Start your computer in safe mode

Vista

• Perform a clean startup to determine whether background programs are interfering with your game or program Good step-by-step instructions on using msconfig to set up a clean boot and systematically isolate background processes for Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

• How to Troubleshoot performance issues in Windows Vista Article covers Safe Mode and Clean Boot.

XP

• How to perform advanced clean-boot troubleshooting in Windows XP Article covers Safe Mode and some info on Services.

• How to perform a clean boot procedure to determine whether background programs are interfering with a game or a program that you currently use Article on doing a Clean Boot for XP and Vista. It includes steps on isolating issues with Services, other drivers, and startup programs.

• How to configure Windows XP to start in a "clean boot" state This article has a 'easy to use' guide to run a clean boot.

Disable possible problem processes temporarily, before uninstalling them to ensure you found the right process to eliminate.

• Task Manager

  • Try using msconfig, a utility that comes with Windows, to try isolate/disable problem processes.

    • Microsoft support for XP systems

  • How to use MSCONFIG

    • How to troubleshoot a problem by performing a clean boot in Windows Vista or in Windows 7 Microsoft Support article.

  • OS tools

  • Process Explorer Microsoft - Nifty app bought by Microsoft that shows details of all running program with the ability to disable or uninstall - like Task Manager on steroids. Free

  • WinPatrol - Shows details of all running program with the ability to disable or uninstall. Free, Fee

• • Using the Event Viewer to retrieve the text of an error message.

  • Dr. Watson XP error debugger

  • In Vista go to Start > Control Panel > Problem Reports and Solutions to find error debugging info.

Keep it clean

• Tips to Improve PC Performance in Windows 10

• Speed Up Your Computer

  • Aumha.org outlines some simple maintenance steps to clean out your system. Even though this page is quite dated, mainly for people running XP and Vista, it still helps guide you on what needs to be done to clean up your system.

  • CCleaner is a great clean-up utility.

    • Protect valuable cookies by going to Options > Cookies

    • Clean out old Prefetch data through the Advanced menu options. Other good advanced options to check include Tray Notifications Cache, IIS Log Files and Hotfix Uninstallers.

  • Speccy is an advanced System Information tool for your PC from the developers of CCleaner. Need to find out what's inside your computer? No problem! Speccy will give you all the information you need.

The program NetDog is reportedly causing Bug Splats at SketchUp startup.

It was easy to change the Explorer file icon in XP. But since Vista, one needs to edit the registry or use a third-party utility like Files Type Manager.

Some tutorials

• • Using Default Programs Editor to Change File Type Icons in Windows 7 and Windows Vista

  • How to Change a File Type Icon in Windows 7 and Vista

  • Change a File Type’s Icon in Windows 7

• 3 Ways to Deal With Off-Screen Window in Windows 7

• Windows: Bring Off-Screen Window Back Onto Screen A few more tips

No Shaded With Textures Displayed in Recently Downloaded SketchUp 7 SketchUp doesn't support 19-bit displays.

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