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5 Tricks To Tackle SolidWorks “Failed To Save Document”

Started by Josh M · 10 months ago

Seriously, this feature needs to be turned off.
In lieu of that, here’s some ways that can often times help you get around that wonderfully obscure message.
First of all, I have no idea what causes that message to come up. Maybe one of you SolidWorks wizzes do. From the d ... Continue reading »

30 comments

  • K Mason

    1 year ago

    I encountered this error quite a few times and I most common is switching configurations.
    reply
  • Mike Puckett

    1 year ago

    Josh,

    Great tips! I have been running into this periodically since 2007.
    reply
  • Ricky Jordan

    1 year ago

    Great Tips Josh. I too have run into this message from time to time. Performing a Forced Rebuild (Ctrl Q) has worked for me a few times as well.

    Hey, I've got to ask you. Are you running some kind of modified Windows XP theme or Vista? The reason I ask is the close icon in your image looks much different from the norm.

    Best Regards,

    Ricky Jordan
    http://www.rickyjordan.com
    reply
  • Josh

    1 year ago

    Thanks guys, That's also a good one Ricky. I came across another one as well. Make sure the file you're trying to save is not read-only.

    I'm running an optimized windows them called CrystalXP. It looks nice but also reduces RAM consumption.
    reply
  • Craig S.

    1 year ago

    Excellent info!! We've ran into that quite a bit here and it is extremely frustrating. I will keep that around for reference.
    reply
  • Neil

    1 year ago

    Something that has worked for me is "save as", then reboot Solidworks and resave back to the original file. This method could get complicated if you have lots of references, but it can work as a last resort.
    reply
  • Josh

    1 year ago

    Neil, Hi, you're right, that sometimes works too. But like you say, with references, If you have a lot of top-down assemblies, your features will go out of context, so best to try the Find References (or Pack and Go to rename) first. Thanks!
    reply
  • LennyWorks

    1 year ago

    I (and a few other co-workers) have run into this problem a few too many times. I have found that using SaveAs and saving the file another drive may resolve the problem.
    reply
  • Martin Hook

    1 year ago

    I have had this happen when working on assemblys only, so far I have always had to shut down the file and start again. This has now happened about 18 times (as we keep a log of all SW 2008 errors). SW has examined the files and so far found nothing wrong. The network was blamed initially, but over xmas it happed a few times when working from C drive only so Im not sure. I am down to saving every 5 changes so that I minimise the lost time. I wil give the tips a go and see what happens.

    Thanks Martin
    reply
  • AZwief

    1 year ago

    I discovered a work around, in my case the HUGE file wasn't saving, in the top assembly model I selected on the parent object in the tree, righ clicked on the mouse and selected "set to lightweight", once completed regenerating, again select on the same object this time selecting "set lightweight to resolved" this preformed a complete regen and the file saved.

    Good luck
    reply
  • JB

    1 year ago

    I have encountered this problem many times with SolidWorks 2008. It only happens to my assemblies because I can continue to work on parts and save them repeatedly with no problem. The failed to save document message will pop up I work on a part but that looks to me like the open assembly file has failed to save during an auto save.

    Closing and reopening the assembly file without closing SolidWorks or the part files will solve the problem but any changes made to the assembly before closing, of course, it will be lost. I am generally working with a small assemblies of 10 or 12 parts with 5 or 6 assembly configurations.

    Today a light bulb went on in my head and confirmed what I have been suspecting for some time now. I have noticed that sometimes if I am moving or selecting something with my optical mouse, the failed to save message pops up right then and there even though I was not manually saving at the time. I suspect that when an auto save occurs coinciding with certain kinds of mouse activity, somehow the OS can't cope with those simultaneous commands. After one of the mouse-induced spaz sessions occurs, the assembly cannot be saved anymore while the parts still can.

    I am running Windows XP Professional X64 Edition and the X64 version of SolidWorks.

    I don't have a solution but I am curious to learn if anyone else has noticed the mouse and auto save connection. In earlier versions of SolidWorks with Windows XP 32 bit OS on a different computer and mouse I encountered total freeze-ups of the computer when moving the mouse and selecting on the fly without holding the mouse completely stationary. Both of these mouse induced problems only happen once in a while; anywhere from once a week to a couple times a day.
    reply
  • marijn

    1 year ago

    This error was driving me crazy but i googled it and 4 the hit was solidsmack I though YES! :)
    reply
  • Bob

    1 year ago

    Our workaround for this aggravation is to cycle through and rebuild (cntl Q) EACH AND EVERY configuration. After doing this the file may be saved. We have experienced a 90+% success rate using this approach.
    reply
  • mike

    1 year ago

    hell yes Bob! that worked!
    reply
  • Josh

    1 year ago

    @Bob, right on, that is the magic. I think I'm gonna turn that into a post, with your credit, to obsolete and supersede this one! Thanks!

    @JB man, that sounds weird, although would be the first time hardware affected software, but I've never noticed optical mouse conflicts. Could possible be a conflict with mouse driver and SolidWorks??
    reply
  • Alex Henry

    11 months ago

    Hi,

    I have found this error or related error on two occasions.
    1) Working on a network run by a samba server. The temporary files that SW creates are not handled well by SAMBA and for some reason when you go to open the file, the leftover temporary files show as real files and "ACCESS TO AN UNNAMED FILE..." turns up. If you happen to open an assembly which accesses these file, then "Failed to Save Document" comes on. Working on a local drive corrected this problem (PDMWorks was implemented with Windows XP)

    2) Memory being chewed by SoliDWorks stops the ability to say and can sometimes be fixed if you free some memory and go through the steps that a few of you have mentioned - change configs rebuild, etc then try to save again.

    My 2c
    reply
  • Josh

    11 months ago

    Thanks Alex, that's another great case to know about.
    reply
  • Jerry

    9 months ago

    This is bullshit.....I cant create and re create configurations just to get a round a software bug...what is the real issue?
    I have been using solidworks since 97 and its been getting worse with every release....more and more issues happen during a normal session of detailing than I care to mention, load another service pack....end up with more issues. this really sucks, maybe the programmers should start getting these comments on a regular basis then something will happen, lower the price if it not going to work correctly out of the box!!!!!dis appointed
    reply
  • Jerry

    9 months ago

    After reading other comments, ie Bob's work around by re building each configuration....this did allow me to save a rather large and time consuming assemby with multiple configurations, thanks for you input and my appoligies for the rather harsh comments I made in the previous message.

    I am still very tired of havingthese issues on a daily basis, as most people trying to get things done on a quick time line.
    reply
  • Josh M

    9 months ago

    Hey Jerry, glad you were able to get it working. I'm currently trying to pinpoint some of the reasons this my happen. It could be a few things with parts not being completely rebuilt or some circular references. I think at the very least, the message could point to a problem and possible resolutions. "Rebuild X configuration" is so much better than "Failed to Save" don't ya think?
    reply
  • Phil Nies

    9 months ago

    Thanks for the tips.

    Rebuild EVERY SINGLE configuration seems to work for me. Only rebuilding a few of the configurations does not work usually.

    Also check out: http://gxsc.typepad.com/graphics_systems_solidn...
    reply
  • David

    7 months ago

    This even had my VAR stumped - awesome tip, works like a charm.
    reply
  • Mike

    7 months ago

    If it happens when you have an assembly open set all light weight parts to resolved.
    reply
  • Josh M

    7 months ago

    Thanks Mike, I've had that work before too. It's funny all the different scenarios we'll try to avoid having to do everything over again!
    reply
  • J.D.

    5 months ago

    Thanks Josh, you just saved my goose!
    reply
  • Mack

    5 months ago

    Might want to also have a look here...

    http://blog.alignex.com/mechanical-technical-bl...
    reply
  • Matt

    3 months ago

    Thanks. This error is a serious bug. I deleted a simple fillet on a small part and replaced it with a chamfer. I attempted to save and got the error. I deleted that chamfer and was able to save. Then, I chamfered the edge again, saved again, and it's fine. Strange.
    reply
  • Josh M

    3 months ago

    Hmmm, sounds like it had to do with it rebuilding. I've gotten in the habit of hitting Ctrl-Q before saving, just to make sure everything is rebuilt. However, that doesn't mean it will rebuild it in another configuration, so the error may still show up.
    reply
  • My Sweet Revenga

    1 month ago

    Tip#2 pointed me in the right direction. I hit Ctrl-Q to force rebuild and the I was able to finally save, and subsequently save myself an afternoon of lost work. Many thanks.
    reply
  • Josh M

    1 month ago

    So glad to hear it! That's the very first thing I usually try.
    reply

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