Performance on ManuSoft

Turning off InfoCenter in AutoCAD

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 13:47:24 +0000

Are you looking for a way to turn off the annoying InfoCenter that slows down (or sometimes locks up) your AutoCAD? Of course you are! Hop on over to the ManuSoft Freebies page and install AcadInfoCenterOff.msi, the most popular ManuSoft download of all time.

Turning off InfoCenter in AutoCAD 2014

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:50:21 +0000

The AcadInfoCenterOff.msi file on the ManuSoft Freebies page has been updated to support AutoCAD 2014 based products. Note that you must log out of Autodesk 360 if you disable the InfoCenter, else some versions of AutoCAD will crash during startup.

Turning off InfoCenter (aka WSCommCntr4.exe) in AutoCAD 2013

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:41:37 +0000

I have updated the AcadInfoCenterOff.msi file on the ManuSoft Freebies page for AutoCAD 2013. If you’re not sure what it does or why you need it, see this previous post on the subject.

The MFC Balloon

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 17:24:46 +0000

The MFC version that ships with Visual Studio 2010 is known to cause major explosions in file size when you link statically. To avoid that problem, I use the Visual Studio 2008 build tools for such cases. I recently got quite a surprise when I rebuilt one such MFC application and discovered that the executable had ballooned from 400kb to 2MB in the space of one week despite only very minor changes.

AutoCAD 2012 InfoCenter

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 21:44:00 +0000

If you’re upgrading to AutoCAD 2012, don’t forget to also disable InfoCenter (unless you really need it). Just download and install AcadInfoCenterOff to disable it on any version of AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT. If you already have AcadInfoCenterOff installed, you can just run a repair install to apply it to a newly installed instance of AutoCAD 2012.

Infinite Computing: Bah, Humbug!

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 12:49:45 +0000

At Autodesk University, Autodesk CEO Carl Bass introduced the term “Infinite Computing” in an attempt to define Autodesk’s perspective on “the cloud” from a unique angle. I think the term is a brilliant and effective use of terminology because it focuses an otherwise nebulous concept and it radiates a sense of real and immediate purpose.

Disable AutoCAD InfoCenter

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 23:44:38 +0000

Over the years, I and others have provided instructions for turning off the AutoCAD InfoCenter (or Communication Center in older versions). The instructions are different depending on the AutoCAD version. To make things simple, I decided to roll them all up into a single one-size-fits-all MSI file that disables InfoCenter for any and all versions of AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT in one fell swoop.

QuikPik 4.1 Adds Classic Title Bar Feature

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 22:54:28 +0000

Those of you with bad eyesight (and the rest of us throwbacks) will appreciate the new ‘Classic title bar’ feature in QuikPik 4.1. This new feature addresses AutoCAD 2009 and later versions of AutoCAD with the fancy schmancy title bar and menu bar.

Missing Language Pack DWG File Repair

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:11:46 +0000

I wrote before about corrupt text causing bogus “Missing Language Pack” warnings in AutoCAD. That case prompted me to write a file repair utility. However, since the case appeared to be isolated, I never released the utility to the public.

The problem has been rearing its ugly head again, so I decided to dust off the original code and release it. The repair utility is now available on the freebies page (look for CleanLanguage.zip) for AutoCAD 2007 and later versions of AutoCAD. I have not tested any recent cases, so I can’t be sure it is the same problem. If you try the utility, please report your results by leaving a comment here.

Disable InfoCenter in AutoCAD 2010

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 18:13:00 +0000

[Update: See Disable AutoCAD InfoCenter]

In case you missed it, Tony Tanzillo has posted instructions for disabling the InfoCenter in AutoCAD 2010. AutoCAD 2010 starts faster when the InfoCenter is disabled.

To make it easy, I’ve created an AutoLISP file that defines commands named DisableInfoCenter and EnableInfoCenter:

AutoCAD 2008 Slow Startup Fix

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:54:00 +0000

[Update: See Disable AutoCAD InfoCenter]

I’ve noticed more frequent posts in the Autodesk discussion groups about slow startup problems since AutoCAD 2008 was released, and I have the same problem on my development system. Part of the problem is .NET loading, due to the new .NET gadgets like the dashboard palette. Another long running startup hassle is the communication center (WSCommCntr1.exe if you check running processes in task manager) that Autodesk products use to call home.