MicroStation Wiki MicroStation Known Issues [FAQ]

MicroStation Known Issues [FAQ]

	Product:	MicroStation
	Version:	V8i
	Environment:	N\A
	Area:	FAQ
	Subarea:	N/A

Unable to save/open errors when opening files from a shared network drive.

Refer to MicroStation file access issues with shared network drives for more information.

Clip Masks are ignored when creating dynamic details in 2D models.

If your workflow involves creating details from data in a 2D model or sheet, it is highly recommended to upgrade to MicroStation V8i SELECTseries 3 Update 1 (08.11.09.357). For more details regarding this issue, contact techincal support here and reference Trouble Report # 289812.

Screen goes black and/or flashes for a few seconds, followed by a system message “Display driver stopped responding and has recovered”

Otherwise known as a Windows TDR (timeout detection and recovery), this occurs when Windows 7 or Vista detects that the graphics card driver has not responded within a set time limit. Windows then resets the graphics system (causing the black and/or flashing screen) and restarts it. Though it can be disconcerting, in most cases you should be able to continue on working the same as before, after the few seconds of interruption for the recovery.

This problem is not MicroStation specific, but occurs in many products including web browsers, 3D games, and image editors. It normally occurs very randomly and in an unrepeatable fashion. It can occur for a variety of reasons including faulty hardware, but currently the most prevalent cause seems to be driver issues. We have been working with NVIDIA on this problem, but the apparent randomness of the occurrences makes it a very difficult problem to track down. Users are urged to Contact technical support here and provide us with any information that would be helpful in this regard , in particular:

Can it be easily reproduced?

What operation triggered the TDR?

What kind of dataset was being used?

What other applications were running at the same time (particularly web browsers)?

Workaround: This problem only occurs when MicroStation is using DirectX 11 (new with MicroStation V8i SELECTseries 3). DirectX 11 is automatically used on hardware that is capable of running it. However, the user can force MicroStation to use the older DirectX 9 interface by setting a MicroStation configuration variable. Setting QV_D3DVERSION to a value of 9 (in the environment variables of Windows) will force MicroStation to use the DirectX 9 interface, starting with the next execution of MicroStation. This will avoid TDRs, but can also update slower than when using DirectX 11, particularly on complex display styles such as Illustration.

MicroStation crashes soon after starting, with Nvidia mobile graphics cards.

This occurs on Windows 7 machines using NVIDIA mobile graphics cards (designated by the letter “M” after the model number). There was a problem with versions of the NVIDIA Driver for these cards released prior to June 10, 2011 that triggers a crash in MicroStation. To resolve this issue, download the latest driver for your card directly from NVIDIA’s website: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us.
See Also: http://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/w/microstation__wiki/crash-on-startup-caused-by-old-graphic-card-driver.aspx

MicroStation gets very slow when Reference Dialog is open

Applicable versions: MicroStation V8 XM Edition and later
Resolution: This can happen if any of your references are on Novell file servers. It is related to the "Status" column (the one with the little flag in the column header) that is new in XM Edition. When that column is turned on, MicroStation uses a Windows function that listens for changes to files. That function is event driven and thus causes no performance impact for local files and files on Windows file servers, but its implementation for Novell servers must "poll" and this causes a large performance impact. The solution is to turn off the Status column. Each individual user can turn off that column (right click in any column header), or you can set the configuration variable MS_REF_NOSTATUSCOLUMN to 1 in a site configuration file.

Slow graphics display or incomplete dialog display due to Microsoft Intellipoint Driver V6.x

Applicable Verions: MicroStation V8 2004 Edition, XM Edition, V8i
Resolution: See MicroStation V8 XM And IntelliPoint Driver TN

MicroStation crashes on systems with AutoCAD loaded due to bug in AutoCAD AcSignQxx utility.

Applicable Versions: All
Resolution: See AcSignXxx DLL Memory Allocation TechNote

How do I remove Duplicate Level tables?

Applicable Versions: 08.05.02.Xx
Resolution: See Technical Bulletin: Duplicate Level Tables

Possible data loss with "Text Elements Containing Only Spaces"

Applicable Versions: 08.05.02.Xx
Resolution: See Technical Bulletin Potential data loss with Delete Text Elements Containing Only Spaces Compress Option

MicroStation V8 XM Edition and SignCAD

Applicable Versions: MicroStation V8 XM Edition through 08.09.04.88
Resolution: See Technical Bulletin MicroStation V8 XM Edition And SignCAD

MicroStation crashes when trying to install using a custom path on Windows Vista.

Applicable Versions: MicroStation V8i 08.11.05.17
MicroStation will not install to a custom path from the executable file on Windows Vista Operating System. The current workaround is:

Execute MicroStation setup file.
Select the option of extract only.
Browse to extracted files and double click MicroStation.msi to install the product, all options should now work properly.