Loading Solid Edge 2D and Community Edition on Same Computer

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Having (finally) got Solid Edge Community Edition, the 3D one, up and running under Virtual Box on my MacPro I tried to install the Free 2D alongside it.

The installer system won't let me do it. Although the download .exe installer file says its for the 2D version any attempt to install simply runs the repair process on the Community Edition installation. Which takes ages!

If I delete the Community Edidtion and run the Free 2D installer it comes up with the 2D version but now any attempt to install the 3D Community Edition simply does a repair process on the Free 2D install. Which also takes ages.

Presumably a lot of the background data files are common to both 2D and 3D versions and this is upsetting the installer.

Only work-around I can see is to delete the existing Community Edition installation, make separate folders for 2D and 3D installations and edit the file path during installation to put the programs in separate folders. Which assumes the installer won't go looking for the "Seimens" folder other places preventing the second installation. Means doubling up on all the support data which is a waste but I do have space.

I presume simply re-naming the existing Siemens file will muck everything up and be not help.

I suppose the nuclear option is to have two Virtual Machines, one for 2D and one for Community Edition. So now I have all the Microsoft stuff I don't want or need twice.

As a Mac user since SE days I don't understand Windows.

Thanks

Clive

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Posted by Clive Foster on 26/08/2020 00:19:04:

Which assumes the installer won't go looking for the "Seimens" folder other places preventing the second installation.

I would expect it to do just that, aided and abetted by entries in the registry. The repair part of the program can't guarantee that the user installed in the default location and so would have to locate it.

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Bandersnatch

Thanks.

That's what I figured it was doing.

Once the installer / remover / repair .exe sees anything "anywhere" indicating that there is a Solid Edge installation on the computer it drops straight into the repair or remove screen.

The installer proper part only comes up if there is no Solid Edge data or program installed.

Looks like there is no way to get it to distinguish between a 2D and a Community Edition install then.

Clive

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Clive Foster on 26/08/2020 09:31:50:

…

Looks like there is no way to get it to distinguish between a 2D and a Community Edition install then.

Clive

Probably not easily. Often, maybe mostly, Community Editions and Full Versions are the same software, the difference being what's activated by the license, not that they are separate products. With an ordinary install you can have one or the other, not both, because they are the same code using the same folders, configuration files and registry settings.

Two Virtual Machines would separate them, but I agree running two copies of Windows feels over the top! Microsoft have a sandbox facility that allows two different installations, but it's only available for Windows10-Pro and Enterprise. Might appear on Home Editions later.

Dave

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Dave

The Free-2D installer is smaller than the 3D community edition version 3.4 Gb as against 3.8 Gb so pretty certain the actual program core will be different but all the other stuff pretty much the same.

The Community Edition of Solid Edge is in deed the same program as the full fat professional version except for incompatible file formats and access to some of the enterprise level things.

The Free-2D version has been around for several years and is pretty old code, originally Pro-E perhaps.

I just want the 2D up and running to replace the mechanical drawing part of Vectorworks which i now use. That hasn't been updated for yonks and shelling out £1,000 or so every few years for a new version when it runs out of compatibility with MacOS updates is hardly value for money.

Clive

[Enough!Participant @enough]

Sandboxie is a 3rd part sandbox that will work on other versions of windows. I don't know (either way) if has application in this situation though.

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