SolidWorks is a powerful 3D CAD software that helps engineers and designers create and manage their projects. If you have an older version of SolidWorks, such as SolidWorks 2012 64-bit, you may wonder if you can install it on Windows 8, which is a newer operating system. The answer is yes, but you need to follow some steps to ensure a successful installation.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of installing SolidWorks 2012 64-bit on Windows 8. We will also provide some tips and troubleshooting advice in case you encounter any issues.
Before you start the installation, you need to make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements for running SolidWorks 2012 64-bit. According to the official website[^1^], these are:
You can check your system specifications by going to Control Panel > System and Security > System. You can also use a tool like Speccy to get more detailed information about your hardware.
If you have a DVD or a USB drive with the installation files, you can skip this step. If not, you need to download the files from the official website[^2^]. You will need to log in with your SOLIDWORKS ID credentials or create a new account if you don't have one. Once you log in, you can select the version, service pack, and operating system of your choice. For this article, we will choose SolidWorks 2012 SP5.0 x64 Edition for Windows 8.
After you select the download option, you will see a list of files that you need to download. You can use a download manager like Free Download Manager to speed up the process and resume interrupted downloads. Make sure to save all the files in the same folder.
Once you have downloaded all the files, you need to extract them using a tool like WinRAR or 7-Zip. You should see a folder called sldim with several subfolders and files inside. This is the main installation folder that contains everything you need to install SolidWorks 2012 64-bit on Windows 8.
To start the installation, go to the sldim folder and double-click on setup.exe. This will launch the SOLIDWORKS Installation Manager, which will guide you through the rest of the steps. You will see a welcome screen with some options:
For this article, we will choose Individual (on this computer) and click Next.
The next screen will ask you to enter your serial number for SolidWorks. You can find your serial number on your DVD case, USB drive, or email confirmation. If you don't have a serial number, you can request one from your reseller or contact SOLIDWORKS customer service. Enter your serial number and click Next.
The next screen will show you a list of products that are available for installation based on your serial number. You can select or deselect the products that you want to install by checking or unchecking the boxes next to them. You can also click on Customize to change some settings for each product, such as installation location, toolbox options, add-ins, etc. For this article, we will select only SOLIDWORK
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