Starting HydroCAD

HydroCAD^Ž Stormwater Modeling - Since 1986

Startup Problems

Wrong Capacity

If you purchased an increase in your node capacity, but HydroCAD still shows the old capacity, you need to enter the updated serial number, as provided with your order. Open the Settings|Serial Number screen and enter the new number in place of the old one.

Lost or Rejected Password

The Settings|Serial Number screen includes the option to set a user-defined password. We encourage the system administrator to set a password in order to prevent unauthorized changes to your license information. (This password is completely independent of any download password that may have been issued with your software.)

If your password is lost or forgotten, it cannot be recovered. However, you can reset your password by deleting the hydrocad.hcl file. The next time you run HydroCAD you will have to re-enter your serial number, and will have the opportunity to set a new password. Details here.

Shared serial numbers are not recognized

A) If you are sharing your license(s) over a network, all workstations must use the same drive letter or UNC name to access the license information. If the path isn't the same, other workstations will see an empty serial number form.

B) To share licenses between Windows 98 and later versions (XP, Vista, etc), open the Settings|Serial Number screen and uncheck the box labeled "Lock serial number(s) to disk drive". You only need to make this change on the computer(s) that you will use to enter the serial numbers. Set a password to prevent other computers from re-locking the serial number to the drive.

Note: For earlier versions of HydroCAD without this option, apply this registry patch to the PC(s) where you plan to enter the serial numbers. (The patch does not need to be applied to other PCs.) Then start HydroCAD on a patched PC and verify that all serial numbers are present. Set a password to ensure that no one disturbs your setup. When you click OK the title bar should show the correct user count. All HydroCAD workstations should now be operable.

"Unable to create HydroCAD user file in [folder]"

This message indicates that HydroCAD was unable to create the required user file at startup. This file is used to keep track of the number of people currently running HydroCAD. The user file is created in the same folder used to store the HydroCAD serial number(s). This is normally the HydroCAD program folder, but may have been changed if you elected to share your license(s) over a network. Your current license folder is identified in the error message as shown above.

This error can occur if:

The specified license folder no longer exists, -or-
You no longer have network access to the folder, -or-
You don't have write access to the folder, -or-
The drive is full, preventing you from creating a new file.
There are file access issues on a Novell Netware server.

To correct the situation:

Restore full network access to the folder.
If the folder was deleted, re-create the folder.
If you cannot restore access to the folder, select the button to reset the license folder, or delete the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\HydroCAD\Settings\LicPath

You should now be able to start HydroCAD. If no serial numbers are present in the license folder, the serial number screen will open automatically. Re-enter your serial number(s), or click the Network button to select a different license folder. If serial numbers are already present, you can use Settings|Serial Number to open the screen and change the license folder.

Note: The automatic license-sharing mechanism requires a license folder that is always available to each user. If you enable license sharing for a laptop computer, you will only be able to run HydroCAD while it is connected to the network. If you plan to run HydroCAD without a network connection, you must leave the license folder on a local drive and implement your own procedures to ensure that you don't exceed the maximum number of licensed users.

"Network files not found"

This message indicates that HydroCAD was unable to find a network installation of HydroCAD, which is sometimes used to share rainfall tables and other data files. This feature is independent of the license sharing mechanism, as described above. It is used only in special cases in order to use a centralized copy of special lookup tables.

To eliminate this message, select Settings|Network on the HydroCAD menu and click the Reset Folder button. For further information about this feature, click the Help button on the same screen.

Compatibility Mode

HydroCAD should not be run using Windows "compatibility mode". Running in compatibility mode can interfere with certain HydroCAD operations, including the ability to access external applications, such as AutoCAD.

Netware File Access Problems

A few customers have reported problems with HydroCAD data stored on a Novell Network drive. The reported symptoms include:

Slow program startup.
"Unable to create user file".
Unable to open more than one HydroCAD project.

These problems seem to originate in the Netware server and/or client software. This may be confirmed by moving your project files and/or license information to a non-Netware drive. For a permanent solution, please contact www.support.novell.com for assistance with your specific system configuration.

HydroCAD Window(s) not Visible

If you previously used HydroCAD with a dual monitor setup, and you moved or removed one of the monitors, HydroCAD windows may open in an off-screen location, where they cannot be seen. To correct the problem, reset the window locations by using this registry patch.

Note: This patch is required only for HydroCAD 8.0 and earlier. Later versions will automatically avoid the use of a "phantom" monitor.

Toolbar Buttons are blank

If the buttons on the HydroCAD toolbar are blank, you may need to update your Windows "common controls." You can download the update from Microsoft at www.microsoft.com/msdownload/ieplatform/ie/comctrlx86.asp Most customers should use the latest "x86" download listed on this page.

Blank toolbar buttons can also be caused by video card problems. This is usually corrected by installing a new video driver, which can be obtained from the video card manufacturer.

"Your HydroCAD installation is incomplete"

This message will occur if the program files have been manually moved to a new folder or computer. To install HydroCAD, you must run the original setup program, either from the HydroCAD CD or from the download.

If the error still occurs after running setup, make sure HydroCAD is not configured to run in Windows "compatibility mode." To check these settings, right-click the HydroCAD shortcut and select "Properties". Then click the "Compatibility" tab and make sure none of the options are selected.

For HydroCAD 6.1, this message can also occur if you didn't have sufficient access rights when installing the program. Try re-installing the program with full administrator rights. (HydroCAD 7.0 and later will verify all access rights before allowing the installation to continue.)

For further reading

Also read about HydroCAD command-line options.