AutoCAD Civil 3D 2010 System Requirements
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Ultimate/Business/Enterprise or Microsoft® Windows® XP SP2 or SP3. Microsoft Windows XP 64 and Windows Vista 64 are supported in 32-bit compatibility mode only.
Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® dual-core processor, 3 GHz or higher with SSE2 technology
4 GB RAM – suggested /3GB switch (on 32 bit operating systems)
By default, the Windows operating system limits the amount of physical memory available to applications to 2 GB. It reserves the remaining memory for the operating system itself. However, if you have more than 3 GB of physical memory, it is possible to increase the amount of memory available to applications, such as Civil 3D®, to 3 GB.
7 GB disk space, 2 GB free after installation
1,280 x 1,024 display with true color, 1,600 x 1,200 or greater recommended (OpenGL® accelerator with full OGL ICD support not required), 32-bit color video display adapter (true color), 128Mb or greater (at I.II.I, we recommend a minimum of 512Mb) Direct3D®-capable workstation-class graphics card. Multiple monitors are supported.
Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7.0 or later.
DVD drive
Note: Microsoft® Windows Vista® Ultimate/Business/Enterprise offers better OS memory management over Microsoft® Windows® XP SP2 or SP3. Microsoft Windows XP 64 and Windows Vista 64 are suggested over 32 bit operating systems, due to 4GB of memory being available to applications.
How can you tell what kind of system you’re currently running, and what resources you have at your disposal? Start>Run and type the Windows command DXDIAG.
Other Recommendations from I.II.I:
Dedicated Temp folder (C:\Temp) stored outside a user profile (to alleviate permissions issues) – and be sure it’s empty before you begin an installation.
If the install fails because Civil 3D is “already installed,” but you know it is not, try a clean uninstall, and try the Microsoft installer cleanup utility.
Update your system using the Microsoft Update site. Even though you may be keeping up to date with automatic installs, grab any of the leftovers you see. If you need to ask, “Do I need this?” The answer is “Yes.” Autodesk doesn’t test new software on old outdated systems, so it stands to reason you want your OS and any hardware drivers up to date.
Still having problems with an install? Uninstall anything that says “Java.” You can add it later. Now this is just my simple mind at work: If I was your CAD Manager, you wouldn’t be running the WeatherBug or anything else that puts an unnecessary tax on system resources. Civil 3D is expensive, give it room to play.
Turn off, uninstall, or otherwise remove from the picture, anything that says AntiVirus. The number one reason installs fail is because you left the antivirus software running in the background. Once Civil 3D has been installed, you can enable your antivirus software again, but unless you configure exclusions, you’re asking for issues down the road.
Civil 3D requires a clean system, and it requires horsepower. Before tackling an install, be sure you have hardware and an OS in place set to handle anything you throw at it over the course of the next couple years. Don’t plan system upgrades to meet today’s requirements, plan them to meet tomorrow’s. The consultants you count on for technical services ought to be able to adjust their prices for services to help you free up some finances to meet unexpected hardware needs; at I.II.I, we do.
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