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Troubleshooting Installations with the Autodesk Installation Diagnostic Assistant

CADD MicrosystemsFebruary 14th, 2017

Instead of seeing new icons on your desktop, you get the rather unhelpful “Some products Failed to install” message at the end of your Autodesk software installation. Where do you go from here? How do you even begin to find why your software failed to install in the first place? The good news is the installation log file has the answer to both of these questions. The bad news is these log files aren't always the easiest thing to read - much less find. Who am I kidding? Unless you've learned the secret language of LOG file they're next to impossible to decipher.
 
While the raw LOG file itself may take some practice to learn to read, Autodesk the super helpful AIDA utility is here to help. AIDA is an acronym that stands for Autodesk Installation Diagnostic Assistant. It's primary purpose in life is to translate the rather cryptic language of LOG files into something that resembles English.

Downloading AIDA

The AIDA utility is a simple program you install on the machine you're having installation trouble with. You can both download and read more about the AIDA utility from the Autodesk Knowledge Network site. After the download completes, run the installer, accept the license agreement, and click install. You should be ready to use AIDA within a minute or two.

What's so special about AIDA?

Even if you happen to know how to read LOG files, do you know where to find them? That's the magic of AIDA. You don't have to know either of these pieces of information. Launch AIDA from Start > Programs > Autodesk > Diagnostic Utilities > Autodesk Installation Diagnostic Assistant, and the utility will automatically try to find the last installation LOG file from the temp directory.
 
TIP: Quickly find the Temp directory by entering %TEMP% in the address bar of File Explorer.

Simple LOG File Analysis

You can always open a LOG file other than the one that automatically opens by clicking the Load Log File button. AIDA will begin analyzing the selected file the moment it's loaded.

Easy LOG File Translation

Once the first analysis is complete, you can click View HTML. This will open your internet browser, and display the installation report generated by AIDA.

Easy to Share

The installation report generated by AIDA is enough for many users to solve issues on their own. If you still need help our CADD Care team is here to help solve your installation issues. That brings me to the last function of AIDA - Create ZIP File. In addition to the installation report, the Create ZIP File function will also include associated LOG files.
 
With that ZIP file and a brief description of what's happening; our CADD Care team can start troubleshooting your installation the moment ew receive your case.

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