I have DVDs for SW Premium 2014, 2015, and 2016. They are all currently installed and licensed on my computer and updated to their latest SPs. I cannot afford, however, to continue pouring $2000/yr down the Dassault drain indefinitely to maintain my subscription. Once it lapses, I believe I can continue to run the updated versions that I have but cannot download any updates (even ones that I am already using). On the other hand I believe I can still download the updates for the versions I have before the subscription lapses and store them for future emergencies. (I saw something about this on this forum but wasn't really paying attention and cannot locate it now.)
So my central question is, what if I upgrade my computer and/or operating system after my subscription lapses? I would then have to re-install one or more SW versions on the new machine and update them to the (present) latest SP.
1) Exactly what must I download now to enable this? Just the final SP of each version, or all of the intermediate updates along the way?
2) When I need to re-install, what problems will I encounter to get the version(s) running and updated, and how can I solve them?
Thanks in advance for any advice or references! -- John Willett
John,
"Should I be able to order the latest ones through my VAR before my subscription expires, or is this the only way to get them?"
I don't think that the VAR's get hardcopies from the different SP's. DVD's of SP0 sure but that will be it. Your VAR might however burn you a DVD themselves with the copy of the full install with all the SP's included but they are in no way obliged to do it.
"Just for completeness can I do the re-install as I outlined, using the distribution DVDs plus the SP updates that I have already copied from the Solidworks Downloads folder mentioned above?"
Of course you can. It just means that you'll have to install the original DVD and then install the SP('s).
See the posts by Deepak Gupta in this thread Service Packs? I think not. <rant> about how SW SP's contain what depending on what you have already installed when downloading them.
"And does any specific SP include all earlier SP's for that version, as it appeared to do when I initially updated on line from the distribution DVD of SW 2014 directly to SP5.0 in one step?"
Yes and no, it seems to depend really on what you already had installed when you downloaded the latest SP. See the thread I linked to in the above answer.
Most importantly, once my subscription expires, can I actually load any SW version/update that came out during my subscription period without licensing hassles or appeal to my (then expired) VAR?
Read the following threadSolidworks removes access to ALL downloads after your maitenance expires.
Especially the comment by Alin Varguta
Hope this helps
Peter