How do you start a SOLIDWORKS session?

Mostly I launch from the icon in my taskbar (Win7) and then open files from inside SW. Occasionally I will RMC on a file in windows explorer and select Open.

I normally start SW by double clicking on my desktop.  I have had occasional issues by opening SW from a file (especially large assemblies).

The first thing I do as I sit in front of my pc is to launch SW by clicking the icon in task bar. It's opened all day long.

Then drag the files I need from a desk top search engine into SW window.

Majority of the time I start from Taskbar

but many time I start by double clicking on the files and I love when it ask me which version to open with

By making fresh coffee and then clicking the desktop icon, but if you can combine the two in an enhancement I'm all for it!

Dave.

Click the Icon on the Taskbar

I'm like most, I start from the taskbar (Win 7) and log in to Smarteam (PDM).

Steve C

I have desktop icons for SW2015 and SW2016, both of which I use regularly for different customers.  I click on the desktop icons to start SW and then use a keyboard shortcut ('O' = File --> Open, or 'R' = 'Recent Files') to open the first model.

But first there's coffee, and that's a more interesting process...   It starts with purified or distilled water and high-quality beans, from Indonesia preferably....  Oops, wrong thread.   Deepak started it!

I usually start by opening an assembly. This gives me 2 options for solidworks. 1 for when Solidworks isn't opened yet and one for when it's open. very annoying but I got used to it. Opening big assemblies usually gives me an error. Then I need to start Solidworks manually from taskbar and open the assembly from there...

I push the primer a few times, turn on the choke then pull the pull cord. It sputters a bit when it's cold but usually fires up.!

Somewhere in the past I read that opening SW by double-clicking a file boogers up the system. Since then I always open SW first and then open files.

First thing after booting up my computer I open it either from the desktop icon or the Start menu, and then it stays open until I shut down or reboot.  I never open a SW file without SW already open.

I click on my shortcut icon in my taskbar. I never dbl-click a file because it can be buggy.

"pin to start" and start from there each time I want to run SW

Currently, I open SW with the Desktop Icon "Double Click". I had done it for a while from within the Windows File Explorer and double clicking a file but had experienced sporadic issues that it did not always like opening that way.

In the past though, I moonlighted with a shop that virtually never turned it off. The computers were only shut down for the weekends and upon restarting the computer it was part of the "Auto Run" sequence and would simply start up on it's own with no user intervention. Actually, they had a number of shop floor computers that used E-Drawings the same way for viewing the engineering files.

I do it with the desktop Icon. When I started I used the Taskbar shortcut. However after about the billionth time of seeing the pop up "journal could not be created" I switched. Primarily it was me being in a hurry and because I wanted to see all of the files open in SW. So i got rid of the taskbar version just to make my life easier. And oh yeah I do it with a cup of coffee in one hand.

I launch from the icon in my taskbar and then open files from "Recent" list.

I always Pin files I'm working on for more that a couple of days.

While working on one file, and I need to open another, I always click on the Open Icon in SW and navigate to the directory I need (unless I know the file is pinned in my recent list).

Left mouse button click.

Seems I am with the majority here, I hit the SW icon, fire up SW.  From there, file>recent, or double click on file in w$ explorer.

Most always (98-99%) by double clicking in Windows Explorer.  SolidWorks may or may not be launched at that time.  I never use File > Open in SolidWorks.

On occasion I will use File > Most Recently Used and take advantage of pinning a document in the MRU list.

I have a dual monitor setup.  SolidWorks on one screen and Windows Explorer on the other.

It's just a click away to start SW - I'm just wondering if there is a  pro/con the way the SW is started?

I open up the vault, search for the file I want by part number and double click on in. On occasion I'll browse directly to the project folder in the vault. There are times where double clicking a file will not work and I have to open solidworks up first, then either use the solidworks open command or drop and drag a file to open the very first file. After that it will respond to double clicking a file to open.

I know this doesn't directly answer the question, and maybe nobody cares, but when I first started using computers for some reason I developed a dislike for double-clicking.  I was delighted to discover that I could set them to open files with a single click.  Now that's the first thing I do when I get a new one.  Hovering on a file name does the same thing as single-clicking with the default setting.

Double click icon I have dragged and pinned to my taskbar.

It's not how users open SW, it's how well they use it.

By clicking the SOLIDWORKS icon and then dragging the files; I am agree with another user that with larger files take longer or even crashes if I go directly.

When working on PDM is the same way, but in this case I log in on the company server first. If the file do not open I turn to SW Explorer and verify the error; sometimes is a future version or one file was uploaded wrong, this tool is helpful when I am working on PDM because I can do proper arrangements to start to work on the files.

Did they assign you this to distract you from more important issues?

I launch Solidworks from my task bar (Win 7)

Occasionally right click and open from windows explorer.

Daily morning routine:

1.) Come into office

2.) Boot up PC

3.) Fill up the water keg while the PC boots

4.) Start IE, Outlook and SWX from the tray

5.) Fetch a knife to prepare breakfast while the programs boot

6.) Use SWX when necessary

I never, ever, start SWX by double-clicking a part/assembly/drawing from the explorer. I have very bad experiences here. Multiple times in the past, when starting SWX by double-clicking an associated file in explorer, SWX hung up in limbo. During this, add a co-worker calling or whatever, creating a slight distraction forgetting about having already clicked/tried to launch, and you have a sleeper bomb that possibly messes up your GUI, hinders loading and especially saving processes and what not. This is simply insane to risk.

Ergo, SWX is started once and then kept open. It crashes, it is opened again, but always by tray icon. In this matter, SWX simply is slow, unstable and risky. Like a sloth on drugs.

Bret Hekking,

Don't know if this is related but, we updated to 2017 yesterday and one of the users is now having problems opening a drawing from Windows Explorer. If he has SW open and attempts to open by clicking a file in windows explorer it will open a second application of SolidWorks. Do you know what could be causing this? Up until today he was able to use this method and open the file in the currently running SW application.

I use a keyboard shortcut - F3