Up and Ready: Rental

I'm starting to have nightmares where a huge creature is chasing me through a dark forest. I can hear it behind me, laughing maniacally as it crushes trees in its relentless pursuit. Just when I think I'm about to escape, I trip over a root and go sprawling on my face. As I brace for the horror I know I'm about to experience, the stench of the beast's hot breath filling my nostrils as it moves in for the kill, I glance behind me and see this:

Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. But the "Establish an internet connection to continue" error has been causing us grief for a while. Not only is it poorly worded (99% of the time the internet connection works just fine, as customers are very happy to tell us), but there are also several things that can cause the error, making it an absolute joy to troubleshoot.

Brad Hurley, one of the tenacious troubleshooters on the Autodesk Installation & Licensing team, found another potential cause for the error. It turns out that if "Use SSL 3.0" is unchecked it can cause the error.

We've updated the following article with the new information:

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/article/Meta-licensing

I am going to thank LEGO Star Wars Snowspeeder for inspiring this blog post. This model kit has 279 pieces in it and it is divided into 3 bags so even a 7 year old can build it. As you know, Lego kits are almost devoid of any text in it. So in this episode of the Quick Start series of blog posts, I wanted to make an addition (pictures) to the following the Autodesk Knowledge Article on how to install Desktop Subscription Software.

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/search-result/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/How-to-install-Desktop-Subscription-Software.html

NOTE: Please apply this Hotfix before launching your Autodesk [2014/2015] product.

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1. Choose your software in the Autodesk Store and buy a Desktop Subscription.

2. Once you get your confirmation email, you will need to create an account and log in to:

https://manage.autodesk.com

By default, the user that bought the software will be the Contract Administrator and you will be automatically assigned to use the software. In the example below, there are 3 x AutoCAD LT licenses available and one of the licenses will be assigned to David Lau.

3. If you have purchased more than 1 copy of Desktop Subscription, it's best to choose a Browser Download of the software. Conserve your internet bandwidth. You can basically re-use the installer for your 3 users. If you use the Install Now method and run the setup.exe at a later time, you will get a Communication Error. Any folder in C:\Autodesk with "wi" or "WI" in it's name is not re-usable.

a. Expand widget for Product.
b. Choose 32 or 64 bit.
c. Select Browser Download.

Screencast: http://autode.sk/1KWjRrS

4. Install the software using the serial number and product key noted when you expand the widget.

NOTE: AutoCAD 2015 or AutoCAD LT 2015 for Mac Users, please review this article:

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/autocad-lt/troubleshooting/caas/sfdcarticles/sfdcarticles/Autocad-LT-on-MAC-will-not-authenticate-rental-properly-and-keeps-asking-to-activate.html

5. You need to assign users to AutoCAD LT by clicking on the User icon.

6. Click on Add to invite users to run AutoCAD LT.

If you try to add a user but it doesn't show up in the list, you will need to Contact Us > Account Creation & Sign in > Chat or Submit a Support Request.

https://screencast.autodesk.com/Main/Details/33dc58d8-8409-4d43-8f9c-24beb43c2c79

7. You will need to assign AutoCAD LT to the user so that they can run the software. If the user is no longer employed by your company, you can remove them from the list of users. For example, David Lau may have bought the software but doesn't actually need to use it so you can uncheck the Assign button to give the license to someone else on the team.

8. When you invite someone, the grey circle icon means that you have sent them an invite to use the software but they have not logged in and set a password for their unique user account. A green check mark means that the user is OK.

9. When running the software for the first time, you will need to login based using the account that was created in steps 6, 7 & 8. The Autodesk Desktop Rental product will need to connect to the internet once every 30 days to check the account status.

In some instances, you may need to review this solution if the, login window is missing.

10. If get the following error: Establish an Internet connection to continue.

There are 4 articles that you can use to solve this problem:

a. Please apply this Hotfix before launching your Autodesk [2014/2015] product. Also, review this article if you get File Access Denied when applying this patch.

b. Establish an Internet Connection Error

Windows: Desktop Subscription Licensing Error: "Establish an Internet connection to continue"
Mac: Establish-an-Internet-Connection-to-continue-MAC

c. You can also use Fiddler to troubleshoot the connection error.

d. If you are using enterprise antivirus [McAfee] software, please check out How to set up McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator to allow Autodesk Products to work with Desktop Subscription.

11. If you get the following error: Renew your license.

You may have not chosen the option to auto-renew monthly and this error is indicating that the serial number used to install the software is not valid anymore. In some instances, a new serial number may need to be assigned to you.

Please check out this article if you get a License dialog box appearing when using a new Desktop Rental serial number. This is a confirmed solution via Matt Bellin.

12 If you get the following error: Contact your administrator to request permission to use this product.