Problem

This article discusses how to resolve the CAMWorks Error 114, "CAMWorks Solids/ SOLIDWORKS executable not found". The launcher was able to find the location of the SOLIDWORKS executable in the registry, but sldworks.exe was not found at that location. This could happen because of an incomplete installation, which can be encountered during the CAMWorks installation process. 

This error is caused by an incomplete installation of CAMWorks Solids. Most commonly, this error is seen on Windows 8.1 operating systems when the .NET Framework 3.5 version is not installed and enabled on the system. It can also be caused by the VSTA installation.

Solution 1: Reinstall CAMWorks and .NET

The issue is resolved by following the steps below:

1. Uninstall CAMWorks Solids and delete the CAMWorks Solids folder
2. Make sure the .NET Framework 3.5 version is installed and enabled on the system. This article goes over repairing .NET: Repairing Microsoft .NET Framework – Hawk Ridge Systems
3. Restart the system 
4. Then log in to the system with Administrator rights and reinstall CAMWorks Solids
5. Launch CAMWorks to retest the issue

Solution 2: Uninstall VSTA and clean the Registry

When going into the Registry Editor, do not modify or delete anything except what is listed below. If you do not feel comfortable performing the steps listed below, please contact Technical Support.

1. Uninstall "Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Applications" and "Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Tools for Applications"
2. Open Windows Search, search for REGEDIT, and then hit Enter to open the Registry Editor

3. Clean the registry by renaming the following entries with an appended "_OLD":
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VSTA
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VSTAHostConfig
4. Renamed to:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VSTA_OLD
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\VSTAHostConfig_OLD
5. Restart the system
6. Then log in to the system with Administrator rights and reinstall CAMWorks Solids
7. Launch CAMWorks to retest the issue

For additional support, existing customers can submit a ticket or new customers can contact Hawk Ridge Systems.