Problem

When launching the SOLIDWORKS Activation Manager to activate SOLIDWORKS, some users have reported running into the error " An activation prerequisite is missing, please reinstall (68)".

This error can occur if the Activation Manager files were not installed correctly.

Solution 1: Repair SOLIDWORKS

The first recommendation to resolve this error is to repair SOLIDWORKS, as this article goes over:

How to Repair SOLIDWORKS – Hawk Ridge Systems

Solution 2: Reinstall the necessary Activation Manager Files

If the SOLIDWORKS Repair did not resolve the error, follow the steps below to reinstall the necessary Activation Manager Files.

1. In Windows File Explorer, navigate to the following path: 
   C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS\setup\i386.
    Note: The C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS\ portion of this directory is the default SOLIDWORKS install path, so this may be different based on your setup.

2. In this folder, confirm the existence of the files named "swlicservinst.exe" and "swinstactsvc.exe", as shown below and take note of their location

   

3. In the Windows Start Menu, type "cmd" without quotations into the Windows search field, and right-click on the Command Prompt application to select "Run as administrator". 

   

4. Type 'cd c:\program files\solidworks corp\solidworks\setup\i386' to change to the [SolidWorks install directory]\setup\i386 folder. If SOLIDWORKS is not installed in the default location, update the path as necessary to the path in step 2.
   
5. Type swlicservinst.exe -swip swx and press Enter.
   
6. Type swinstactsvc.exe -swip swx and press Enter.
   
7. Launch SOLIDWORKS to check if the solution was successful. 

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