I recently started working for an electrical contracting business. I wanted to upgrade their office computers to Windows 7, but AutoCAD2002 which they use is not getting along well with Windows 7. I've done a lot of googling on the subject but never found a solution.

AutoCAD will work upon first installing, but once the computer is restarted it gives a fatal error. It will however open if you load a CAD file specifically created in XP.

Anyway, I've been trying to sell the idea of them getting a newer version of AutoCAD. They're extremely comfortable with 2002 though, and hesitant in wanting to upgrade. While trying to search for a solution to my previously mentioned problem, I saw some people mention that there are ways of changing the GUI layout so that newer versions look like previous ones.

Is there some way I can do this? If so, perhaps they'll upgrade to a more recent version.

Edit: Also, if you have experience using AutoCAD 02 and a more up to date version, I'd be interested to hear your experiences in the transition and how difficult or easy it was.


Edited by OrbitzXT - 07.Sep.2010 at 03:52

I tried the compatibility modes already and they don't have to make 2002 any more stable. The others having the same problem as myself had no luck with it either. At this point I'm past wanting to fix it and just trying to sell the idea of using a more recent version to my boss. So is there a way to make a newer version look and feel more like 02?

Lithium Sunset wrote: I will also add that ACAD 2002 is a very capable version and there is no need to upgrade to the latest version.

I disagree. Technology continues to move forward, and if you're not willing to move along with it, you will be left in the dust. You can continue using older software, but you are missing out on all the new features and functionality that helps to steamline workflows and simplify tasks, making it easier to be more productive. And if you're updating your computer to the latest and greatest operating system, the older software is not supported and is not fully compatible which leads to instability, crashes and lots of headaches.

In my opinion, it's a good idea to upgrade at least once every 5 years. It's a very wise investment.

My boss is just a busy guy is all. 2002 does what he needs and he doesn't really have extra time on his hands to sit down with a new version and get familiar with it. I talked to him about this though and he seems to be softening up to the idea. I suspect by 2020 we'll finally upgrade to AutoCAD 2004.