I am constantly loosing my xref path and having to reload when I re-open drawings. Doesnt happen all the time, maybe half the time. How do you make the xref stay and not loose the path? Is there a trick to this that I do not know? I know that you can choose different styles of xref insertion, like overlay, attach, etc. Is there a correct method to re-load an xref that already comes to you a certain way? meaning I work with architects that send me drawings that are already set up with these xrefs and I loose the paths, can you reload these a different way or type a command to lock all xrefs to this drawing and keep the paths, or what if I change the path location and want to then save it that way, locked in. ?  Sometimes I just end up doing a copy/paste of the background into my drawing and get rid of xrefs because it is so frustrating to constantly loose them.....help? anyone? That takes alot of time though and not ideal. The worst ones are when I am working with large Site Plans and we have landscaping backgrounds, roads, etc. I need to keep these as xrefs because they change sometimes and I have to reload them from time to time with an updated version, but again, the pathways to the xrefs are always missing half the time I open these files...ugh.

Hi,
 
Of course you will loose your xrefs path if the architects keep sending you that way. They should do 'eTransmit' to all drawings to you and you will found that you have not to reload them back to the parent drawings.
 
My suggestion is, all you have to do right now is to get Reference Manager. Then your reloading task will be more fast and more easier.
 
Before doing that, try to figure it out if you need to have any folder to place all xrefs first. Do not simply change, remove or rename the folder that contained all xrefs in order not to lose them again in the future.
 
Lets try these, go to;
 
Start > All Programs > Autodesk >........ Reference Manager.
 
HTH. thanks.Rman2010-01-22 08:22:01

Sounds good, I will try that first. I really appreciate the help...I will let you know how it goes...

Thank you for the info, I did try this and it seems like it is the same type of xref manager that I use when I am in my cad drawing, part of the tool palettes on the left where I have to reload all my paths for my missing xrefs. Is this version something different and does it now lock these paths for me or will I continue having the same problem?
 
Mainly I have to move my entire cad folder sometimes, I will copy the folder to work on it remote, every time I move the folder I loose all the xrefs paths and have to reload again. Am I fighting an no win battle here? Is this just the way it is because the xrefs are set up as an "overlay", is there a better way to set up xrefs or can I change the way they are saved in the drawing any other ways?

I'll try to give you some ideas,
 
Firstly,
 
1. Make a new folder and name it as XREF01,.or whatever.
 
2. Copy all xrefs, (remember all xrefs..) and drop them all into that new folder (XREF01)
 
3. Go to Start >  All programs > Autodesk >.....Reference Manager.
 
4. In reference manager, Add Drawings > Sellect the drawings that needed to reload Xref. You will see a bunch of Xref Attachment with (!) mark. No choice but not sure, you have to add the parent drawing everytime, individualy.
 
5. Select all of them (Xref Attachment with (!) ) by pressing Shift and right click.
 
6. Choose,  Edit Selected Paths...
 
7. Browse to new folder (XREF01) > ok > ok.
 
8. Then, don't forget to 'Apply Changes' before you quit. And one more thing to remember is, never open the drawings while you doing all these.
 
Just try to helps, maybe someone else had a better idea.
 
HTH, good luck.
 Rman2010-01-23 09:03:00

I really appreciate the advice, I will do that for this new project I am working on and see how that goes. I am hoping that once I do this in this format that at least the rest of the times I open this drawing that the paths are saved, so that is the goal.
 
Thank you for the info, I think most of my problems are probably due to how these files are sent to me as well. I am going to request the etransmit I am hearing about as well from now on, then I will hope for an easier time with all this.

You are welcome, hope that helps and good luck! Rman2010-01-25 01:20:23