Rarely, it may not be possible to delete SOLIDWORKS PDM Local Vault by the standard method of right-clicking on it and selecting Delete File Vault View.
Normal Method of Deleting Vault View
In these cases, the vault view can be deleted manually.
Caution should be taken to ensure all files are checked in first, if possible. After the below processes are completed, files in the Local Vault View will be deleted.
Manual Deletion Process
The Manual delete SOLIDWORKS PDM Local Vault process involves modifying the Windows Registry,
If you are not familiar with working within the Registry, you should not attempt this manual deletion process. Irreparable damage to the operating system or installed software can occur, if some areas are edited or deleted.
Because of this, I have purposely omitted the steps, to access the areas mentioned in this article.
The first step is to delete the following keys:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Databases\[VAULTNAME]
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\Databases\[VAULTNAME]
- Either ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ConisioAdmin’. If only one vault is present
- or ‘HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SolidWorks\Applications\PDMWorks Enterprise\ConisioAdmin\Servers\[Server Name]\FileVaults\[VAULTNAME]’ if there is more then one vault view.
Note, [Vault Name] refers to the name of the Vault that is to be deleted. In my example the Vault is called Orphan_Vault.
Deleting Reg Key
After deleting these keys, close all Windows Explorer Windows and start a Windows Command Prompt. In the Command prompt enter RD “c:\path_to_vault_view” /s
Remove Directory through Command Prompt
Open a Windows Explorer Window. You will now see that the vault folder, now appears as normal Explorer Folder, that can be deleted.
Normal Folder that can be Deleted