Workaround for DWF Writer Installation Issue

A Mr. Richard Feder from Fort Lee, New Jersey, was unable to install the latest Autodesk DWF Writer 3.1.1. During the installation of the program he received an error message:

Files that are required for Windows to run properly have been replaced by unrecognized versions. To maintain system stability, Windows must restore the original version of these files.

This is a known issue documented in the Autodesk DWF Writer 3.1.1 Read Me. The recommended solution is:

Click Cancel to decline restoring the original versions of these files. Then click Yes to keep the unrecognized file versions.

Despite following this advice, Richard was still unable to use the DWF Writer.

1. As part of installing the 3D DWF Writer, the installer has to install its own version of opengl32.dll. The 3D DWF Writer version of the DLL allows it to intercept OpenGL calls and create a 3D DWF file.
2. Unfortunately, opengl32.dll is a protected system file which Windows does not want the installer to replace. Therefore it will do all that it can to retain the original version.
3. To foil windows, the installer tries to make cached copies of opengl32.dll inaccessible by renaming them. Windows looks for opengl32.dll in standard locations including the original install source for the OpenGL DLL. Usually the install source is a CD. In this case windows pops up some prompts telling the user to insert the CD. This is not a problem since the DWF Writer installer automatically clicks through the prompts; however, in some enterprise or even small business scenarios, the install source is a shared location on the network.
4. Since the user performing the install normally does not have access to change the network files, Windows silently replaces the DWF Writer copy of opengl32.dll with the original OpenGL DLL from the network install location. As a result, the DWF Writer for 3D does not operate.

The solution is to foil this replacement process by disconnecting from the network when performing the Autodesk DWF Writer install or setting some registry entries so that Windows cannot locate the original copies of the OpenGL DLL. To do so, update:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\ServicePackSourcePath
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath

to point to some place other than a network location. This can be a removable disk drive or something completely fictional. The important thing is to prevent the first two characters of the path from being “\\”.

Thanks to DWF Writer Software developer, Steven Velez, for providing this information. This issue, handling a DWF Writer install in cases where opengl32.dll was originally installed from a shared network location, has been logged as a defect to be considered in an upcoming release.