Product(s): | OpenRoads Designer, OpenRail Designer, OpenSite Designer |
Version(s): | CONNECT |
Area: | Startup |
Problem Description(s):
OpenRoads Designer is hanging on the splash screen. OpenRoads is crashing after the splash screen appears. OpenRoads does not load and I receive an error message on startup.
Troubleshooting Path:
Option 1: Is the correct product downloaded and installed on the machine?
Users may have OpenRoads Designer installed but they should be utilizing OpenSite Designer because that is the product for which they have a valid license. Or they could be running OpenRail Designer when they have a license for OpenRoads Designer. Therefore the first step is to make sure the correct product and version are installed.
Click Here for a wiki on how to download any Bentley software from the CONNECTION Center > Software Downloads
Here is a link to wiki articles for OpenRoads Designer installation topics. Under the Table of Contents on the left, you can see topics on Licensing FAQ, Payload Downloads, and other installation topics
It is highly recommended to maintain the latest released version of OpenRoads Designer and CONNECTION Client in order for the program to operate optimally. There are instances where clients and deliverables dictate the required version so an update to the latest release may not be an option, but is the first suggestion.
Option 2: Does the user have an OpenRoads Designer license? This section will cover information on the Subscription Entitlement Service (SES) licensing for product activation and entitlements.
Is the OpenRoads Designer product activated under the Subscription Entitlement Service?
Is there a restriction set on the specific user which is blocking usage of OpenRoads Designer?
Refer to the following FAQ Information on the OpenX products:
Option 3: Is CONNECTION Client installed and running properly?
Option 4: Try deleting the User Prefs and Temp files for OpenRoads Designer.
The prefs and temp data contains coded files which can become corrupt and lead to crashing at startup as well as operational issues with commands not performing correctly, buttons not working, etc. Check here for a video on Deleting User Prefs and Temp folders
The prefs folder and temp files can be deleted from the following locations:
C:\Users\USER.NAME\AppData\Local\Bentley\OpenRoadsDesigner\10.0.0\prefs
C:\Users\USER.NAME\AppData\Local\Temp\Bentley\OpenRoadsDesigner\10.0.0
NOTE: If you do not see the AppData folder, it is a hidden item and would need to be enabled. To do this in the Windows explorer, go to View and toggle on the option for Hidden Items
Option 5: Are you receiving a crash on startup when trying to open a DGN?
Refer to this Troubleshooting Path for Crash When Opening a DGN File. Below are 2 main excerpts from that Troubleshooting Path.
a. If crashing on startup after selecting a file to load, are you loading the program with a custom workspace? The startup issues could be workspace related.
Try using a delivered workspace and workset to load the data. When you are loading the DGN, it may state that the design file is associated to a workspace, which is ok. You want to continue loading the file using the selected delivered workspace such as the 'Training and Examples' workspace and the 'Training-Imperial' workset. If loading the program with a delivered workspace allows the program to open, you can start troubleshooting the custom workspace to see if there is a variable preventing the program from loading. Refer to this link for information on Workspace Related Topics.

b. Can you load the data with another Bentley CAD Application, such as MicroStation CONNECT Edition?
There are cases where civil DGN files or reference DGNs can become corrupt and prevent the OpenRoads Designer program from opening. If you are able to open the data in another program (i.e. MicroStation), the issue could be related to the specific files.
1. Move the DGN file you are trying to open to another location on your computer (such as C:\Temp\) and try to open it. If the file opens, the issue could be related to the references...
2. If you suspect a reference file, you can try opening each reference file in OpenRoads Designer to see if they open or if 1 specific file crashes. You can also test the reference files by moving the reference files out of the folder one by one so they cannot be found by the master DGN. Continue opening the master dgn after you move each file and see if the crash goes away.
Option 6: Try a clean uninstall and reinstall of the program.
Go through the Uninstall Procedures for OpenRoads Designer CONNECT Edition and perform a fresh installation.
Other Questions:
These are other questions we typically ask to help narrow the problem area for troubleshooting:
Question 1: Are any other machines affected?
This can help indicate if the error is isolated to a specific machine. If isolated to a specific machine, we would focus on computer specific problem/solutions such as Operating System, installation problems, software versions and compatibility, firewall or antivirus settings, etc.
Question 2: Do other users experience the same startup errors on the same machine?
This can help indicate if the error is isolated to a specific user, which could point to licensing, entitlement, CONNECTION Client log in, preferences, workspace, etc.
Questions 3: Are you using a virtual machine?
Question 4: Do you have Virus detection software installed?
We have experienced startup issues when an antivirus software such as Sentinel, Sentinel One, Panda, Cylance, etc. are installed and blocking the OpenRoadsDesigner.exe. Refer to
THIS ARTICLE for more detail.
Question 5: Are you using a 3rd Party license software?
Admins now have the ability to control access, entitlements, usage limits, etc. with the Subscription Entitlement Services. If you are using other 3rd Party license software, it could be blocking license access to the programs, thus blocking the program from being able to open.
Startup Error Messages:
Error 1: "A valid entitlement is required to run this product. No entitlement could be found so the product will now shut down."

Error 2: "MDL Loader: Could not load application mcm.ma", along with many "XCommand ... XCommandManager map" errors.
Error 3: Hydraulic Analysis Problem - "Unable to aquire a license for <-Bentley_OpenRoadsDesigner->. Please ensure you have a valid license available and try again."
Solution: Chick
HERE for information on this error.

Error 4: "Incompatible Civil Data. The Data in this file belongs to [OpenRail Designer Update 8] To see if the DGN can be aligned with [OpenRoads Designer] please refer to the online help for Project Alignment. Would you like to open as Read-Only? Press Cancel to Close this file."
Solution: Refer to this article on how to perform
Product Alignment using the Civil File Manager

Error 5: Obsolete Civil Data Found: The Civil Data [V8i (SELECTSeries 4)] found in this file is not supported by OpenRoads Designer Connect Edition. Would you like to open the file Read-Only?
Solution(s) depending on product version:

See Also:
Also refer to Minimum Requirements and Supported OS
