Jul. 3rd 2010
Cricut Design Studio Help Troubleshooting Software Problems
As with any software installation, problems can occur. If you need help with Cricut Design Studio, here are some troubleshooting tips.
1: For the Cricut Design Studio (CDS) to be able to work properly, remember that your computer needs to be running with a resolution of 1024×768 or higher, and your DPI setting needs to be set to Normal (96 DPI). Screen Resolution settings can be found by going to Start/Control Panels/Display, then clicking on the Settings tab. Just use the Screen resolution slider to make a change. To find DPI settings while still on the Settings tab, just click on the Advanced button, then use the DPI setting drop-down menu to choose Normal size (96 DPI). Changing the DPI requires a computer reboot to take effect.
2: Before starting installation, please make sure your Windows Operating System is as up to date as possible (internet connection required). To update Windows, go to Start/Control Panels/Windows Update. Give your computer a minute to determine what updates are needed, if any. If some are needed, choose the Express install option. When the update is done, reboot
your computer, then proceed with the CDS install.
3: Before you install the CDS, make sure there are no other programs running. This includes anything running in the background (locate these in the taskbar on the bottom-right of your desktop) and any Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware/Firewall programs (as they might misinterpret the Cricut Design Studio files being installed and block them).
4: At a certain stage of the install you may encounter a few minutes of apparently no activity at the following screen. Be assured that the installation is going forward and, depending on your web and system speeds, may occasionally take upwards of 8 minutes or more to continue to the next step.
5: As in all installations, depending upon your user permission settings in
Vista, you may encounter this window asking which account you want to use to run the program. It is VERY important that you keep the selection on the
Current User AND uncheck the “Protect…” box. Otherwise the Cricut Design Studio will not have the right to run correctly on your system. Don’t worry, this process applies ONLY to how this software interacts with your Windows system and impacts nothing else.
6: As with all peripheral installations, you need to make sure your computer can see your Cricut machine (know it’s connected) before updating your Cricut machine firmware. After installing the Cricut Design Studio, plug the USB cable into the Cricut machine and directly into your PC. Do not use a USB hub. Any open USB port on the back of your computer should work. Now when you turn your Cricut machine on, your computer should automatically detect a new device and let you know about it with a word bubble that pops up in the bottom-right of your desktop.
If your computer sees your Cricut machine, proceed to open up the CDS, then go to Help/Update Cricut Firmware and follow the instructions to the letter. If your computer does not let you know that it can see the Cricut machine, try plugging the USB cable into a different USB port (most computers have a few ports in front, and some more in back) until the message pops up. If you try them all with no pop-up, disconnect the USB cable, reboot the computer, then try connecting it again to as many ports as it takes to be seen. This will ensure that your Cricut machine is communicating successfully with your computer, and will reduce the possibility for problems when you continue with the firmware update.
7: Updating Cricut machine !rmware can take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, maybe even a bit longer. If your !rmware update takes a signi!cantly shorter time than 5 minutes, your Cricut machine isn’t getting the proper update — in which case, the process needs to be started again from the beginning.
IMPORTANT: Follow these instructions BEFORE connecting your Cricut machine to your computer. This ensures the proper drivers are installed.