HyperPics: AutoCAD Tips and Windows Tips

Tip and Trick Detail

Folders Containing Lots of DWG Files Seem to Load Slowwww
*Applies to: AutoCAD 2004 and 2005*

Does loading a folder with lots of drawings seem to be slow after installing AutoCAD 2004 or AutoCAD 2005? This might be due to the shell extension that displays a different icon when a drawing has a Digital signature attached to it. You are in luck and the feature can be disabled. There are two approaches to disabling this feature and if you are using AutoCAD 2004/2005 it is much easier than for those using AutoCAD LT 2004/2005.

Disable the Digital Signature Icon (AutoCAD users)
Step 1 -	Locate a drawing file in Windows Explorer.
Step 2 -	Right-click on the drawing and select "Enable/Disable Digital Signature Icons".
Step 3 -	Uncheck the box in the middle of the dialog box and click OK.
Step 4 -	Restart the computer and you should be able to access the directory much faster now.

Disable the Digital Signature Icon (AutoCAD LT users) It seems there is something missing from the LT install to make it easy to remove this option. So you have to browse for the file called "AcSignOpt.exe" with should be located in either the "C:\Windows\System32" or "C:\Winnt\System32" directory based on the operating system you are using.
Step 1 -	Locate the AcSignOpt.exe file on your machine.
Step 2 -	Double-click on the file to run it.
Step 3 -	Uncheck the box in the middle of the dialog box and click OK.
Step 4 -	Restart the computer and you should be able to access the directory much faster now.