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Frequently Asked Questions about Installing or Upgrading Rhino


System administrators

Installing Rhino 5

Question: Why do I have two Desktop Shortcuts for Rhino 5?
Answer: Rhino 5 automatically installs both 32- and 64-bit versions. There is one shortcut for each. See this page for more explanations on why.


Question: Why is the V5 installer refusing my old V3 or V2 key code?
Answer: You have an old (SR0) install disc. There is a bug in the installer. Download and run the latest installer package from here.

If that is not possible, turn on your keyboard caps lock when entering your old V3 or V2 key code and it will work.


Question: Can I install or uninstall Rhino 5 and keep my Rhino 4 install intact?
Answer: Yes, but with one important condition. Read on.

Rhino 5 is a completely separate installation from V4, but it uses the same license manager as V4. Problems can arise if you decide to uninstall Rhino 5. The V4 license manager gets uninstalled in the process, and your V4 installation will stop working.

If you decide to uninstall Rhino 5, to keep V4 working:

  • Copy the files McNeelLM.exe and RhinoLM.exe to a safe location.
  • Uninstall Rhino 5.
  • Then copy the files back to the original location.

In Windows Vista or 7 the license manager is located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\McNeel Shared\License Manager (64-bit) or C:\Program Files\Common Files\McNeel Shared\License Manager (32-bit)

*Be careful with plug-ins, toolbars, etc. that might be shared between V4 and V5, either consciously or inadvertently. This has caused problems.


Question: Can I have both the 32- and 64-bit versions of Rhino 5 installed on the same computer?
Answer: Yes, except for the license manager issue above.


Question: When I try to open a file, I get an error message about something being unreadable.
Answer: Here's how the system works. There are two parts:

  1. Autosave. If you have Autosave turned on in Rhino, then temporary files are written to the folder specified in Options, and a flag is set that Rhino is running. When Rhino closes normally, it deletes this Autosave file and Rhino clears the flag. If Rhino crashes, the flag is not cleared and the Autosave file still exists when Rhino starts the next time. You are warned that Rhino did not close properly and you have one chance to save your work from the AutoSave file. If you say no, you lose the file.
  2. Backup. In V4 SR7, we added an automatic backup feature. Unless the feature is disabled, when you open an existing file the changes in this new editing session are saved to a new copy of the file and the existing file you opened has .bak concatenated to its name. The file is left in the same folder.
    1. Rhino 5 now makes *.3dmbak files and has a file type listing to open them.
    2. For Rhino 4, use your file Explorer in a List or Detailed view, with Windows Folder Options set to show the file extensions for known file types. Rename the file from <filename>.3dm.bak to <newfilename>.3dm. Then you can open it like any other Rhino 3dm file.


Question: When I installed Rhino, I checked the option to use the Zoo, but I don't use the Zoo.
Answer: On Windows Vista or Windows 7, delete all the files in: C:\ProgramData\McNeel\Rhinoceros\5.0\License Manager\Licenses.

On Windows XP delete all the files in: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\McNeel\Rhinoceros\5.0\License Manager\Licenses.

Restart Rhino. Enter your key when asked.

Note: On some systems, instead of the \All Users\ folder, the path may be your \Domain\ log-in name.


Question: I tried to uninstall Rhino 4.0, but an error occurred and I could not remove Rhino.
Answer: Manually remove Rhino 4.0.


Question: I tried to uninstall Rhino 5, but an error occurred and and I could not remove Rhino.
Answer: Manually remove Rhino 5.


Question: What previous version info do I need to install my Rhino 5 upgrade?
Answer: The Rhino 5 upgrade installer will install if one of the following is true:

  • Rhino 4.0 is installed
  • Rhino 3.0 is installed
  • Rhino 2.0 is installed
  • Rhino 4.0 key code is entered during installation
  • Rhino 3.0 key code is entered during installation
  • Rhino 2.0 key code is entered during installation

There is no need to install the previous version. Just have the key codes ready.


Question: I've got a new computer and I want to install Rhino version X SR Y. I have always purchased the upgrade versions of Rhino. Do I have to install all the previous versions and successive Service Releases?
Answer: No. Simply install the last upgrade version you have downloaded or from the DVD. (We recommend downloading.) The installation asks for your previous version's license key to validate that you have it, but it is not necessary to actually install the previous versions. If you have installed from a DVD, use Help > Check for updates to see if you have the latest Service Release. If not, download and install that. It is not necessary to install any previous Service Releases.


Question: What are Service Releases?
Answer: These installers are downloadable and will only install if you have a version of the product already installed. Service Releases are identified two ways: the SR number, like SR3 or SR4b, and the date, which is coded into the name of the download file like 20050729, meaning July 29, 2005.


Question: How do I tell what version is installed?
Answer: Once you have the software installed, you can see the date and the SR number by viewing the about information, which appears on the splash screen when you start Rhino. Or you can view this at Rhino > Help > About Rhinoceros.

For Flamingo, do the FlamingoAbout command. For Bongo, do the BongoAbout command.


Question: Can I delete older versions in Add or Remove Programs without causing problems?
Answer: The Add or Remove Programs entry in the Control Panel in Windows reports all Service Releases as an installed program, each using approximately 250MB of disk space. This is somewhat misleading. Windows reports the total as though all installed files are added on to the existing installation even though many, if not all, files are actually overwritten on installation. Do not use the Add or Remove Programs to remove older Service Releases of Rhino 4.0.


Question: How do I transfer personalized settings from one Rhino installation to another?
Answer: See this page for advice on copying or transferring customized settings.

rhino/installationadvice.txt · Last modified: 2020/08/14 (external edit)