And I thought SP0 EV was fast to follow Pre-Release 1….  Looks like all things are GO and SolidWorks SP0.0 is available for download.  I was REALLY surprised to see it released this early.

I am one of those guys that no matter what software I am running, I usually wait till at least the first service pack before moving my every day work to a new version.  From what I heard today from my VAR, the CDs are no longer required for your initial install of the new version.  Call me old fashioned, but I recommend that you wait for the CDs to arrive (This is what my VAR is recommending as well).  Now that SP0.0 is out, I’m sure the CDs will be shipping soon.

There is a pretty good checklist in the May 2006 SolidWorks Express newsletter with some tips on doing a clean uninstall/install between versions.  The only thing I differ on, is that I clean my registry.  (SolidWorks folders under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE & HKEY_CURRENT_USER.  This is done of course after running the copy options wizard and uninstalling the old version.)  I only recommend this if you are comfortable working in the registry. You can REALLY SCREW UP a computer if you delete the wrong thing, so do so at your own risk.

Stay tuned….more reviews and news to come!

UPDATED 7-27-06: I did confirm today that if you do install the downloaded version of SolidWorks 2007 SP0.0, you will need to insert the SW 2007 CDs and run them once you receive them prior to updating to a Service Pack.  (This is the way it has been the past few releases.)  Apparently this has something to do with Windows Installer.  A big thanks goes out to Jeff at ModernTech for clarifying this for me.