Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software and remove old folders if a previous installation failed. 5. Verify .NET Framework 3.5

Temporarily disable your third-party antivirus or Windows Security.

Right-click the activator, go to Properties > Compatibility , and set it to run for Windows 7 or Windows 10 . 4. Clean Registry Keys

SOLIDWORKS 2017 was designed for Windows 7 and 10. Running the SSQ activator on Windows 11 often fails because the newer OS restricts the registry modifications the legacy tool tries to perform.