FAQ

 

Before contacting our GIS Helpdesk, please check if your issue is among the frequently asked questions that we have collected for you below.

 

Typical Problemes

Can I get a license for my personal computer?

As a student enrolled in Geography you can obtain a license.This license is limited to one year. If it has expired, you can receive a new one.

Please contact Mr. Gernot Frommelt, Room SG 426. It is best to make an appointment in advance.You can reach both at:  .

A certain function / tool does not deliver the desired result.


  • In many cases it helps to look into the very good ArcGIS help: F1 key, "Help -> ArcGIS Desktop Help" or the Internet ( Tool Reference). Find the name of the function / tool there.
  • Search the Internet;there is almost always someone who already had the problem.

Certain tools / extensions are not visible.

  • Check whether the respective extension is activated under "Customize -> ...".If not, activate it.

A specific feature / tool returns an error message

If you receive an error code,

  • search the web for "ArcGIS + error code"; there is probably someone who already had the same problem,
  • you can look up the detailed output of the tool in the results (Geoprocessing  Results),
  • pay attention to the rules for file and folder names. Incorrect names can cause wrong error codes.

What should be considered when creating files and folders in ArcGIS?

  • For ESRI grids, the maximum length of the filename is 13 characters.
  • For example, use GeoTIFFs (* .tif) to work around this problem.
  • No umlauts, special characters and blanks.Instead of blanks, you can use underlines.

When I try to save my file, I get an error message saying that I have no permission to write.

  • Please check if there is enough disk space in your user account.

I copied my GIS project from A to B. Now data is no longer visible and layers are marked with a red exclamation point.

  1. ArcGIS does not find the files. Probably no "relative pathnames" are activated. Please activate this under "File -> Map Document Properties".
  2. Right-click on the faulty layer - red exclamation point - and select "Data -> Repair data source".
  3. Now find the folder in which the file is located and select the file. Afterwards, the data should be visible again
  4. Save the project.

When I open a tool in the computer room in ArcGIS, I get an empty window.

  • The memory capacity for your user account may have been reached. Close ArcGIS and delete unnecessary data.