Q: Why does Abaqus fail to launch with an error "SMACgmCaeGuiMod has stopped working"?
Context
You have just installed Abaqus on a Windows machine
Abaqus fails to launch with the error message above
Answer
One possible cause is attempting to launch Abaqus from a folder where the user doesn't have write permission. To test and work around this, try running Abaqus as administrator, or launch it from C:\Temp in a Command Prompt window.
Another potential cause is an outdated graphics driver. Please make sure you're running the latest driver available for your graphics card. Note that Windows Update will often not have access to recent updates, and you will likely need to download them directly from the vendor of your graphics card.