unable to activate **SOLVED**

[Scorpio47]

Dear Umberto:

I have not had any issues for a long time now, but after installing P3D5.2 with HF I cannot activate my FSDT sceneries any more.
Example Zurich: all I see is a few free roaming air bridges, no buildings etc. already right from the start. So it seems that not even the trial period is offered.

However, I want to REGISTER and ACTIVATE my sceneries and did as instructed using the addon manager and filling in the field for the registration code, then OK.
No change happens unfortunately.....
This is true for all sceneries I own as well as for GSX2 and the XPOI.

I have redownloaded the files and did a new installation, then also used the FSDT Live Update tool, all with the same result:
No buildings, only bridges are visible .

Please help me to get this to work again.
THANK YOU e grazie molto
Juergen

[virtuali]

I have not had any issues for a long time now, but after installing P3D5.2 with HF I cannot activate my FSDT sceneries any more. Example Zurich: all I see is a few free roaming air bridges, no buildings etc. already right from the start. So it seems that not even the trial period is offered.

That means your problem doesn't have anything to do with activation. Whenever you have a problem with the activation, the scenery won't disappear: it will revert to Trial, which means it will run for 5 minutes and THEN it will disappear, but that's only for the current session, there's no limit how many 5 minutes you can have.

So, your problem is just the software required for the scenery to run hasn't loaded and, the most common cause is the antivirus so:

- Configure the antivirus to add the whole Addon Manager folder to its EXCLUSIONS .

- Run the FSDT Lilve Update again, or reinstall the scenery.

[Scorpio47]

Grazie tanto, Umberto!
As always you suggested the solution to my problem.....

I do not have any antivirus software in use except the standard Windows 10 firewall and I added couatl.exe as well as the FSDTupdater app to the authorized apps for the firewall resulting in normal behavior! 

If you want me to add the whole directory, you will have to tell me how to do that, as I do not know too much about these things, sorry.

Again, thank you very much and have a great week in good and stable health!
All the best for you and yours,
Ciao e grazie
Juergen

[Scorpio47]

Unfortunately I was too fast with my success story.....
I have added the whole directory of the addon manager as well as couatl.exe and the updater to the exceptions in Windows firewall and it has had the effect we hoped for yesterday.

However after a fresh boot today I now have the "normal" situation for trial sceneries and most buildings etc. disappear after 5 minutes, only the airbridges are left (like a few days ago).
The Addon Manager tells me that the sceneries are installed but in TRIAL mode and I still cannot activate them.
I can fill in the keys into the registration windows, but there is no difference, they all stay as TRIAL:

Do you have a suggestion what I should try next?

Thank you and until soon I hope
Saluti cordiali
Jürgen

EDIT:
I think I might have found the problem..... in the Add-on Window, there are TWO instances of Addon Manager listed!
And they are different... The upper one shows the sceneries as ACTIVE and the lower one lists them as TRIAL
Here are some screnshots to illustrate what I mean....

How can I get rid of the faulty addonmanager?

[virtuali]

EDIT: I think I might have found the problem..... in the Add-on Window, there are TWO instances of Addon Manager listed!

Of course that's your problem. I have no idea how you could possibly end up with two copies of it, surely not using only our installer. Are you using a 3rd party product to manage add-on.xml files ?

If yes, you might be able to remove the duplicate using the same product.

If not, you might check both these files:

%PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v5\add-ons.cfg
%APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v5\add-ons.cfg

And be sure the Addon Manager is listed only on one of them.

If you have to remove its section from the middle of the file and you have more than one Package there, be sure the [Package.XXX]  ( xxx are numbers ) are in sequence ( 0, 1, 2, etc. ) without skipping any number.

[Scorpio47]

I only found one instance in the add-ons.cfg under ROAMING, but I then decieded to de-install all my sceneries and was indeed asked if I wanted to delete AddonManager. I answered with YES and rebooted.
Then reinstalled the sceneries again and now have only one instance of AddonManager in the P3D menu showing all sceneries as ACTIVE.

I hope this will solve that problem once and forever and shall enjoy your excellent work again! :-)

Thank and all the best to you and yours,
Jürgen

[Scorpio47]

Good evening, Umberto:

One more thing I found now:

I want to install the new version 2 of O´Hare for P3D5, but get this error message (first pic).

However both in control panel AND in the Addon Manager there is no version of KORD whatsoever....

What can I do to enjoy the Chicago scenery in trial mode first with a view to later buying it?

THANK YOU, Umberto!

[virtuali]

However both in control panel AND in the Addon Manager there is no version of KORD whatsoever....

It seems you must have it a while ago, removed it manually, and forget about it, which left things that would be removed by the Uninstaller, but not if you remove it manually. The KORD V2 installer checks for this folder:

Addon Manager\Simobjects\Misc\FSDT_OhareX

If it's there, just remove it. Assuming, of course, the rest of the scenery has been removed. If it hasn't, it's in Addon Manager\Fsdreamteam\OhareX. However, if you still have this folder, be sure you don't have the scenery in the Scenery Library.

Again, all of this is not normally required, if you always run the Uninstaller.

[Scorpio47]

Thank you, Umberto!
Actually there was still that entry in the Misc directory and it was dated 14.2.2019  :-(
I removed it, and also the directory OHareX from the Fsdreamteam directory as you suggested.

No more traces found after that..... and I could then install KORD v2 without any problems.
It is in TRIAL mode as it should be for now.....
However, the manager tells me that KJFKv2 is ACTIVE but not installed..... How can that be, as I reinstalled that scenery just a few hours ago???

See pic below...

Thank you again for your help and kind support. Have a good night!
Best regards
Jürgen

[virtuali]

However, the manager tells me that KJFKv2 is ACTIVE but not installed..... How can that be, as I reinstalled that scenery just a few hours ago???

Not installed means "not installed in the Scenery Library" so, fact you have the files, doesn't mean it's installed in the Scenery Library.

Of course, our installer WILL put it in the Scenery Library which, in case of P3D 4/5, means it will create an add-on.xml in the Documents\Prepar3d V5 Addons, and activate it. So, under normal circumstances, when you install using the installer, it will be installed.

But, since in both the previous cases, it seems you either installed something very old or removed something manually, or both, I cannot possibly tell what other problems you had with JFK V2, which caused an incomplete installation, which never happens normally.

Reinstall JFK and pay attention for any errors. And check if the add-on.xml for it has been created ( it always does but, with your system, everything seems to work strangely... )

[Scorpio47]

Hello Umberto,
indeed it seems that there is a problem with that installer. When I re-installed the KJFK2 scenery yesterday I received the question if I wanted to delete the AddonManager and I replied with YES, because you wrote somewhere that a situation like that would lead to a double entry of the AddonManager in the P3D menu.
After that I ran the FSDT updater and all was fine, only KJFK was shown as "not installed but active".
That triggered my last question.

Now after your reply I checked and found the add-on.xml file (attached) in the FsDreamTeam KJFK subdirectory in Prepar3D v5 Add-ons.  So all required files are there, but for some reason are not recognized by the Addon Manager.

Before I start the KJFK2 installer again, I want to be sure not to repeat this same situation and would appreciate your help on how to proceed. Should I add the scenery manually to the add-ons.cfg in "Programdata" and/or "Roaming" ?

Thank you for helping me to avoid another mistake.
Kind regards
Jürgen

P.S.
I have also added a screnshot to show the path in the xml file and that location on the disk. All seems to be complete (with the manual dated 2013!)

[Scorpio47]

Last situation:

I checked the list of add-ons in the sim and found KJFK listed but not clicked as active.
I checked that box and miraculum miraculorum the scenery now is shown as installed and active in the addon manager and I can display all objects.

If that was the thing to do, all is now solved. If not, please let me know.

THANK YOU

[virtuali]

I checked the list of add-ons in the sim and found KJFK listed but not clicked as active.

So, it must been you that disabled it from the Options->Add-on menu. The installer will just create the add-on.xml and ask P3D to enable it but, this won't automatically enable an add-on that was disabled manually, on the assumption you had a reason to do so.

[Scorpio47]

I do not recall to have deactivated it, it just was there after the installation and I had not looked before this morning. That is how I found that line....

But the important question is now: is it OK as is, or do you need me to do something else?

Thank you again, Umberto, you are my HERO 
Cheers,
Jürgen

[virtuali]

I do not recall to have deactivated it, it just was there after the installation and I had not looked before this morning. That is how I found that line....

It's either you or another addon you might use to manage add-ons, the add-ons never turn off themselves on that list automatically.

But the important question is now: is it OK as is, or do you need me to do something else?

If it works, there's nothing to do.