General Category > General Discussion
Installing scenery to a different hard drive
virtuali:
--- Quote from: gchenman on March 09, 2013, 07:51:05 pm ---Firstly, I would like to point out that I don't use FSX but FS9 - maybe, this FS version doesn't react the same way (memory allocation for example).
--- End quote ---
Yes, it's far less complex and usually doesn't have any of the "partial disappearance" problems.
--- Quote ---Four days without problems and... there it is.
--- End quote ---
The scenery is surely not self-modifying so, obviously, something *else* (external) is causing this.
--- Quote ---The sceneries only show the jetways, parking marks, some light poles and airport traffic (train, etc..). There are no buildings nor any trace of "trial version" warning which is normal: Addon Manager shows an "Active" status for all the sceneries.
--- End quote ---
That's an entirely different issue. You don't have PARTS of objects showing up (which is due to video memory corruption), you don't have the scenery at all, as if no scenery was installed.
Since the Addon Manager IS running, the only things that can cause this are (please check ALL OF THEM, one by one):
1) the scenery is really not installed
OR
2) the scenery is installed, but the scenery.cfg points to the wrong place. Which happens if you try to move the scenery manually.
OR
3) you are looking at a different scenery.cfg. The one in the FS9 folder is NOT the one in use but this can also change depending if you run (you shouldn't) FS9 under any "Compatibility" mode. Turn any compatibility modes for FS9.exe entirely off.
OR
4) the scenery is installed, in the proper location, the scenery.cfg is fine, but the scenery is not the current version. Download and install the current installer in this case
OR
5) the scenery.cfg has a syntax error
--- Quote ---Do you think that a complete re-installation + deactivation/activation could solve this issue. Problem is that I had so many problrms with these scenes that I don't know how many free activations I can still use.
--- End quote ---
You seems to be obsessed with activation:
Wasn't enough my previous explanation that if the Addon Manager says the scenery is Active, it means IT IS ACTIVE so, there aren't any problems with the activation ?
Wasn't enough my previous explanation that if the activation is lost for ANY reason, the scenery will not just "disappear", or disappear "partly". It will WORK IN FULL for 5 minutes at time, then you'll have to restart FSX, another 5 minutes will start, and so on, without ANY expiration date, it will work like this forever, until reactivated ?
So, please, just FORGET about registry "keys", activation and such. Your problem doesn't have ANYTHING to do with activation. And, it doesn't even have anything to do with the Addon Manager (which is running), please verify ALL my previous points about possible reasons why you don't see the scenery.
gchenman:
Hi Umberto,
Have been through your checklist and here are my findings:
1) the scenery is really not installed :
All are installed on C: drive
Local=FSdreamteam\JFK\scenery
Local=FSdreamteam\KLAS\scenery
Local=FSdreamteam\KDFW\scenery
Local=FSdreamteam\OHare\scenery
2) the scenery is installed, but the scenery.cfg points to the wrong place. Which happens if you try to move the scenery manually.
See above - description are copy/paste from the latest Scenery.cfg file (located in main FS9 folder) and they are physically located there
3) you are looking at a different scenery.cfg. The one in the FS9 folder is NOT the one in use but this can also change depending if you run (you shouldn't) FS9 under any "Compatibility" mode. Turn any compatibility modes for FS9.exe entirely off.
I didn't change anything to this item - it is unticked.
4) the scenery is installed, in the proper location, the scenery.cfg is fine, but the scenery is not the current version. Download and install the current installer in this case
ohare9_setup - version 2.0000
klas_fs9_setup - version 1.010
kdfw_fs9_setup - version 1.030
jfk_fs9_setup - version 1.030
bglman.dll - version 1.0.0.81
5) the scenery.cfg has a syntax error
Could the scenery.cfg "Title=" description be a problem.
Indeed, having 663 different sceneries installed, I have used the FSNavigator editor to modify their descriptions and have them sequenced by Continent/country/city to easily retrieve them when a problem occurs. This means that "your" default installation description has been overwritten by my own one. Could this have an impact on displaying the scenes? But why would it happen afetr 4 days?
Yes, I am definitely obsessed by your activation method because I think that some FS product providers check licence validity through internet when FS is launched (I don't mean that you are doing this). The fact that I have moved the scenes to another drive might have jeopardized your licence data base version causing a deactivation of the product on my PC. Just trying to find a reason, not complaining about creator's right to protect their job. Working 25 years in banking system security surely doesn't help :-)
Have a nice w-e and thanks again for your support,
George
virtuali:
--- Quote from: gchenman on March 10, 2013, 11:57:31 am ---Could the scenery.cfg "Title=" description be a problem.
--- End quote ---
Not possible to say, without seeing the *actual* file. Not just the title itself, but the file, which might have.been screwed up with some strange encoding problems. Try ZIP your scenery.cfg and attach it to a post.
--- Quote ---Yes, I am definitely obsessed by your activation method because I think that some FS product providers check licence validity through internet when FS is launched (I don't mean that you are doing this).
--- End quote ---
We obviously don't do this. An online connection is made ONLY when you activate the scenery the first time AND if you change a major hardware component. NEVER, EVER in regular use or at any FS startup.
--- Quote ---The fact that I have moved the scenes to another drive might have jeopardized your licence data base version causing a deactivation of the product on my PC
--- End quote ---
I really don't understand why you keep repeating this, when I've clearly explained to you TWICE, that this can't be the case. I'll try it again:
1) If there's no activation, for ANY reason, such as changed hardware without reactivating, too many activations, registry keys lost or corrupted, ANY reason that might screw up the activation, the scenery WILL NOT DISAPPEAR. It will run in TRIAL mode, entirely, just for 5 minutes per session, then you'll have another 5 minutes session, and so on, for ever and ever, with no expiration date of any kind. I've explained this TWICE, wasn't clear enough, why are you keep saying the "activation" caused this ?
AND
2) The activation system doesn't care WHERE the scenery is installed. It only checks if the scenery IS installed in the location indicated in the scenery.cfg. But NOT to "verify your license", it does that, in order to know if the scenery is NOT installed, so you won't be annoyed by bogus "Trial for fsdt KLAX has started" (for example) if you fly in the LAX area and there's NO scenery installed.
3) It's not a problem of the Addon Manager not working or running (that would cause the scenery to disappear too), because you say you can use it normally and it reports the scenery to be Active. Not that this makes ANY difference with its visibility (see point #1), it should at least be visible for 5 minutes.
As I've said, several times, your problem is entirely unrelated to the activation. It must be some kind of problem with the scenery.cfg, ether is wrong, corrupted, or you are looking at the wrong one.
gchenman:
Hi Umberto,
Back on stage... The FSDT Sceneries dissapeared again this morning!
Of course, your installation and registration processes cannot be suspected as you have explained to your customers and myself many times before but then, could you explain why is this phenomenon only occurs with YOUR SCENERIES and also - forgot to mention this formerly - with Cloud9 KLAX scenery ?
I have hundreds of scenes from all FS addons creators (UK2000, TropicalSim, Aerosoft...) and never - I reapeat NEVER - had such kind of issues. This is very upstetting because your products are far from being the cheapest ones on the FS addon market and therefore, I was expecting a more cooperative support.
Inspired by your recommandations, here are the actions taken since last install (was on March 3rd, 1013 - 22:43 WET)
- deactivate all kind of automatic registery defragmentation process
- got rid of the antivirus program (trial mode) - completely removed it
- install of the 4 sceneries with no antivirus nor firewall active
- left scenery.cfg file description as they were and positioned on top of the file (areas 657 to 660)
- removed the resizing programs from the texture folders to avoid new antivirus to react with them
Next week : No problems.
- one week later, I changed the description of KJFK layer to match my description standards
Next week : No problems.
Yesterday, I noticed that Cloud9 KLAX was "gone" (I presumed it happened during the previous config) and installed it the same way I installed the 4 FSTD ones - no antivirus active mode.
After install was done : No problem - it was properly working and FSDT's did too.
This morning, they were in the state you can see on the enclosed screen shots.
I didn't print any KLAX shots because I firstly reinstalled it to check if it could be interfering with the FSDT ones. No.
As far as I can see:
- scenery.cfg file is correctly set up and layers are pointing to the FSDT/Cloud9 folders
- all folders exist and have the correct numbers of BGL and BMP files (see FSDT*-location files enclosed)
- FS9.exe program, bglman.dll are registered on the exception list of the new antivirus (Trend Micro Titanium)
- no FS-oriented process have been blocked by the the new antivirus
- all products are ACTIVE in the Addon_manager (but this we alr4eady knew, don't we)
Have also tried with the following values in the FS9.cfg file
TERRAIN_MAX_VERTEX_LEVEL=19 (ipo 21)
MipBias=4 (ipo 8)
but it doesn't help.
Any ideas?
Regards,
George
virtuali:
--- Quote from: gchenman on March 20, 2013, 03:36:10 pm ---- all products are ACTIVE in the Addon_manager (but this we alr4eady knew, don't we)
--- End quote ---
That concludes any possible discussion about activation, because if the activation was lost, the scenery WOULD WORK IN TRIAL, NOT DISAPPEAR.
And that concludes any possible discussion about the antivirus or similar problems, because the Addon Manager IS RUNNING.
--- Quote ---After install was done : No problem - it was properly working and FSDT's did too.
--- End quote ---
That's to be expected.
--- Quote ---This morning, they were in the state you can see on the enclosed screen shots.
--- End quote ---
As I've said, under FS9 things are way simpler than FSX, where lots of things can go wrong. The ONLY possible reason why, with the Addon Manager running and the sceneries installed, and present in the Scenery Library (are they, even now ?), the only possible cause is as follows:
Something ELSE you have installed is changing your scenery.cfg, making it invalid for some reason, corrupting it, creating it names with wrong encodings, anything like this or similar
OR
you changed something that made FS9 looking at the wrong scenery.cfg, for example the Windows compatibility mode, will cause FS9 to look at different folders for scenery.cfg, which means sceneries that were installed in the proper scenery.cfg, are not present in the "other" scenery.cfg which was made active when FS9 started in a different mode.
Don't waste your time trying to find other causes, like activation, antivirus or similar. As long as the Addon Manager is running, and it looks it DOES, the only possible reason you don't see a scenery, is a problem with the Scenery Library.
And yes, there IS a logical explanation why this only occurs with our sceneries: because the Addon Manager DOES scan the scenery.cfg on its own to know if a scenery is installed or not. The obvious reason for this, is to NOT generate bogus "trial for xxx has started" messages, if you fly in an area specific to a scenery with the Addon Manager installed, if you don't have the scenery installed.
This results in the Addon Manager will stop doing anything if a scenery is not found in the scenery.cfg. And if the Addon Manager isn't doing anything, the scenery won't display, that's why I'm sure there's something wrong with your scenery.cfg.
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