FSDreamTeam forum
Products Support => GSX Support FSX/P3D => Topic started by: jsmcwilliam on April 15, 2022, 04:21:48 pm
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I have been struggling with this problem for some time now and have not been able to resolve it. I have reinstalled using the latetest setup file and with my virus protection off. Nothing helps! I enclose the logs in the hopes that this may help to isolate the problem
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Your .err file is from February, so it's not relevant.
You .LOG file doesn't indicate any problems, just you exited the sim without doing anything. Are you sure the log is made on a session in which you tried to use GSX and didn't work ?
If you get an error and restart it, the log will be overwritten, so the one containing the error will be gone, so if you are prompted to restart and you need to send a log, always choose No, exit the sim, and send the log for that session.
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I never get an error but cannot open the GSX menu using Ctr/Shft/F12 or by clicking on the addon list. At present my Add-ons list contains: FSUIPC, Addon-Manager, Couatl settings, Couatl Live Update and GSX. (No SODE installed). Nothing happens other than I get a black window which I can right click on to close.
To create the logs I went into Settings-Troubleshooting and chose the debug option. Then I tried to open the menu and closed the sim. The files had the days date and time so I presume that they were written then.
Today I assume that debug function is still working:
- openned sim and placed my Q400 at the ramp, EKCH (Fly Tampa scenery).
- restarted Couatle and rebuilt airport cache.
- GSX-Settings to check that the log function is on.
- Ctr/Shft/F12 produced the black window. If I leave it it disappears after about 10 secs. (Clicking on the menu produces the same
result.
- Exit P3D v5.3
I omitt the Couatl.err file because it was not overwritten and contained the data from yesterday.
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Again, you .LOG file doesn't indicate any problems, just you exited the sim without doing anything. Are you sure the log is made on a session in which you tried to use GSX and didn't work ?
If you get an error and restart it, the log will be overwritten, so the one containing the error will be gone, so if you are prompted to restart and you need to send a log, always choose No, exit the sim, and send the log for that session.
Also, it's strange both your logs are showing the regeneration of the airport cache. This is not normal, the airport cache will be recreated only if something changed in the Scenery Library ( removing/adding a scenery ) OR just after a Live Update, but not always.
When the cache is recreated, it will take longer before GSX is ready to start and, if during this time you press the menu key, it won't respond to it. But again, this will only happen when something changes in a scenery, surely not every time. Are you continuing to trigger a cache rebuild ? There's no need to do that.
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"Are you sure the log is made on a session in which you tried to use GSX and didn't work ?"
-Yes. The steps I performed are as given above.
"If you get an error...."
I never get an error, just exit the sim to save the log file. The .err file does not seem to be overwritten.
" regeneration of the airport cache....."
This was done once manually at my own choice just to check and also to perform some action during the session. After trying to open the GSX Window I went to Exit the sim. I understand that the shortcut Ctr/Shft/F12 could have been taken by another program but I have checked this and cannot find any conflict. It should still be possible to open the GSX Window by clicking on the Add-ons list.
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I have checked this and cannot find any conflict. It should still be possible to open the GSX Window by clicking on the Add-ons list.
Sure, but not if the program is still regenerating the airport cache.
Please do it again without regenerating the cache, because if you do that, it will only confuse my troubleshooting, because seeing it in all of your logs looked as a problem, since the program is not supposed to do that every time, and it's not needed for normal operation, it's only needed when you *know* you added a scenery, but the change cannot be detected by GSX, but you would see an error message about not finding the AFCAD in that case. That's the only case in which you need to regenerate the cache manually.
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These are my actions:
- openned sim and placed my Q400 at the ramp, EKCH (Fly Tampa scenery).
- GSX-Settings to check that the log function is on.
- Ctr/Shft/F12 produced the black window. If I leave it it disappears after about 10 secs. (Clicking on the menu produces the same
result.
- Exit P3D v5.3
I include screen shots of my settings for troublshooting, the black window and my Add-ons list
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Can you try another airport, one without a GSX custom profile ? Maybe the problem is the GSX profile itself because, other than that, your log and your screenshots are showing GSX is working fine.
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I have earlier tried ESSA, ENGM, ENBR. I enclose the log from my Orbx version of ESSA. I have placed my Q400 at ramp 147 and tried to open the GSX menu from the Add-ons list and then using Ctr/Shft/F12 (Couatl.log1.txt). This time no black window was generated.
I installed SODE 1.7 and ran a new test at ESSA (Couatl.log2.txt). The restult was the same!
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Both of your logs are made on an airport that does have a custom GSX profile, while I asked to try on one that doesn't have one, because I'm trying to understand if the profile itself is the problem so, please, try to do what I asked, and go to an airport that hasn't been customized.
Or, just remove (or move away in a different folder ) your custom GSX profile, and try without one.
Other than that, now your logs still don't show any errors on GSX part, but they show the simulator crashed on its own for some reason, and GSX was able to detect that crash and logged it, likely before it was brought down by the crashing sim as well, because of the abrupt disconnection.
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" custom GSX profile"
I am unsure whate you mean by the above term. Previously I had exclusion files for both EKCH and ESSA but since I reinstalled GSX they no longer exist - I think. See Couatl1.jpg. I know that no such file was created for ENBR so I repeated the above test with my Q400 at this airport (Couatl.log3.txt). Please let me know if I have misunderstood your instructions
"simulator crashed"
Again I am unsure as to the meaning of this. For me the sim does not crash and I can go ahead and fly as planned. I just am unable to gain access to the GSX menu.
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I am unsure whate you mean by the above term
A custom profile is created in your %APPDATA%\Virtuali\GSX folder each time you change something using the GSX editor, like a custom pushback route, or a change in the vehicles starting positions, or a change in the preferred operator. Have a look at your log, it shows the name and the path of your customization file.
Again I am unsure as to the meaning of this. For me the sim does not crash and I can go ahead and fly as planned. I just am unable to gain access to the GSX menu
Well, if you are sure the sim didn't crash on that session, it means that for some reason the connection between GSX and the sim was interrupted. Strictly speaking, GSX is not trying to understand if the sim *really* crashed, but only if the communication with it stopped, which from its point of view is the same, is the sim stopped talking to us, it might as well crashed, the end result it's the same: GSX cannot work with a sim that stopped talking to it. That's why there's a question mark on the log message:
"Connection with Prepar3D v5 lost (has it crashed?)"
So, perhaps it didn't crash, but it surely had an issue with communication. This might be a DIFFERENT issue to the one I'm still waiting for a report with a log made without a custom profile, the Simconnect communication might be interrupted for one of these reasons:
- The sim crashed. Ok, you said it hasn't, so we might skip this
- The antivirus/firewall is blocking communication between the sim and the app, because it might be seen as potentially dangerous ( it obviously isn't, but there's no end of how bugged antivirus are. In some cases, they are seen as internal networking activity, because it can run on TCP/IP as well, depending on the configuration )
- Another add-on is doing something wrong with Simconnect, causing to fail, for example spamming it with too many commands in too few time, so the sim cannot keep up with all the requests, and it drops communication with GSX, which detects it as a possible crash, even if it isn't. We have seen this with 3rd party weather engines, camera utilities, etc.
You keep mentioning the Q400. Does this mean you have these issues with only that airplane, or it's the only one you tested ? Is it any different with another airplane ?
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You must be patient with a user who has limited understanding of the software we are trying to run. Since reinstalling GSX I have not used the editor. The files in the GSX folder mentioned above are shown in Couatl2.jpg My previous log was generated when at ENBR and as far as I can see there is no custom profile (? *.ini).
On the subject of crashes I did the following:
- turned virus protection off.
-started the sim and placed the Mooney Bravo at the default KRND -active runway.
-did not start EZCA since you seem suspicious of it's affect on things.
-tried to open the GSX menu using both methods but did not get any responce (not even the black window).
- Exit sim.
My SimConnection is v 10.0.61259
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Since reinstalling GSX I have not used the editor.
That doesn't matter, uninstalling/reinstalling GSX will never remove your stuff!
My SimConnection is v 10.0.61259
How did you check for this version ? This is the FSX version, which we don't use and it this is the only Simconnect you have in P3D, it explains why GSX doesn't work, since it requires the P3D version of Simconnect, and won't work without it. The P3D version should be 5.3.0.0 and it's supposed to be installed in the sim.
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The plot thickens! I was asked some time ago by HiFi to install a simconnect.msi file on both my server and remote. Examination of the properties gave this version and it matched my EZCA equivalent. Since networking ASP3D and EFB work fine I assumed that this was the correct version. I ran a search for the simconnect.dll on my C and D drives (P3D v5.3 is on the D drive). As you can see there are a number of versions including some which are very old. Should I delete all but the LockheedMartin.Prepar3D.SimConnect.dll I don't know of coarse which of these are active but the FsIPanel probably is and I think EZCA has it's own version.
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The plot thickens! I was asked some time ago by HiFi to install a simconnect.msi file on both my server and remote. Examination of the properties gave this version and it matched my EZCA equivalent.
That's likely the issue: they gave you an FSX version to install into P3D, which shouldn't usually a problem, other than being a tell tale these add-on are not using any of P3D-specific features, and they are 32 bit as well but, again, this shouldn't be a problem as such ( GSX is of course a fully native 64 bit program using the native 64 bit P3D Simconnect ) but, the problem might be having all these different copies of it, some of them spread in multiple folders.
That's not how Simconnect should be installed, a normal installation of the FSX 32 bit version Simconnect client should be in the Windows\WinSxS folders, with more than one folder if you have various versions of the FSX Simconnect ( RTM, SP1 or SP2 ), and they are not just "copied" there, there's a fairly complex registration process involved which is done by the .MSI installer, which makes the WinSxS method working, which should ( WHEN IT WORKS ) allow multiple versions of the same .DLL to be loaded in memory and running at the same time, depending which add-on requires which version. It's a bit of memory wasting, but when it works ( which sometimes it doesn't ), it works.
However, all those multiple copies of the Simconnect.DLL spread around outside the Windows\WinSxS folder, might confuse the WinSxS system, which expect them to be in the folder they were registered into by the .MSI installer, and might cause the sim to be "stuck" with the FSX version of the Simconnect, resulting in only add-ons using the FSX version working, and causing issues to "native" add-ons like GSX, which require the P3D version and the WinSxS system not being messed with.
In fact, the WinSxS is so complex that almost nobody, not even Microsoft, seem to be able to troubleshoot it when something's doesn't work. Which explains why both Microsoft itself ( they used it in older VC++ redistributables, but abandoned it in more recent versions ) but also Lockheed Martin got rid of the WinSxS method, and reverted to static linking for P3D, which IS a bit of memory waste but, considering with 64 bit this is not really a problem, and in FSX the memory was wasted in any case, because some add-ons used the RTM version, some the SP1, some the SP2 version, they decided it was best to stop using it.
However, if you still have add-ons using the FSX Simconnect, you are at risk of the WinSxS ( Side by side loading ) quirks, which are almost impossible to troubleshoot correctly.
I'd start by removing each and every copy of Simconnect which is not native P3D native, at least remove it from all places where is not supposed to be, that is outside the Windows\WinSxS folder.
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SimConnect1A shows how I hid four files by renaming then with the suffix "-OFF" In three cases I renamed the folder containing them.
SimConnect2A shows how I hid all the Microsoft versions by renaming the P3D folder "redist" to "redist-OFF"
I chose to do this in order to maintain flexibility should I want to reverse the process.
- was this an effective way of following your latest instructions?
- could I have removed more SimConnect versions?
I ran the sim and nothing seemed to have changed. My actions bring up the black window, however, I did notice that the GSX markings in the tarmack did show. This may have been the case previously, I just have not thought about it. I enclose the log which would appear identical to previous ones!
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Here are the versions of SimConnect I found in the control planel as well as the markings on the tarmack.
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The markings are proof GSX is working, it seems your only problem is the menu.
Could be you updated P3D using just the Client ? That usually doesn't work, you must update the Content too.
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I have just, in desperation, compeletely uninstalled P3D again, this time removing all the folders I could find associated with the program. I also removed four SimConnect versions from the control panel. I reinstalled, P3D V5.3, as previously, on my D: drive and started the sim before any addons were added. I chose the default F35A at the default airport, KRND. I normally see a black background with a centrally orientated smaller widow containing a orange progress tape during the loading process. Now towards the end of the loading process this background changed to that shown below. If I now chose the Mooney Bravo and reloaded the scenario the new background was present during the entire loading process.
I don't know if this is significant and it must be added that following the loading process the sim seemed to function normally.
I have done a search in the C:\Windows\WinSxS\ for a SimConnect.dll file and enclose my findings. These versions were presumeably not removed when I reinstalled P3D.
I am begining to wonder if the I should take the next step of reformatting my C: and D: drives and start all over again!
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Before reformatting I decided to reinstall Windows 10, there is a way of doing this without loosing personal files. This proved successful because I can now access the GSX menu from the Add-ons list in the sim - problem solved I hope, we shall see. I suspect there was something wrong with SimConnect the troubleshooting is not easy. There were also four versions in the C:\Windows\WinSxS folder which I did not know how to handle - hopefully reinstalling the OS would sort this out. It did!
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I can now access the GSX menu from the Add-ons list in the sim - problem solved I hope, we shall see. I suspect there was something wrong with SimConnect the troubleshooting is not easy. There were also four versions in the C:\Windows\WinSxS folder which I did not know how to handle - hopefully reinstalling the OS would sort this out. It did!
Thanks for the report, we can safely conclude the problem was caused by multiple older Simconnect version for FSX installed by add-ons not just using the FSX version in P3D, but even older FSX versions.
This in theory should work, although it's a waste of memory, because each add-on would force the sim to load its own preferred Simconnect .DLL in memory, but when it doesn't, it's almost impossible to fix, unless you really know what you are doing ( one way is to start Windows in Safe mode and manually remove all the older versions ), but it's clear that if other developers stopped using the FSX Simconnect in products advertised for P3D, everything would work better.