Addon Manager Preventing FSX From Starting (I think)

[hawker9000]

Recently my FSX developed a won't-start problem.  It would get to the splash screen, load my REX Weather Engine (which displays its own window), BRIEFLY displays the FSX start window skewed off to the lower RH corner of the screen (I can see "No Title" displayed in the upper part of it before....), then the screen goes completely black for just a moment, and when the desktop returns with the REX window still open, there's no sign of FSX (and checking Task Manager, it's not running).  No error messages.  No BSOD.  

I first tried updating my videocard drivers.  No effect.

I finally got around to changing the name of my FSX.CFG file, and then starting up without one.  When I do that, I get a series of four permission requests for some of the "modules" I use, which include, in order:  (1) REX WX, (2) AICARRIERS, (3) Your Addon Manager, and (4) a module for a corrected Airbus HUD display.  Each one asks me if I want to run it, and if I say yes then I'm asked if I want to trust it.  Using trial & error, and varying the modules run and not run, I was able to determine that it's your Addon Manager that is causing the startup to fail.  (If I press the 'Don't Run' button for 'Name: Addon Manager for FSX', 'Publisher: Virtuali SAS Di Colapicchioni Umberto & C', FSX startup will then proceed. If I press the 'Run' button, it'll quit every time, just as described above.)

So, I have two questions:
(1) Why is the Addon Manager suddenly causing this problem?
(2) How do I uninstall it.  (I can't find an entry under Control Panel>Programs & Features for this, and no line entries under [Trusted] in my original FSX.CFG that clearly pertain to it.  Nor can I find where the application physically resides.)

Win7x64; FSX wi Accel; ATI Radeon HD5800 (ePCI).

Edit:  I got to this particular place in the forum via a websearch, but looking at it I'm now not sure I'm in the right place.  Please move as necessary.  
PS:    I don't even think I have, or have ever had, GSX installed!  It's not listed in Add/Remove Programs.

Edit:  I've found that if I rem out (with '//') the .\bglmanx.dll...=1  line in my original fsx.CFG, I'll still (only) get the question about running Addon Manager.  And if I say no to that, then I can successfully run FSX.   (hit on "bglmanx.dll" somehow by scanning through some threads here)

[virtuali]

If I press the 'Run' button, it'll quit every time, just as described above.)

So, I have two questions:
(1) Why is the Addon Manager suddenly causing this problem?

This has been discussed many times on the forum, if FSX quits to desktop after the Addon Manager starts, it's because you ended up with files mixed between old and new versions of it.

It's not normally possible to end up in this situation, because our installers always downloads the most current files at the same time while it starts, from the same server so, you should never end up with mismatched versions of its files.

But it still can happen for one of the following reasons:

1) Your antivirus has mistakenly identified the Addon Manager as a threat, so it blocked the download of the .dll, but let pass the other files, which are not executable so are not checked by the antivirus. This will end up with a mixed set of files.

To fix this, install with the antivirus disabled, and configure it BEFORE running FSX to exclude the following files from scanning:

YOURFSXFOLDER\bglmanx.dll
YOURFSXFOLDER\fsdreamteam\couatl\Couatl.exe

2) You have a permission problem on your system, or another program that is locking the FSX folder from writing (even FSX itself, if you tried to run one of our installers when FSX wasn't entirely closed), and SOME of the updated files couldn't be written.

You can usually fix this by restarting Windows and reinstall any product that comes with the Addon Manager.

(2) How do I uninstall it.  (I can't find an entry under Control Panel>Programs & Features for this, and no line entries under [Trusted] in my original FSX.CFG that clearly pertain to it.  Nor can I find where the application physically resides.)

The Addon Manager comes with any product from FSDT, or Flightbeam, or Qualitywings. You will not see a separate entry for it, UNLESS you have installed the Stand-Alone Addon Manager separately using its own Stand-Alone installer, which can be found as "VIRTUALI Addon Manager" in the "Add/Remove Programs" section of the Control Panel.

If you don't have such section, it means you got the Addon Manager from a product that came with it. In this case, if you install THAT one, you'll see a question "Do you want to remove the Addon Manager ?". Reply YES to it, and it will be entirely uninstalled.

To be sure you don't have the problem #2 I've listed before, after you reply YES to the question "Do you want to remove the Addon Manager ?", go into your FSX root folder, and check there aren't ANY files with a name beginning with bglmanx* ( one .DLL and several .DAT files ).

If you have any of those files left after the Uninstall, remove them manually, then REINSTALL the program that came with the Addon Manager you just Uninstalled, and this will surely fix the FSX quitting at start problem.

[hawker9000]

I have the bglmanx.dll file, but no fsdreamteam folder or coutal.exe file, and as mentioned in my OP, no "VIRTUALI Addon Manager" in Add/Remove Programs.  I DO have a Qualitywings product (the 757 package), and one of the bglmanx*.dat files is bglmanx_qwings.dat.  So I guess that clears up where this came from, although I'm still curious as to why this all of a sudden became an FSX startup problem when it worked fine before. I use MS Essentials for my AV, (along with MBAM Pro, WinPatrol, and Spybot S&D) and recently ran CrytoPrevent on my system) - could a definitions update somewhere along the line have been responsible for this?  I had tried shutting down all but the MSE - except CryptoPrevent, which really is a local policy configurator - with no effect.

There is a Qualitywings item in Add/Remove Programs, so based on your advice, the thing to do I see is uninstall & reinstall that, and if the problem persists take that to Qualitywings for further advice.   Unless you have something further to add now that we know where this comes from.

Thanks for your help.  I had zeroed in on the bglmanx.dll file, but wasn't paying any attention to the accompanying .dat files and was missing the Qualitywings connection.

[virtuali]

I have the bglmanx.dll file, but no fsdreamteam folder or coutal.exe file, and as mentioned in my OP, no "VIRTUALI Addon Manager" in Add/Remove Programs.  I DO have a Qualitywings product (the 757 package), and one of the bglmanx*.dat files is bglmanx_qwings.dat.

This is normal, if you never installed anything from FSDT.

There is a Qualitywings item in Add/Remove Programs, so based on your advice, the thing to do I see is uninstall & reinstall that, and if the problem persists take that to Qualitywings for further advice.   Unless you have something further to add now that we know where this comes from.

Yes, try that, but also be sure you use the most recent QW installer, not something older you might have. And report back here if the problem is the same ( FSX quitting on start )