[SOLVED] GSX 1.9.9.11 does not detect P3D v3.4.22.19868 on a clean system

[LesleyPleasant]

Hello Umberto & Virtuali
 

I'm a new user to FSDT products but having a problem installing GSX for Prepar3D 3.4.   Forum search results do not quite match this scenario, especially with regards to this being a clean install, so here's my scenario:
 
- This is a clean Windows 10 build with current updates applied
- Using a standard user account (but also tested via admin account - install log appears to show the same errors)
- Installed Steam first with some games including FSX:SE
- Installed P3D latest version 3.4
- No other FSX or P3D third party add ons
- Prepar3D has been used many times, so registry entries should be created as normal
 


Issue is, on launching the GSX installer (using admin account privileges when prompted), GSX only recognises FSX SE is installed.  No P3D tiles are highlighted in colour.   GSX works perfectly well for FSX:SE however.
 
If I manually select the P3D install path ("C:\Program Files (x86)\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3"), the installer appears to copy files but fails with an extraction error message followed by a path error message.

I can understand a system with many changes may require some adjustments to path settings, but a relatively 'fresh' system with defaults shouldn't need this.  

Is there an installation FAQ/Sticky post that can help?    Exactly what registry keys does the installer look for?   Has LM changed the registry path over time causing this to break


My registry keys, install log and directory listings are below.   Any help appreciated - keen to get this working in Prepar3D!


All the best.


---------


My Reg Keys
===========


Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lockheed Martin]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v2]
"SimConnect_Port_IPv6"="0"
"SimConnect_Port_IPv4"="0"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3]
"AppPath"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Lockheed Martin\\Prepar3D v3\\"
"SimConnect_Port_IPv6"="0"
"SimConnect_Port_IPv4"="0"


[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\LockheedMartin]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\LockheedMartin\Prepar3D]
"SimConnect_Port_IPv6"="0"
"SimConnect_Port_IPv4"="0"


2017-05-07 13:47:18.787   Registry key Software\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3 points to
2017-05-07 13:47:18.787   Registry key Software\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3 for Prepar3D 3.x is missing, product is likely not installed
2017-05-07 13:47:18.787   Prepar3D v3 not Found

[virtuali]

Prepar3D has been used many times, so registry entries should be created as normal

It seems they weren't, on your system, since nobody has ever reported this before.
 

Exactly what registry keys does the installer look for?   Has LM changed the registry path over time causing this to break

Nothing has changed by LM. The registry key has always been the same one since P3D1 and FSX (in different folders, of course), the one named "AppPath"

My registry keys, install log and directory listings are below.   Any help appreciated - keen to get this working in Prepar3D!

Which, as indicated from both your registry and the installer log, is entirely missing from your registry, which is not normal, of course. Adding it manually will surely work, but it's not normal it's not there, which suggest a problem that happened while installing P3D.

[LesleyPleasant]

Thanks for responding.

I'm not sure I understand, as the installer log seems to indicate it's looking at key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3] where there IS an AppPath entry, but still cannot find Prepar3D

I acknowledge [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\LockheedMartin\Prepar3D] does not have an AppPath entry, so if this is critical I'll add this manually. 

[virtuali]

I'm not sure I understand, as the installer log seems to indicate it's looking at key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3] where there IS an AppPath entry, but still cannot find Prepar3D

But the installer log say it's pointing to nothing so, it seems what you posted in with the "Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00" heading, is not the current content of your registry.

I acknowledge [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\LockheedMartin\Prepar3D] does not have an AppPath entry, so if this is critical I'll add this manually. 

That's the P3D V1 key, so it's not needed. The problem is the PD3 Key which, according to the installer log, is pointing to nothing, an empty string. Could be you are running some intrusive antivirus, which is denying even *read* access to the registry ?

[LesleyPleasant]

I'm not running any third party anti virus software.

The registry entries I provided are the current state.

If the installer can read the registry with no issues to find the FSX:SE registry entries, I don't see why it couldn't read the P3D v3 ones as they are there.

Can you please explicitly define what registry entries the installer looks for, for P3D v3 so I can re-check?

Is there anything else I can provide to help you resolve this issue?

[virtuali]

If the installer can read the registry with no issues to find the FSX:SE registry entries, I don't see why it couldn't read the P3D v3 ones as they are there.

Each and every registry key and folder can have its own permission so, yes, fact that one can be read, doesn't (normally) mean that all of them can be read.

Can you please explicitly define what registry entries the installer looks for, for P3D v3 so I can re-check?

The correct one, of course:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v3

As it was in your installation log. Could you please post it again, but as a file Attachment, not inside the post ?

[LesleyPleasant]

Okay will attach my entire branch in a few hours when I get home from:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Lockheed Martin]

Any other areas of the registry needed, or anything else you may need?

[LesleyPleasant]

Well I managed to get it working:

• Logged out of the standard user account and logged into the admin user account
• Uninstalled P3D
• Reinstalled P3D (same version)
• Relaunched GSX installer (same version) and P3D v3 was found

I checked the registry and it was the SAME as before, i.e. as quoted originally in the Prepar3D v3 key.

I did check the permissions before the above and the standard and admin account both had read write privileges.

So with that, it doesn't appear the registry is the culprit since they are unchanged.    Either it's P3D and/or GSX installer being fussy they are not being run from a user account that doesn't have full admin rights, vs. being installed on a standard user accounts and raising privileges on launch....  At least on that occasion.

[LesleyPleasant]

I've had the opportunity to test this again by performing an uninstall of P3D and re-installing to an alternate folder.  In understand it's best practice to install P3D outside C:\Program Files (x86)\ (even though that is the default folder) so thought it would be useful to .  Here's what I did:


Does not work:

• From the standard users Windows profile, I uninstalled P3D using add/remove programs wizard
• Installed P3D to C:\P3D (right click, Run as Administrator)
• Ran P3D once and quit (thus setting registry entries to the new path) (right click, Run as Administrator)
• Launched the GSX installer (right click, Run as Administrator) - which did NOT find P3D v3

Does work:

• From the standard users Windows profile, I uninstalled P3D using add/remove programs wizard
• Switched over to the Admin user profile
• Installed P3D to C:\P3D
• Ran P3D once and quit (thus setting registry entries to the new path)
• Switched over to standard users Windows profile
• Launched the GSX installer - which found P3D v3

In both scenarios, the registry entries and permissions appear to be identical and P3D appears to run normally.   I'm not sure why GSX installer is so fussy but it seems it's critical how you installed P3D to it's operation.

[virtuali]

In both scenarios, the registry entries and permissions appear to be identical and P3D appears to run normally.   I'm not sure why GSX installer is so fussy but it seems it's critical how you installed P3D to it's operation.

GSX installer is not "fussy" at all. It simply use the standard Innosetup command to call the standard Windows API to read the USER registry which, according to each and every possible Windows documentation, should be accessible by every user (each user has his own USER registry).

Maybe the problem is that our installer only checks the USER registry, we might add a check to look in the MACHINE registry setting too, in case the key is not found in the USER registry but then, the issue will be, which one to "trust" in case they are both present, and not the same...