Addon Manager doesn't appear on FSX addon menu: Please look at my update

[hendrik]

Hi - I have just completed an FSX re-install. Before this Addon manager appeared and Chicago worked fine.

Now, whatever I do I cannot get Addon Manager (and consequently Chicago) to appear in FSX. Believe me I have tried every suggestion in these forums; everything I do suggests a successful install; I ok addon manager and couatl.exe as trusted applications when I start FSX, I restart FSX a few times, addon manager appears in DLL.XML, no errors whatever. I have uninstalled, removed the 4 refs in fsg.cfg etc etc, reinstalled, all to no avail.

The only addons I installed prior to Chicago are REX, and FTX AU. Otherwise FSX is a clean installation. I had installed SP2, but I have also added Acceleration instead (as in my previous working FSX install), but no dice.

I am at the end of my tether here - any further help much appreciated!

I should add that couatl.exe does NOT appear in task manager processes when I start FSX (I know it should do) and if I try and run it when FSX has loaded I get an error (application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling app might help). So FSX does not seem to call couatl.exe....

[virtuali]

The only things that really matters is:

Have you get the question about trusting the Addon Manager when starting FSX ? Because, if you never had this question to begin with, FSX will never try to run it in the first place.

If you don't get the question, even AFTER removing all the bglmanx.dll entries from FSX.CFG, than the problem doesn't have anything to do with the Addon Manager, there's something wrong with your Windows installation that doesn't allow program to be trusted.

If this is the case, check your registry with REGEDIT and go to this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WinTrust\Trust Providers\Software Publishing

If it has a value different than 0x23c00 (23c00 hexadecimal), change it back to 0x23c00. We don't know what software changed this value, but if it's not 0x23c00, Windows will not allow new installed programs to be trusted.

About the Couatl not starting, have you updated the Couatl engine to the version found here :

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php?topic=1653.msg13057#msg13057

It's a new version of the Addon Manager that includes an updated Couatl engine as well.

[hendrik]

Hi - Thanks for the reply.

"Have you get the question about trusting the Addon Manager when starting FSX ? Because, if you never had this question to begin with, FSX will never try to run it in the first place".

Yes I do, I answer yes twice and it appears in fsx.cfg as a trusted application.

The Registry entry is correct, 0x23c00

I have used the latest Addon Manager you suggested. No errors, all seems well, but no addon manager appears under FSX options once in flight. Couatl.exe does not run either and still shows the error "application configuration is incorrect..."if I start it manually.

I now wish I had never re-installed FSX (although I had good reasons to).It will be a real shame to have lost Chicago and not be in a position to buy a host of new sceneries/airports. XPOI loks good too.....




Think I may have the answer: there is no addon entry on the mwnu bar 'cause FSUIPC 4 isn't installed (I thought this came with SP1 or SP2?).
intalled it and lo I have an addon entry on the menu bar.

Now to try installing Chicago again....

[hendrik]

A quick update on where I am now in the hope that I have missed somethng.

1. Discovered that FSUIPC4.dll was not installed.

2. Corrected this: now I have the addon menu in the FSX toolbar.

3. Installed Flight 1 FSDiscover.

4. It appears in the Addon menu (and it works) so the FSUIPC4.dll/Simconnect system is working.

5. Installed the new Virtualli Addon Manager as instructed, get correct messages from FSX on startup - click trust as necessary

6. Checked dll.xml for corruption - all is well and Addon entry seems fine (checked it with examples from this forum)

7. BUT Still addon manager does not appear on the addon menu and running couatl.exe still throws up the error message.

8. I have done everything suggested and still no joy.

Please tell me I have missed something - I really would like Chicago back, and the opportunity to buy aother products....

[virtuali]

First, about FSUIPC, we don't need, we don't use, and we are not affected by the presence/absence of FSUIPC so, this certainly wasn't the source of the problem.

However, FSUIPC works with all releases of Simconnect, our Addon Manager works ONLY with the SP2 or the Accelleration version. So, the fact the FSUIPC is running, doesn't necessarily means the Simconnect subsystem works. Simconnect, being a Side-by-side dll, is installed in multiple versions so, if you installed FSX, then SP1, then SP2, then Acceleration Pack, you have all 4 Simconnect releases installed, and they can even run at the same time so, if there's a problem with the SP2 or the Acceleration version, you might still have addons that are compatibile with older version that works, with addons that require the new version that don't.

You can try to activate the Simconnect diagnostic mode:

Open notepad, and copy the following text:

Code:

[SimConnect]
level=verbose
console=1
RedirectStdOutToConsole=1
OutputDebugString=1
; file=c:\simconnect%03u.log
; file_next_index=0
; file_max_index=9


Save the file as SIMCONNECT.INI in this folder:

Documents And Settings\YOUR LOGIN NAME\Documents\Microsoft Flight Simulator X Files

At the next FSX launch, you should see a text window with diagnostic message, that should tell you what's going wrong. Let me know what you are getting, so we can have an idea what's happening.

[hendrik]

Hi - thanks for the suggestion.

Are the outputs saved to a file? If not this is what I got:

exe launch failed: getlasterror=0x000036B1  Path"fsdream team...couatl\couatl.exe" CommandLine=""
182.52752 DLL failed to load. Check for missing dependencies.
182.52762 DLL Load Failed: Error=-3 Path "bglmanx.dll

dll loaded ....(FSDiscover) the rest seems normal



When I reinstalled, I installed FSX, SP1, SP2 in that order. When Addon manager didn't load I tried to install Acceleration pack, but had to uninstall SP2 first (normal I think). Then installed acceleration pack (and validated it) without a problem.

Thanks for your continuing efforts. Have a relaxing Easter!

[virtuali]

Can you please include the first lines you see in the report ? Because, there should be something related to Simconnect version, etc...

The message seems to say a .DLL is missing from your system. Unfortunately, the diagnostic mode doesn't say which one is so, we can only guess. Apart for standard .DLLs that should be in any Windows installation, the Addon Manager requires these .DLL:

- The Esellerateengine.dll, that should be located in C:\Windows under XP and C:\ProgramData\Esellerate under Vista. This is put in the correct place depending on the OS by our installer.

- The Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributables, which are installed by our installer at the end. We just launch the official MS installer at the end.

- The Simconnect SP2 .DLL themselves, that should be installed by FSX SP2 (or Acceleration)

So, it's important to know which Simconnect version you are running because, the correct one might missing but still, addons programmed to work with older version will still work.

[hendrik]

Apologies - I'd understood a log file would be sent to c:\, but it's not there. First lines:

0.00000 Simconnect version 10.0.61259.0

0.01827 Server:Scope=local.Protocol=Pipe. Name=\\.\pipe\microsoft flight simulator\simconnect. MaxClients=64
0.03146 Server: Scope=Local=IPv4. Address=127.0.0.1.. Port=1190, MaxClienys=64

Then 0.33615 Exe etc. as above

Don't know if it helps but in /WinSxS folder I have 3 folders for simconnect: versions 10.0.60905.0, 10.0.61355.0 and 10.0.61637.0 but not 10.0.61259.0.

I have Esellerateengine.dll installed

[virtuali]

Don't know if it helps but in /WinSxS folder I have 3 folders for simconnect: versions 10.0.60905.0, 10.0.61355.0 and 10.0.61637.0 but not 10.0.61259.0.

Well, it might be a problem or not depending how the DLLs are configured in the WinSxS\policies subfolder. And, to add up to the confusion, I think that the folders the Simconnect DLLs are don't match the version number reported by Simconnect itself, but the FSX build number.

And, there's some kind of "aliasing" of names because, the SP2 and Acceleration Simconnect versions are actually the same and the version number reported will be the same ( 10.0.61259 ) , but they will reside in different folders depending if you have installed SP2 or Acceleration.

Perhaps, something has gone wrong because you first installed SP2, then uninstalled it, and then installed Acceleration.

You can try to follow this suggestion from Pete Dowson about cleaning up Simconnect folders and repair/reinstall:

http://forums.simflight.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=58095

It should be possible to repair the SP2/Acceleration Simconnect version, without reinstalling the whole FSX, by removing the 10.0.61637.0 folder located under WinSxS, and then reinstalling Acceleration

[hendrik]

Success!! Thank you very much - I deleted the folder containing 61637 as suggested (interestingly the folder name included 61259, but the dll inside was 61637.

After repairing Acceleration I ended up with exactly the same folder structure (folder name 61259, dll number 61637).

Whatever, simconnect.ini runs without error, couatl.exe appears in processes on starting FSX and I have addon manager in my addon menu.

Most importantly Chicago O'Hare works!

Thanks again for all your suggestions - excellent support!