Pete Dowson

Have you moved FSX after installing it, or re-installed Windows, or rolled back the Registry at all? Otherwise I don't understand why your Registry doesn't have the "SetupPath" entry for FSX, pointing to any folder at all. Hmm. Yes, that's odd -- it seems to have lost the FSX path from the constructed final path. I'll check that here. It was certainly doing it correctly on an earlier version. It is difficult to re-test all the combinations, especially when many of them do require an incorrect FSX installation. The main problem is that the SetupPath isn't in your Registry, or it isn't where it might be expected. The installer uses that to locate FSX correctly. If you are familiar with RegEdit for looking at and editing the Registry I can tell you where to look and maybe you can tell me what's in your Registry relating to FSX so I can understand why it is wrong. Meanwhile, I'll look at the Installer itself to see what it dropped the FSX part of the path. But it'll be tomorrow (Wednesday) now. You should be able to simply move that Modules folder into the main FSX folder (drag and drop in Explorer) to get you going for now, but please let me know about the Registry and how you may have got FSX into this state, please. Regards Pete

Sorry, I don't really know what you are talking about. All the FS values supported in FSUIPC offsets are detailed in the FSUIPC SDK documentation. Please look there. If you cannot find what you want there then it probably isn't supported by FS, or it is by another name. Please don't send me any photos. I don't know anything about helicopters in any case. Sorry. you need to find out what information it is you want, then see if it is available. Regards Pete

Good! Thanks for letting me know. It is strange, but I've never heard of a need to change that value before. It's something for me to think about -- in the recent WideFS documentation update I've more or less relegated all that to a Technical document not really meant to be used much, hopefully. Maybe I ought ot mention your problem and solution more prominently in the Troubleshooting section at least. Regards Pete

The correct numbers are 7.04 and 6.71. Is it getting the decimal point in the wrong place? I'll check that here..... No, it certainly should see it as 7.04, not .704. Apart from that, since the Version 6 Wideclient will always be used with the Version 6 or 7 Server, maybe Enrico needs to take the mismatch comment itself out. On FSX the Server code is part of FSUIPC4, so its number willl reflect that of its host code, even if the actual Server part doesn't change. It is too intricately related to not change the number. Regards Pete

So you DO have the checkbox enabling FS weather to be changed set? Sorry, but it still isn't clear from what you say. This is contradictory to what others have reported, but it may be down to some of these FSX weather peculiarities I mentioned. How have you got the FSX weather changes slider? That may make a difference. Also, I don't think the weather overrides work with themes -- are you using downloaded weather or your own specifically set weather? Finally, how long are you waiting for the weather to change, and do you look all around you, not just out of the froont window? I've noticed that even if I go into FSX's weather menu and set clouds, they don't seem to appear very quickly looking forward, but if I look to the side or behind there are lots of clouds already drawing! It is all very peculiar. I think some similar strange things happen with the visibility. If you enable Weather logging in FSUIPC4, then try again, wait a while, then look at the log. You will see that FSUIPC4 is reading the weather from up to 9 stations around the aircraft, modifying the weather so read, and writing it back. It does this over a period of many seconds (all 9 may not be set for 20-40 seconds) to avoid any noticeable performance hit or stutter, and repeats regularly round the 9 stations which of course may be changing as you fly. The format is a sort of enhanced METAR, but the visibility parts are pretty standard. You will be able to see what it is trying to do. When I do that I notice several things: 1. The weather being read starts off looking sensible, but gradually becomes rather odd. Some parts suffer definite erros, like visibilities of 0000 being read back - I actually put in a detection for that so I don't send it back. 2. Often FSX only seems to obey parts of the METAR being sent back, even though most is the same (albeit necessarily in a different form -- see below *). It seems to make inexplicable changes. 3. It is often very hard indeed to relate any of the weather being reported by the surrounding stations to that actually experienced at the aircraft, looking out of the window or reading the values on gauges. * As if reading METARs wasn't difficult enough, Microsoft implemented a different format for those METARs when reading weather to that it demands when writing it! This is subject of ongoing negotiation, as it isn't at all satisfactory I'm afraid. No, more a stage of development of FSX. The weather interface it presents is by no means finished. Probably not, but that is more difficult to answer because with FSX I don't know what to expect. Possibly with different weather settings in FSX you might get what you expect, as others have done. By checking the Log as above you can see if FSUIPC4 is doing what you might expect, and you can see how FSX responds. Whether that is then reflected in what you see out of the window seems to be rather variable at present. Some folks are saying it works okay (which isn't often my experience) but I think you are the first to say it does nothing at all. I think those happiest with FSX's weather at present are those using ActiveSky or FSMeteo. You'd then want to uncheck the option in the Miscallaneous tab. Regards Pete

Well, that's rather an extreme statement. They certainly don't work as well as I'd like, as the underlying support in FSX isn't yet working. The results they produce are sometimes not quite as one would expect, and occasionally seem to be downright weird. What external weather program are you using? If you are wanting it all to work with FSX's own weather, you need to enable that. Because of the odd effects of applying some of the options, the action to apply any of them to FS's own default weather is disabled initially. There's a check mark on the Miscellaneous tab in FSUIP4 options to enable it. Each of the Weather-related sections in the User Guide does mention this. For instance in the Visibility section it states this in the second paragraph: I have high hopes of real improvements to come in the weather handling, but it needs an FSX update. Unfortunately, given the other problems discovered in Simconnect since FSX was released I suspect that the improvements we need in such facilities will have to take second place, so I have no idea what sort of timescale we are looking at. Regards Pete

There's no such thing built into FS, so it must be implemented by programming in the Gauge software itself. It may be done by using the elevator and aileron trim facilities, but if it is using the standard FS A/P it would be trying to compensate. So either the whole A/P is being programmed in the Gauge software, or it is merely changing the V/S in Altitude Acquire mode (for pitch) or the Heading bug (for bank). When panel programmers introduce non-standard (i.e. non-FS) functions, they can do it via mouse or by keyboard or (as in the PMDG panel case) both. They normally cannot do it by using FS controls, since of course the appropriate ones do not exist (these are non-FS functions). It would be possible for them to borrow otherwise unused FS controls, but I suspect they feel that mouse and keyboard support should be adequate. If the panel supports keyboard shortcuts for those mousable operations, then you can program joystick/cockpit buttons to produce those keypresses. If the panel does not, and only supports mouse operations for those functions then the only solution I know is to use something like Key2Mouse by Luciano Napolitano (the WidevieW author). Regards Pete

Please just download and install the current version (4.04) of FSUIPC4. As noted in the Announcements above: It really is best to scan the Announcements for changes from time to time -- especially if you have any problems. I do always change the Date in the title so you can see when there is something new to read. Regards Pete

Hmmm, only if you hadn't updated your FSUIPC.DLL for "many months", it says. That "many" adjective really stretches to about 36 or so now -- the INI file has been substantially the same throughout the life of Version 3, and the program itself deletes anything which is no longer supported in any case. The main reason for removing an earlier INI file would be if you got something like the Joystick calibrations or buttons programming in a mess and wanted to start afresh. Regards Pete

Sounds like the only possible explanation! ;-) Regards Pete

Strange, though. Thanks for letting us know. Pete

That couldn't have changed anything, I'm afraid you are fooling yourself somehow. WideServer.INI is not used at all in FSX -- that is only used with WideServer.DLL, which isn't used on FSX. You shouldn't have copied ANYTHING whatsoever from the WideFS.ZIP into the FSX modules folder, though it won't matter -- it'll all be entirely ignored. In FSX, WideServer is built into FSUIPC4.DLL, and the INI parameters are included in a [WideServer] section in the FSUIPC4.INI file. And in any case if the INI parameters are missing the same defaults as supplied are assumed. Pete

No, of course not. Why are you re-registering in any case? Have you moved to a new PC or re-installed Windows? If you are simply updating from one version 3 to another version 3 you simply copy in the new DLL, exactly as per instructions. That's it, nothing else to do, your registration stands. If you are trying to re-register and it isn't being accepted then you are entering something wrong. All three parts MUST be absolutely identical to the original registration, as notified. Regards Pete

Probably give up and wait for MS to release a fix I expect. I don't think any of the SimConnect problems are really as common as they may seem to be, scanning a Forum like this. There will be many thousands of successes. I myself have so far installed FSX on five different PCs, some with only WinXP's security stuff operating, at least two with the full Norton, and one with Kaspersky Antivirus pre-installed and operating, and I've seen no problems with installs, uninstalls (of Betas), nothing like that. On the other hand, like everyone else, I'm having dire problems with FSX performance unless I cut way back on nearly all settings; on two PCs I get odd "crashes" to the Task Bar for no apparent reason (FSX is still happily running, but you can open a window or screen to see it!); switching between full screen and windowed or vice versa is precarious and often seems to hang (that one is reminiscent of early FS2004 problems); and on all the PCs I've got FSX has a tendency to hang quite easily when night flying. Weird. Day time flying seems to be the rule for now. And all these things have occurred with and without any add-ons or add-ins, so it isn't all SimConnect at all. All I can say is it is a good job I've not yet deleted FS2004! ;-) Regards Pete

The ILS frequencies are in the R4.CSV file it produces (and in the R5.CSV file the latest verdion also produces). I think it's the 7th parameter on each line, isn't it? Didn't you look? It's also the last parameter on each line in the "runways.csv" file. The runway heading and MagVar is also there, but not the ILs heading which may be different if offset (as at Innsbruck, for example). Pete

Oh, right .... shows how much I know. They don't actually TELL me these things! I can get copies of what looks like an emailed receipt including keys. I thought it was the same. Thanks for the clarification! Sorry Jean-Jacques! I'll know for next time! Regards Pete

The email contained NO keys? Are you sure? I have a copy here and it has the keysSimMarket have never got it wrong before. It an email about ORDER #: 289373, wasn't it? After the Quantity line, there's three lines for Register Code, with your Name, Email and the two keys. Then the price and shipping cost (0.00 of course). Please take another look! This is very worrying -- an automated system such as the one they are using shouldn't throw out an odd email as you are suggesting. If it can there may be more serious errors. Don't show it here, but if you are sure you cannot see the Keys in the Email, please sent a copy of it to me at petedowson@btconnect.com, so I can take it up with SimMarket. Regards Pete

Did you look at the receipt carefully? These days their operation is completely automated and the information in included in the receipt, not a separate email as it used to be. Pete

Check your receipt. Are you sure you purchased FSUIPC4 and WideFS7? Are you entering your name and email EXACTLY as shown on the receipt? 99/9% of all such reports are down to folks not spelling their name exactly the same each time. All three fields must be exactly correct! Try using cut-and-paste from the receipt, to save making such mistakes. Pete

ErPlease start Again, RESET stuff in FSUIPC, get it working in the right direction in FS!! As with all FSUIPC joystick calibrations, you really do need to get things working reasonably well in FS beforehand! FIRST thing you do is: In FS-Options-Controls-Assignments-Joystick Axes-Flaps Axis-Change Assignment, move lever, check "Reverse", press OK. Check that it is working in the right direction in FS before ever going near FSUIPC. Only THEN go to FSUIPC and calibrate. Do not REVerse twice! The FSUIPC reverse reverses the final output, which is fine for turning the device around. FS's Reverse reverses the values before FSUIPC sees them. Sorry if I misled you earlierthe FSUIPC reverse is post-calibration. Regards Pete

Version 3.50? That's VERY old! When did you purchase your registration? If in 2006 then that is the reason -- 3.53 was released on Jan 1st 2006 and is needed AT A MINIMUM for all this year's registrations. If your Keys are from before 2006 then there is something wrong with them -- the indications are that they are incorrect. Please zip up your FSUIPC.KEY file and send it to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. The currenly supported version of FSUIPC3 is 3.71, and an interim update (of the DLL only) to 3.711 will be posted here later today. Regards Pete

Bad virus program then. The ZIP is compressed with a compressed and encrypted, securely signed program inside. No virus. The codesigning absolutely prevents it being altered without telling you via the certificate. That's why these certificates cost so much money! Regards Pete

You don't mean WideFS server surely. WideServer is a DLL run inside FS. You presumably mean WideClient. The conflict won't be with WidevieW, because WidevieW needs to run in FS. You must have FS running to run WidevieW. WideClient is run on a PC where you are NOT running FS. You cannot run WideClient and FS on the same PC. You are missing the whole point of WideFS! Please read the important notes on the first page of the WideFS dpcumentation about what WideFS is. WidevieW connects multiple FS installations. wideFS connects NON-FS clients to an FS server. If you want to use external Gauge programs, just run them. They'll connect directly to FSUIPC on the FS on that PC. Though since you have FS running there you could use FS's own gauges, couldn't you? Regards Pete

That's a message from Squawkbox, not from FSUIPC, so I have no idea what it is checking and finding wanting. You'll need to ask them I think. In FS9 or FSX? Is it in the modules folder? Is there a Log? If so, does it say anything interesting? Pete

Not sure why you have one of those in any case. the whole purpose of me paying for a proper certificate is so you can check the option to trust all software from me. The trusted status then gets lodged into Windows (inspectable via Internet Explorer, and you never get any more security prompts on updates. You didn't find Simconnect.MSI then? Is yours a Standard or Deluxe edition? It would be quicker to opt fro the Repair first in any case -- find that Simconnect folder in the Windows SxS system and delete it, then run the FSX installer and select repair somewhere. Regards Pete