Pete Dowson

That sounds as if, with FSUIPC4 now delaying its initialisation to avoid the serious crashing of FSX when two or more SimConnect clients are being loaded together, it is clashing with Goflight's initialisation. Does the Goflight program generate a Security Warning dialogue at all? These sorts of SimConnect problems have been notified to Microsoft and we are awaiting a solution. In the meantime it would be best to avoid running your GDDevFSX.exe program until AFTER FS is loaded and ready, or at least until the loading progress bar is well past its half-way mark. Regards Pete

The Microsoft guys have reproduced the problem and are trying to work out a solution. It seems that it only affects a SimConnect client which is open at the time you switch to MP mode. If a client is started AFTER you switch it works okay. That suggested a work-around, whilst we wait, possibly a long time, for an official FSX patch. I can detect a period of non-receipt of data from SimConnect, and then close the SimConnect connection and restart it. I've tried that here and it works. It does cause a few seconds extra delay at the start of the MP session but I think it would be okay as a temporary measure. If you like I can send you an interim test version of FSUIPC4 to try. Let me know. It would be tomorrow (Wednesday) or Thursday. Regards Pete

If it only happens when you run your program, how could it be anything else? If you are writing stuff to FSUIPC and want me to check any of it, enable IPC write logging and show me the log. Then maybe try a binary-chop search on your program -- i.e. eliminate half the things it does and narrow it down that way. Regards Pete

What red background? The text appears in red over whatever's there. I'm sorry, I really have no idea how your program is doing this. What does it do? Is is related to FS or not? Why are you running it with FS? If it is using FSUIPC and writing to unknown parts of FS it could do any sorts of damage. Perhaps you should say more about your program which is causing this? All you've told me so far is "I built a program and while its running all the red text bars (like: Pause text, Parking brakes, SHIFT + Z bar, Sounds off etc) just doesn't show. ". Don't you think you ought to start dissecting your program to see what it is your are doing to cause this to happen? Maybe it is doing something you didn't intend? Pete

That's very strange. Can you try and get a Log of each for comparison -- actually two logs, an FSUIPC4.LOG and a SimConnect log. For the latter you need to create a text file containing just these lines: [simConnect] level=Verbose console=No file=\Modules\SimConnect%01u.Log file_max_index=9 where you of course replace with the full path to your FSX installation. Save this as SimConnect.ini in your "My Documents\flight simulator X files" folder. Then, keeping things a short as possible, run FSX, see if you have the Menu entry or not, then close FSX. If you could do this once for when there IS a menu, and onvce when there is NOT, possibly the differences may be indicative of something. For each of the two cases, Zip up both the relevant (latest) SimConnect log and the FSUIPC4.LOG, identifying which pair is which, and send them to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. Are your pedals calibrated via FSUIPC4? If so that would explain it. If the Add-Ons menu isn't appearing FSUIPC can't do these things as it means Simconnect contact with FSX is broken. No, but it just has to be related to firewalls or privacy settings somewhere. Regards Pete

On the first point, did you see the important note in the documentation? NOTE: This option does not work if you have your Windows’ Display Properties set to “show window contents while dragging”, in the list of options in the Effects tab. FSUIPC then has no chance to prevent the re-draw On the latter point, the only time sync FSUIPC offers is to keep the seconds number in line with FS's. Any minutes or hours difference is not corrected. So, unless you go into menus, or pause, or use different Sim Rates, it should stay in time, but not otherwise. But once it's a minute out, it stays a minute out and so on. It only stops the annoying gradual drift whilst flying normally. This, also, is documented: It just synchronises the seconds values with that of your PC’s system clock. If you want a more comprehensive time synchronisation you need something like Joshua Robertson's "FSRealTime" program. That's what I use. Regards Pete

The last paragraph Pete was exactly of what I am trying to do. This is where I am lost And where, exactly, in the User Guide are you finding that paragraph? It in't IN the User Guide!! Why don't you refer to the User Guide -- it is part of the package supplied with FSUIPC and it is your main reference! If you look up Joystick Calbration in the User Guide, which is what you should have done in the first place, then following the numbered steps for proper calibration (steps 1 to 11, including pictures of the slopes options) there are a series of bulleted OPTIONS you can apply. The two you are interested in are in two of those bulleted options. How come you didn't find them? The idea of bulleting things is so you can skim the first few words to find applicable entries. Surely the very words "If you have twin throttle levers ..." at the beginning of one would have caught your eye, if you'd actually looked? Every option in FSUIPC's option dialogues has a section or paragraph explaining it, and, on the whole, I think the layout follows a logical order. You should calibrate then apply the options. This is why the calibration steps are there, followed by individual instructions on each option you may want to apply. PLEASE do refer to the User Guide. I don't understand why you are quoting out of some different document altogether. Your quote above sounds like something from a list of features, not the guide!!! :-( Pete

Strange. So the same would happen to anyone, not an AutoSave user, who just happened to save a flight during a mission? I would have thought that a common thing to want to do, especially in longer ones (or are they all short?). I'm surprised that Doug didn't mention this -- he's writing a review I think and mentioning the autosave as a useful feature for missions to. I'll ask him how he worked around the problem. Anyway, I'd be glad to provide an option to automatically turn off the feature during missions if we can find a way to detect when missions are started and ended. Do you know of any way to do that? Regards Pete

Why? That is a list made by WideServer so it can number joystick nuttons sent by Clients consistently, that's all. You never need nor want to edit it manually. It doesn't make WideServer actually do anything. There's no file used by WideFS actually called "wideFS.ini", and you had ServerName set before in the Wideclient.ini, didn't you? Haven't you yet tried setting the ServerIPAddr parameter? But is the client still saying that Windows says "Host not found"? There is no way WideFS can make such a report up. The error number 11001 comes direct from Windows. It means Windows is not able to return an IP address for the computer name "MAIN". But you can bypass that by giving it the IP address yourself. I think you need to show me both your WideServer.INI and Wideclient.INI files. I've no idea what you've actually changed now. Better show the latest Logs too please. Pete

Okay, but no need to send me anything. I reproduced it here straight away. I've never used multiplayer before, but I simply started a session as Host for a shared cockpit, here on my one PC, and I could see immediately that SimConnect stopped sending me any data -- EXCEPT oddly enough it still sends me the regular Frame events (i.e. it tells me another frame has happened so I can do other stuff -- like still send GPS data which, of course, isn't changing now! :-( I can also read the weather, but for all intents and purposes the main functions of FSUIPC, to supply data to client programs, has been killed. I am sending the data on this directly to my contacts in FS. Please, you report it too. Send the description, with the SimConnect Log, to tell_fs@microsoft.com. The FSUIPC4 log isn't needed, the SimConnect log shows it all. I hope they fix this soon -- it effectively means that no SimConnect add-ons can be used with what is one of FSX's main attractions -- shared cockpits, shared skies, etc. :-( Regards Pete

I managed, eventually, to get this to happen with 4.026 here, but it isn't consistent. I don't know what is (or rather was) causing it, but please go get 4.03 now available above (and tomorrow from the Schiratti page I hope). The code in the installer has changed quite a bit since 4.026 and i cannot make this problem occur any more. Please try it and let me know. Regards Pete

Was the FSUIPC Menu still there, and usable? Do you know if FSUIPC was still actualy in contact with FS or ont? It sounds notthe data used by GPSout is merely part of what FSUIPC is getting for any client programs. Have you got any others to check with? If not, try using, for example, the keypress or button assignments, see if they still work. Or the joystick calibrations. It sounds like Smconnect is just breaking when you start multiplayer mode. This is looking very much like yet another FSX bug! :-( Multiplayer mode screwing up data notifications from SimConnect? This needs to be reported to Microsoft with as much detail as you can, please. Best to produce a SimConnect log so I can see what is happening, and I'll report it direct as well. To do this create a file containing these lines: [simConnect] level=Verbose console=No file=\Modules\SimConnect%01u.Log file_max_index=9 and save it as Simconnect.ini in your "My Documents\flight simulator X files" folder. Then, keeping things a short as possible, reproduce the problem. close FSX, Zip up both the Simconnecxt log and the FSUIPC4.LOG and send them to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. Check the settings again please -- it sounds like something go reset. And show me the logs too. If multiplayer mode kills Simconnect then it's going to take a patch for FSXfrom Microsoft. THere a lot of things needing fixing that we know about already. :-( Regards Pete

That should not stop the Installer. What is the install error you are seeing please? There won't be any EXTRA section of FSX. Where are you reading that? I have no contacts for this other than those in the threads here. There is a very long thread down below some place. But the definitive answer, so far, is from Microsoft -- follow the link in the Announcement about FSUIPC and Firewalls above. It will lead you eventually to Microsoft's statement about how to correct the problem. I'm not sure their answer resolves everything yet though. This isn't an FSUIPC problem -- it affect ALL possible add-ons to Flight sim which use Simconnect. If Simconnect is bolocked, denied access, which is what is hapening, then nothing using it will work. Believe me, I'm jumping up and down on the relevant MS folks as hard as I can, but so far that statement is the only response. You have an Add-On menu? What's in it? If FSUIPC installed correctly, which you say it didn't, then when FSX is loaded, FSUIPC will be loaded and run too. It will be running quite happily and it will even make a Log file in the Modules folder. Check. What does it say inside? The problem is that the communication between SimConnect and FSX is blocked. SimConnect talks to FSX using TCP/IP protocols and it is those being interfered with by firewall and privacy settings. Regards Pete

I have a system for making keys and recording the rquests and it is based on emails, so please send the request, with all the details, to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. Anyway, is the person responsible for the log going to send me his FSUIPC.KEY file? It most certainly looks like he is using illegitimate keys. Regards Pete

I don't really know how to answer that. Sorry. I can answer specific questions. If you've got a conflict, tell me about it and we'll sort it out, but you seem to assume there will be some problem when I can't see why there would be. If you've not even tried to do anything yet, then how do you know what is easy, what is difficult and what conflicts, if any, there may be? If we are simply talking about calibrating a few levers to work in FS, then where does "conflict" come in? Just get them working in FS first then refine the calibration in FSUYIPC following the numbered steps in the calibration section. Please do not bother yourself with the Axis Assignments. That's for cockpit builders who know what they want to do. All the thingss you are likely to want to do are (a) dealt with mostly by FS, and (b) refined a little by FSUIPC, if you like, and optionally. You can ghave different arrangements in FSUIPC for different aircraft, but just do one thing at a time. Make a aircraft-spercific arrangements AFTER you have the main setup sorted. Doing what, exactly, quickly? You started off with a book full of wants. Just separate off what you want to do and do one of them first. Why start off making everything so complicated? You are only assigning axes (in FS), testing them and making sure they work there, then optionally calibrating them in FSUIPC. In FSUIPC if you then want to allocate one throttle lever (for engine 1) to Engines 1 & 2 and another lever (engine 2) for engines 3 and 4, there's one button labelled such to press. Same for three engines using two throttle levers. I can answer specific questions, but I am not going to write a manual. Sorry. Regards Pete

Does it run? When you say "a file", what do you mean? It creates several files, not "a file". If it says it installed okay, then Windows has said it copied the DLL into the modules folder correctly. Do you see a Modules folder? The installer creates that too! Are you sure you aren't running with Explorer set to "hide system files" or similar? You don't really need to see it, but if you want to, make sure your Explorer options are correct. Regards, Pete

Sorry, no. If I could do I would have. Terminology? It's in English, using English words relating to flight sim and joysticks. no more. Maybe there are some teachers here who can explain in mono-syllabic words, but I am very sorry, I am not one. The manual has been fully understood by thousands over the past seven years, and is surely far far easier than learning how to fly an aircraft! :-( Anyway, I can certainly try to answer specific questions, but sorry, I really cannot respond positively to blatant accusations of providing unintelligible documentation and being asked to re-write it. If this is all you bought it for why didn't you read it first, then you'd have known to use the CH control manager instead. Regards Pete

Why all the pictures? Please see my reply above. Pete

There is absolutely no connection between FSUIPC4 and FSUIPC3, there is nothing an FSX installation can do to affect an FS9 installation. These log lines 1053734 READ0 [P3820] 3304, 4 bytes: 02 00 00 00 1053734 READ0 [P3820] 3308, 4 bytes: 02 00 00 00 indicate that one or both of your FSUIPC3/WideFS6 keys are not valid, possibly pirated. If you want me to check them please Zip up your FSUIPC.KEY file and send it to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. What line? You seem to have missed something out. Regards Pete

Hmm .. it does sound very much like something isn't performaing fast enough and a queue is building up. If it isn't to do with memory buffers than it just has to be something else en route to the Client PC. Do the Client or Server Logs show any problems at all? What versions of everything are you using? Is there a delay is things happening in the Sim and being reflected in the GC? If so something is queing. If not thenI don't know. Something's going strange in the FS PC. What are the OpenGL graphics frame rates shown by the PM GC on the client? Are you sure you are not trying to drive the client too fast? 40 fps as an average is quite high for a PM networked system, though it should cope okay. As an experiment try limiting the FS frame rate to, say, 25 fps, and see if that makes a difference to how long it goes or whether it starts stuttering at all. What protocol are you using -- TCP, UDP or IPX? It may be worth trying a different one. Regards Pete

In FS9 I think it is something like "HideInfoText=1". There's also "show_brake_message=0" in the [sim] section I think. In FSX there are about half a dozen different parameters for different message types. Regards Pete

Okay, I've experimented and soon found the problem. I don't think you need report it to MS, except maybe to get it clarified in documentation somewhere. I'm not sure where you got the above content for the XML file from, but as far as I can tell, by including that file you are overriding the default setting for how SimConnect uses TCP/IP protocols in the current (FSX) PC. SimConnect is still loading modules according to DLL.XML and programs according to EXE.DLL, but it cannot communicate with them because you have changed the port and IP address. If I change your file to read: Then everything works again. I'm not sure I need the Port number, and probably the Protocol should be Auto in any case to allow it to use IPv6 if installed, but the critical part is the 127.0.0.1 which universally means "this PC". I also set scope as "local" but, again, I'm not sure how necessary that is. Regards Pete

Ah .. so the problem you are saying is that if you set SimConnect to operate on multiple PCs on a Network, it either doesn't service any of the local Simconnect client programs, or perhaps just doesn't obey the DLL.XML and EXE.XML instructions to load them? If this is true it is extremely serious and certainly needs attention. I will try some experiments here. Thank you. Regards Pete

How do I know when it is in mission mode? I think this may first need to be a request to Microsoft, to provide information about FS modes? I can get a notification "Mission Completed" and also another "Custom Mission Action Executed". But I think the latter only refers to missions being controlled by that particular SimConnect client, and maybe the former does too. There's currently no "User has entered mission mode" notification. Oddly, I did get a positive note from one user (Doug Horton no less) who was actually very pleased that the AutoSave not only worked in mission mode, but actually allowed the saved states to appear in the saved missions list. Here is what he said: "Autosave .flt files are visible from the Missions UI if you check the "Show save missions" checkbox. Nice to have, particularly as I try to work through missions, in view of my two persistent crashing scenarios. Of course, they'll disappear from being listed under applicable mission after being overwritten by newer Autosave files that don't pertain to mission." He regards this as a very useful bonus and suggested I mention it in the documentation as such. Curious that you find AutoSaves an actual disadvantage in missions. Why is that? I have two opposite views. I can understand the positive one, but not yours. How do the autosaves detract from flying missions? Care to explain further, please? Regards Pete

You shouldn't do that! An XML file has filetype XML, not DLL. The SimConnect DLL is the compiled program part of FSX which loads and runs all SimConnect client programs! This XML file: should be called Simconnect.XML, and is only needed if you are running SimConnect client EXE programs on a Networked computer other than the FSX PC. Why create the file, then? And odder, why call it SimConnect.dll? If you think you have found a bug in FSX you really need to report it to MS rather than me -- send all the details to tell_fs@microsoft.com. Regards Pete