Pete Dowson

Er .. I don't. Well, I've certainly not got any of that straight! . Thanks. Pete

I'm a little confused by what you say. The "getting ready" on the Server replaced the old "stopped" message which confused some people. After that it should display "waiting for clients". The client never says "waiting for client" -- it might say "waiting for a connection"? I need to see the FSUIPC.Log file, the WideServer.LOG file and the WideServer.ini file (all from the FS modules folder, and possibly the WideClient.log file and the WideClient.ini file, from the WideClient folder on the other PC. Please ZIP them up and send them to me at petedowson@btconnect.com with an explanation of what you see happening. Thanks, Pete

If this is on the same PC, you can copy the FSUIPC.Key file, from the FS modules folder, from one installation to the other. Pete

No, if it is freeware you do not pay anything. But you wil need an access key for it. Please write to me at petedowson@btconnect.com and I will send details directly. Pete

Yeah, I changed that way back, soon after the first version 2 came out I think. It now says to only do that if you skipped a few years of updates .. well, that's an exaggeration, but it is something like that. These days many folks have too much invested in the parameters -- all their favourite settings, key and button assignments, calibrations, and so on. I take a lot of steps now in the code to delete obsolete parameters and add new ones so that the INI is still okay. It even preserves these for unregistered copies, even though many are not being applied until after registration. Regards, Pete

Oh, dear. I can't win! Due to poular demand I changed the default mode of WideFS to TCP/IP long ago. Unfortunately I forgot to remove the parameter "UseTCPIP=No" from the INI files supplied. I got loads of emails telling me it didn't work! So, I remove the parameter so now it behaves correctly according to the documentation. And I get problems reported by folks, the other way round!? Really you should keep your INI files. If you replace them every time you update your copy of WideFS (or FSUIPC or anything) you risk losing anything you've set up to get it working well on your system. Most folks use things like the Run options in the INI files to load up ancillary programs, expecially on the clients. Are you re-entering such things on every update? It doesn't make sense. Maybe I should simply remove the sample INI files from the ZIP and force everyone to either use their existing ones or make them from scratch? :( Pete

Yes. In fact when they are on the same PC you don't even have to enter the registration twice. Just do it on one then make a copy of the FSUIPC.key file for the other, in its Modules folder. I am just now releasing FSUIPC 3.02 which fixes some problems registering FSUIPC on systems which already have FSUIPC applications running. Regards, Pete

That's not very realistic, though -- real aircraft don;t have such a facilitiy. Perhaps you have the aircraft sounds up too high, or is this in a light aircraft -- they are much noisier in the cockpit than, say, airliners? Are you using a headset for RW? Sorry, I don't understand this at all. If you are using joystick buttons, where do keystrokes like "R" come in? You can assign the KeySend and its number directly in the Buttons page. All you need to do is program the KeySends on one button, then the sound control on another, make sure they both work okay, the close FS and edit the FSUIPC.INI to make both buttons the same button. This seems a bit of a mess. Delete it all and start again, using only Buttons. There's no need for ANY keystrokes at all (no wonder you are getting delays, you are getting things going round many loops!). Program KeySend 1 and 2 on one button, program the FS control "Sound Off" and "Sound On" on another button. Then, with FS closed, edit the INI and make both button numbers the same (i.e. the 2nd number after the P and the U). Regards, Pete

It is going to take a while for all the shareware and commercial, and even freeware, folks to bring out new versions both tested with FS2004 and with the access key built in. Some may simply provide you with an access key to type in (there's a manual "Program Registration" facility in FSUIPC as well, to allow for this). I am aware that Damian is working on ActiveSky, so please check his support forum to see what progress there is on an FS2004 version. Maybe he can get you a key for the older version too. It is really in his province, rather than mine. BTW the newer release of FSUIPC I made yesterday (3.01) may wrongly produce a Message Box saying a program is not accredited even if it is. This depends upon the method the program uses to pass they key. I found this bug this morning and have fixed it now, but I will test it a bit more before releasing it in case I've mucked something else up! :cry: It will be version 3.02 and should be available some time tomorrow (Monday). I'm afraid that the donation system was a bit of a failure ultimately, and is closed. Sorry, Pete

Sorry, but you are most certainly not clear at all on the subject. You don't seem to have read the announcements, nor folowed the threads on this which flogged it to death ad nauseam. The two things are NOT the same. Users are NOT paying me for the right to use add-on programs, whether they be freeware, shareware or out and out commercial. The user registration is for the additional facilities in FSUIPC, those which are completely unnecessary for the interfacing of external programs but nevertheless which are now the bulk of what FSUIPC is all about. If you only want to run programs and not use any of the facilities, just pay me nothing, don't register. It says all this in the announcements. It even lists the facilities, briefly. It also spells them out in more detail at the SimMarket registration pages. Read before you buy. If you don't like, don't buy. Regards, Pete

You mean a Beta version of FSUIPC, for the proper release of FS2004, or a Beta version of FSUIPC for a Beta version of FS2004? Sorry, I'm not understanding any of that. You are using FS2004 downloaded real weather? Is this what you mean by "connect"? FSUIPC really hasn't anything to do with any of thatcan you explain what you are doing and what weather options you are setting in FSUIPC, if indeed you are using a weather program with FSUIPC? If it is a Beta version before 2.991 then there were virtually no weather facilities in FSUIPC back then! You get FS2004 weather. FSUIPC does NOT supply any weather. If you use an external weather program you get the weather you download or create with that. FSUIPC is not a weather program! Pete

Thanks for telling. One other possible cause of registration problems has been confirmed, and another one reported but mystifying. The confirmed one occurs when there are unacredited programs attempting to access FSUIPC whilst you are actually in the Registration Dialogue. There's some interference due to simultaneous calls being made to non-re-entrant code. I'm working on solving this at the moment. I expect to release 3.02 tomorrow. The other one is very odd. One user couldn't register until he changed his local settings. But there's nothing setting dependent in my code and I've not been able to reproduce it. Regards, Pete

No, there is nothing there that shows any interaction with SSWA310.DLL at all. What is that DLL in any case? I've never heard of it. Does it even use FSUIPC? Does it run without FSUIPC installed? If it gives so many problems in any case, surely the suppliers have something to say about it? Sorry, but I really don't think I can be of any assistance in this case. But keep us posted. Regards, Pete

I always answer!! I am investigating this now. It looks like it might be a timing problem, but I cannot reproduce it here. The only thing I can think of is that FSUIPC is loading later than WideServer and taking a time to check the registration codes, by which time WideServer has checked in with FSUIPC and got rebuffed. I may have to provide a test version of WideServer with a delay loop built in, so it doesn't give up so quickly. I can't make it fail here, so I'll be dependent on feedback. Write to me on petedowson@btconnect.com if you want to try any tests for me. Regards, Pete

Have you cleared the weather first, and elected to set this to all stations? Have you turned dynamic weather changes off? FS2004, unlike previous versions, is actually running in what I used to call "local weather mode" all the time. My so-called "global weather" is merely the default weather which is applied to any station which doesn't have its own weather already. FSUIPC's weather settings are constrained to affecting just that global "fill-in" weather, it won't operate on local weather stations -- except those set by external programs using the New Weather Interface in FSUIPC 3. At present I really don't see it as likely. I can only deal with global (i.e whole world) weather in any case, and as I say, the visibility system is now so good it really makes things worse to impose anything like that, not better. The main reason for its introduction on FS2000 was to help with frame rates -- the lower the visibility nearer the ground, the better the frame rates despite the increasing complexity of ground imaging. I don't think this is a consideration in FS2004. Discarding FS2004's beautifully done realistic local weather simulations, which give nice effects of weather different in the distance, changing smoothly as you fly, and substituting something not much better (except for cloud graphics) than FS2000 or FS2002 seems a real waste to me. Why not stick to FS2002 then? The weather engine in FS2004 is easily the best improvement in the whole sim (IMHO). Try some of the weather themes. Try downloading the FS real weather. Try, when they appear, the new weather programs which will make use of the New Weather Interface in FSUIPC 3 to set *local * weather. After a few weeks I'm sure you'll agree. If not, get back to me. Regards, Pete

Sorry, I don't know everything, and I don't have every accessory there is. I think I do have a copy of PSS A320 here, but I've never had time to install it. No, FSUIPc can't really have any affect on such things. As I said, they probably only use FSUIPC for TCAS. If I am asked for a key for freeware and provded the information, yes, of course. But, again, does his panel use FSUIPC? I'm sure that there aren't many that do. I think that is wrong. whether things work with FS2004 or not is not just a matter of FSUIPC support, or, for many products, not EVEN a matter of FSUIPC support, as they don't use it. For me to imply that something will work with FS2004 when I haven't seen it do so and when its own publisher hasn't announced it will would be very wrong of me, and, worse, make it look like programs that had no access keys would not work, which is even more wrong. Sorry, but in each and every instance your recourse is to the author or publisher, as it always has been. Why do you think it would be any different now? Please do NOT try to make me into some sort of regulator. That is completely wrong and false! I cannot comment on that. It really has no place in public discussion. If you register your copy of FSUIPC it would be totally irrelevent to you in any case. If you don't, then you need to wait for appropriate announcements and releases from publishers in any case. And since they have at least to test their products out with FS2004, and very likely make changes in any case -- whether they use FSUIPC or not -- I can't see that there's any alternative anyway. :x Pete

Sorry, I don't understand where the discrepancy comes in. Where are you setting the surface visibility, and how does FSUIPC come into it? Where are you setting these "upper and lower altitudes"? Is this all in WeatherSet or WeatherSet2? You really would miss some of the best improvements in FS2004 if you achieved this. The experience of ascending above a low level murk into clear visibility yet still see the ground below only through the murk is much more realistic to me. This is why I didn't do all the work needed for the old FSUIPC graduated visibility, it just seemed a total waste of time and to spoil the god new effects in FS2004. Regards, Pete

Okay, got it! Sorry, I must have missed it. Many apologies. Key on its way. Pete

I've got no requests outstanding from Friday or Saturday. What's your name and email address (can't see it here)? I'll check what I've processed. If it is lost you'll need to send another -- check you used the right email address for me. I'm responding as I can, and am managing to keep within a few hours excepting overnight. Regards, Pete

WideFS default was changed to TCP/IP a while back, because that's what most folks use. But I forgot to take the UseTCPIP=No parameter out of the default INI files until someone mentioned it was still defaulting to IPX/SPX. Really, when updating versions you are usually better off keeping your old INI files. Glad it's all working now anyway. Regards, Pete

Judging by the receipts they are sending me, they are still operating, at least this morning. It is VERY odd you getting that "trouble" message -- it looks like a mistake, and that actually should have been the message giving you the keys. If I were you I'd report to that trouble place now, saying exactly what you've just said to me. Okay? Regards, Pete

The WideServer log says it thinks it is not registered. Is the "Register WideFS" button in FSUIPC greyed out or still active? If the latter, then it isn't registered. If you send me the FSUIPC.LOG I can check things from there. Regards, Pete

Not that I know of. There never was for previous releases, at least that I ever knew about. But if you register FSUIPC, most should stand a very good chance. It really depends how much involved they are with things specific to particular FS implementations, like multiplayer, which is different, AFD (airport facility data) files, which are different, and so on. Pete

Sounds more like WideClient problems? So, have you told the Server ot use IPX/SPX instead? It defaults to TCP/IP. In that case you most definitely have not edited the Client's INI file to tell it to use IPX/SPX either. Please check the doumentation. Regards, Pete

That is really strange! I just can't understand how repeating it makes any difference. I am going to get to the bottom of this if it kills me! It is very annoying -- I just cannot make anything fail here, excepting the bsiness with accented characters which is fixed in 3.01, with new keys. :cry: Pete