fsuipc v3.4.1.1

[peteflyer]

Hi Pete, I am a registered user of your module (awesome), and I was fine with everything until I installed version 3.411, now FS9 will not load, it starts OK until ready to show opening screen, then crashes to desktop, I have to use Task Manager to close it. I reverted back to 3.4.0 and everything is fine. using XP home with patch, and FS9.1, most used addon is PMDG 737NG, on a Dell 2400 2.4 gig, 1gig RAM, nVidia GeForce 5200oc, 256Mb DDR.

I tried installing 3 times, same problem everytime, if I remove the module Fs9 starts fine, and with v 3.4.0 it works fine too. Any suggestions?

[Pete Dowson]

I am a registered user of your module (awesome), and I was fine with everything until I installed version 3.411, now FS9 will not load, it starts OK until ready to show opening screen, then crashes to desktop, I have to use Task Manager to close it. I reverted back to 3.4.0 and everything is fine. using XP home with patch, and FS9.1, most used addon is PMDG 737NG, on a Dell 2400 2.4 gig, 1gig RAM, nVidia GeForce 5200oc, 256Mb DDR.

I tried installing 3 times, same problem everytime, if I remove the module Fs9 starts fine, and with v 3.4.0 it works fine too. Any suggestions?

One thing which will do exactly what you say, and that is if your FS9.1 installation is actually a mixture of FS9.0 and 9.1. You can check the modules using the list I posted in my FS9.1 announcement at the top of this Forum. I've fixed FSUIPC for such mixed up 9.0/9.1 updates but the new version isn't ready for release yet -- hopefully 6th December or so.

If the FS9.1 update looks complete according to that list, then please try again, then Zip up the FSUIPC.LOG and FSUIPC.KEY files (from the FS Modules folder) and send them to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. I should be able to work out what is wrong from those.

If you miss me tonight, I'll be out all day Saturday at the UK FS show in Birmingham, but I'll get to it on Sunday.

Regards,

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

Received via Email along with files as requested:

Hi Pete, I hope this is what you need, thanks for your response, all the dll files seem ok, this time it went to completely blank screen after loading scenery files

Aha! This line is the clue:

75735 Module "FSFlightVentures.dll" access registration is okay

If you remove the FSFlightVentures DLL you will see there's no problem.

There's a little bug in the FlightVentures DLL (resulting probably from a misunderstanding in my rather brief documentation of some of the more complex FSUIPC interface features) which actually falls foul of a correction to a bug which was present in FSUIPC 3.40 and earlier.

Both of us have actually "fixed" it recently. The author of FlightVentures has fixed it, and also I've changed FSUIPC too so that it copes with the way FlightVentures was coded. I don't know if the FlightVentures fix is out yet, but meanwhile I have emailed you an interim test (read Beta) of FSUIPC (version 3.426). Please be sure to replace this with the official release (3.43 I expect) in early December (I hope).

Regards,

Pete

[GMark]

I encountered something similar to the crashing issue but instead FS9 just hangs at 0%-1% when "Loading Scenery Objects". This showed up when I licensed the new ATR from Flight 1. Prior to this my FS9 did not have any FSUIPC in the Modules folder and everything was working fine. They bring FSUIPC along when the ATR is installed - current version is 3.4.1.1. The long and short is that with FSUIPC in the modules folder, FS9 hangs every time. If I remove it, the FS9 is happy, but I'm not since I can't use the new ATR. I have a similar system to Peteflyers: P4/HT 3.0 Ghz, 1 gig DDR, Nvidia 4400 (64mb), XP Home with patch, FS9.1. I did have a mix/match of 9.0 and 9.1 but now all modules are at 9.1 except for the few modules that the ATR brought along. I do not have FSAdventures.dll on my machine. I am not presently licensed for the FSUIPC but that may have to change - no problem.

[Pete Dowson]

I encountered something similar to the crashing issue but instead FS9 just hangs at 0%-1% when "Loading Scenery Objects".

Strange. I've not heard of that one. Can you try again then show me the FSUIPC.LOG file you'll find in the FS Modules folder?

Regards,

Pete

[GMark]

Pete, here is the short story...

********* FSUIPC, Version 3.41 by Pete Dowson *********

Running inside FS2004 (FS9.1 CONTROLS.DLL, FS9.1 WEATHER.DLL)

User Name=""

User Addr=""

FSUIPC not user registered

WIDEFS not user registered, or expired

Module base=61000000

ClassOptions: UIPCMAIN=FF7F, FS98MAIN=FF7F, FS2KMAIN=FF5E

WeatherOptions(Orig)=0000B027[0000B027]

InitDelay: 0 seconds

WeatherReadInterval=4

LogOptions=00000001

DebugStatus=0

3391 System time = 18:56:05

3391 C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\

3391 System time = 18:56:05, FS2004 time = 12:00:00 (00:00Z)

5391 FLIGHTS\OTHER\FLTSIM.flt

5500 AIRCRAFT\c172\Cessna172SP.air

6031 Aircraft="Cessna Skyhawk 172SP"

52016 C:\Documents and Settings\GMark\My Documents\Flight Simulator Files\UI generated flight.flt

53406 Clear All Weather requested: external weather discarded

And just for the record, I have applied for the license to FSUIPC (well at least I spent my money but do not yet have confirmation... not sure what I would do with it... but I have taken advantage of the FSUIPC interface over the years and it's probably time to pay a few dues).

GMark@KCVG

[Pete Dowson]

Hmmm. The log shows nothing is trying to access or use FS by then. Are you loading this ATR aircraft from the initial menu (the hang is occurring when it is loading the UI generated flight.flt). Try one of the default aircraft.

Try deleting (or rather, temporarily removing) your FS9.CFG file (it's in the Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Microsoft\FS9 folder). FS will build another and start with default flight settings.

There are some other things which seem to hang when FS is present too -- the first FS9 version of FSNav, for example. That was fixed fairly quickly. It doesn't even use FSUIPC, but does some checks which don't work when FSUIPC is present.

If loading a default aircraft doesn't help, and you are sure it isn't FSNav, check your Modules folder, see what other add-ins there are there. Let me know.

Regards,

Pete

[GMark]

So positively aggravating! Removed the .cfg file and when FS9 was reloaded it brought up the base 800x600 or 640x480 window (hard to tell anymore). Selected Fly Now for the basic 172/KSEA configuration and obtained the same result - hung on loading scenery objects. This is truly bizarre.

[Pete Dowson]

So positively aggravating! Removed the .cfg file and when FS9 was reloaded it brought up the base 800x600 or 640x480 window (hard to tell anymore). Selected Fly Now for the basic 172/KSEA configuration and obtained the same result - hung on loading scenery objects. This is truly bizarre.

Needn't worry about the video stuff, you can put the original FS9.CFG back now. It's best to run FS in Windowed mode until we resolve this in any case -- you never know, there may actually be an error message box awaiting your attention on the Windows screen. Try it and see.

So, what add-ins have you got installed? Let's look at the Modules folder.

BTW I'll be offline now till tomorrow, later on (maybe evening UK time). Seeing the eye surgeon first thing, and he uses those drops which dilate the eyes. I won't be able to use the PC most of the day.

Regards,

Pete

[GMark]

FS9 created a new FS9.cfg. I have a list of the installed modules in a .jpg file but the forum will not permit me to post an attachment.

[Pete Dowson]

FS9 created a new FS9.cfg. I have a list of the installed modules in a .jpg file but the forum will not permit me to post an attachment.

Odd. Others have certainly included pictures on occasion.

ZIP it and attach it to an email to me at petedowson@btconnect.com.

Did you try in Windowed mode and look to see if there was an error message?

Regards,

Pete

[GMark]

Pete,

I will zip the file and send straightaway. I did the windows thing but there are no error messages. The situation is more of a program loop situation which is taking up all of the CPU resources. In the Task Manager you can see that FS9 is working feverishly along with a "tmp" process. Overall, FS9 is getting about 50%, the tmp process about 10% and the system idle at about 45-50%. All of this varies up and down to a degree.

I found that if I raised the iexplore priority to "realtime" and open and closed the FS9 window (maximize/minimize) a thousand times or so, whatever is getting hung up would get terminated long enough to slooooowly get the percentage of loading (fly now - 172/KSEA) to reach 100%. However, even when that was done, the sim was obviously degraded to a framerate of between 3.5 to 4.0 frames/second. Let me send the modules file now.

[Pete Dowson]

In the Task Manager you can see that FS9 is working feverishly along with a "tmp" process.

I think that .tmp thing is part of the protection system -- same as the CD-being-there check, but it also watches for Debuggers and the like. You don't get that process with the "no CD" hack.

Overall, FS9 is getting about 50%, the tmp process about 10% and the system idle at about 45-50%. All of this varies up and down to a degree.

I think that's pretty normal anyway. In fact FS is generally famous for soaking up all the idle time -- it sounds like you have a P4 processor with hyperthreading? I think FS only uses one of the virtual processors, hence the 50%.

I found that if I raised the iexplore priority to "realtime" and open and closed the FS9 window (maximize/minimize) a thousand times or so, whatever is getting hung up would get terminated long enough to slooooowly get the percentage of loading (fly now - 172/KSEA) to reach 100%. However, even when that was done, the sim was obviously degraded to a framerate of between 3.5 to 4.0 frames/second.

Did the FSUIPC Log file show anything more by then?

By the sound of it, you also need to check other processes running on your PC. I'm sure there have been others with similar problems which were resolved by removing or killing some other process, but I can't find the references now. Sorry.

Regards,

Pete

[GMark]

Pete,

I went through the list of active processes and removed a number of them. And Voila! FS9 loaded without failure. So the culprit is one of those processes. I will try and narrow it down to the specific process and see where that leads. By the way, I did get my FSUIPC registration in my email as well.

[GMark]

Pete,

The culprit is a file for a Kensington mouse which I use. The filename is kmu_run.exe. I don't know what it does (it has a companion called kmw_show). But the kmu_run was the one that freed-up FS9 (which now overall loads faster to the initial configuration screen as well).

I think I'll send a note to Kensington support and find out what the file does and how to prevent it from loading. The mouse works fine without the process running.

Cheers!

GMark@KCVG

[Pete Dowson]

The culprit is a file for a Kensington mouse which I use. The filename is kmu_run.exe. I don't know what it does (it has a companion called kmw_show). But the kmu_run was the one that freed-up FS9 (which now overall loads faster to the initial configuration screen as well).

Great! I'm glad you resolved it!

Regards,

Pete