FS 9.1 crashs on exit

[twanut]

hello mr. dowson,

when i installed XP service pack 2 and then FS 9 update a strange thing began to happen. FS 9 won't shut down. it crashes on exit and i have to shut it down manually. the module it blames is the "weather.dll" in fact, my computer makes a funny sound while FS 9 is crashing similar to the computer trying to access the internet, even though i'm already connected via dsl. i also was clicking around in my folders and found some kind of log that said my internet explore was "hanging". i read somewhere to disable my fs 9 error report and let dr. watson do it. i think it was this dump file, but i've since forgotten where to find it.

i've searched through forums etc for answers as well as your manual. i tried to insert the FSPIC dll in the modules first, but that didn't work. the rest of the forum responses are over my head. i just like to fly airplanes as a hobby, not learn how to hyperthread my modum or whatever.

on a clean install without fspic it closes fine. i also have active sky, active camera (with the patch), lago fsse, and a host of airplane add ons (capt sim 727, iron knuckles, eagle soft citation, flight 1 archer and cardinal) plus other third party aircraft from steward global, ifdg, and posky.

thanks, brantley

brantley

[Pete Dowson]

my computer makes a funny sound while FS 9 is crashing similar to the computer trying to access the internet, even though i'm already connected via dsl. i also was clicking around in my folders and found some kind of log that said my internet explore was "hanging".

That sounds very weird. What sort of sound do computers trying to connect to the internet make? That's a puzzle for me on its own.

Certainly nothing of mine has anything to do with the Internet, and the fact you have reports saying IE is hanging sounds suspiciously like there's something wrong with the Windows installation.

on a clean install without fspic it closes fine. i also have active sky, active camera (with the patch), lago fsse, and a host of airplane add ons (capt sim 727, iron knuckles, eagle soft citation, flight 1 archer and cardinal) plus other third party aircraft from steward global, ifdg, and posky.

Well, I don't know anything out of that lot which will cause close down problems, though there were reports on the FS2004 Forum about FS not closing down (but not actually crashing either) with some version of some add-on. Sorry, I can't remember which one it was -- scan that forum.

As far as I know there is nothing in FSUIPC that has anything to do with close down problems -- though one of the things which actually use FSUIPC may indeed have such a problem. All I can suggest is a process of elimination between all of your add-ins. Start by eliminating the add-in Modules (DLLs) in the FS Modules folders and only run default aircraft. If that's okay, add the removed DLL's one at a time, still only flying default aircraft. If it recurs you have found the culprit. If not, then try using each add-on aircraft, one per FS load, till you find it.

Before all this you could take a look at the FSUIPC.LOG file (it is a plain text file and resides in the FS Modules folder). See if that indicates any errors -- show it to me if you don't understand it.

Regards,

Pete

[twanut]

thanks for your reply.

i'll try to explain the sound and what happens during my FS9.1 crash. I exit FS 9, and the FS 9 window abruptly disappears. Then there is this ghastly silence. Then my CD rom drive fires up and starts spinning. Then that wierd sound. It's like some port is opening up, or the sound the modem makes just before it actually dials the internet number. Like a hollow click from the back of my hard drive.

Thanks for your input. I'll try the "ruling out the dll manuever" This is a problem i can live with, but it's just a little irritating not to be able to close FS9 like normal people. I just recently found a way to close FS 9 without having to hit the end task button when i shut down my computer. I hit control alt delete after closing FS 9. Then i select "~e5d141.tmp" and hit end process. When I do that FS 9 Exe disappears along with it and I can shut down my computer normally.

[Pete Dowson]

i'll try to explain the sound and what happens during my FS9.1 crash. I exit FS 9, and the FS 9 window abruptly disappears. Then there is this ghastly silence. Then my CD rom drive fires up and starts spinning.

Ghastly silence? :shock: Is this compared to the aircraft engine sounds just before you closed, or do you mean all your fans stop turning, your hard drives stop spinning, etc?

If the CD is firing up it sounds like it may be related to the CD protection mechanism in FS. It's pretty nasty in my opinion, and I know it doesn't work properly on all machines/CD drives. Possibly some other process in your PC is interacting badly with it? Especially with XP SP2, which adds quite a lot of new security stuff into your system. Maybe you had an anti-virus add-on and WinXP is adding its own actions to this.

Sorry, I'm really running out of possibilities here -- but from what you say now I'd guess it is more likely to be related to something outside FS than any add-in DLL and so on.

Then that wierd sound. It's like some port is opening up, or the sound the modem makes just before it actually dials the internet number. Like a hollow click from the back of my hard drive.

Hmmm, I can't really say I know of any sound a modem makes before dialling, but maybe the phone lines do something like that where you live.

Then i select "~e5d141.tmp" and hit end process. When I do that FS 9 Exe disappears along with it and I can shut down my computer normally.

Aha! I think that proves itThat strange ".tmp" process is actually part of the protection mechanism which is implanted into FS2004 to (a) check the CDRom, and (b) prevent debuggers getting inside FS's code. The latter action is why it is running all the time.

It certainly seems something else in your PC is interacting badly with the FS protection. Maybe if you used the "no CD" hack, replacing the FS9.EXE file, you'd have no problems, thought really I should not suggest such a thing as it is strictly speaking a violation of Microsoft's copyright. I actually have to use it because I need to debug modules inside FS -- without it there'd be no FSUIPC or WideFS for FS2004.

Regards,

Pete