FS9.1 crashes to desktop with no error message

[Edwin]

Hi,

My FS9.1 crashes to the desktop unexpectedly with no error message whatsoever. It doesn't happen too frequently but enough to be quite troublesome when I'm halfway through a flight. I actually have no idea what would cause the problem but am posting here because I noticed some error messages in the WideClient log.

********* WideClient.DLL Log [version 6.41] Class=FS98MAIN *********

Date (dmy): 13/12/04, Time 09:42:17.828: Client name is SHUTTLE

94 Attempting to connect now

750 New Client Application: "AS2004" (Id=3180)

1062 Connection made okay!

30703 New Client Application: "FSRealTime" (Id=3020)

3334375 Error on client post-Connection Select() [Error=10053] Software caused connection abort

3334453 Ready to try connection again

3334453 Attempting to connect now

3335391 Error on client pre-Connection Select() [Error=10061] Connection refused

3335391 Ready to try connection again

3335406 Attempting to connect now

3364922 Reception maximum achieved: 22 frames/sec, 1111 bytes/sec

3364922 Reception average achieved whilst connected: 7 frames/sec, 297 bytes/sec

3364922 Max receive buffer = 711, Max send depth = 2

3364922 ********* Log file closed (Buffers: MaxUsed 4, Alloc 41350 Freed 41350 Refused 0) *********

Could these errors be the reason for the crash? I am already using the latest video drivers. My setup is as follows:

Pentium 4 3.4GHz

ATI Radeon 9800 Pro (Catalyst 4.12 beta)

Corsair TwinX1024-4000PRO

2x WD Raptor 360GD (RAID 0) - about 12GB free disk space

Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS

FS9.1

ActiveSky 2004.5 build 163 on WideClient (below)

FSUIPC 3.411 registered

WideFS 6.41 registered

FSNavigator 4.6

Ultimate Traffic

PSS Airbus A319/20/21/330/340/Concorde

WideClient installed on a Shuttle SN41G2 with AMD Athlon XP 2500+ and 512MB RAM

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Edwin

[Pete Dowson]

My FS9.1 crashes to the desktop unexpectedly with no error message whatsoever. It doesn't happen too frequently but enough to be quite troublesome when I'm halfway through a flight.

I get that too, sometimes. Only at night. In my case I'm pretty certain its the Matrox Parhelia video drivers I'm using, but they are so much faster than the previous versions that I stick with it and do only day time flights.

These CTDs (yes, that's the semi-official acronym! :wink: ) were much more common before the 9.1 update, and most are fixed. But one of the major causes used to be seasonal texture problems, during the changover periods of late Spring and late Autumn. Maybe vertsion 9.1 hasn't fixed them all -- try setting the FS date to mid Summer or later Winter and see if it makes any difference.

Otherwise, things to check include overheating in the video card or processor, and maybe updated (or older?) video drivers.

I actually have no idea what would cause the problem but am posting here because I noticed some error messages in the WideClient log.

3334375 Error on client post-Connection Select() [Error=10053] Software caused connection abort

3334453 Ready to try connection again

3334453 Attempting to connect now

3335391 Error on client pre-Connection Select() [Error=10061] Connection refused

...

Could these errors be the reason for the crash?

No. There's only one error there -- the Service offered by WideServer suddenly disappeared. It will have disappeared because your FS crashed. You are getting cause and effect the wrong way around! :wink:

Regards

Pete

[Edwin]

Hi Pete,

Thanks so much for your prompt reply. I read about CTDs on the AVSIM forums but I wasn't sure this was it (especially since my crashes don't come with any error messages). Occasionally, the generic Windows XP "program terminated unexpectedly" error message pops up with the options of whether to send an error report to Microsoft. But most of the time, even that doesn't show up.

As for the other things to check, I used to overclock both video card and processor but because of those crashes, both are now running at stock speeds. I have run numerous overnight DivX compressions before without a hiccup so I'm pretty confident my setup is solid from a hardware standpoint. And the video drivers - the ones I'm using now are markedly faster in Half-Life 2, another game I'm playing, so I'd rather stick with those. For what it's worth, things seem to have improved over the last few months as I've applied the FS9.1 update and installed newer video drivers. I don't know what could have contributed to the improvement - my guess is all of the above.

It looks like I just got another CTD just as I'm submitting this post! That's two in a day! If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd greatly appreciate it. Otherwise, I guess I'll just have to learn to live with it.

Thanks anyway, Pete, and good work!

Edwin

[Pete Dowson]

I read about CTDs on the AVSIM forums but I wasn't sure this was it (especially since my crashes don't come with any error messages).

I think the term CTD is only usually applied to those sudden disappearances of FS. One moment it's there, the next you are staring at the desktop. They are the most annoying as there's never a way to find out what happened. The ones with error messages are just plain "crashes".

Occasionally, the generic Windows XP "program terminated unexpectedly" error message pops up with the options of whether to send an error report to Microsoft.

Well, with those you can get more details by clicking for details. you can get the name of the module (often, unfortunately, just ntdll, a common library part of XP) and an offset. If that's one of FS's modules then it is useful -- G2D and G3D, for instance, will indicate either a scenery problem or, just possibly, video driver.

For what it's worth, things seem to have improved over the last few months as I've applied the FS9.1 update and installed newer video drivers. I don't know what could have contributed to the improvement - my guess is all of the above.

Well, certainly the FS9.1 update was supposed to have cured a great number of those found by the FS team at Microsoft.

Regards,

Pete

[Edwin]

Hi,

I certainly will take a note of the module the next time an error message does appear. But as I said, most of the time, none such message appears. I've also checked that it isn't to do with any add-on sceneries that I have since I've had CTDs all around the world and usually in the air (although I distinctly remember one that occurred on the ground before takeoff).

I tried reinstalling FS9 once and for a while, I thought they went away but alas, they came back.

Anyhow, thanks again for your help and congratulations on two fantastic pieces of software. I hope you are not discouraged by the comments from a select few users (I'm referring to the other thread on this forum). I also hope you didn't take offence in my post - I wasn't blaming your software but I just wanted to check. As you mentioned, FSUIPC are used by so many add-ons that I thought checking with you would help diagnose the problem. Given your responses, I am happy to blame Microsoft! :lol:

Regards,

Edwin

[Pete Dowson]

I hope you are not discouraged by the comments from a select few users (I'm referring to the other thread on this forum). I also hope you didn't take offence in my post - I wasn't blaming your software but I just wanted to check.

Well, i'm not taking offence, but at present I would consider that sort of crash highly unlikely to be FSUIPC or WideFS. However, events may prove me wrongall i can do is suggest that you update to the latest versions all the time and see if there's ever a difference. If I do find any reason my software may be involved I will certainly publish it. As you see, my release notes contain plenty of "bugs fixed" type entries as well as additions of new features and so on.

If you wish to walk a little on the wild side, I can send you the latest Betas I have here, still under test. These should make release by the weekend if things go well. If you want to try them write to me at petedowson@btconnect.com.

Incidentally, I've just got the AS2004 b163 beta update, and I'll see if I can try that soon. If that's something you've changed recently, and the problems has got worse since then, it may be an AS problem, but it seems unlikely too. Though any program can actually crash FS by writing things to the wrong place in FS, through FSUIPC or WideFS. There's only a few things FSUIPC can guard against, like writing to a read-only location or one that isn't allocated to FS.

Regards,

Pete