FSUIPC being blamed for stutter.

[Agrajag]

Pete, (welcome back!)

Due to my SB3 troubles I had to re-install FS9. Since re-installing, my favorite plane, a PSS Dash-8 that was originally built for FS2002 and quickly migrated to FS2004, now stutters terribly (every 2 seconds) whenever I load it. I went to the PSS AVSIM support forum and asked how to fix this and their reply was that FSUIPC is the culprit.

I don't think it is but thought I'd mention this to you and see if you had any input that might help.

I basically found, through lots of trial and error, that if I hide panel.cfg (by renaming it) the stutter stops. I also can get the stutter to stop by remarking all the gauges in the panel.cfg. Further, I can get the stutter to stop if I remove FSUIPC.DLL (sort of like removing an arm for a hang nail problem). In the case where I remarked all the gauges in the panel.cfg, unremarking ANY of them causes the stutter to show up again. PSS is saying that's why they think FSUIPC is the problem. I don't believe them.

Thoughts?

[Pete Dowson]

Due to my SB3 troubles I had to re-install FS9. Since re-installing, my favorite plane, a PSS Dash-8 that was originally built for FS2002 and quickly migrated to FS2004, now stutters terribly (every 2 seconds) whenever I load it. I went to the PSS AVSIM support forum and asked how to fix this and their reply was that FSUIPC is the culprit.

But you imply that all was well until you re-installed FS9. So something has changed there.

I don't think it is but thought I'd mention this to you and see if you had any input that might help.

FSUIPC doesn't actually do anything which involved lots of computation of delays. It doesn't deal with any graphics, or files.

A regular 2 second stutter sounds suspiciopusly like something else running in the background, unless one of the gauges or other add-in modules has something on a 2 second cycle.

FSUIPC operates on a frame rate related cycle. There isn't anything on a longer cycle than half a second (this latter is for computation of some values not needed on every frame).

Have you checked the FSUIPC log? Is your FSUIPC user registered? If not, this may be down to an access check failing from one of their modules and being retried every 2 seconds.

PSS is saying that's why they think FSUIPC is the problem. I don't believe them.

Unlike PSS to fob folks off so. They certainly haven't contacted me, and they've always done so in the past when they've had any problems. I suspect they are desperately trying to resolve this and just want folks to leave them be till they solve it.

Regards

Pete

[Agrajag]

But you imply that all was well until you re-installed FS9. So something has changed there.

You know how that goes. Maybe it was there and I just didn't notice or the load was so heavy that it blended in, but I don't think it was there. THIS is obvious.

Have you checked the FSUIPC log? Is your FSUIPC user registered?

Didn't think of that one. I don't expect much there but I'll look. And of course I've registered the most important piece of add-on software out there!

If not, this may be down to an access check failing from one of their modules and being retried every 2 seconds.

Rats, that sound great right up until that part. The way I've been re-registering is to keep copying my FSUIPC.INI over. Maybe that's the issue? Perhaps I should remove it and register the manual way?

Unlike PSS to fob folks off so.

It seems this plane is different for them. I have had a VERY hard time getting them to answer questions about it. It was only $15 as they reduced the price when they moved it from FS2002 to FS2004 so I SUSPECT they're not real keen to support it fully now. No other add-on plane is doing this, or the default planes. I added the PMDG 1900C, the Flight1 ATR 72-500 and a Milton Shupe plane, the Aero Commander 680 "Super".

I suspect they are desperately trying to resolve this and just want folks to leave them be till they solve it.

John, the support guy, keeps saying "re-install the plane. I'm on my 6th re-install. Since I'm the only one seemingly having trouble I have this feeling they're done with it. I hope not, but I don't have a good feeling about it. Searching "PSS Dash 8 problems" on Google gets you quiet a long list.

[Agrajag]

Here's the log in case it helps. I started a session after removing the key and INI and re-registered manually, just in case. I then quit, reloaded and chose the Dash 8. Still stuttered and then shut down. The log is as follows:

********* FSUIPC, Version 3.47 by Pete Dowson *********

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

User Name="Rich Heimlich"

User Addr="agrajag@comcast.net"

FSUIPC Key is provided

WIDEFS not user registered, or expired

Module base=61000000

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

WeatherOptions(Orig)=40003605[40003605]

InitDelay: 0 seconds

WeatherReadInterval=4

LogOptions=00000001

DebugStatus=15

8891 System time = 10:43:48

8891 C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\

8906 System time = 10:43:48, FS2004 time = 12:00:00 (00:00Z)

17641 FLIGHTS\OTHER\FLTSIM.flt

17656 AIRCRAFT\c172\Cessna172SP.air

18891 Aircraft="Cessna Skyhawk 172SP"

21844 Module [M1] identified = "sbmpjoin9.dll"

21844 Module [M1] "sbmpjoin9.dll" access registration is okay

23875 Module [M2] identified = "sbmod9.dll"

23875 Module [M2] "sbmod9.dll" access registration is okay

23875 Module [M3] identified = "sbtrans9.dll"

23875 Module [M3] "sbtrans9.dll" access registration is okay

24344 Advanced Weather Interface Enabled

49703 AIRCRAFT\PSS Dash8\Dash8-300.air

50938 Aircraft="PSS Dash 8 300 US Airways Express"

54266 Module [M4] identified = "PSS-Dash8.GAU"

54266 Module [M4] "PSS-DASH8.GAU" access registration is okay

65610 C:\Documents and Settings\Rich\My Documents\Flight Simulator Files\UI generated flight.flt

69360 Clear All Weather requested: external weather discarded

115188 System time = 10:45:34, FS2004 time = 10:44:28 (18:44Z)

115188 *** FSUIPC log file being closed

Memory managed: 2 Allocs, 114 Freed

********* FSUIPC Log file closed ****

I'm also curious about why hiding the DLL appears to fix the problem. I just did a partial flight with FSUIPC.DLL renamed to hide it and most everything appeared to work with regard to gauges except for the autopilot. It basically worked but would not handle altitude settings correctly. Does this suggest that this might be the "gauge" that is having trouble? In other words, do I gain any useful knowledge by finding out that the stutter goes away when I hide the DLL?

[Pete Dowson]

Rats, that sound great right up until that part. The way I've been re-registering is to keep copying my FSUIPC.INI over. Maybe that's the issue? Perhaps I should remove it and register the manual way?

The INI file only contains your settings. The FSUIPC.KEY file contains your registration. You only need to re-register if you re-install windows or move to a different PC. Otherwise copying the KEY file is fine.

If your copy is correctly user registered then it won't be a delay due to PMDG module access checking -- all that is then by-passed.

Regards

Pete

[Agrajag]

Did you see my note at the bottom of the log?

"I'm also curious about why hiding the DLL appears to fix the problem. I just did a partial flight with FSUIPC.DLL renamed to hide it and most everything appeared to work with regard to gauges except for the autopilot. It basically worked but would not handle altitude settings correctly. Does this suggest that this might be the "gauge" that is having trouble? In other words, do I gain any useful knowledge by finding out that the stutter goes away when I hide the DLL?"

[Pete Dowson]

I'm also curious about why hiding the DLL appears to fix the problem. I just did a partial flight with FSUIPC.DLL renamed to hide it and most everything appeared to work with regard to gauges except for the autopilot. It basically worked but would not handle altitude settings correctly.

I've no idea why they'd need FSUIPC for altitudes in the A/P. Mostly the only thing FSUIPC is used for in these panels is TCAS.

Does this suggest that this might be the "gauge" that is having trouble? In other words, do I gain any useful knowledge by finding out that the stutter goes away when I hide the DLL?"

No more useful that what you already said, that it works fine without FSUIPC. The Gauge using FSUIPC is "PSS-Dash8.GAU" as is clear from the log, but I've no idea what it is used for. I see you also have the SB3 DLLs loading and they all connect to FSUIPC too. Have you tried without those in case there's some sort of interaction?

Regards,

Pete

[Agrajag]

Yep, had the problem well before I re-installed SB3.

The PSS-Dash8.gau is a problem. It's not a gauge. It's EVERY gauge. I had a friend look at it in FS Panel Studio and he said there's something like 1,000 different pieces in there.

Very annoying little problem.

I even tried my outdated FSUIPC just in case and it still stuttered so as we both knew, it's not you.

Thanks for giving it a moment though. Much appreciated.

[Pete Dowson]

The PSS-Dash8.gau is a problem. It's not a gauge. It's EVERY gauge. I had a friend look at it in FS Panel Studio and he said there's something like 1,000 different pieces in there.

I see. All I can think of, then, is a process of elimination -- disable each component gauge in turn, via the PANEL.CFG file, till you find the one (hopefully only one) which is responsible. Then see if you can live without it.

Regards,

Pete

[Agrajag]

Get this Pete. I tried that. I took the panel.cfg and remarked every single gauge line in it.

Picture my problem (stutter) and then picture what happened after I did this and then flew the plane. I get in the plane and the panels are there but they're empty just as you would assume right? I then go outside the plane in Spot view and spin around the plane. NO stutter, just as you'd expect.

Excellent right? Now I have a process. I can go down and turn on one gauge at a time until I find the gauge or gauges that cause the problem. Fantastic!

So I go to the first gauge and unremark it. I reload, hop in the plane, go to spot view and the plane is stuttering. Holy smokes! The first gauge is the problem. So I remark it and unmark the 2nd gauge and repeat. It stutters too! I then do this for the next 8-10 gauges and with every single gauge (only one active at a time) the plane stutters. ANY gauge is causing this? Some of these were the most basic gauges you've encountered.

That's why I'm pulling my hair out. It makes no sense. Meanwhile every other plane is just fine from the default planes to the complex add-ons. It makes no sense!

[Pete Dowson]

That's why I'm pulling my hair out. It makes no sense. Meanwhile every other plane is just fine from the default planes to the complex add-ons. It makes no sense!

Seems that whatever they do they have some common code which is used by every gauge. Sorry, I'm out of ideas.

If you enable IPC read/write logging in FSUIPC, and make sure you have no other FSUIPC users running (remove SB3 for now), then maybe you'll get some idea of what they are doing. There may also be a huge amount of control posting -- the FSUIPC event log can show those.

I wouldn't think you could 'fix' it even if this dows show the reason, however.

Regards,

Pete

[Agrajag]

Thanks Pete, I'll try that. At this point I'm just hoping to help PSS along and give them enough info to pinpoint the problem so that hopefully they will fix it. Certainly I shouldn't have to fix it.

What setting do I change in the .INI to get IPC logging enabled? That way I can change it and have it trap on the first run.

[Pete Dowson]

What setting do I change in the .INI to get IPC logging enabled? That way I can change it and have it trap on the first run.

Log... something or other. It won't be there unless you've enabled it. The Advanced User's document lists all the parameters. Generally it's easier to enable such things in the dialogue. I assume you don't have the culprit aircraft loading as default, so you shouldn't miss anything.

Regards,

Pete

[Agrajag]

Found it. Sort of. FS9.CFG had a few errant entries. Still need to find out which ones as it was pretty vanilla. I wiped it and stutter vanished. First pass over the file looks fine. Have to dig when I get more time.

Now back to trying to cure my SB3 woes.

[Pete Dowson]

Found it. Sort of. FS9.CFG had a few errant entries. Still need to find out which ones as it was pretty vanilla. I wiped it and stutter vanished. First pass over the file looks fine. Have to dig when I get more time.

Maybe something in the [Panels] section -- Image quality, or something?

Regards,

Pete