Not getting FSX certificates ? FSUIPC may be involved

[dalle182]

Hello everybody,

After having solved my problem, I just wanted to report it here: I was not getting fsx certificates (rewards) in the lessons section after I successfully completed checkride flights (first solo flight, PPL, IR, etc.). The flight ended and I got congratulated but then... nothing. Seemed like a bug.

After some serious testing, I found that this problem was certainly caused by FSUIPC because, all else being equal, I achieved to get the certificates with (only) FSUIPC turned off (refused access when launching FSX with a new and fresh FSX.cfg file). You can find some more explanation on my testing here: http://forum.avsim.net/topic/406555-fsx-rewards-certificates-problem/

So now, has anyone experienced problems with certificates before, did you solve them and how? Regarding FSUIPC, do you have any idea what in the program could cause such a thing and how to avoid it? I'll try to figure out a way to get the certificates with FSUIPC on but I don't know how at present. Is there a way to turn FSUIPC off inside FSX anyway (without creating a new FSX.cfg file and refusing access)?

I know I can always pass the checkrides flights with FSUIPC turned off the hard way (new FSX.cfg) and then turn it back on again with a FSX.cfg backup, but the point here is to try and effectively solve the problem. We may need Pete Dowson's help here.

Let me know.

[Pete Dowson]

After some serious testing, I found that this problem was certainly caused by FSUIPC because, all else being equal, I achieved to get the certificates with (only) FSUIPC turned off (refused access when launching FSX with a new and fresh FSX.cfg file).

FSUIPC itself cannot possibly have anything directly to do with this. It sounds very much like you may have some SimConnect problem. And without further information (log file and version number of FSUIPC) i can't support you in any case. The currently supported version of FSUIPC for FSX is 4.88 by the way. Maybe you are out of date?

I know I can always pass the checkrides flights with FSUIPC turned off the hard way (new FSX.cfg) and then turn it back on again with a FSX.cfg backup, but the point here is to try and effectively solve the problem. We may need Pete Dowson's help here.

Provide proper information, and use the current version, and i can look, but i cannot work miracles. You don't even say if you are using a registered install or not -- it makes a lot of difference because unregistered FSUIPC4 is doing virtually nothing but responding to application requests, should you actually have any FSUIPC applications.

Oh, please close FSX down before retrieving the run-time log file.

Regards

Pete

[dalle182]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for your help. My version of FSUIPC is 4.88, registered. I updated yesterday and re-tested again but still no certificate.

I repaired both FSX and acceleration pack installation from DVDs, and tried again without success. So I'm not sure it has something to do with SimConnect because Simconnect's issues are solved with fsx installation repair, as of what I know...

Hum, can you give me details about what kind of log file may be helpful to you, how to obtain it and how you want me to post it (paste the text, upload file...)?

Thank you one again.

[Pete Dowson]

I repaired both FSX and acceleration pack installation from DVDs, and tried again without success. So I'm not sure it has something to do with SimConnect because Simconnect's issues are solved with fsx installation repair, as of what I know...

I said it must be related to Simconnect because the nterface FSUIPC has into FSX is almost entirely through the SimConnect facilities. The only extra bits not through SimConnect are the user facilities for assigning things, and some facilities used by applications or specific controls like changing the traffic levels and the patching to prevent some G3D crashes and provide better ground friction coefficients.

Incidentally, I've got one PC which has a broken SimConnect interface which only a complete Windows reinstall might fix. The SimConnect installation .msi's won't fix most SimConnect problems, especially those caused by attempts to uninstall and reinstall which almost always make a pigs-ear of the Windows side-by-side registration. The Win vista/7/8 side-by-side system is one of the most diabolically convoluted designs I've ever encountered and one which the FSX uninstall and repair routines obviously have little knowledge of or power over..

I also note from your AVISM post that you have a number of other add-ins, any one of which might interact poorly with any other, including FSUIIPC. You probably blame FSUIPC because it is no doubt the biggest user of SimConnect of them all, the most active, and so most likely to be involved in any interactions. To really narrow things down you need to stop all the others running and just test with FSUIPC alone. If that gives no problem then add the others one at a time, testing in between.

You also need to consider whether anything you are using is an FSUIPC application -- i.e. interfaces into FSX internals through FSUIPC. Because they can do many drastic things which FSUIPC wouldn't do of its own volition. In fact if you are not using any such programs, and are not using its user facilities, FSUIPC is simply passively reading data to populate its offsets and nothing else.

Test also without Registration (i.e. temporarily remove the FSUIPC4.KEY file from the Modules folder) as that ensures it is doing even less..

Hum, can you give me details about what kind of log file may be helpful to you, how to obtain it and how you want me to post it (paste the text, upload file...)?

The only relevant log file is FSUIPC4.LOG and you need do nothing at all to obtain it. It is always produced, in the Modules folder. Close FSX down first, then paste it into a message here. I doubt it will tell me much, but that's the only thing I can check. Anything better will be a process of elimnination at your end.

Regards

Pete

[dalle182]

I said it must be related to Simconnect because the nterface FSUIPC has into FSX is almost entirely through the SimConnect facilities. The only extra bits not through SimConnect are the user facilities for assigning things, and some facilities used by applications or specific controls like changing the traffic levels and the patching to prevent some G3D crashes and provide better ground friction coefficients.

Thank you for your explanation, that's exactly what I wanted to know: could FSUIPC mechanics be somewhat involved in certificate problems. I'm not saying FSUIPC is the cause of the problem, maybe it is SimConnect as you say repairing fsx installation isn't a guarantee of fixing SimConnect's problems.

To really narrow things down you need to stop all the others running and just test with FSUIPC alone.

I'll try that. I did the "reverse thing" running everything else but FSUIPC and it solved my problem... but you're right. To be "sure" that the problem has something to do with FSUIPC (or the way FSUIPC uses SimConnect or any thing else that other addons don't use), I need to try it with only FSUIPC on.

Test also without Registration (i.e. temporarily remove the FSUIPC4.KEY file from the Modules folder) as that ensures it is doing even less.

I'll give it a try also.

The only relevant log file is FSUIPC4.LOG and you need do nothing at all to obtain it. It is always produced, in the Modules folder. Close FSX down first, then paste it into a message here. I doubt it will tell me much, but that's the only thing I can check. Anything better will be a process of elimnination at your end.

Here's the log content, just removed some personal information:

********* FSUIPC4, Version 4.88 by Pete Dowson *********

Running inside FSX on Windows 7 --> I'm on win8 x64

Module base=59530000

User Name="XXXXX"

User Addr="XXXXX"

FSUIPC4 Key is provided

WIDEFS7 not user registered, or expired

1015 System time = 01/05/2013 14:20:36

1015 FLT path = "M:\XXXXX\Mes documents\Fichiers Flight Simulator X\"

1031 Trying to connect to SimConnect Acc/SP2 Oct07 ...

1031 FS path = "C:\FSX\"

1296 LogOptions=00000000 00000001

1296 SIM1 Frictions access gained

1296 Wind smoothing fix is fully installed

1296 G3D.DLL fix attempt installed ok

1296 SimConnect_Open succeeded: waiting to check version okay

1296 Trying to use SimConnect Acc/SP2 Oct07

2500 Running in "Microsoft Flight Simulator X", Version: 10.0.61637.0 (SimConnect: 10.0.61259.0)

2500 Initialising SimConnect data requests now

2500 FSUIPC Menu entry added

2515 M:\XXXX\Mes documents\Fichiers Flight Simulator X\Cold & dark setup.FLT

2515 C:\FSX\SimObjects\Airplanes\Carenado C152II\SingleEngineProp.AIR

17062 M:\XXXXX\Mes documents\Fichiers Flight Simulator X\VFR Sion to Les Eplatures.PLN

17062 Weather Mode now = Custom

36359 Aircraft="C152II Calypso"

36359 System time = 01/05/2013 14:21:11, Simulator time = 18:35:09 (16:35Z)

36562 Starting everything now ...

37687 Advanced Weather Interface Enabled

54109 M:\XXXXXX\Mes documents\Fichiers Flight Simulator X\VFR Sion to Les Eplatures.PLN

54109 C:\Users\XXXXX\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX\Vol précédent.FLT

693625 M:\XXXXX\Mes documents\Fichiers Flight Simulator X\VFR Sion to Les Eplatures.PLN

842562 System time = 01/05/2013 14:34:38, Simulator time = 18:35:07 (16:35Z)

842562 *** FSUIPC log file being closed

Average frame rate for running time of 21 secs = 49.8 fps

G3D fix: Passes 20917, Null pointers 0, Bad pointers 0, Separate instances 0

Memory managed: 15 Allocs, 15 Freed

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

Incidentally, I've got one PC which has a broken SimConnect interface which only a complete Windows reinstall might fix. The SimConnect installation .msi's won't fix most SimConnect problems, especially those caused by attempts to uninstall and reinstall which almost always make a pigs-ear of the Windows side-by-side registration.

So, if I get you well: If my problem is caused by SimConnect (which is somewhat induced by FSUIPC) and that only a Windows reinstall might fix SimConnect, with no final guarantee that the end result would be the one expected, I think I had better pass the checkrides flights with FSUIPC off and then turn it back again. It's a much more effective solution than a complete system reinstall :razz: And on top of that I know it works!

[Pete Dowson]

Here's the log content, just removed some personal information:

That looks fine. FSUIPC is working well.

So, if I get you well: If my problem is caused by SimConnect (which is somewhat induced by FSUIPC) and that only a Windows reinstall might fix SimConnect, with no final guarantee that the end result would be the one expected

No, not exactly. All I am saying is that nothing FSUIPC does has anything whatsoever with any certificates at all. It simply is not any part of anything it does. Not even anything remotely related to that area. Therefore if the problem occurs when FSUIPC is running but not if it isn't then what is happening is some interaction either in SimConnect or in another add-on, which is corrupting something in memory only in those circumstances. It may be because there's a bug in FS (but in that case I'd expect others to corroborate your findings), or because of some fluke in the timing of different events in SimConnect (or elsewhere), or simply because the memory arrangement is different when FSUIPC is loading.

There are so many variables here that it is not possible to say, especially without any process of elimination being carried out too. It would also help somewhat if you could find at least one other person with the same problem and compare notes -- add-ons, etc.

Whatever it does turn out to be, without Microsoft's assistance in debugging the cause (which they won't) there's zero chance of it being fixed I'm afraid. The best you might be able to do is find some slightly different arrangement which works. For example, changing the order in which the different add-in DLL modules load might well fix it. The entries in the DLL.XML file govern this.

[LATER]

I just had another look at your AVSIM thread. There are two things which concern me a little:

Are you running FSX in any type of compatibility mode? Not good if you are.

No, I'm not.

Since you are using Windows 8, which came out much later than FSX, it might be a good idea to see if you could run it in the compatibility mode for the Windows version it was originally designed for -- XP, or maybe try Vista or Win7.

I always do run it as administrato

Ugh! That is definitely NOT a good idea. Why do that? It should never be necessary!

Regards

Pete

[Randy Cain]

Hi,

 

I have a theory I'm about to test, as I'm trying to get my solo certificate tonight and can't.  When I installed FSX and Service Pack 1, I did get all running without a hitch.  Then, I went to install Acceleration and, to my surprise, found it would not accept my key from my Gold Edition Box set.  After an hour or so of searching, I found someone over at the old Microsoft support site offer this suggestion, "uncheck the Disable Visual Themes" and "uncheck Desktop Composition"  and try your key again. 
I got my Acceleration registered just fine, after I don't know how many times I tried before that.

If it doesn't work, I'll try turning off FSUIPC and/or SimConnect.  Pete, I would like to know the best way you recommend to "turn off" FSUIPC.  I've never done that before.  I use Dafsim Wings for mulitiplayer interface. To turn off their module, it's easy, just go to the ****.dll and add "dll.off"   What would you suggest for FSUIPC?  Does it need to be formally uninstalled?

[Thomas Richter]

Hi, you do the same for fsuipc in DLL.xml, set fsuipc to disabled.

[Randy Cain]

Thank you, EW321. 

For starters, I just started with a clean installation of FSX, SP1, Acceleration thats' only been in for 2 weeks.  Only freeware addon aircraft and no scenery added, so far.  FSUIPC4 (Fresh from purchase last month) and DafsimWings software installed for multiplayer flights.  I've already gone through and removed the checked options in my startup shortcut, but, one try at a time, each of those didn't help.
I turned DafWings.dll off, so it never loaded at all.  That didn't help.
I also tried turning off the features in FSUPIC4, the controller spike removers and also the Autosave feature, but no success there either. 
So I pulled FSX.cfg and disabled  FSUIPC4 on startup.  When my Solo Certificate Flight was over, I got my analysis first, and after that popped up my certificate with the name for me to add and the option to print it, which all went without a hitch. 
The only other thing I can think of that might have meant it wasn't something in FSUIPC or combination of others, was I even though I don't over clock or overheat my CPU or GPU on a regular basis, I do push them pretty close to the limit with FSX. 

My settings aren't anything out of the ordinary, I have a Tricore AMD 455 Athlon IIx3 and a Nvidia GTX555 Ti GPU.  I do have only 4 Gig of RAM, though. 
I think my machine may not be able to keep up with everything that's happening at that point.  A case of just too much at once.  With all that load off of FSX, the performance was MUCH smoother and clean, but it wasn't pretty.
Anyway, Dalle182, thanks for all your efforts and help in this.  My solution was the same as yours.  Now I'm going to go set this FSX.cfg up with my other settings, so next time I take a certificate flight, I have an FSUIPC OFF "FSX.cfg" ready to go...and don't have to start from scratch.

Oh, one tip for those of you that may, after all these years of ignoring them, go back and fly all the missions, I found that once your past the Tutorial Flights, there are bugs, starting with the Executive Tour flight at Edwards.  Someone forgot to make an exclusion file for all the autogen plant life at the Edwards North Auxiliary, where that begins.  So if your plane crashes on a tumbleweed, you can't not hit one, just turn your Autogen slider off for the Missions.  ;)  Good luck!

Thank you, Pete! :D