EXE.xml not found during installation

[MRFMP]

I downloaded FSUIPC7 and WIDEFS for msfs/BAV Merlin.

The acars was not reading correctly so I assumed it was inop.

I deleted FPUIC with the intention of reinstalling.

 

However when attempting to re install I get error message EXE.FML not found.

I bought the paid version and would really like to get it working.

May thanks.

[John Dowson]

27 minutes ago, MRFMP said:

I deleted FPUIC with the intention of reinstalling.

You should not delete it, you should uninstall rather than deleting. An unistaller is created in your installation folder - please use that to uninstall FSUIPC7, or the windows App management panel.

27 minutes ago, MRFMP said:

However when attempting to re install I get error message EXE.FML not found.

Its EXE.xml.
Does the installer just stop there or does it continue? What happens if you click 'Next'?
Do you have an MS Store install or a Steam install?

Could you try uninstalling FSUIPC7, if installed. Run the uninstaller located in your installation folder.
If it is not installed at the moment, you can skip that.
Then check your EXE.xml file, and if there is still an FSUIPC7 entry, remove it. For MS Store installs, the file is located under
        LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\EXE.xml
and for Steam installs, under:
        APPDATA\Microsoft Flight Simulator\EXE.xml

Then run the installer again. For your installation folder, make sure that you select a location outside of your Documents folder (where it defaults to!) and outside of your MSFS installation (e.g. somewhere like C:\FSUIPC7 or C:\MSFS-Add-ons\FSUIPC7). Make sure the installer finishes, and if you have any issues, please attach your InstallFSUIPC7.log file.

P.S. Please give your support requests an appropriate title, not your user name. I have updated it for you this time.

Edited February 11, 2021 by John Dowson
PS added

[CharlieBravoUK]

Hi,

I'm also experiencing this problem.   I uninstalled (to update to v7.0.4) but it is now giving this error - it actually says "Error loading EXE.xml"  the installer then quits within about a second, it's not possible to click next or anything similar, and it doesn't seem to generate an install log file either.

When I looked in the specificed location for the EXE.xml (I'm a MS Store install user) there wasn't a file there - and I've now created a blank one from a template, but it's still giving the same error.

I have successfully installed by unchecking the start with exe.xml option, but something weird is occuring here I think?  (and FSUIPC is not accessible once MSFS is running, and yes, I have waited 120 seconds)

 

 

Edited February 14, 2021 by CharlieBravoUK

[John Dowson]

21 minutes ago, CharlieBravoUK said:

it doesn't seem to generate an install log file either.

The install log is written at the end of the installation process, so if it crashes no install log file is generated.

22 minutes ago, CharlieBravoUK said:

I have successfully installed by unchecking the start with exe.xml option

Could you show me your install log for this please. Maybe it thinks you have a Steam installation?

22 minutes ago, CharlieBravoUK said:

but something weird is occuring here I think?

Yes, but I've no idea what at the moment.

23 minutes ago, CharlieBravoUK said:

(and FSUIPC is not accessible once MSFS is running, and yes, I have waited 120 seconds)

It won't be, if the EXE.xml file has not been created/updated. You can try manually creating the xml file if you like. Otherwise, you can go back to the old way of starting FSUIPC7 with MSFS, via the bat file. There is another post with the same issue, and there are also instructions on how to update to start FSUIPC7 from the MSFS.bat file (but make sure you use the correct replacement for INSTDIR, your installation folder):

John

 

 

[CharlieBravoUK]

Hi John,

Thanks for the responses...   Log file attached.   

I'd tried a "blank" EXE.xml which the installer didn't like - what would the EXE.xml look like to run FSUIPC (apologies if I should know this!)

 

InstallFSUIPC7.log

[John Dowson]

13 minutes ago, CharlieBravoUK said:

Thanks for the responses...   Log file attached.   

Ok, thanks. Unfortunately as you aren't installing the auto-start component, the log doesn't tell me what type of install it thinks you have.
If the installer thinks you have a steam install for some reason and its an MSFS install, it will crash when tryint to create the EXE.xml as the required folder doesn't exist.
You could test this, by manually creating the folder: <USER>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator
Then run the installer again, select to install the auto-start component, and see if it works. If so, you can then move the EXE.xml created in that location to the MSFS install location (and remove any folders you created).

I'll update the installer to log the install type regardless of whether you opt to install the auto-start component.
I have also had one (or maybe two) other confirmed reports of the installer not correctly detecting the install type.
Can you also let me know the locatin of your MSFS UserCfg.opt file - is it in $LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\UserCfg.opt ?

Otherwise, this is what an EXE.xml looks like - replace the FSUIPC7.exe path with your own (highlighted in bold):

Quote

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="WINDOWS-1252"?>
<SimBase.Document version="1,0" Type="Launch">
    <Descr>Launch</Descr>
    <Filename>EXE.xml</Filename>
    <Disabled>False</Disabled>
    <Launch.ManualLoad>False</Launch.ManualLoad>
    <Launch.Addon>
        <Disabled>False</Disabled>
        <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>
        <Name>FSUIPC7</Name>
        <Path>D:\FSUIPC7\FSUIPC7.exe</Path>
        <CommandLine>-auto</CommandLine>
        <NewConsole>False</NewConsole>
    </Launch.Addon>
</SimBase.Document>

John

[CharlieBravoUK]

Hi John,

Apologies for not responding sooner, but have had a chance to look at this again this morning.   Findings are

Creating the MSFS folder in "roaming" didn't change the outcome, the installer still failed on trying to find EXE.xml.

Manually creating an EXE.xml and putting it in the right place did cause MSFS to autostart FSUIPC which the behaved as expected.

And yes, I can confirm that the packages location is as you suggest $LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\UserCfg.opt

Hope that helps.

[John Dowson]

1 hour ago, CharlieBravoUK said:

Creating the MSFS folder in "roaming" didn't change the outcome, the installer still failed on trying to find EXE.xml.

No, that wouldn't work as its now clear the the installer is determining the correct installation type.

1 hour ago, CharlieBravoUK said:

Manually creating an EXE.xml and putting it in the right place did cause MSFS to autostart FSUIPC which the behaved as expected.

Ok, so it is working. The problem is that the installer can't create the EXE.xml file.

Now you have manually created it, can you re-install to see if it now works. If not, you will have to manually create the file again (or save a copy somewhere before you re-install - don't move or delete it).
I can only think that this is one of two things  - a permissions issue or something strange in your registry and the LOCALAPPDATA environment setting is not being read properly, which is more likely.

Either way, there's not much I can do about it, but I'd like to know if a re-install works now that the file has been created.

[atcogl]

I have been having the exact same issue and I think I may have found the culprit.

By any chance have you guys got Honeycomb Yokes or Throttles?

My story:

1: Have been running FSUIPC7 with no problems at all until yesterday.
2: Yesterday I got my Honeycomb Alpha and downloaded the AS_HONEYCOMB_MSFS file that enables LED lights.
3: After installing this software I noticed FSUIPC was not starting anymore.
4: Uninstalled FSUIPC and re-installed several times. Then I noticed I was getting the EXE.xml not found error and the install was not completing.
5: Found that my EXE.xml had been totally removed from the AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState folder
6: Then I noticed that in the AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache folder was an EXE.xml and an exe_backup.xml

7: In the backup file was the entries to auto-start FSUIPC. The EXE.xml itself written by the Aerosoft installer looked strange. It didn't have any entries to launch and just contained this:
  <Launch.Addon>
    <Name>AFCBridge</Name>
    <Disabled>False</Disabled>
    <Path>D:\MSFS\community\AFC_Bridge\bin\AFC_Bridge.exe</Path>
   </Launch.Addon>

8: I re-created the EXE.xml in the LocalState folder and added the FSUIPC and AFC_Bridge entries into it, and fired up MSFS and FSUIPC started correctly again.
9: When I removed the EXE.xml file from the LocalCache folder and kept it only in LocalState then FSUIPC did not run. It is only with the EXE.xml in the LocalCache folder does FSUIPC start automatically.
10: None of the other suggested fixes worked, including creating the <USER>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator

I'm not certain at all that the EXE.xml should be in the LocalState folder at all. John are you perhaps confusing LocalState folder with LocalCache? Once I fixed the over-written EXE.xml in LocalCache everything performed exactly as it should. The EXE.xml in LocalState did nothing at all.

So to conclude my experience was that the Aerosoft Honeycomb software changed and over-wrote my existing EXE.xml in LocalCache deleting the auto-launch code and the FSUIPC entry.

[John Dowson]

Thats very interesting!

31 minutes ago, atcogl said:

10: None of the other suggested fixes worked, including creating the <USER>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator

That i the location for Steam installs, it won't work with MS Store installs.

33 minutes ago, atcogl said:

8: I re-created the EXE.xml in the LocalState folder and added the FSUIPC and AFC_Bridge entries into it, and fired up MSFS and FSUIPC started correctly again.
9: When I removed the EXE.xml file from the LocalCache folder and kept it only in LocalState then FSUIPC did not run. It is only with the EXE.xml in the LocalCache folder does FSUIPC start automatically.

But in 8 you say it was working in the LocalState folder - was this with the EXE.xml also in the LocalCache folder then?

31 minutes ago, atcogl said:

I'm not certain at all that the EXE.xml should be in the LocalState folder at all. John are you perhaps confusing LocalState folder with LocalCache?

No - by default, the installer should create the EXE.xml file in the LocalCache folder, but ONLY if that folder also contains a UserCfg.opt file. If not, then it checks the LocalCache folder for the UserCfg.opt file, and if its there instead it will use that.

36 minutes ago, atcogl said:

So to conclude my experience was that the Aerosoft Honeycomb software changed and over-wrote my existing EXE.xml in LocalCache deleting the auto-launch code and the FSUIPC entry.

Yes, I think this is the problem. You should report this to the developers of that software. Any updates to the EXE.xml should preserve existing contents.

Thanks for the report.

John

[atcogl]

Hi John,

Yes I only tried creating the AppData\Roaming\Microsoft Flight Simulator folder as you had suggested it as a possible fix for the installer not writing the EXE.xml. Like the others I tried that and the installer still did not create the file. Was just pointing out that fix didn't work for me either.

Yes, In step 8, I had the EXE.xml file in both LocalState and LocalCache folders.

As I don't have a full understanding of the file structures I wasn't sure what should be where so I tried a few things. My UserCfg.opt is in LocalCache so that would be why it works. I don't have that opt file in my LocalState.

I'll report it to Aerosoft for sure, but would like to see confirmation from anyone else that they also had installed the Honeycomb software first as more evidence would be helpful just incase it might have been something else.
Hope this has been helpful.

[John Dowson]

1 minute ago, atcogl said:

As I don't have a full understanding of the file structures I wasn't sure what should be where so I tried a few things. My UserCfg.opt is in LocalCache so that would be why it works. I don't have that opt file in my LocalState.

Yes, that is where it should be. But I had a report in the earlier beta releases where the UserCfg.opt was in the LocalState so I added this as a fallback if it couldn't be found in LocalCache. I can probably remove this now.

3 minutes ago, atcogl said:

I'll report it to Aerosoft for sure, but would like to see confirmation from anyone else that they also had installed the Honeycomb software first as more evidence would be helpful just incase it might have been something else.

Ok, understood. I have also had reports of the EXE.xml not working and it turned out to be due to a malformed EXE.xml, with the Type being 'SimConnect' rather than 'Launch', so there is another installer out there that is also writing dodgy EXE.xml files. The FSUIPC installer will create the file (in the correct format) if it doesn't exist, and just add the FSUIPC entry if it does - it will not check the existing content.

7 minutes ago, atcogl said:

Hope this has been helpful.

Yes, thanks.