FSX crashed

Hi guys,

I also use the ATR on IVAO network, and now it work better than at the beginning. I can't affirm that I have no more crash, but It seems that my FSX is now more stable. Why ?

First, I use the latest release of IVAP (only in windowed mode, but I think that your problems don't come from IVAP software). Myself, I use a beta release of IVAP (1.9.3), but there is few difference with the public release.

I think, that the most important thing to do when using FSX, is to edit your dll.xml file (if you have the full FSX edition - but who have the basic  - this is well explained in the SDK documentation on you DVD). In this file, I have set ALL dll to "Manual load". By example, for FSUIPC I have the following lines in my dll.xml (this file is located in "Documents and settings/xxxx/Application Data/Microsoft/FSX/dll.xml") :

<Name>FSUIPC 4</Name>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<ManualLoad>True</ManualLoad>
<Path>Modules\FSUIPC4.dll</Path>

This cause FSX ask at the startup if you want to load xxxx.dll files (ie, FSUIPC, Traffic Toolbox, IVAP)...

Then, when I start FSX, I reply NO for all dll, except for Ivap_bootstrap (of course because I want to fly with IVAP).

I think, that most of crashes comes from FSUIPC...

About FSUIPC : OK, this program was fantastic for FS9 (and previous) because it was an easy way to interface  with MSFS. But now, Microsoft has published the Simconnect API, and there is no reason to continue to use FSUIPC.
I'm myself a registered user of FSUIPC (and WideFS, for both FS9 and FSX), but I have decide to ban this program from my FS, because there is no good reason to keep it (was perfect for FS9, but know time has evolved, and a new page should be written).

And please, AVOID all products that claim that they use FSUIPC with FSX !!! If they were REAL FSX products, they should used "simconnect" API and not FSUIPC.

Microsoft, in the FSX SDK has said something important, and it's true : developping add-ons for FSX may be done using two ways : as dll or as external exe. The second method is highly recommended (IVAP is written this way, except for the bootstrap that allow to load the main IVAP form FSX menu). If you write a dll, in case of bug you will crash FSX (because the dll is loaded by FSX, and is considered as part of him), and you don't get the benefit of multi-core CPU (if you write an external program, it can run on one core while FSX run on another). FSUIPC is a dll, so in case of bug... FSX crash, and you're not able to say wether the bug is in FSX or FSUIPC.  In case of external program bug, only this program hang, and FSX continue to run safe.

So, I have disable all dll's at startup, and now it seems that this work better .

I also own some new Airbus and Citation, and avoid to fly with them on IVAO, because they use specifics gauge (again some dll), written with C/C++ (and of course, with many bugs and memory leakage, that cause FSX hang). F1ATR gauges seems to be better...

Remember, also to start with a basic plane (not complex), before loading the ATR.

Regards.
Thierry.

Yes, but temporary.

Disabling others add-ons will help to identify thoses that are uncompatable.
Using this method, I can test the ATR alone with the minimal FSX (I can test without any dll, and if FSX crash, this can be either FSX fault or ATR, but cannot involve bugs in others dll).

Of course, you also need to load a (clean) basic aircraft before the ATR, to avoid to load (again) "stranges" dll from gauges. Because, if you load before a complex aircraft (like some airbus...), you will load dll (gauge) into memory, and if (as...) there is bugs, it can interact with further modules loaded in memory. So use a basic aircraft before, ensure to not load such dll.

Also avoid to load an aircraft with G1000 panels... I experience myself some CTD with this one, and it seems that there is also some bugs from Microsoft (not tested till I get SP1).

If sometimes you get stranges messages like "Memory cannot be read/written at ####" and FSX crash, it's sure it don't come from your system (quality of memory). This is merely a bug (memory leakage) in gauge programming (using C/C++ language). I think that some gauge have only be tested on system with few (!) memory. With sytems with huge amount of memory somes problems may happen because of bugs in gauges. FSX use something that about 700 MB in memory (depending on aircrafts, sceneries... ) so the minimal configuration should be 2 GB (1 GB will work, but with others softwares loaded, you wil get memory swap).

For FSUIPC : you don't need it with IVAP. The ATR work finewith IVAP even if FSUIPC is not loaded.

The ATR TCAS (not the IVAP ones) detect also IVAP traffics : it work fine on IVAO, I have made some tests, and I get some TA and also some RA. IVAP traffic is exactly the same as AI traffic, so gauges based on AI aircrafts (the basic of FSX) will work fine with IVAP. I personnaly set traffic arround me to 40 nm (so that I get them as soon as IVAP TCAS is able to detect them - max range of IVAP TCAS is 40 nm). You can check that using the "Traffic toolbox" tools, provided with FSX SDK on your DVD.

But ATR TCAS has also a funny bug : it's sure that this gauge has been directly imported from FS9 release, but FSX has some improvment not teken into account by this gauge... as I say in this post http://atr.flight1.net/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=3573 , TCAS detect also traffic on ground . This is because of new FSX feature, now, ground traffic can be set independently from others, and this was not available with FS9.

So, making an aircraft for FSX is not easy... importing them from FS9 is not enough, and cannot be made as easy as between FS8 and FS9.

Thierry.

Dan, I fully support your position as per your last post.

I am encountering the same problems (and I dont use IVAP) but I have no suggestions from the developers. I still have not been able to take this bird in the air, it crashes taxiing or on the runway or while starting the engines.

You can look at my previous posts on the subject:

http://atr.flight1.net/forums/forum_posts.asp?TID=3531&KW=&PID=19158#19158

I am still waiting an acknowledgement from the developers....

Ciao

No, sorry. Still no idea. But let's try something unusual. Carlo, please email me your ATR key so I can install the aircraft using your key here. I know that a few keys didn't work recently although in a completely different way. However, I'd like to check this.

My email address is xxx (please put "ATR key" in the subject line so I can see it, otherwise it might end up in the trash).