FS9 shutdowns

[jpmiller447]

Can anyone offer any advice?
Last fall, I purchased a new computer with the intent to use it only for FS9. After all these months, I cannot make it work properly. I have re-installed FS9several times, even re-installed Windows (XP) twice and nothing seems to work. Currently, I only have FS9, Just Flight "Traffic" and a handful of downloaded airports loaded. When I "Create a Flight" and it begins to load, it reaches around 82% (traffic) and goes to desktop. If I can get it to load, a few minutes into the flight either the screen goes black or it goes to desktop. In the rare occasions that I can complete a flight, when I exit the screen goes black and I get "FS9 has encountered a problem....." and I get a fatal error message withg the follow 3 messages

C:\Documents and Settings\Jeff\Application Data\Microsoft\FS9\fs9.CFG.txt
C:\Documents and Settings\Jeff\Application Data\Microsoft\FS9\dxdiag.xml
C:\Documents and Settings\Jeff\Application Data\Microsoft\FS9\scenery.cfg

I have several Mega Scenery programs and World Airports 2 that I would like to add, but why bother when it doesn't work now.

This is a very frustrating situation and any suggestions, ideas, or good guesses would be appreciated

-jpm447

Windows XP Home V2, Service Pack 2
Pentium D CPU - 2.80 GHz
2.80 GHz, 2.00 GB of RAM

[Kimber]

OK!! You need to do a clean install of XP without SP2!! If the computer
is not online you don't need that!!

Make sure there is no FS9 stuff left!!

After a reinstall when you get a scenery error it maybe something
left over from the previous install!!

After this, play with the sim a see if all is working!! If so, do your
addons ONE at a time and test before moving to the next one!!

If you have HD space, make a copy of the clean FS9 and save in
a new folder as a backup!!

The only problems we ever had with FS9 was the 9.1 update, it
just would not work on our computer!! Don't let anyone pull your
chain, it was a scenery update and nothing else!! We took the thing
apart and looked at every file and it was just scenery!!

[djt]

OK!! You need to do a clean install of XP without SP2!! If the computer
is not online you don't need that!!

????????

The only problems we ever had with FS9 was the 9.1 update, it just would not work on our computer!! Don't let anyone pull your
chain, it was a scenery update and nothing else!! We took the thing
apart and looked at every file and it was just scenery!!

?????????

LOL, the technical advice here just keeps getting better and better.

[loki]

It sounds like either there is something wrong with one of your add-ons, or maybe a hardware problem, like some bad RAM. To test the first case, do a clean install of Windows XP (SP2 is likely already included unless you have a Windows XP disc from several years ago) and FS9. As suggested, run FS9 without any add-ons and see if it works. If it does, add each add-on one at a time, testing between each one.

To see if maybe you have some bad RAM, download the Memtest86+ program, burn it to disc and let it run over night. If there is a problem with your memory, it will probably show up here.

[loki]

Care to add some valuable advice then? If you don't have anything nice or helpful to say...

[djt]

Care to add some valuable advice then? If you don't have anything nice or helpful to say...

With the limited information given how could you.

What are the rest of the hardware specs, how was the OS installed, drivers and updates, other than FS9 and add-ons do you have any other games/sims installed and if so they are giving you any problems? Have you researched the FS9 add-ons to see if there are any know issues/conflicts, and the list goes on and on?

So do think that telling someone not to install XP/SP2 or SP3 for that matter is “valuable advice”? I guess we’ll have to start considering the FS9 patch as being trouble prone too, right?

[loki]

Well, you could have replied asking for more details, like complete system specs. Yes, there are plenty of possibilities, but maybe these could be narrowed down. Maybe give the person asking for help some places to start? If you don't agree with the advice given, maybe give some reasons why, not just sarcastic commentary about the quality of advice given? Apparently you know that the tips given aren't the best advice. Why not?

[djt]

Apparently you know that the tips given aren't the best advice. Why not?

Keeping an OS updated with the latest service packs (installed properly) is part of proper system maintenance. In addition most if not all hardware driver updates require it, not to mention the applications that require a minimum service pack be installed.

As far as the FS9 patch goes, this might explain the reason why the one giving the advice had problems with the update. If the OS wasn’t even updated with service packs, than what else wasn’t kept up to date?

[xxmikexx]

I've only skimmed the thread very cursorily but on that basis I'm with Kimber. In fact, I'll go further than Kimber ...

In a situation such as you describe I would zero my hard drive and install retail XP SP2. Then install FS9. Then test the system. Then make a System Restore snapshot and install the first addon.

If it works, great. If it doesn't work, I would use System Restore to roll my system back to before I installed the addon. And so on. I would build my overall system piecemeal, using System Restore at each step to provide a safety net for undoing the most recent step.

If you try something along these lines, when it's all done you can use System Restore to protect you while you try installing SP3 for XP. There's a lot in SP3 that most people wouldn't need, but there is some important stuff in there too.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As usual I'm not telling people what to do, I'm telling what I do and why I do it. I've been doing this kind of thing since beta testing Windows ME. System Restore is a Good Thing and I realize now that I should open a thread on that subject, which I will do a few hours from now.

[djt]

System Restore to protect you while you try installing SP3 for XP. There's a lot in SP3 that most people wouldn't need, but there is some important stuff in there too.

Mike,

The suggestion was not to install XP SP2 not SP3, which like I said earlier is a requirement of most hardware drivers.

Lots of unknowns here, what video card are we talking about or are we talking on-board graphics. Was the latest DirectX update applied along with the latest video card drivers and so on and so forth?