How can the Effects\Texture\fx_1.bmp file "accidentally" be deleted?

OK, now you and I are 99.9999% sure that the answer is - DUMBASS WOMBAT DELETED IT!!!!! And of course I accept that.

But ... I haven't been into that folder for a long time, and ...

I got given a bunch of monitors to test, which I did, and as a part of that I was in FS -> Settings -> Display and made quite a few changes to test a few things on different monitors. Many of those changes I made whilst a flight of some kind was in progress, importantly with an effect that was using that file currently being displayed - smoke from a ship, turbulent dust from a plane on the catapult, any number of things.

So ... is there any conceivable way that anything I may have done there may have had a side ffect of deleting that file?

Steve from Mudgee

Anything can happen with computers!!!!

Recently, I kept getting peculiar messages popping up on my screen. It took me quite a long time to realise that it was the sleeve of a particular piece of clothing I have which was catching one of the function keys.

Rest assured, you're probably not going out of your mind - yet!!

 

Rest assured, you're probably not going out of your mind - yet!!

....... ah, I'm not quite so sure about that ...........

Steve,

You might just be looking in the wrong place. No, not inside your brain (hehe). That is a texture for an effect. Look in Effects/Texture folder and see if it's there (where it belongs). Call ME crazy, but I believe that is your answer. Here is a pic of mine.

Chuck B

Napamule

Yes, Chuck, the first symptoms were that some effects weren't working. That quickly led me to the missing file. It is now restored and immediately afterwards all effects are now working.

My concern remains. That there might be stuff that I do occasionally, or perhaps only the circumstances under which it is done, that have as a side effect that they can do an "uncommanded" delete a file. That is a big concern. That is what I am asking. Is this a known issue (is it an issue at all?).

Steve from Mudgee

It's a well=know flightsim malady known as "Finger Trouble", and happens to everyone from time to time. ;)

But if it really, really troubles you, the solution is at hand.

I do not vouch for the framerate hit, but at least you'll be in the know:

http://download.cnet.com/Free-Keylogger-Pro/3000-2162_4-75886072.html

Oh, I know what you are saying. And yes, it happens to me occasionally. Mostly when I am using the mouse and highlight a file (or files) and due to spasm (old age sucks) I will do something like double click or SOMETHING and the files disappear. Ha. Well I go IMMEDIATELY to 'File/Undo' and the files are restored. Sometimes the files get copied, and sometimes they get moved (depending on how I am holding my mouth -hehe) neither which was my intention. It's a WINDOWS / MOUSE thing. Cheers.

Chuck B

Napamule

Oh, I know what you are saying. And yes, it happens to me occasionally. Mostly when I am using the mouse and highlight a file (or files) and due to spasm (old age sucks) I will do something like double click or SOMETHING and the files disappear. Ha. Well I go IMMEDIATELY go to 'Edit/Undo' and the files are restored. Sometimes the files get copied, and sometimes they get moved (depending on how I am holding my mouth -hehe) neither which was my intention. It's a WINDOWS / MOUSE thing. Cheers.

Chuck B

Napamule

Aha, a clue! (been watching too much Sherlock Holmes :D ).

My man cave is not air conditioned, and can get quite hot - we are in mid summer here in Oz. When this happens, despite all the cooling fans in the PC, it can sometimes lock up due to overheating. At that point, the only course of action is to physically switch it off, either at the wall GPO or the front switch; that is, a proper commanded orderly shutdown cannot be performed.

It is highly likely that I noticed the symptoms after one such power cycling. An effects file that used this bitmap would certainly have been open at that time; in fact, possibly more than one.

So, a Windows XP question (I have almost zero expertise in Windows and have no interest in gaining any). If I run an NTFSCK on my C: drive, is that likely to find this file - if indeed it has been "lost"? If so where would it be placed? The contents of the file are now academic, since I have restored the missing copy from backup. But it would be a relief to know that that was indeed the cause - well assuming that it was :D

Steve from Mudgee

In the days of DOS and the FAT file system, there were a few times when I ran CHKDSK and it found files that have lost its handle. The files were placed in the root folder with names like "XXXXX.CHK". It was a real piece of detective work figuring out the file's original names and locations. I've never had any problems with the NTFS file system and I don't have any experience with NTFSCK.

Another possible reason for the missing file is that it was removed by an aircraft uninstaller. With aircrafts that have installer/uninstaller, I always run it to a bogus directory on a virtual machine and copy the files over to their locations manually. That way I know where all the files go and if it wants to overwrite a default FSX file, I have the opportunity to backup the original.

I hope your man cave is not a caravan. I was in one of those once and if it was 30c outside, inside it was more like 50c. Back then, I had a Core2Duo computer which ran at stock speed with no lids and it never froze on me.

Joe, thank you for all that. I don't have any aircraft uninstallers, but a good suggestion anyway.

We have a four bedroom house. The man cave is the smallest bedroom, which to compensate has its own TV antenna, the best WiFi reception, and is closest to the kitchen and the beer fridge. All the important things. LOL .

Steve from Mudgee