Odd Error in FSX after 8.1

[PRueda29]

Hi all,

 

I'm not sure what to do because this seems to be a unique error/problem for me and nothing I search for online seems to help. Here it goes:

 

I let someone use my computer to do homework and they installed windows 8.1 "accidentally", I used quotations because it asked them to install the update as it had been doing for over a year and they didn't know I had been avoiding it like the plague and always putting no... my mistake not telling them. I know what you're going to think, another 8.1 thread... yes, sort of, but check it out.... this problem seems to be something different than what I've looked up in other forums as far as I can find.

 

My home airport is DFW, and after starting up FSX the first time after 8.1 was installed, the game crashed to desktop a few minutes after loading up a flight. Ok, pretty typical error from what I have seen about 8.1, I tried all the fixes online except uninstalling and re installing but it still did it. I was angry thinking all the effort I put into updating and tweaking the game was lost since I was convinced the entire game would crash this way, that is, until I decided to fly LGA-MIA instead of a DFW based flight.

 

I have the scenery installed for those airports, too, plus traffic add-ones etc... and nothing happened that time, I flew the route normally, no crashes, no anything, I think the game even ran a bit more efficiently than normal... I thought somehow it had been fixed, maybe one of the things I tried did work and I needed to restart the computer or something! So, I tried again to make sure, flying LIH-HNL this time, same result, game ran smoothly. I decided to try DFW again thinking it was all back to normal, but nope... it crashed to the desktop. I tried KDAL right after and it worked ok too... flew DAL-OKC no problem, then I tried flying out of KGKY... it acted normally for several minutes as I flew around Arlington, TX and the southern suburbs of DFW then I started flying north towards DFW airport itself. The airport loaded in the distance and everything was going fine until I got too close to it, about 5NM... then the game crashed to desktop. So I deduced, something is wrong with DFW itself... but what? BTW, when I say crashed to desktop, I don't mean "a fatal error has occured" it literally just closes, mid-game, no warning or anything.

 

I decided since something was up with DFW, I would uninstal all the scenery and add ons for that airport and played with only the default airport... but not, it didn't work, it crashed to desktop again. I disabled my WOAI United and Virgin America files, and stopped Ultimate Traffic from loading then went back in... now there's no planes flying around in the game... crash to desktop after a few minutes... the UT and WOAI traffic works fine at other airports too, so it can't be that!! I have no idea what happened... it's only happening at DFW (as far as I can tell, I haven't tried every airport, only MIA, FLL, DAL, OKC, GKY, SWO, LGA, HOU, GCM... so far). Does anyone know of a tool or something where I can see if there is a file corrupted in the game or something else? This only started happening after windows 8.1 was installed... it's frustrating only because I can still fly, just not anywhere near my home airport, which was where I did a lot of flying.

 

Please help if you can. thank you.

[brigs2381]

Welcome to the forums :)

 

First, I would recommend going back to Windows 7. Second, You cannot expect FSX to work correctly after you upgraded a Windows 7 install to Windows 8 without reformatting and reinstalling FSX and all your add-ons. If you do intend on using Windows 8 from now on, you are going to have to do a clean install of everything for FSX to work correctly.

[ftldave]

I was angry thinking all the effort I put into updating and tweaking the game was lost ...

 

I think you should be angry at the person who upgraded your computer without asking your permission. Dealing with computer software problems is part of this hobby, like it or not. Many people report they're running FSX on Windows 8/8.1 with no problems. There's well documented procedures on how to do it correctly, and good third-party add-ons like Classic Shell make Windows 8 just as easy to use as Windows 7. Windows 8 is faster than Windows 7, too, from all the tests and experiences I've had with it at the university where I work.

 

I'm not running FSX on Win8 yet, but Windows 10 is coming, and then there will be more incentives to move up from Win7. The way of the computer world, and that won't stop, despite all the I-don't-want-to-change-anything complainers. "Everything works fine, why should I change?" is a nice thought, but ... good luck with that. We heard the same complaints when Windows XP replaced Windows 98, and again when Windows 7 surpassed XP as the mainstay operating system. It's a cycle of resistance-acceptance driven by human nature, bound to repeat itself, it seems. And I bet we'll see the very same in years to come when Windows 12 replaces Windows 10-or-whatever, wait and see.

 

But it sure sounds like the in-place upgrade that was run on your pc didn't do it any good. From my experience, in-place upgrades like that always have problems, just rarely work as they should. Best to stop messing with it and make a new start: make a plan and do a new, good reinstallation of FSX and your valued add-ons, step by step, making backups and testing as you go.

[PRueda29]

Welcome to the forums :)

 

First, I would recommend going back to Windows 7. Second, You cannot expect FSX to work correctly after you upgraded a Windows 7 install to Windows 8 without reformatting and reinstalling FSX and all your add-ons. If you do intend on using Windows 8 from now on, you are going to have to do a clean install of everything for FSX to work correctly.

 

I never had Windows 7 though, it went from 8 to 8.1, and it's just strange that only DFW has issues... I can't figure it out.

[PRueda29]

I think you should be angry at the person who upgraded your computer without asking your permission. Dealing with computer software problems is part of this hobby, like it or not. Many people report they're running FSX on Windows 8/8.1 with no problems. There's well documented procedures on how to do it correctly, and good third-party add-ons like Classic Shell make Windows 8 just as easy to use as Windows 7. Windows 8 is faster than Windows 7, too, from all the tests and experiences I've had with it at the university where I work.

 

I'm not running FSX on Win8 yet, but Windows 10 is coming, and then there will be more incentives to move up from Win7. The way of the computer world, and that won't stop, despite all the I-don't-want-to-change-anything complainers. "Everything works fine, why should I change?" is a nice thought, but ... good luck with that. We heard the same complaints when Windows XP replaced Windows 98, and again when Windows 7 surpassed XP as the mainstay operating system. It's a cycle of resistance-acceptance driven by human nature, bound to repeat itself, it seems. And I bet we'll see the very same in years to come when Windows 12 replaces Windows 10-or-whatever, wait and see.

 

But it sure sounds like the in-place upgrade that was run on your pc didn't do it any good. From my experience, in-place upgrades like that always have problems, just rarely work as they should. Best to stop messing with it and make a new start: make a plan and do a new, good reinstallation of FSX and your valued add-ons, step by step, making backups and testing as you go.

 

I guess i'll go ahead and start from scratch, it shouldn't be too bad, but still... so much time lost. Oh well, thanks!