FSX stopped loading

[Arrow_PIC]

Hi Fellow Flight Simmers,

 

My FSX installation just stopped working yesterday. I had just completed a flight in a Level D B767. I ended the flight the usual way; through the menu, and was carried back to the the "free flight" start screen. I then selected "pilot records" to make sure the flight had been logged. FSX never showed the "pilots records" screen, just staying at "free flight" while allowing me to do nothing. I opened windows task manager and saw that FSX wasn't responding so I closed FSX from there. Note: I've had to do this with FSX a number of times before, but FSX has always restarted with no ill effects.

 

However, this time whenever I try to start FSX it gets hung up at the initial splash screen, and stops responding; have to close thru task manager. I can place the mouse cursor in the splash screen and it just spins like it's trying to do something. Usually it takes several minutes for the splash screen to give way to the FSX start screen, and be ready to fly. This time I have let this process sit for 5, 10, and 15 minutes, but FSX will not load. I have tried restarting the computer, as well as shutting it down and powering it back up to see if FSX would load; but, neither has worked.

 

I have the FSX deluxe DVD version, with Acceleration on DVD, all installed correctly in Windows 7 (64-bit). It's been installed on my system for a few years and has been working well. It's installed at "F:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\FSX. I have made no recent changes to my system, except that I downloaded, and installed Captain Sim's L-1011 this weekend. I successfully flew a flight with it yesterday, prior to the fore mentioned B767 flight. After I completed the L1011 flight, I exited FSX and restarted it for the B767 flight; all worked fine, until I ended the flight anyway. FYI, I fly the Level D B767 on a regular basis without any problems.

 

Has anyone else experienced this? Anyone have any suggestions, or ideas about what's happening? I have been considering for some time to uninstall FXS, and reinstalling it to it's own folder on F:\ outside of "Program Files (x86), as some other posts have recommended. Could this, possibly, resolve the issue?

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance you can give me.

[mrzippy]

Sounds like your logbook just got corrupted. To be sure, go to MyDocumnts/Flight Simulator X folder and find logbook.bin file. Change the name to logbook_orig.bin and then start FSX. It should work fine. If so, you can download a logbook repair tool to fix the original logbook file.

[PhantomTweak]

You might try editing your FSX.CFG, after making a back-up copy, of course. Ensure FSX is shut down completely.

 

Scan down through it for the heading [uSERINTERFACE].

Under that is the line SITUATION=blah blah blah

 

Simply delete any- and every-, thing after the equals sign. Save the file, and give FSX a try.

 

Failing this, another possibility is the LOGBOOK.BIN. Try renaming the one that's there (same place all the SOMETHING.FLT's are located) something. Anything you want. Logbook.NIB, Logbook_SAV.bin, FRED.PSB, anything. Then try starting FSX. It should rebuild the file. If not, you can find any number repair softwares. Just do a search for LOGBOOK in the library here or at any of the other sim dedicated sites.

Or do a "repair" with the FSX discs. I am pretty sure it will rebuild you a new logbook.bin. Once it does, you can then use the repair utilities to repopulate it with the information from the old one.

 

I hope something in all this babbling will help...

Pat☺

[CRJ_simpilot]

Is Windows actually installed to drive F? If not, then you shouldn't have to worry about reinstalling FSX into its own folder.

 

x3 on the logbook corruption theory. That may in fact be your issue.

 

@Zippy, what tool do you use to repair a logbook?

[UPHILL3]

My advice in just one word: STEAM

[jorgen.s.andersen]

No need to panic, and we're far from even thinking reinstall at this point.

 

This installation was apparently working just fine, and I seem to read between the lines working fine for quite a while.

 

So, the #1 thing to do is try fixing the logbooks, as the two honored gentlemen have proposed.

 

If, but only IF, that does not fix the issue, then we might think reinstall, but please don't just run off and do that, come back and report any issues after the logbook fixes.

 

Again if, but only IF, a reinstall is in the books, then yes, install somewhere outside C:\Program Files (x86).... but we're not there yet.

 

Jorgen

[mrzippy]

@crjsimpilot. Fslogbk.zip

[sparky347]

Download and install a program called FSX logbook recovery 1.1 . Very easy to use. And it has worked every time for me. whenever FSX doesn't respond .

 

Available in the file library here, filename: fsxlog11.zip

[Arrow_PIC]

Thanks for the info., I'll check into the logbook theory. But, no, Windows is installed on C.

[CRJ_simpilot]

Thanks for the info., I'll check into the logbook theory. But, no, Windows is installed on C.

 

Then the path you have there under drive F is outside of the real Windows programs folder so it would not have a bearing on your Sim at all. So don't worry about reinstallation.

[CRJ_simpilot]

@crjsimpilot. Fslogbk.zip

 

Thank you!

 

 

Download and install a program called FSX logbook recovery 1.1 . Very easy to use. And it has worked every time for me. whenever FSX doesn't respond .

 

Available in the file library here, filename: fsxlog11.zip

 

This looks promising as well.

 

Edit-

 

Note to OP. I made a post on page 1. Be sure to read it.

[Arrow_PIC]

Good morning everyone!

 

Great news; the logbook was the culprit. As recommended, I renamed my original logbook.BIN file, then started FSX. FSX started normally and created a new logbook; it had no entries in it, obviously, but FSX is working now. Then I downloaded the recommended logbook recovery program (FSX Logbook Recovery 1.1) and used it to recover my original logbook. The program did find a corrupt entry. Once the recovery was completed, and deleted the corrupted entry I restarted FSX, which started normally, I looked at the logbook and all the entries were there, except for the very last flight, the one in the B767 that I mentioned in my original post, so I didn't loose anything. During this weekend I'll take a flight to make sure all is working and new flights are being logged.

 

Thank you to everyone for your help in fixing this problem.

[PhantomTweak]

I read in a thread someplace, and don't ask me where, that sometimes the act of editing a logbook entry can cause it to become corrupted.

 

SO, be very cautious about editing logbook entries. Be ready to run the recovery program, too, if it does become corrupted. You can try, if FSX won't start suddenly, running the logbook recovery software first, and see if that fixes things.

But mainly, just be wary of editing logbook entries. Some recovery programs let you do the editing outside FSX, which may prevent the problem in the first place.

 

Just a couple thoughts. I get so very few...:confused:

Pat☺

[CRJ_simpilot]

The word backup in this the 21st century should be a word immortalized in gold. Used in all facets of computing.

 

I backup the FSX.cfg, rewards, logbook, controls file (can't remember its name,) dll.xml, and exe.xml files all the time. Well, not the dll.xml, and exe.xml as often unless I know those have changed with an add-on. My Sim is backed up to two HDDs as well.

 

I clone my computer as well periodically to external HDDs and these are kept in fireproof safes. Then important data is sent to a couple non-public Amazon AWS S3 buckets. My website is also backed up on a periodic basis, encrypted and shelved in numerous locations.

 

 

BACKUP