Suddenly stopped working

I installed FS2002 onto a Dell computer running Windows XP home, fourteen years ago. It's been running ever since. Yesterday, I did a flight, and when I tried to start FS this morning, it started ok, but as soon as I try to switch from the external view to the panel view, it crashes. I tried:

To reboot the computer.

System restore (which I undid when that didn't help).

Reinstalling the FS2002 into a new folder (while keeping the old folder as a renamed backup).

It worked OK for the default flight, but when I ported over my aircraft and flights, the problem cropped up again.

I've tried other saved flights, and the default flight, but now it just crashes on start-up.

Anyone encounter anything like this? Is there a solution?

I'm thinking I may have to replace the whole computer with a spare that I've kept for such an eventuality.

Elmer J. Fudd

Sounds like something you added into FS2002 is causing the problem. Have you tried going through things you've add lately, and removing them one at a time, starting with the latest, and working backwards?

BTW: When you installed FS2002 to a different folder, did you use the discs or just copy the original folder someplace. Even with the discs, I believe you have to UN-install the first copy completely before you install the new copy. You can run into problems with conflicting Registry entries if you don't. You can copy your previous install to another folder, or a .zip file, or whatever, and THEN un-install it. Keep all the info, and add-ons of whatever sort, you've built up over the years, but still do the uninstall correctly.

I can't promis FS2002 will be the same, but it may be similar enough to use THIS THREAD. Try reading through Post #3 in it. It might help, it might not. I don't have FS2002, but I am presuming it's similar, as it came first, to the other MSFS's. At least similar enough, anyway.

Good luck!

Pat☺

Sounds like something you added into FS2002 is causing the problem. Have you tried going through things you've add lately, and removing them one at a time, starting with the latest, and working backwards?

I haven't added much to this sim in the way of scenery, and so on, although I have added some planes. I haven't added anything lately. It was working yesterday, not today.

[quote=BTW: When you installed FS2002 to a different folder, did you use the discs or just copy the original folder someplace. Even with the discs, I believe you have to UN-install the first copy completely before you install the new copy. You can run into problems with conflicting Registry entries if you don't. You can copy your previous install to another folder, or a .zip file, or whatever, and THEN un-install it. Keep all the info, and add-ons of whatever sort, you've built up over the years, but still do the uninstall correctly.

I can't promis FS2002 will be the same, but it may be similar enough to use THIS THREAD. Try reading through Post #3 in it. It might help, it might not. I don't have FS2002, but I am presuming it's similar, as it came first, to the other MSFS's. At least similar enough, anyway.

Good luck!

Pat☺

I'll have to try the uninstall reinstall routine. If it doesn't work, I'll just replace the whole machine. It occurred to me that it may be a hardware problem, or a problem with the O/S. I'm not going to bust my head over this.

regards,

Elmer J. Fudd

Pat,

I tried the uninstall/reinstall, without success. You were right about it being something I added. The offending culprit turned out to be a Piper Warrior that I had downloaded and installed. It gave me fits in the beginning, trying to get the thing to work. The really odd thing is that I had put 11 hours on the bird, before it started causing the program crashes.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Regards,

Elmer J. Fudd

Glad you got it working right, again, Elmer!

Certainly a lot cheaper than a new machine, huh? :D

Now, go get da wabbit!

:rolleyes: :cool: ;) :pilot:

Have fun, seriously...

Pat☺

Addendum: in case anyone else encounters this problem.

I took the above mentioned steps, none of which solved the problem. The solution turned out to actually be quite simple: all I had to do was to delete the Previous Flight. There was something in this Previous Flight file that was so poisonous that I could not start the sim, using any of my saved flights. This plane (Warriorb.zip) was the source of the problem. (I had ported this plane over from FS9. I didn't like the FS8 version (warrior8.zip).

I have replaced the computer with a spare. I have plenty of those, (people keep giving them to me.) This warriorb was actually slowing down the clock on the old Dell Celeron that I had been using for this sim for fourteen years.

Ironically, my newest computer will not run my sims properly, which is why I keep all these XP boxes around.

Elmer J. Fudd