Help Please!!!!!

kwb737

Charter Member
All of a sudden when I try to initiate "Free Flight" or "Quick Combat" I get this message.

"Failed to initialize the databases. You might need to reinstall this product as some data files are missing or corrupted."

My game works just fine when I choose "MISSIONS" or "CAMPAIGNS". Is there a way I can fix this problem without losing all that I have added on?? I don't remember changing anything in my CFS 2 files so I'm really stumped on why I'm getting this message. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
 
QUICK COMBAT

Don't panic, been there done that ! This is a PIA that pops up from time to time. Did you add any new planes or mods lately? I find that when I mod something I get that ,and it is usually with the sounds aliased to something I removed. I had some notes somewhere on procedures to check this. I hope I didn't round-file them when I cleaned out my desk. Will look, but I am sure there will be others mosing down the path that will help better than I.
 
"Failed to initialize the databases. You might need to reinstall this product as some data files are missing or corrupted."

Probably the famous "100 plane limit" i.e. you have probbaly added a lot of planes and/or other things - it doesn't have to be 100 planes before you get the message apparently.

Just click on "OK", you'll get another error message, click on "OK" again, you'll drop back to the place you started. Then just start the Quick Combat or Freeflight again and it will work. You'll find you have a few problems with missions though such as the correct map not displaying when you do the debrief.

You may also find the mission editor doesn't work properly anymore.

cheers,

SW
 
I got that message and problem before, I thing what caused it for me was something missing with new scenery I had added. When I removed the new airbase, everything was fine, again.
 
File list eliminator

kwb737

I once had this problem and I thought I would loose many months of work in many CFS2 installs. Try eliminating your filelist.dat in all your scenedb folders and subfolders. I use Lindsay Watts´s freeware CFS2 Filelist Eliminator.exe.

I have a copy of it in each of my installs and in my CFS2 shared folders where I have the scenery and sounds from where I share with each install, to eliminate this filelist.dat from time to time.

Look for CFS2_Filelist_Eliminator.zip in the archive. If you can´t find it send me a PM with your email.

Bearcat also made a suggestion of eliminating other files. I can´t remember themn now but that did the trick for me and save´d me many months of work (2 hours a week!!)

Cheers, Discus
 
KW, all I do when the message comes up is hit enter 3 times and it flies with no problem in FF and QC. It may be this file or that in the program, my problem is motherboard ram and video ram.

I'll add also I have seen many crash to desktop messages here, I used to get upset, especially with the Rumanian IAR80. I get many CTD now, and have discovered the root problem: First, CFS2 it a M$ product, and being a M$ product if it don't have the memory it demands to run, it packs up and goes home. Pop goes the weasel. The computer I am writing this on and run CFS2 on is a notebook that was a data terminal in a cop car. It's not a gaming computer. Nearly all the CTDs I am getting are not enough memory, but I never had a computer with a M$ OS that ever had enough ram to do squat.

For 6 months now I got your error message, I just hit enter 3 times and ignore it.

Tony
 
Thanks Tony,
I tried the Filelist Eliminator and still had the problem. I tried hitting enter 3 times like you said but still no luck.
Ken
 
.... Is there a way I can fix this problem without losing all that I have added on?? ...VS... I don't remember changing anything in my CFS 2 files so I'm really stumped on why I'm getting this message....

KWB, there's the heart of the problem right there...you missed your own contradiction. Anytime you add on something to this sim you've bascially changed the some of the key CFS2 files, namely the indices or database files which record every addon you install. Whether its a ship, aircraft, new weapon, building, vehicle or new scenery, it all goes into the database indexes and gets added to the total file and object counts. One of the reasons that the sim takes a little while loading is that it must reconcile these index files to make sure the program is harmonized. When you've reached a 'mystical' number of the aforementioned add-ons--no one knows the hard limits and it seems to vary with every individual--you will start getting this message.

Usually, the "three clicks and go" rule that Tony mentioned will work when you get this error and if it annoys you too much to keep doing three clicks, you can just remove some non-stock add-on aircraft to a temporary hangar folder and/or non-stock ships to a temp dock folder and the error will cease. But if it persists even after removing add-on aircraft and/or ships, it usually means you've neglected to add some new weapon to the mdlnames.txt in the main CFS2 folder or a new ship's name to both the mdlnames.txt and the descript.dat file in the INFO folder and the MS programming says that the database is corrupt.

I've also had this error persist when my mdlnames.txt file size exceeded 40kb. I cured it by just deleting all of the old carryover CFS1 objects names from my mdlnames file which i knew i would never use, like the British, German and French buildings and landmarks that will never see usage in my PTO, CBI, MTO or Korea installs. Got the file size down to under 36kb. But i wouldn't recommend this unless you REALLY know what you're doing in modifying the sim, because it involves knowing how all the many parts relate to each other.

But before moving any objects or altering any files, as a shortcut remedy, try this. Delete all of the index files and allow the sim to check and rebuild the database library on your next sim boot. They are all located in the main CFS2 folder and are the following:

ICAO_INDEX
INDEX_FILE
LAT_INDEX
AIRWAY_INDEX
STR_INDEX
WAYPOINT_INDEX

Just delete them, boot the sim and wait as it rebuilds the database. It might prove to be a long term solution or maybe not. But you'll need to be more careful to make sure you add the names of new ships, vehicles, infrastructure, trees and miscellaneous objects to the mdlnames and descript.dat files. New weapons' names should be added to the mdlnames.txt only. And before adding any names, study the exisiting formats in the mdlnames.txt and descript.dat to understand how the new name should be structured in the lists otherwise you'll just create more problems for yourself.
 
I had duplicate entries in my mdlnames.txt file and once I removed them my problem is solved! Thanks so much!!!!
Ken
 
Ken, I'm glad you got it fixed. I want to thank Bearcat for his explanation too. So far for me it's just Click Three Times On The Keyboard If You Want To Fly, but when I get a little time I'll recheck mdlnames and do Bearcat's fix. It's annoying for me but not overly so.

Thanks guys.

Tony
 
Ken, I'm glad you got it fixed. I want to thank Bearcat for his explanation too. So far for me it's just Click Three Times On The Keyboard If You Want To Fly, but when I get a little time I'll recheck mdlnames and do Bearcat's fix. It's annoying for me but not overly so.

Thanks guys.

Tony
Just like bearcat said. My my mdlnames.txt file size exceeded 40kb and once I got rid of all the duplicate entries and got it down to 34kb all was fine. It was my own fault. I knew about the duplicate entries but they did not have an affect on the game untill now. Looks like below 40kb is the magic number.
Thanks Again,
Ken
 
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