When FSX stops working...

[Bjoern]

Last night everything went well. Didn't change a single file or setting or similar since then, apart from a an aircraft model.

Today, I see FSX's boot screen for a few seconds before I'm greeted with a "FSX stopped working...close program" box.

Removed the aircraft in question -> Didn't work.
Tried new .cfgs -> No success.
Tried replacing new files that I've installed recently (although they can't be the culprit) with older ones -> Nada.
Tried updating DirectX -> Nope.
Did a virus scan on the FSX folder -> Unsuccessful.
Rebooted -> Nyet.
Ran Process Monitor to see what could be afowl -> Nothing revealing.

Next steps: Running CCleaner and a Registry Cleaner, but I'm not putting much faith in that.

If you want to join in with the guessing what could be afowl, feel free.

 

[gradyhappyg]

Try deleting the FSX config file in your apps folder. Back it up first of course.
Then get ready to ok all your gauges again.

 

[Bjoern]

Already did that, even renamed the whole folder. No avail.


Installed windows updates -> nothing.
Ran CCleaner -> Nope.
Cleaned Registry -> Nyet.

Strike Fighters runs fine.

Scanning my Windows drive for viruses right now.

 

[gera]

Download and run "Spybot".....it saved me once.

 

[PRB]

Have you checked your event logs? Worth a shot - maybe a clue there to what is failing.

 

[Bjoern]

The plot thinckens...

- FSX doesn't create shaders (those in Appdata\Local\MS\FSX) when started. Or at least crashes during the process.
- Four suspicious files found so far by my virus scanner. I wonder how I got them and if they're related to the problem. Didn't do anything suspicious last night.

Eventlog shows ui.dll as the error source.

 

[Bjoern]

- Removed the viruses and rebooted -> No success.
- (Re-)Installed C++ Redistributables 2008, MSXML 4.0 and 6.0 -> Nope.


Running a Spybot S&D scan right now.


Next course of action:
1.) Reinstalling the video drivers
2.) Doing a benchmark.
3.) Doing a system tourture test.

I bet though this is more than needed and I'm missing something really simple here...

 

[full]

You talk of a "UI" file causing the error ? it could be this one (uiautomationcore.dll) I once had a problem with this and had to install a new one, Just google it.

 

[empeck]

Have you tried to remove/rename logbook?

 

[PRB]

Never of ui.dll, but a quick Google suggests that it is the cause some amount of problems. You might try downloading a new one. There are several sources out there for them. Also, this is a ui.dll fixer:


http://www.restoreguard.com/p/file-Ui.dll.html?keyword=Ui.dll&gclid=CLaN1fWXmaICFRJDgwodQEczwQ

 

[mal998]

Here's a fix that has worked for me in the past...

go to

Your Name folder>AppData>Local>Temp

delete eveything in the Temp folder

restart your rig and try firing up FSX

good luck

 

[NoNewMessages]

Last night everything went well. Didn't change a single file or setting or similar since then, apart from a an aircraft model.

And what of this might have messed things up?

Was it in an installer or a manual package? I'd work through the process again, especially if it's an installer. How? Grab the Flight1 tool for setting the registry entry for FSX, make a new dummy folder named <whatever>, copy the FSX.exe file to the dummy folder, make a new sub-folder under the dummy folder for SimObjects\Airplanes and run the installer there.

If that isn't the culprit, run the registry tool once more and point the registry back to the real FSX install location.

 

[MarkH]

If you want to join in with the guessing what could be afowl, feel free.

I wouldn't bother guessing, try a System Restore from the previous day.

 

[mal998]

I wouldn't bother guessing, try a System Restore from the previous day.

I agree, System Restore is the way to go.

 

[Daube]

If you had installed a new plane, then perhaps this plane brought in some new gauge or DLL module that is causing the crash ?
Try removing all the modules, to check if FSX starts.

 

[Bjoern]

You talk of a "UI" file causing the error ? it could be this one (uiautomationcore.dll) I once had a problem with this and had to install a new one, Just google it.

I know of that bug, but I've never had it. Can't be the source.

Have you tried to remove/rename logbook?

Yep, just did that. Nothing.

Never of ui.dll, but a quick Google suggests that it is the cause some amount of problems. You might try downloading a new one. There are several sources out there for them. Also, this is a ui.dll fixer:


http://www.restoreguard.com/p/file-Ui.dll.html?keyword=Ui.dll&gclid=CLaN1fWXmaICFRJDgwodQEczwQ

Doesn't look too legit for my taste.

Google doesn't suggest anything helpful either. It finds a post with apparently the same problem on Simforums, but without any replies.

The only thing remotely related is a Lightroom user suffering from the same UI.dll fault. The discussion implied something with the NVidia drivers, but in the end the problem was solved by replacing a Ram module.
But I don't think my Ram is faulty. After all, the stability tests yesterday were satisfactory.
So on to the drivers...

Here's a fix that has worked for me in the past...

go to

Your Name folder>AppData>Local>Temp

delete eveything in the Temp folder

restart your rig and try firing up FSX

good luck

Just did that, didn't help.

And what of this might have messed things up?

Was it in an installer or a manual package? I'd work through the process again, especially if it's an installer. How? Grab the Flight1 tool for setting the registry entry for FSX, make a new dummy folder named <whatever>, copy the FSX.exe file to the dummy folder, make a new sub-folder under the dummy folder for SimObjects\Airplanes and run the installer there.

If that isn't the culprit, run the registry tool once more and point the registry back to the real FSX install location.

It was just a single .mdl. No installer (I hate them, btw), no other stuff, just a .mdl.

I wouldn't bother guessing, try a System Restore from the previous day.

I don't use system restore. Too little benefit, too much resource investment.

I like to fix problems on my own. I'm an soon-to-be engineer after all and stuff like this is nice training.

If you had installed a new plane, then perhaps this plane brought in some new gauge or DLL module that is causing the crash ?
Try removing all the modules, to check if FSX starts.

As I've said: Just a .mdl.

Tried removing the thing; no success.

</whatever>

 

[MarkH]

I don't use system restore. Too little benefit, too much resource investment.

Yeah well, I guess you're kicking yourself now.

 

[kilo delta]

I don't use system restore. Too little benefit, too much resource investment.

Me too...never used it.

I've just formated my PC's C:\ drive before installing Win7 Ultimate 64bit....not looking forward to reinstalling FSX from scratch after 2 years tweaks and addons but I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end. I'm guessing a reinstall might be your best bet too,Bjoern.

 

[gradyhappyg]

Yep looks like he has tried A thru Y now down to Z the dreaded reinstall. I was hoping you could get it going without it. I guess you could try the repair option but personally have never had any luck with it.
Trust me I feel your pain.

 

[Bjoern]

Yeah well, I guess you're kicking yourself now.

No, not at all.

Call me masochistic, but despite all this hassle I find problem solving kind of fun.
Even though many times I ran into a dead end or achieved only unsatisfactory results (and had to do the awful thing of a clean reinstallation), I still think you're learning a lot on the way which is fairly important.

Me too...never used it.

I've just formated my PC's C:\ drive before installing Win7 Ultimate 64bit....not looking forward to reinstalling FSX from scratch after 2 years tweaks and addons but I'm sure it'll be worth it in the end. I'm guessing a reinstall might be your best bet too,Bjoern.

Yep looks like he has tried A thru Y now down to Z the dreaded reinstall. I was hoping you could get it going without it. I guess you could try the repair option but personally have never had any luck with it.
Trust me I feel your pain.

You've basically won guys.

I've swapped my Ram modules to see if it made a difference and to check any possible, aforementioned, connection between memory and the error. The result: No change.

I then installed a newer video driver (257.29 is out by the way) - no difference here too.

Grabbed into my wizard hat, or rather my desk drawer, and pulled out the last option I've had...my own, precious, custom FSX backup disk (just a clean SP2 installation zipped up and burned to DVD). Unpacked the content to a clean, new FSX folder, err...did "something" against the activation, fired up that new FSX installation and voilà IT WORKED!

So now I know what roughly caused the problem in the first case...FSX itself. All that's left to do is carefully copy and pasting my add-ons from my old FSX installation to my new one to see what got me one or two grey hairs.