Cherokee not interacting....

Post any technical issues here. This forum gets priority from our staff.
User avatar
BILL1949
Airman First Class
Posts: 79
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 13:20
Location: Essex UK

Cherokee not interacting....

Post by BILL1949 »

Well - it's been years since I've been here.
I love combat, so DCS, IL-2 & WarThunder have taken my time. But (following all sorts of nasties PC-wise - inc a CLEAN install of Win10 in March this year) I'm now trying to get FSX running again. I have got back my A2A Spits & they work fine - but my A2A Cherokee isn't playing the game. I can get into it & throw switches, but they do nothing (except the radio power switch does flick up the 'Nav' indicator on one of the compasses).

Although my Spits respond fully, the Cherokee doesn't respond at all to my stick & throttle (Warthog) or rudder pedals. Throwing the fuel pump switch (as an example) moves the switch, but nothing else happens - no sound of pump running - it's as tho' the battery was all but totally flat.

SHIFT+7 gives a window with the message that maintenance can only be accessed on the ground with engine stopped (which is what I actually have) - or - 'Click here to bypass' - but this does does nothing... Help...?

Oh, and yes - Master power is ON.....
Additionally, I found that the strobe lights are working, but after a good long time with the window closed, the cockpit windows are NOT misting up....

Have to confess I've forgotten EVERYTHING.....
A2A Spitfire, A2A Cherokee
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
CH Pro Pedals
TrackIR

User avatar
BILL1949
Airman First Class
Posts: 79
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 13:20
Location: Essex UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by BILL1949 »

Folks. If anyone gets/returns to this, today I discovered that there IS interaction - but not full GRAPHIC display...

I pushed my mapped Auto-start key (S) & nothing seemed to happen - initially - but I'd accidentally left my throttle forward & after a short time I found my plane silently hurtling along (no sound from plane, but getting other airport sounds - and sound is there when OUTside the plane, but only when airborne...). I managed to take off (albeit ACROSS the runway...) & was then able to control it with joystick (to a degree) - so it is responding even tho' control surfaces appear not to be moving when viewed from inside OR outside the plane..... It also has a permanent degree of positive elevator.

Climb/Descent indicator, AH & & Altimeter seem to be working, but ASI is not - neither are radio backlights, the bank of Fuel/Oil gauges, or RPM gauge. When I hit S, there is a faint indication of exhaust & a brief & vague indication of prop spin - but the prop itself remains static.

It seems that if I interact with throttle or mixture before starting, it fails to start. After a while, the engine quits - think that might be 'cos the plugs foul up.

Think that's about all I can say in hopes that someone with knowledge might put their finger on the cause of issue......

Thanks folks.
A2A Spitfire, A2A Cherokee
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
CH Pro Pedals
TrackIR

alan CXA651
Senior Master Sergeant
Posts: 2438
Joined: 15 Mar 2016, 08:23

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by alan CXA651 »

Hi Bill1949.
You will be better off posting this in the cherokee tech forum , as they get looked at more frequently.
But things you can do is , check your sim and aircraft are fully updated , VC sounds are controlled via accusim and the volumn control is in shift+3 popup window , external sounds are via the simulator settings.
regards alan. 8)
Image
Image
Image
Image

User avatar
BILL1949
Airman First Class
Posts: 79
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 13:20
Location: Essex UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by BILL1949 »

Alan - many thanks for that. Wasn't aware that there is a dedicated Cherokee forum... :oops: Will try to get to that forum soon-ish. In meantime I'll try the sound controls as suggested.

Thx again.

Bill
A2A Spitfire, A2A Cherokee
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
CH Pro Pedals
TrackIR

User avatar
Nick - A2A
A2A Captain
Posts: 13734
Joined: 06 Jun 2014, 13:06
Location: UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by Nick - A2A »

Hello Bill and welcome back. :)

Okay, a couple of quick questions to start of with:

1. Which version of FSX are you using? Is it the disk edition, FSX Acceleration, or the Steam Edition?

2. When you first load FSX, which aircraft shows as the default, spinning round on the 'Free Flight' screen?

Thanks,
Nick

P.S. I've moved this thread over to the Cherokee support forum so we can better keep an eye on it.

User avatar
BILL1949
Airman First Class
Posts: 79
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 13:20
Location: Essex UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by BILL1949 »

Hi Nick - & many thanks for all that.

Answers:
1. Steam
2. (This now rings a bell a bit...) Currently have A2A Spit as Default.... hmmmm... now feel that I'm remembering that the default should be a 'Standard' FSX plane...? That right?

If you've seen the previous posts here, you'll be aware that I had to do a clean install of Win10 in Mar this year.

Just to fill in a bit more, I bought a Warthog HOTAS in Sep17, & after working on the TARGET software config FSX was working OK at that time - then the Win10 Fall Creators update caused constant TOTAL PC freezing issues - every 1 or 2 days, from Dec17 to Mar18, when I had to do a clean install of Win10.

A couple of days ago I tried launching FSX via my TARGET software - but nothing was happening - the TARGET config script opened, & then nothing.... Tried running FSX directly from its .exe - same.
Figured I had to reinstall FSX. It all got rather confusing & I'm worried that I've messed it all up. I added FSX to steam as it wasn't showing in Library, so then I think steam was saying to install it. Being unsure where it should go, it ended up being installed to a new folder on my F: (SSD) which I named FSXSE-2.... so, somehow, the path to this installation of FSX is:
F:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\Common\FSXSE-2\steamapps\common\FSX .... :?

I got the A2A Spit installed & working OK (not sure how - & it's not yet fully set up in the TARGET software), but the Cherokee (graphics anyway - see my previous) isn't working right.

I'm wondering if I now need to completely uninstall/reinstall FSX, plus all the add-on stuff (ORBX Stapleford, UK2000 Southend & other stuff) plus the A2A Spits & Cherokee.... Daunting task & I've forgotten how to do most of that.....

BTW - do I need to go a different path now to get to the moved topic....?



I think I'm confused, but I'm not sure........
A2A Spitfire, A2A Cherokee
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
CH Pro Pedals
TrackIR

User avatar
Nick - A2A
A2A Captain
Posts: 13734
Joined: 06 Jun 2014, 13:06
Location: UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by Nick - A2A »

Hi Bill,
BILL1949 wrote:2. (This now rings a bell a bit...) Currently have A2A Spit as Default.... hmmmm... now feel that I'm remembering that the default should be a 'Standard' FSX plane...? That right?
Yes, this could definitely be one source of the issue and I suggest that you revert the default flight back to one which uses a default FSX aircraft such as the Aircreation Trike or the C172SP. Probably the simplest way to do this is to delete your current default flight from the "Documents\Flight Simulator X Files" folder.
BILL1949 wrote:Being unsure where it should go, it ended up being installed to a new folder on my F: (SSD) which I named FSXSE-2.... so, somehow, the path to this installation of FSX is:
F:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\Common\FSXSE-2\steamapps\common\FSX ....
Not sure exactly what's happened there, but the installation path itself will work fine provided that this is where you told Steam to install. It sounds like you had some leftover files in your old Steam FSX directory, and it would probably have been better to manually remove them. However, provided you use the new path when you install any add-ons, you should be fine.

Having said that, an FSX-SE reinstall may ultimately simplify things for you. But for now, I recommend you just try reverting that default flight back to the original and let us know how you get on when you load the Cherokee.
BILL1949 wrote:BTW - do I need to go a different path now to get to the moved topic....?
No, the existing link will take you here and you seem to have found the moved topic just fine. :)

Thanks,
Nick

User avatar
BILL1949
Airman First Class
Posts: 79
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 13:20
Location: Essex UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by BILL1949 »

Hi Nick

I removed the Spit flight as default & set the default to the normal default (Ultralight @ Andrews). Also deleted some files from Flight Simulator X Files folder (& moved some others to a sub-folder of ...X files..).

Loaded the new default, then swapped to the Cherokee - all exactly same as before, even after re-start of FSX. (Engine will start via auto-start key & then plane responds to controls input, but with no internal sounds & very little graphics response). Spit seems fine....

As the Spit seems to work OK, I've also tried reinstalling the Cherokee - no effect. It seems to keep coming back to the installation of the Cherokee.

Corrupt Cherokee files...?? Can I check this? Do I need to UNinstall the Cherokee before re-installing it?
Went ahead anyway & uninstalled/reinstalled the Cherokee - no change.....

I have Spit & Cherokee folders both in:
F:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\Common\FSXSE-2\steamapps\common\FSX\A2A

I often live stream (most nights) - I wonder if it might help if I live-streamed what's happening in FSX - Spit and Cherokee - might that help...? It wouldn't have to be viewed live - I could ping you the link if it might help...
A2A Spitfire, A2A Cherokee
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
CH Pro Pedals
TrackIR

User avatar
Nick - A2A
A2A Captain
Posts: 13734
Joined: 06 Jun 2014, 13:06
Location: UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by Nick - A2A »

Hello Bill,

Before we resort to a clean install of FSX-SE, there are a couple more things we can try.

First, please can you delete the entire contents of the "Documents\A2A\Cherokee180\FSX" directory.

Second, please also delete the following folder...

F:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\Common\FSXSE-2\steamapps\common\FSX\A2A\Cherokee180\Update_fsx

...And after doing so, run the Accu-Sim update which is available from here.

If this doesn't work, I think a clean reinstall of FSX-SE is probably best. From your directory structure, things look to be a bit muddled up.

Thanks,
Nick

User avatar
BILL1949
Airman First Class
Posts: 79
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 13:20
Location: Essex UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by BILL1949 »

Hi Nick

Sry - thx for that but I'd already kinda given up with the existing because the Spit had started acting up too (now unable to access the Spit maintenance hangar - same as for Cherokee...

So - I've embarked on a total reinstall - daunting, but hopefully to end up with a cleaner result.

Uninstalled FSX & its associated - inc Cherokee & Spit.

Reinstalled via Steam & I've done a few flights in C172 - all fine. Then faced with the task of reinstalling ORBX Global, England & Stapleford & maybe more, plus UK2000 Southend & Stansted.

Reinstalled Global, but it retained the old (long) FSXSE-2 path (greyed - unable to change it). From a Steam forum I found the suggestion to downloaded FS_Registry_Repair.exe from http://www.flight1.com/view.asp?page=library, ran it (selecting FSX) & restarted PC - but it still retained the old path.... Guess I'll leave Global where it is.

Plan to install England, then the airports/airfields, then the two A2A planes. Then I still have a whole lot of key/controller mapping to do.....

For now, I'll see if I can take it out on a few 109s in WT.. :| . (Win10 Fall Creators Update has got a lot to answer for.)
A2A Spitfire, A2A Cherokee
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
CH Pro Pedals
TrackIR

User avatar
BILL1949
Airman First Class
Posts: 79
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 13:20
Location: Essex UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by BILL1949 »

Nick
I now have FSX running OK - I'm flying Spit without issue.

The Cherokee however is giving severe issues.
- There is no in-cockpit sound.
- It does start (silently).
- It does respond to controls & I can fly it (uncomfy without engine sounds).
- BUT - after a while FSX totally stops responding, & then closes to desktop
- This happens ONLY with the Cherokee - with the Spit everything's fine.

I've got the 4 SimConnects (as I've seen mentioned) showing in Progs.
I've run the Core Update.
I've uninstalled/reinstalled the Cherokee & re-run the Core Update - no effect. Still no cockpit sounds & FSX still stops responding after a little while when in the Cherokee - so I'm wondering if the Cherokee files are corrupt...
Last time it stopped responding it didn't drop me to DT. I had TaskManager open & against FSX I saw the option to create Dump file (a dxdiag), if that might tell you anything.

Don't know if this is a clue, but one of the updates listed for the Cherokee was apparently to deal with a 'small black square' (appears at spawn-in). Despite the updates, this square still appears for a few seconds when in the Cherokee.
At the moment I can fly my Spit with n o problems - but I'd really like the Cherokee back too, 'cos I've had a small amount of 'hands-on', so it's a bit special to me.
A2A Spitfire, A2A Cherokee
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
CH Pro Pedals
TrackIR

User avatar
Nick - A2A
A2A Captain
Posts: 13734
Joined: 06 Jun 2014, 13:06
Location: UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by Nick - A2A »

Hello Bill,

Thanks for the update. Please can you try these steps again. They should force a reset and update of the Cherokee:

1. Delete the entire contents of the "Documents\A2A\Cherokee180\FSX" directory.

2. Delete the following folder...
  • F:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\Common\FSX\A2A\Cherokee180\Update_fsx
3. Run the Accu-Sim update.

If this doesn't work, please can you confirm the full installation path for FSX-SE on your system?

Cheers,
Nick

User avatar
BILL1949
Airman First Class
Posts: 79
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 13:20
Location: Essex UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by BILL1949 »

Hi Nick – many thx for continued support, & I’m really sorry this is such a long response… just wanted to give as much as possible.

I performed step 1, then deleted folder Update_fsx & then re-ran the AccuSim Update.

1. I then opened FSX & took the Cherokee.
2. I was able to access the Maintenance Hangar & do an overhaul.
3. There was still no in-cockpit sound – apart from a switch-click when throwing the Master Power switch (this is the only thing in cockpit that gives a sound), and VERY faint whining sound (gyro spinning up & running?). This also seemed to ‘wind down’ when the master was turned off.
4. No other cockpit sounds.
5. In SHIFT3, the volume slider was at 100, as were the vols in Controls/Sound.
6. Controls & lights were responding.
7. Outside of the plane, engine sound was fine – but SHIFT3 volume slider made no difference to engine volume.
8. Did a circuit, landed & taxied to parking – leaving engine running.
9. Outside, engine sound hesitated a couple of times & I took this to be due to system processes taking priority.
10. Got back in cockpit & I’m sure I then heard VERY faint engine sound.
11. Went outside again, then back to cockpit – no engine sound then, not even faint.
12. Decided to do another circuit, in case FSX crashes are related to running-time.
13. From outside view, I set my heels firmly to my pedal heels to ensure no braking, then increased throttle.
14. Engine picked up accordingly, as did outside engine sound – BUT – the plane didn’t move – as if brakes on (& Parking Brake was OFF).
15. Went back to cockpit & taxied OK - then did a circuit & landed – but FSX froze before I could get to the taxiway…
(It didn’t say ‘Not Responding’, it just froze & after a couple of mins it dropped me to Desktop).

Other points to note.
Re: Your point N°1 – My path is - C:....\Documents\A2A\FSX\Cherokee180
….so was your "Documents\A2A\Cherokee180\FSX" just a typo…?

The path to my FSX is - F:\FSXSE\steamapps\common\FSX
… so the folder I deleted was - F:\FSXSE\steamapps\common\FSX\A2A\Cherokee180\Update_fsx

When Googling, I came across the notion that FSX freezes (after a while) might be due to FSX not being Activated…(?).
Checking Help/About when in a flight, I see that there is no Product ID shown there…
Do you think this might be relevant to my issue?
Do I need to ensure somehow that the product ID is shown in Help/About…?

There was also the suggestion to ensure that FSX.exe/Properties was not set to Compatability mode. Mine was set for Win07, as I’d read that this might actually resolve issues when running FSX in Win10. I had un-ticked this before my testing today.

RE: My point 13, above.
After testing today, & while responding to this topic, I opened FSX again & started the Cherokee. This time it froze very much sooner (wasn't rushing, but didn't even take off). Might this also be relevant?

If you have the time (& inclination) might it be worth me doing a live-stream (maybe also using Skype, TeamSpeak or Discord…?) so that you can see all this (if a picture paints a thousand words, then a live-stream writes an encyclopaedia…).
Likely to be time-consuming, so no worries at all if not a suitable option.

If you got this far - then thanks again!! :) .
A2A Spitfire, A2A Cherokee
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
CH Pro Pedals
TrackIR

User avatar
Nick - A2A
A2A Captain
Posts: 13734
Joined: 06 Jun 2014, 13:06
Location: UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by Nick - A2A »

Hi again Bill,

Well - I've had a read through your latest post and it still isn't obvious why you're having some issues with the Cherokee but the Spit is fine.
BILL1949 wrote:Re: Your point N°1 – My path is - C:....\Documents\A2A\FSX\Cherokee180
….so was your "Documents\A2A\Cherokee180\FSX" just a typo…?
Yes, sorry - just a typo. That's what happens when I try to type these paths from memory. :oops:
BILL1949 wrote:When Googling, I came across the notion that FSX freezes (after a while) might be due to FSX not being Activated…(?).
Checking Help/About when in a flight, I see that there is no Product ID shown there…
Do you think this might be relevant to my issue?
Do I need to ensure somehow that the product ID is shown in Help/About…?
No, this isn't necessary for the Steam Edition of FSX so I think we can discount this as a cause.

Missing sound effects in the cockpit are sometimes caused by the default Windows playback device not being switched on (this being the audio device these sounds play through.) However, you seem to be hearing cockpit sounds in the Spit so presumably that's not the culprit either.

After the latest FSX-SE reinstall Bill, is your installation of the sim effectively 'vanilla'? (i.e. without any other add-ons other than the Cherokee and Spit?)

As regards the live stream suggestion, could you post a video to a platform such as YouTube or Twitch for us to take a look at?

Thanks,
Nick

User avatar
BILL1949
Airman First Class
Posts: 79
Joined: 05 Oct 2015, 13:20
Location: Essex UK

Re: Cherokee not interacting....

Post by BILL1949 »

Hi Nick

Typo - yep as I imagined - no probs, easily done.

No need to activate - K. That's good then.

Sounds - yeah, it's odd. Only the Cherokee cockpit sounds are missing (but even having said that, the Master Switch does click, & I get the gyro spin-up...) - externals seem OK, and Spit is fine (as are all other applications).
Might the internal sound issues be directly related to the FSX crashes...?

My new install of FSX is not totally 'vanilla' other than the Spit & Cherokee. I read that although it shouldn't make a difference, the scenery should be installed first (ie - before the aircraft), so before the aircraft I installed:
UK2000 Southend Xtreme
UK2000 Common Library
FTXAA_ORBXLIBS
FTX_AA_EGSG
FTX_FTXG_AIRPORTS
FTX_EU_ENG_05_SCENERY
FTX_EU_ENG_06_CVX
FTX_EU_ENG_07_MESH
FTX_EU_ENG_08_CUSTOM

Yep - the reason I wondered if a live-stream might help was that I'd be able to respond immediately to queries, or to requests to show settings etc. But yes, I'l try to get a vid recorded that shows what's currently happening. How about if I demo the Spit briefly, to show that it all works OK, then I load the Cherokee?

Thx for your help.

TTFN
A2A Spitfire, A2A Cherokee
Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS
CH Pro Pedals
TrackIR

new reply

Return to “Piper Cherokee 180 Tech Support”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests