windshield.dll

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Mace
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windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

Have you guys had any error reports with windshield.dll in P3Dv5HF2?

I seem to be getting a reproduceable CTD with the Cherokee in the rain with windshield.dll enabled. When I rename it to windshield.dll.OFF I get no crash.

I can give details of my hardware, resolution, etc. and Event Viewer log if need be. Mainly I wanted to know of any other similar error reports from P3Dv5HF2 users?
Rhett

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Nick - A2A
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Nick - A2A »

HI Rhett,

We've had a few reports, most of which seem to be related to ActiveSky (ASP3D) which is currently in open beta. However, we're also keeping an eye on reports related to undocked displays and/or very high displays resolutions (e.g multiple 4K monitors).

Do any of these match your own setup?

Thanks,
Nick
A2A Simulations Inc.

Mace
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

No, I'm only running a single display (albeit at 3840x2160, my monitor's native resolution) with my 1080ti.

And I get the crash without activesky. I just use the "Gray and rainy" weather scenario that comes with P3D to test. I also disabled Chaseplane and still get the crash. It also happens whether or not I select "Prefer Maximum Performance" or "Optimal Power" under the nvidia control panel "Power Management Settings".
Rhett

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Nick - A2A
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Nick - A2A »

Thanks for the info Rhett.

Are you using the latest P3Dv5 version of the Cherokee rather than a manual copy/paste of the P3Dv4 version as quite a few customers did at first? If you have the latest version, the Windshield.dll itself should have a date modified of 02-June-2020.

Cheers,
Nick
A2A Simulations Inc.

Mace
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

Nick - A2A wrote: 09 Jul 2020, 06:59 Thanks for the info Rhett.

Are you using the latest P3Dv5 version of the Cherokee rather than a manual copy/paste of the P3Dv4 version as quite a few customers did at first? If you have the latest version, the Windshield.dll itself should have a date modified of 02-June-2020.

Cheers,
Nick
Hmm now that is interesting. My windshield.dll has a date modified of 5/11/2020. I thought I installed the P3Dv5 version of the Cherokee, though. Maybe I should re-download and re-install.
Rhett

Mace
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

Ok, so i just did an uninstall/re-download from the a2a store/re-install of the P3Dv5 Cherokee.

After doing this, my windshield.dll modified date is still 5/11/2020 and I still get an instant crash in the Gray and Rainy scenario (within a second or two of the aircraft loading). Is there something about my shop account that has me on a slightly older version of windshield.dll? The updater also says my software is up-to-date.

Is the latest windshield.dll not in the v5 Cherokee download for me?
Rhett

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Nick - A2A
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Nick - A2A »

Hi Rhett,

My apologies - the later version of the Windshield.dll was released as a test for ASP3D compatibility and released with the 172 and Bonanza updates. If you wish to give it a try, you can download it from the link in this post. I doubt it will change the behaviour on your system though.

As a test, could you try running P3Dv5 at a lower resolution than your monitor's and see if the CTD still occurs?

Also, when you updated to HF2, did you do a clean reinstall of the sim or were any existing files retained? (e.g. the contents of "C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v5")

Thanks,
Nick
A2A Simulations Inc.

Mace
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

Nick - A2A wrote: 10 Jul 2020, 08:21 Hi Rhett,

My apologies - the later version of the Windshield.dll was released as a test for ASP3D compatibility and released with the 172 and Bonanza updates. If you wish to give it a try, you can download it from the link in this post. I doubt it will change the behaviour on your system though.
Thanks for pointing out that thread, I didn't know about it. I will download that windshield.dll and test. Unlike that thread, I specifically disabled ASP3D to rule that out. I get an instant crash with the Gray and Rainy scenario.
Nick - A2A wrote: 10 Jul 2020, 08:21 As a test, could you try running P3Dv5 at a lower resolution than your monitor's and see if the CTD still occurs?
I did try that - went down to 1920x1080 and it still insta-crashed.
Nick - A2A wrote: 10 Jul 2020, 08:21 Also, when you updated to HF2, did you do a clean reinstall of the sim or were any existing files retained? (e.g. the contents of "C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v5")
When I updated to HF2 I uninstalled each of the four v5 entries in "Add Remove Programs". Then installed HF2.

I'll try the above windshield.dll and see what happens! Thanks
Rhett

Mace
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

The new windshield.dll did change the behavior -- it no longer instantly crashes, it now takes a minute or two before a crash occurs.
Rhett

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Nick - A2A
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Nick - A2A »

Thanks for the update Rhett,

Would you be able to check if there's a gradual increase in RAM usage before the CTD occurs (e.g. using the task manager)?

Also, could you use the reliability monitor or event viewer to open a copy of the crash reports and post its contents here.

Cheers,
Nick
A2A Simulations Inc.

Mace
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

Sorry for my late response, I have been really busy with work.

I notice no memory usage spike. See the linked image of Task Manager|Memory tab at the time of the crash. Notice how memory drops as soon as the sim CTD's. By the way, the newer DLL seems to be "soft crashing" (CTD) rather than a hard crash (requiring reset button/power off to recover), so whatever you guys did there, you are moving in the right direction!

Here is the Task Manager mem tab image:

https://imgur.com/CL5sEmJ

And here are the 3 Event Viewer errors that occur when the CTD occurs:

https://imgur.com/CJe32MF

https://imgur.com/ivyaWpO

https://imgur.com/sSxlOgw

I hope those links are ok. I have never posted an image here so I assume this will work.

I came across some hopefully helpful info about this. I'm going to delete my Prepar3D.cfg and let P3D rebuild it from scratch. Then, I am going to delete the shader cache and let P3D rebuild. You never know...
Rhett

Mace
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

Nick - A2A wrote: 13 Jul 2020, 11:36 Thanks for the update Rhett,
Nick,

Hmm....I just deleted shaders and deleted Prepar3D.cfg, rebooted, then started P3D, loaded up the exact same scenario ("Gray and Rainy" weather profile, baby blue Cherokee) and flew the pattern around KRND....and....no crash! All was well!

I'm using the "newer" (C182) windshield.dll you sent me, but I can re-test with the old one (Cherokee) I suppose.

I will also test with my other add-ons loaded up (Chaseplane, ActiveSky, etc.) and with my preferred settings. I don't think anything nasty was in my Prepar3D.cfg as I generally know my way around the pumpkin patch, but you never know. I even go to the trouble of always saving my .cfg in the proper encoding. Deleting the shaders may have been it. I emphasize "may". I'll test with more add-ons and load and see how it goes.
Rhett

Mace
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

I may have narrowed this down to vsync.

vsync=on seems to cause an almost instant CTD

Vsync off, all is well.

That is using the "old" windshield.dll that ships with the current version of the Cherokee.

I'll activate the "new" windshield.dll that came with the ?C182? and see if vsync still does this.
Rhett

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FreeBird
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by FreeBird »

I use vsync on and haven't been able to use the rain effect without having a hard crash. I reported this a mouth ago. Is there a fix and a new DLL file that you can send me so I can get the rain effects back?

Mace
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Re: windshield.dll

Post by Mace »

FreeBird wrote: 23 Jul 2020, 21:55 I use vsync on and haven't been able to use the rain effect without having a hard crash. I reported this a mouth ago. Is there a fix and a new DLL file that you can send me so I can get the rain effects back?
Nick posted the windshield.dll that comes with the latest C182 (or one of those aircraft) earlier in this thread. I own the C182 also so I don't know if that makes any difference. Anyway, I just re-tested with the new windshield.dll and it makes no difference. Still a CTD with vsync on.

It is good to know that I am not alone with this issue. It does seem to be vsync on, causing a CTD or hard crash. What video card do you have?
Rhett

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