Spit I/II package in P3Dv4.5.13 Breaks Simconnect.

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Ian P
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Spit I/II package in P3Dv4.5.13 Breaks Simconnect.

Post by Ian P »

Hello folks.

I've snit a major hag with P3Dv4.5 and the Accu-Sim fleet. Put simply, since earlier this week, all my Accu-Sim aircraft have stopped working. So I tried non-default aircraft from other developers and they didn't work any more, either - some in very interesting ways.

I tried all the usual stuff, uninstalled and/or deleted all the add-ons (some had lodged themselves in the P3D install instead of the Addons folder), reinstalled just the aircraft I was trying to use at the time - the Accu-Sim P-51D military - and it still didn't work with some problems as detailed in a problem thread in the P-51D support forum; Maintenance Hangar didn't work, controls didn't work, the aircraft slowly rolled through the runway and exploded. The T-6 and Spitfire loaded properly without crashing when I installed them on their own, but they wouldn't start and the hangar thought the engine was running, so wouldn't open. Clicking on the screen didn't bypass the red bar, as would usually work.

Presuming it was a Simconnect issue, I uninstalled every version of Simconnect and tried to reinstall them. Same thing happened. So I decided to reinstall P3Dv4 and, finding version .13 available and I hadn't installed it, I did so. I then reinstalled the P-51D and it worked, including installing the FSX/Accel version of Simconnect. I Installed the Spitfire and everything stopped working. Uninstalled both, uninstalled Simconnect for FSX/Accel. I then tried the following little cycle, repeating it several times with exactly the same result every time.

[start]
Install the P-51D for P3D. Works fine.
Install the T-6 for P-3D. Works fine.

Install the Spitfire I/II. Kills everything that uses Simconnect.

Uninstall the Spitfire. Everything still dead.

Uninstall Simconnect for FSX/Accel.
Restart PC.
Reinstall Simconnect for FSX/Accel.

Everything still dead.

Uninstall T-6 and P-51D.
Goto [start]

It is specifically the Spitfire that causes the problem, every time I install it, regardless of what order I install the warbirds in (I haven't tried any of the other P3D packs, simply because installing and uninstalling repeatedly is a bleeping nuisance!)

Any suggestions?

All the best,

Ian P.

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Lewis - A2A
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Re: Spit I/II package in P3Dv4.5.13 Breaks Simconnect.

Post by Lewis - A2A »

Hello Ian,

since no one else has reported this and we haven't experienced it internally or beta wise it'll be something on your system we need to track down.

So first things first, This is the Spitfire P3Dv4 version right and not FSX port across?

Also is the PC connected to the internet when installing so is the Spitfire updating correctly at point of install as the P3Dv4 will update at this time. Should be up too v19.10.20.0

thanks,
Lewis
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Ian P
Senior Master Sergeant
Posts: 1746
Joined: 25 Mar 2006, 09:22
Location: Somewhere in the Middle, UK.
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Re: Spit I/II package in P3Dv4.5.13 Breaks Simconnect.

Post by Ian P »

Hi Lewis,

Go through it as step by step as I can... This is a bit of a stream of consciousness, sorry, as I'm busy fault finding myself.

- The installer is "Spitfire P3Dv4 Academic.exe", version 18.4.30.0, dated 28/05/2018 12:36.
- The installation is direct, not copied, and the installation path is to "C:\...\documents\Prepar3D v4 Add-ons\A2A"
- P3Dv4 is not running at the time of installation.
- When installed "first", the Spitfire is installing Simconnect v10.0.61259.0 - the FSX/Accel version.
- Following installation, updates are being installed. The last is version 19.10.20.0.

Earlier this evening, as I mentioned during our chat earlier, I did get an error message, not on the Spitfire, but on the P-51D, that a file was locked and could not be altered, while trying to run the 18.4.28.0 update. I put the error down to MS Onedrive trying to backup other folders in the Documents folder, but when I tried to delete the file that could not be overwritten - ...\A2A\Gauges\accusim_xml\code_s.xml - a good two hours later and when Onedrive had done all its messing around, the file was still locked and couldn't be deleted.

I uninstalled the P-51D, restarted the PC, reinstalled the P-51D and got exactly the same error message; this is now installing the P-51D 3rd, after the P-40 and T-6, just to change things around a little. I uninstalled the P-51D again, plus the P-40 and T-6, intending to try them in a different order. The file was uninstalled along with... one of the three?

I'm still suspicious of Onedrive's potential involvement in this, following the earlier glitch (and not just because of #BlameMicrosoft...) so have confirmed that Onedrive is NOT trying to back up the P3D Addons folder, but I've also temporarily cancelled the Onedrive backup... It's not like I'm doing any Blender modelling while I try and fix this!

Unfortunately it's now 1am, so I need to hit the sack. Will try things again in the morning, keeping an eye on that file.

I do like a good mystery... Just not this one, right now!

Cheers,

Ian P.

Ian P
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Location: Somewhere in the Middle, UK.
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Re: Spit I/II package in P3Dv4.5.13 Breaks Simconnect.

Post by Ian P »

The good news is... I fixed it.

The bad news is... I don't have a clue how.

First thing this morning, CCleaner piped up that it really, really, wanted me to run it. Primarily, I think, because of the sheer number of installs and uninstalls I've done this week. So I let it run, including cleaning up the registry, including loads of references to A2A that appeared to be all of the "recent files" entries from moving things around.

As a result, I neglected to re-disable Onedrive's backup and only remembered half way through installing the Spitfire. However, the installation worked fine. I messed around over North Weald in the Spitfire for a while, nosed over on the ground once and got myself into an irrecoverable spin once, so thoroughly broke the poor thing in a different way, but that's kind of irrelevant.

Just as a test, I re-uninstalled the Spitfire, even though it was working, and told Onedrive to do a full backup. I then installed the Spitfire, the Texan, the P-40 and Mustang in that order, started Prepar3D and they all worked fine. Two hours later, when Onedrive finished confirming that it didn't actually >need< to have done any of that and announced "0 files modified", I added all the GA aircraft.

They all work. I've not flown any of them for very long, but have successfully loaded, opened the maintenance hangar, started and buzzed around briefly in all of them.

So was it the CCleaner run that removed something that was being awkward, or did turning the Onedrive backup off, then letting it re-enable itself after a night's rest, remove a lock that was blocking changes?

Net result, happy, but rather baffled! Or, rather, very baffled.

Cheers,

Ian P.

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bladerunner900
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Re: Spit I/II package in P3Dv4.5.13 Breaks Simconnect.

Post by bladerunner900 »

Hi Ian.

I have had some bad experiences with CCleaner. Always after doing a registry clean. Some programs insist on re-registering on-line while others will just not start and have to be re-installed or repaired. So I no longer trust it and scrutinise every registry entry it wants to delete IF, I even bother with a registry clean.

Steve.

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