MSVCR80.DLL was missing, but I copied a copy into the the System32 folder from the WinSxS folder. That didn't solve the issue
That won't work. The SxS system is very complex, and requires additional files (policy files, xml file, etc. ) AND registry keys to be set, which is usually done by the MS runtime installers. However, they are not able to fix all of these issues automatically, and sometimes a Windows reinstall it's easier than just trying to fix SxS.
Microsoft, of course, realized they created a very complex and fragile system so, starting with Visual C++ 2012, they got rid of the WinSxS system, and simply had the runtime DLL ( MSVCR120.DLL ) just placed in the System folder, and that's it.
Unfortunately, the FSX Simconnect SP2 is stuck with the VC++ 2005 runtimes, which are also needed and used by FSX itself, so any problem with these will affect every FSX addon that use Simconnect, even if the Addon *itself* (not counting its calls to Simconnect) is compiled to require the VC++ 2012/2013 runtimes. Our modules all use the VC++ 2013 runtimes now, but when we call Simconnect, the dependency from the 2005 version is still there, with all the complications related to SxS attached.
however, I suspect the problems are a bit wider now as I noticed that following the interventions to fix the bglmanx.dll issue, my PMDG aircraft no longer load as they should (so this is a more widespead VC++ runtime and/or Simconnect issue)
Yes, PMDG requires the same Simconnect as we do ( FSX SP2 version ), so any problem with it, would affect equally all 3rd party addon modules that requires it.
I am very puzzled as all of these items have been reinstalled... At this point I am wondering if rebooting windows into repair mode might help fix the issue, given that previous users have reported success with re-installing Windows.
I'm not sure if a Windows repair would restore the 2005 runtimes: it depends if they are considered core OS components or not. Before doing that, I'll try the following:
- If you have FSX installed, try to repair FSX. More specifically start the SP2 (or the Acceleration Pack) installer, and choose the Repair option.
- Try to reinstall other MS runtimes that might fix your VC++ 2005 runtimes, like the .NET runtimes, for example.