P3D v3 hangs with a new Addon manager **SOLVED**

[Hodge001]

Hi

Since the installation of the KDEN update and the problems with the corrupted download of the standalone manager, I cannot get P3D v3 to start unless I remove the exe.xml and dll. xml entries for coutal and the addon manager, I have even uninstalled all my Flightbeam and FSDreamTeam scenery packages and reinstalled them with downloads from late November in case they had become corrupted after the KDEN update, but it is still the same in that with the coutal and addon manager entries P3D v3 just hangs at the first start-up screen and without those entries it starts as usual, but obviously without the Flightbeam and FSDreamTeam sceneries working, I have downloaded the standalone addon manager at various times since the KDEN update without any change to the sim hanging with the dll.xml and exe.xml entries present.

I have never had any previous issues with these scenery packages or the stand alone addon manager so if there is anything else you can suggest I do then I am open to any ideas.

Thank you in advance for any and all help you can give with the above.

Jim Hodkinson

EDIT
Just a quick update regarding the above, I thought I would try a new download of the addon manager using the link on the facebook page and then run it with my system in safe mode with network and limited services, all went well until the installer hung at the “Copying Local Couatl Updater Executable” at that point I had to quit the addon managers installation using the Task Manager.

I don’t know if this helps but I thought I would add it just in case.

[Bruce Hamilton]

Try uninstalling KDEN and saying YES to removing the addon manager and couatl, then reinstall KDEN.

[Hodge001]

As mentioned in the above “I have even uninstalled all my Flightbeam and FSDreamTeam scenery packages and reinstalled them” uninstalling includes the addon manager and couatl.

Jim Hodkinson

[virtuali]

Just a quick update regarding the above, I thought I would try a new download of the addon manager using the link on the facebook page and then run it with my system in safe mode with network and limited services, all went well until the installer hung at the “Copying Local Couatl Updater Executable” at that point I had to quit the addon managers installation using the Task Manager.

Only an defective antivirus could cause this.

- DO NOT install in Safe Mode and be sure the networks is working

- DISABLE any antivirus, anti-spyware AND firewall in your system BEFORE installing.

- Properly configure the antivirus before running, to exclude the whole P3D folder from scanning BEFORE trying to launch if for the first time after the installation. Your sim will run faster and your bugged antivirus will not stop you from running legit addons that are surely no threats...

[Hodge001]

Hi

With my “buggy” anti-virus disabled and set to allow the addon manager, couatl and even the couatl updater to run, along with the same setting in the windows firewall, which is disabled by the anti-virus anyway, I then installed a new download of GSX and a new download of the stand-alone addon manager after which I tried to start P3D, which as on previous occasions since the KDEN update disaster hung, I then went into the dll.xml file to see if as before that without the addon manager and couatl entries P3D would start only to find that the dll.xml file had been hosed by either the installation of GSX or the addon manager installation, I am all for product loyalty but to insist that a system that had quite happily allowed multiple installations and use of FSDT and Flightbeam products had somehow chosen the exact instance of the KDEN update disaster to decide not to allow these products to function is a bit of a stretch to say the least.

In the interest of keeping my stable installation of P3D functioning , and my “buggy” anti-virus enabled I think my best course of action is to remove all 14 FSDT and the 4 Flightbeam products I own and maybe try again at some later date, as having to crash out P3D so many times along with disabling my systems protection is not something I like having to do.

Have a happy Christmas.

Jim Hodkinson

[virtuali]

In the interest of keeping my stable installation of P3D functioning , and my “buggy” anti-virus enabled I think my best course of action is to remove all 14 FSDT and the 4 Flightbeam products I own and maybe try again at some later date, as having to crash out P3D so many times along with disabling my systems protection is not something I like having to do.

That's obviously the worse and wrong course of action, especially considering that, if you made a cursory check of ALL users that reported a problem with P3D 3.1 in the last days, ALL OF THEM have them fixed by doing what has been suggested:

- Download and install the current Stand-Alone Addon Manager

NONE of the user reported a problem or a crash after doing this. Check the forum. Every single user that reported a problem, came here to confirm it WAS fixed.

So, if I were you, I would instead worry WHY your DEFECTIVE AND BUGGED antivirus is BLOCKING the installation of the latest files. I'm obviously saying this based on your own report:

all went well until the installer hung at the “Copying Local Couatl Updater Executable”

IF this is really what's happening, I can only repeat and confirm that:

Only an defective antivirus could cause this.

[Hodge001]

When in safe mode none, repeat none, of the anti-virus is enabled, I have no anti-spyware and windows firewall is disabled, I would add that all this started with a corrupt
download and my system which has never been altered in any way was handling your products perfectly well, in fact I reinstalled GSX only a week or so ago your records
would be more accurate but a couple of weeks is close, my best wishes to all those others who suffered the same corrupt download but recovered from it, but repeated
crashing out of any program is never a good idea and can lead to issues.

As for the report of the installation hanging when in safe mode you even said that it should never be done so I do not think that holds up as proof of a buggy system, you
will of course see it otherwise, but I repeat this system handled your products perfectly well and now will not, the only thing that happened to my system in the intervening
period between the installation of GSX a couple of weeks ago and now was the corrupt download during the KDEN update.

As this is only going around in circles please don’t reply as I uninstalled all the scenery products your company produces, I may try again at some future date if and when I have
more confidence in them.

And all done without resorting to the use of capitals.

[virtuali]

When in safe mode none, repeat none, of the anti-virus is enabled, I have no anti-spyware and windows firewall is disabled

According to your own report, you weren't in Safe-mode. You were in the "Safe mode with networking", which is usually what is suggested by antivirus vendors to updated the antivirus itself, when there's a suspect of an infection so, this means the antivirus is obviously running.

And, here's an example of a fake antivirus, which hijack the system in Safe mode, because users "trust" Safe mode ( the only "safe" safe mode, is the one with only a command prompt, because it doesn't load Explorer)

http://www.webroot.com/blog/2013/07/17/new-rogue-antivirus-system-locks-you-out-of-safe-mode/

I would add that all this started with a corrupt  download and my system which has never been altered in any way

We DID had some issues with some users getting the wrong version of the download for some reason but, as I've said, this has been fixed.

However, this should only caused random crashes IN THE SIM. And this is 100% fixed by reinstalling the Addon Manager, which would surely get the fixed file, after we fixed this and refreshed all servers with the newest files.

Your problem was different. Regardless if the sim crashed, which is not relevant and IT HAS been fixed, you reported another problem, which was the INSTALLER crashing while copying the Couatl executable.

Which is why, I told you, and I can only repeat and confirm it now, THIS specific problem of yours, was entirely different, and it was very likely caused by the antivirus (unless you are having an hardware failure, but there's no reason something like a bad hard drive sector would *always* stop Couatl.exe from being copied) because:

- Couatl.exe never had anything to do with the sim crashes others were having. Couatl cannot crash the sim. The corrupted download (which has been fixed by several days by now), was getting the wrong version of BGLMANX.DLL, which (being a .DLL) is the one that CAN crash the sim.

- Nobody reported a problem happening while *installing* the sim. Fact it's Couatl.exe being blocked while installing, and not any of the other hundreds of files the are being installed too, is entirely compatible with an antivirus behavior pattern, which monitor executables.

my best wishes to all those others who suffered the same corrupt download but recovered from it, but repeated  crashing out of any program is never a good idea and can lead to issues.

As I've said, everybody (100%) of those that reported a crash, fixed it simply by following the instructions.

Your issues doesn't have much to do with this. Your issue is that something in your system IS blocking an executable from being copied by a normal installer that doesn't do anything else than just...copying files.

As for the report of the installation hanging when in safe mode you even said that it should never be done so I do not think that holds up as proof of a buggy system, you will of course see it otherwise

I never said you have a buggy system. But you must have a bugged software somewhere.

the only thing that happened to my system in the intervening period between the installation of GSX a couple of weeks ago and now was the corrupt download during the KDEN update.

How can be sure that "nothing" has changed in your system between now and then ? How can be so sure that, an antivirus UPDATE that has been automatically applied, has now mistakenly blacklisted some of our files ?

How else you explain the blocking of the file from copying ? The installer itself cannot be downloaded in a "corrupted" state, because it has self-integrity checks, so it won't even *start* if you got bad download of the installer itself.

As this is only going around in circles please don’t reply as I uninstalled all the scenery products your company produces, I may try again at some future date if and when I have  more confidence in them.

I will always reply, because it's not doing any service to anyone, if you continue to mistakenly assume the problem is "fixed" by uninstalling our software, because it isn't.

I repeat and confirm the problem is fixed by simply reinstalling all products now, because they all download the same files, which is 100% sure are now entirely correct on all our servers.

Would you like to have me showing it to you, live, on your own system, using a Teamviewer connection ? I'll let you install all software, we'll witness it will work flawlessly, and everything will be good.

Or, you will have a chance to prove me wrong. You don't have anything to lose...

I'm awaiting for a PM or an email to arrange a remote session.

[Hodge001]

The safe made I was using it defined in the windows start-up / boot routine when using the msconfig command line, which disables all the anti-virus that is either a second party install or winds defender, I even checked the task managers running processes for any signs of it, and included the networking as the installer needed it to download, if you know of another safe mode than Microsoft’s own then I am all ears.
Your it has been fixed does that include deletion of all the entries of my DLL.xml file leaving only the add-on manager in it without any warnings or confirmation of undertaking that action.
I never said that couatl or any particular FSDT program was crashing the sim I said that with the add-on manager entry in the DLL.xml file P3D would hang on start-up, it is even the title of my post, and that I would have to crash the sim to exit it and that the only way to start P3D was to remove the entry from my DLL.xml file.

As for being sure that nothing has changed, with the exception of your installer wiping out the DLL.xml file that is, I am about as sure as you were when you released the original download that started all this was OK and that everything was someone else’s fault until you had a teamview session and had to admit that there was an issue in the first place, as in this reply.

I had the first Teamviewer session with an affected user right now, and witnessed the crash. I reinstalled the Stand-Alone Addon Manager, and it was fixed. I cannot explain it, other than he must have a bad download somehow.

With that I will let this drop as it is getting nowhere and will leave all my FSDT and Flightbeam products uninstalled as I have zero confidence in them, you are of course free to make any statements or conclusions you care to regarding these posts as I have really lost all interest in continuing this discussion with the “I can do no wrong” attitude of someone whose product caused the mayhem in the first instance.

[virtuali]

With that I will let this drop as it is getting nowhere and will leave all my FSDT and Flightbeam products uninstalled as I have zero confidence in them, you are of course free to make any statements or conclusions you care to regarding these posts as

As I've said in my previous message:

Would you like to have me showing it to you, live, on your own system, using a Teamviewer connection ?

I'll let you install all software, and we'll both witness it will work flawlessly, and everything will be good. Or, you will have a chance to prove me wrong. You don't have anything to lose...

I'm awaiting for a PM or an email to arrange a remote session.

I have really lost all interest in continuing this discussion with the “I can do no wrong” attitude of someone whose product caused the mayhem in the first instance.

The only one that has displayed a  “I can do no wrong” attitude, it's you. Otherwise you would have accepted my offer for a remote assistance Teamviewer session, which you haven't, but you took the time to repeat your stance.

[Hodge001]

As a last message on the subject, I had a system that was for years perfectly happy with FSDT,Flifghtbeam and QualityWings products and
these products installed on multiple occasion up to and including just before the KDEN disaster without issue, not dab for a “buggy” system,
since that time I have had a system that hangs with the Dll.xml and EXE.xml additions included and the Dll.xml file even had its contents
deleted without warning after using the latest stand along manager after fresh install of GSX which I had checked the entries in prior to
running the add-on manager, so unless the GSX installer had hose the files then the add-on manager did not like what the GSX installer had done,
either way I have a system that works and I am not about to try anything that your company produces even for a test, you will of course see this
as final proof that I am solely blame for all the problems and that once again FSDT is victorious, and if that keeps you happy then please
continue to think that.

[virtuali]

I have a system that works

According to your own report, which I obviously fully believe, your system crashed when the installer tried to copy Couatl.exe and this, of course, while NOT an indication of a "buggy system" ( why you keep using this term, as if I ever used it, when I clearly said it's a BUGGY ANTIVIRUS issue ? ), it's a clear indication of a problem caused by other software, which should be fairly easy to diagnose, should you ever allow me to HELP YOU.

Have you ever seen even a SINGLE report of the installer crashing while copying Couatl.exe ? You keep repeating the issue of the KDEN "bad download", but that's NOT your issue. This has been long fixed.

Your issue is the installer crashing! Again, I believe your own report and I'm taking it face value.

and I am not about to try anything that your company produces even for a test, you will of course see this
as final proof that I am solely blame for all the problems and that once again FSDT is victorious

It's not just me. Everybody which will read this thread in the future, will see my repeated offers for help, and all your refusals. If the countless reports of everybody which confirmed all his issues are gone after installing the latest Stand-Alone Addon Manager weren't proof enough...

So, what the facts are telling us is that:

1) ALL users that ever posted a problem with the sim hanging due to a bad download of the Addon Manager, confirmed it has been fixed by applying the suggested solution: download and install the Stand-Alone Addon Manager.

2) There's just ONE user that has reported a problem installing the Addon Manager: YOU and, for some reason, has refused to accept any help, for some personal reason or trying to prove some kind of point.

I'm locking this topic, since you said yourself you are not interested in posting it again (you said it several times...), but of course, my remote assistance offer is still valid, so you can contact me in private any time you want.