COUATL Update Followed by CTD Every Session

[downscc]

I'm not seeing any other similar posts so I accept it's my problem but I need to complain that ever since the in-session couatl update you set us in the past day or two has resulted in CTD events every session I've had in P3D.  Two of four are with couatl as faulting module and other two are just untraceable stackhash errors.

Thanks.

[virtuali]

Yes, of course nobody has reported it. You said it happened after the in-session update. This update DO NOT change your Couatl.exe!

Maybe, the reason it's opposite: you ONLY did the in-session update, and you skipped the previous OUT-of session update, which happened at the end of December, which was *mandatory* and required to download and install the FULL GSX installer:

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/couatl_liveupdate_notes.html

NEW REFUELING SYSTEM. Major Update!! The refueling system has been completely rewritten, with two new Fuel Truck models with a Trailer and animated crew, and a sytem that actual refill the airplane with realistic timings (can be accelerated) and multiple trips according to real world specifications.

IMPORTANT: This update requires downloading the latest GSX Full installer from the FSDT Website.

I guess there will be problems, if you skipped this one, and then applied further IN-session updates, which assume you started from the latest mandatory major update.

So, before trying anything else, download and install the current GSX Full installer.

[downscc]

You are always so adversarial.  Not all your customers are stupid so best not to assume we are until we reveal it then perhaps a little sympathy rather than bluster.

Of course I did the updates contained in the forum post.  In fact, I have posted several times during the interval with problems that I didn't create.

I have updated the stand alone manager and the GSX package from on line followed by the updates contained in the forum and all was working until the latest on line update.

Since the four CTDs, I have again updated the stand alone manager from a fresh download and then ran the couatl updater from within P3D which crashed something and caused add on manager and GSX menu items to dissappear.

I am preparing to start a new day of troubleshooting. I am starting with couatl.exe  v3.1.0.3577 10Jan17 and bglmanx.dll v3.1.0.0 10Jan17 per file properties.

Will advise.

[boozybaz]

No true a word spoken for I've had the same.
So what do you propose us infidels do about it?

Sent from my Hudl 2 using Tapatalk

[downscc]

I've taken the same steps I took the last three times that I've had CTD events following a hot update.  First I download the current standalone add in manager and run it, which resulted in a CTD within 30 min.  Second I ran the hot update from within P3D, which removed GSX and Add In Manager from the P3D menu.  Third, I shut the computer down and walked away.  Fourth and last (I hope) I started a new day with a fresh boot and now I'm about 4 hours into a session without a CTD event.  I am holding my breath and saving the session in progress every 30 min.

The AppCrashView of the past CTD events clearly identify couatl:

Code: [Select]

couatl.exe     Stopped working 1/10/2017 9:11:00 PM All Users 0xc0000005 StackHash_2264 0.0.0.0 C:\P3D\P3Dv3\fsdreamteam\couatl\couatl.exe 10,032 C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_couatl.exe
Prepar3D.exe Stopped working 1/10/2017 7:28:11 PM All Users 0xc0000374 StackHash_ae77 10.0.14393.479 C:\P3D\P3Dv3\Prepar3D.exe 35,832 C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_Prepar3D.exe
Prepar3D.exe Stopped working 1/10/2017 5:52:32 PM All Users 0xc0000374 StackHash_ae77 10.0.14393.479 C:\P3D\P3Dv3\Prepar3D.exe 35,430 C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_Prepar3D.exe
Prepar3D.exe Stopped working 1/10/2017 1:30:09 PM All Users 0xc0000374 StackHash_ae77 10.0.14393.479 C:\P3D\P3Dv3\Prepar3D.exe 35,834 C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_Prepar3D.exe
couatl.exe     Stopped working 1/10/2017 12:06:38 PM All Users 0xc0000029     0x0009d4a0 ntdll.dll 10.0.14393.479 C:\P3D\P3Dv3\fsdreamteam\couatl\couatl.exe 10,042 C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_couatl.exe
couatl.exe     Stopped working 1/10/2017 12:06:37 PM All Users 0xc0000005 StackHash_dcb7 0.0.0.0 C:\P3D\P3Dv3\fsdreamteam\couatl\couatl.exe 10,076 C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_couatl.exe


As noted, I was up to date on the December updates and patches and lastly had downloaded and installed the most current GSX as of early Jan.

I estimate that of the past 5 hot updates I've had the exact same problem with 3 or 4, but I haven't kept track so I'm not sure about the number.

[virtuali]

I've taken the same steps I took the last three times that I've had CTD events following a hot update.  First I download the current standalone add in manager and run it, which resulted in a CTD within 30 min.  Second I ran the hot update from within P3D, which removed GSX and Add In Manager from the P3D menu. 

The first steps were entirely unnecessary. When you download the Full installer, you get:

- The Full set of GSX files.

- The latest Addon Manager

- The latest set of files from the Live Update.

So, after you download and install a Full installer, you are FULLY UPDATED to the minute. Not that it would make any difference if you DO the other unnecessary steps, but that's just to save you in future for doing something entirely redundant, after you install the Full installer.

Fourth and last (I hope) I started a new day with a fresh boot and now I'm about 4 hours into a session without a CTD event.  I am holding my breath and saving the session in progress every 30 min.

That seems to indicate in your previous session, the PC memory might have been heavily fragmented, so the OS couldn't find a large-enough continuous chunk of free memory to give to the sim, so it crashed and MADE Couatl.exe to crash with it.

Fact it's has been working for 4 hours after a Windows restart, seems to indicate this might be the likely explanation.

The AppCrashView of the past CTD events clearly identify couatl:

I don't doubt it crashed. The issue is, having crashed, doesn't mean being the CAUSE of the crash. Couatl.exe is CALLED by the sim and it needs to be in constant communication with it. It requires the sim to send it a message to close on exit, in order to do the required clean up of resources every application needs.

Unfortunately, in some case the sim crashes without being able to send this message (we still haven't identified when, because in *other* cases we get notifications even when P3D is crashing), so without being able to clean up, you'll see a Couatl.exe crash reported, with Couat being a victim of it, not the cause.

[downscc]

I agree with all you say. However, I had not had a CTD event since 11/18/2016 and it was also related to couatl.exe. Correlation is not causation but it is a powerful correlation.

Two sessions since I last posted have been normal.  On a typical day, I have P3D active for 8-14 hrs/day everyday. I'm retired and this is what I do, I'll continue to report problems and maybe we'll stumble on something that is beneficial.

[virtuali]

I agree with all you say. However, I had not had a CTD event since 11/18/2016 and it was also related to couatl.exe. Correlation is not causation but it is a powerful correlation.

That's a couple of days after LM released the first P3D Hotfix:

http://prepar3d.com/news/2016/11/113769/

THIS specific line from the release notes was particularly critical to GSX:

Correcting issue with SimConnect global exceptions. Respecting client IDs for SimConnect exceptions.

Before that fix, we got exceptions reports caused by OTHER 3rd party modules, leaking into OUR OWN client (Couatl.exe) which, obviously, couldn't make up what to do with them, since they were caused by other modules, so we couldn't even issue a meaningful diagnostic, and if there were too many of them, they could cause a crash.

On a typical day, I have P3D active for 8-14 hrs/day everyday.

On such complex system, a demanding simulator with dozen of addons, being able to run it for so much time, as a 32 bit app under a 64 bit OS, it's already some accomplishment in itself.

There is a reason why, years ago, long before GSX ever existed, FSUIPC added an auto-save feature to save a flight every xxx minutes, because it's very well known it's very difficult to be able to run it for hours with no crashes. If you want to do long flight, that feature is your friend...