Strange scenery entries on installing GSX

[greycap]

I been a happy user of GSX for quite a while but have recently migrated from FSX to P3D (V 4.4) on a new computer.

Since starting on P3D I've had bad trouble with apphangB1 crashes.  Some have occurred at the start of taxi, a few en-route and some on approach. I have followed Lockheed Martins advice and removed all my add-ons (including GSX) and replaced them one by one, several times!!. 

Over the past week, I have completed 3 flights without problems, which counts as a success but this was done without GSX installed..

However, I have just re-installed GSX and as happens every time, Lorby Add-on Organiser shows strange scenery entries.  The  Scenery tab shows that GSX is duplicated and the Other Addon tab shows a missing sound folder, twice.  I hope the 2 attached screen grabs show the situation.

I have no evidence to say definitely that GSX is causing the problem, but no other addon shows these types or error.  Can you advise please?

[greycap]

Second attachment......

[fruitycocktail]

I've also have this issue. I'd also like to know where it should go in the order of scenery

[greycap]

Looking forward to your advice on this but one thing that did strike me is that I'm running P3D and its main add-ons from 2 RAID striped SSD's.  Can't imagine that's anything to do with it....

Also, I should say that P3D doesn't show errors, only Lorby Add-On Manager.

[greycap]

OK further update.  Having re-installed GSX after 4 successful flights, with the attached error showing in Lorby Add-On Manager, and having made no other changes, I have immediately suffered an apphangB1 failure whilst in the boarding phase at UK2000's Gatwick.

I'm going to remove GSX and repeat the flight exactly.  I will report back.



[greycap]

Here is the crash report if it helps

[virtuali]

The report about the missing sound folder is not a problem, if no addon is calling any sounds that were supposed to be there. You'll find something in those folders only if you install some FSDT sceneries ( Zurich and KMEM ), but since the Lorby Add-On Manager cannot possibly know that, it reports the missing folder, but you can safely ignore it, and it won't cause any problems to the sim.

The duplicated areas might be a problem in fact, but I suspect they might have been created by the Lorby Add-On Manager, since by default, we both put the add-on.xml in the Documents folder in order to allow FUTURE auto-discoveries when reinstalling the sim AND removing the preference, but we ALSO activate the products in the %PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3d v4\ADD-ONS.CFG file on the normal installation.

This method is entirely legit and works in the sim, but the Lorby Add-On Manager doesn't support it, and the author of the program contacted me telling that he would have to code an update to recognize it, so it's possible the duplicate areas were created by it.

Check the following files:

%PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3d v4\ADD-ONS.CFG
%APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3d v4\ADD-ONS.CFG

Our installer will normally place the Addon Manager entry in the ADD-ONS.CFG file under %PROGRAMDATA% and normally, even if you uninstall\reinstall P3D, that file will not be removed, unless you do it manually. This means, the sim will NOT ask if you want to reactivate GSX, since it's already there.

HOWEVER, if you see another entry in the ADD-ONS.CFG file under %PROGRAMDATA%, either of these might happened:

1) the Lorby Add-On Manager has place it there, without removing it from the one under %PROGRAMDATA%, possibly because that file might ended up as read-only, or you don't have enough permission to write to it.

OR

2) you tried a "clean" reinstall, meaning that in addition to uninstall/reinstall the sim you *also* removed the preferences, by removing the %APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3d v4 folder, but you FORGOT to remove the %PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3d v4 as well, so you caused a duplicate entry. If you want to do a clean reinstall, you must remove *BOTH* folders.

[greycap]

Thanks for the information.  I'm in the process of yet another re-install because once I get the problem, it doesn't go away, but I will check the various files and folders you list.

[greycap]

I don't care what you say, after 3 flawless flights this week, I re-install GSX one more time and immediately get an apphang!  I'm finished with it.

[rcoultas62]

1) the Lorby Add-On Manager has place it there, without removing it from the one under %PROGRAMDATA%, possibly because that file might ended up as read-only, or you don't have enough permission to write to it.

OR

2) you tried a "clean" reinstall, meaning that in addition to uninstall/reinstall the sim you *also* removed the preferences, by removing the %APPDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3d v4 folder, but you FORGOT to remove the %PROGRAMDATA%\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3d v4 as well, so you caused a duplicate entry. If you want to do a clean reinstall, you must remove *BOTH* folders.

So I have these duplicate entries as well, but I used Lorby to delete/fix the duplicate.  Was this wrong? Everything in the sim appears to be running okay.  I'm hoping nothing crops up in the future. 

[greycap]

I do have a complicated disk set up.

It looks awfully like s missing or corrupted file though.

[virtuali]

My reply only covered your questions about IF these supposed errors from the Lorby Addon Organizer were really errors or not, and I replied and you can be sure that running only our installers surely will not result in a double Exclude scenery area.

Now, whether or nor a double Exclude area might cause a simulator hangs, I'm not sure. It might well be, and it's best if you remove it, since it's surely not normal.

But I understand that, assuming a double Exclude area can cause a simulator crash ( there's no evidence of that, in either direction ), you can be easily mislead thinking "it's caused by GSX", since the Exclude area is surely created by GSX.

Not a DOUBLE Exclude area, of course...

So no, under normal circumstances, just installing GSX will surely not result in random crashes.

[greycap]

I'm not sure the duplicate entries are the problem or at least the whole of the problem.  

Like the other poster here, I have in the past deleted the double entries and GSX appears at first sight to work perfectly after doing that.  P3D still crashes however.  In the last incident I hadn't even started taxi-ing.

Nevertheless, having followed LM's advice, I have repeatedly removed all add-ons, re-installed P3D and then put add-ons back one by one.  It seems clear to me that when I have GSX installed, I get ApphangbB1 crashes, when GSX isn't installed, I don't.  What's more, when I remove GSX, the problem doesn't go away, I have to repeat the whole process.

According to what I've read, ApphangB1 crashes are usually caused because P3D either can't find a file (e.g. a texture) or it finds a file but it's corrupted.  That suggests to me that either:

• GSX is omitting some files in the process of replacing P3D defaults and not putting them back when it's uninstalled or
  
  It's putting files on the Windows boot drive (C:, an SSD) when P3D and GEX are on my E: (twin RAID striped SSD's).  Windows now seems to some funny things with putting drives to sleep and I wonder if P3D or GSX is trying to use C: when Windows has told it to nod off.

[virtuali]

According to what I've read, ApphangB1 crashes are usually caused because P3D either can't find a file (e.g. a texture) or it finds a file but it's corrupted.  

If you activate the content error report in P3D, it will make a log telling you if a file is missing. Doing this, you can have proof GSX can find all files since, under a normal installation, no content errors are generated by GSX.

Of course, if some GSX files has been corrupted *after* the installation, possibly because an hardware fault or a software bug (RAID drivers in your case, for example), I can see why you can easily mislead the problem is "caused" by GSX, when it's not.

GSX is omitting some files in the process of replacing P3D defaults and not putting them back when it's uninstalled or

GSX is not omitting anything. The only two files it touches, are the two default .BGL which contains the default jetway models and the default two truck model, which are backup when installing it and restored when uninstalling it.

It's putting files on the Windows boot drive (C:, an SSD) when P3D and GEX are on my E: (twin RAID striped SSD's).

GSX *correctly* put several files in your Windows user account folder ( %APPDATA% ), and under the program shared folder ( %PROGRAMDATA% ) which is of course the best practice for any proper Windows app out there, and it surely shouldn't cause any problems with any hardware configuration of that drive. Assuming, of course, your hardware configuration is working properly, and there are no issues with the software drivers that handles the RAID config, which would cause anything putting files on C: to work unreliability.

 Windows now seems to some funny things with putting drives to sleep and I wonder if P3D or GSX is trying to use C: when Windows has told it to nod off.

Same as above, even if you installed the sim in E:, it will still put A LOT of its own data on C: as well. But if you suspect putting files on C: is causing issues like that, I suggest to fix them first, before losing your time trying to find faults in the apps themselves.

[greycap]

I've also done 2 complete re-installs of Windows!

I will turn the error reporting on.