GSX stopped working, installation freezes

[petz_e]

GSX was working flawlessly up until a few weeks when Couatl wasn't starting automatically and I needed to start it manually every time. Recently GSX stopped working altogether. After activating a service in the in-game window, say jetways or boarding, the said service would start, but opening the in-game window again would not be possible anymore. I need to click the toolbar icon twice in order to make the window appear again. Hiding the window or clicking something restarts the process again, which is very frustrating.

I now deinstalled gsx completely and also removed the installer from the control panel. I even removed the Addon folder. I downloaded the latest FSDT Installer and run it. However the installer takes forever to install. I let it run for about an hour and it looks like it hangs at "EXTRACTING Operators Thumbnails .ZIP archive in C:\Program Files (x86)\Addon Manager\texture\thumbnails".

What should I do?

EDIT: Even clicking Cancel and then confirming with Yes doesn't do anything. What a mess!

[virtuali]

I need to click the toolbar icon twice in order to make the window appear again

If you had to click twice, it's because you were using it incorrectly, closing it with the toolbar instead of using the hotkey or the x icon, which just hides the menu, which is how it's supposed to be when GSX is in use.

Quoting from Page 86 of the manual, where the usage of the menu is explained:

This is now your normal workflow should be:

• Open the GSX menu from the Toolbar icon when first starting Ground services.
• Don’t close it from the Toolbar while Ground services are performed, always use the Hot-key or the X icon to close the menu.
• Close the menu using the Toolbar icon when you are done with Ground services, usually before take-off.

it. However the installer takes forever to install. I let it run for about an hour and it looks like it hangs at "EXTRACTING Operators Thumbnails .ZIP archive in C:\Program Files (x86)\Addon Manager\texture\thumbnails".

How much free space you have on the C:\ drive ? Even if you install FSDT into a different drive, you still need about 15-20GB of free space on the C: drive during the installation ( the space will be reclaimed after installing )

If you have plenty of space, that might be caused by antivirus interference so, be sure the whole "Addon manager" folder where you installed FSDT into, is added to the antivirus EXCLUSIONS.

If still doesn't work, perhaps you got a bad download so, removing this folder:

%APPDATA%\Virtuali\PackageCache

Will trigger a new download.

[petz_e]

If you had to click twice, it's because you were using it incorrectly, closing it with the toolbar instead of using the hotkey or the x icon, which just hides the menu, which is how it's supposed to be when GSX is in use.

No, that's not it. As I said, I just clicked inside the window and after the window disappeared automatically (as it should do), I can't make it appear anymore. I tried mapping different shortcuts but that didn't help.

How much free space you have on the C:\ drive ? Even if you install FSDT into a different drive, you still need about 15-20GB of free space on the C: drive during the installation ( the space will be reclaimed after installing )

I have about 1.25 TB out of 2 TB free. But just to make sure I will try a different drive.

[virtuali]

As I said, I just clicked inside the window and after the window disappeared automatically (as it should do)

With "clicked inside the window", you mean you clicked on one of the number options 1-9, which would choose that option and close the menu ? That would be the only case where it would close, just click inside the window shouldn't close the menu, unless you clicked on the X top right icon. OR you waited long enough for the menu to timeout.

I can't make it appear anymore. I tried mapping different shortcuts but that didn't help.

If you CAN make it appear with two clicks, as you said before, then the problem it's just the hotkey not being correct. Some combinations can't be used, because they are used either by the sim or by other add-ons.

Try just the X key with no modifiers and, note you MUST restart the sim to have a new hotkey set up in the GSX Config page being recognized.

[petz_e]

I restarted the installation again and while it did take a long time to complete (20-30 minutes), it eventually finished installing. So, that's one problem solved, I think.

If you CAN make it appear with two clicks, as you said before, then the problem it's just the hotkey not being correct. Some combinations can't be used, because they are used either by the sim or by other add-ons.

Try just the X key with no modifiers and, note you MUST restart the sim to have a new hotkey set up in the GSX Config page being recognized.

Ok, it is indeed the hotkey that isn't working. But it is strange because my initial hotkey (F11) that worked all this time is not working anymore. Other buttons do work. I checked, there is nothing bound to that hotkey in the sim. But I am also using Razer Synapse to map different things to my keyboard and mouse. Maybe something went bonkers in one of the profiles. I will need to check it. But for GSX a different hotkey is working again. I did change the hotkeys before, but I never restarted the sim. So, good tip.

However, one problem still remains. Couatl doesn't get started automatically. Same as before the re-install. It's not the biggest issue in the world but it is still a little bit cumbersome to start it manually every time.

[virtuali]

However, one problem still remains. Couatl doesn't get started automatically.

There's a Sticky thread here named "Couatl starts manually, but not automatically with the simulator"

https://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,26924.0.html

If you Unlink/Relink GSX Pro with the installer, it will try to recreate the lines in your EXE.XML, in case they are missing.

[petz_e]

Unlinking/Relinking didn't do it at first. However after the latest update it looks like Couatl is starting again automatically. So everything is good again.