Cannot start MSFS anymore

[waltch]

Hi
Bought GSX Pro today and installed it with the FSDT installer without problems.
Unfortunately I cannot run MSFS anymore:
Everything works fine up to the main MSFS menu, however when I select a flight (World Map, but also in the activities), it starts loading, but just a moment before the flight loads, MSFS crashes back to the desktop. I tried with several different airplanes and starting locations but its always the same.
Before today I had never any issues with CTDs.

Any idea what could be wrong?
Thanks Walter

[aal757]

Hello,
       I have this issue as well. My fix is once you launch MSFS, wait a bit the manually start the coutal (sorry if spelled incorrectly). Also make sure you run as Admin.

[waltch]

Thank you for your input that I would like to try. Just a question for clarification:
I guess you mean the "Start Couatl for GSX MSFS". When do you exactly start this manually?
- after the launch of MSFS before the Main Menue of MSFS is there or
- after you launch the flight you selected in the World Map? (before MSFS crashes to the desktop)
Thanks

[aal757]

Sorry for not mentioning that part. When MsFS is still starting, I will click on the Couatl.exe. So before the main menu. It would always crash after I setup the flight, then click Fly. The bar would go then I get the dreaded CTD.

[virtuali]

By definition, GSX/Couatl CANNOT CRASH THE SIM, since it runs completely external to the simulator, under a separate .EXE ( the Couatl engine ), and by definition, an regular .EXE like that doesn't have ANY access to the simulator process or memory, this is enforced at the Windows level.

What CAN happen, instead, it's the sim crashing for other reasons, and bring GSX down with it, this is to be expected and can easily mislead you thinking the "cause" was GSX ( maybe you see GSX crashing in the Windows Event Viewer), when it was the other way around.

In the relevant sticky thread about this:

https://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,26876.msg175991.html#msg175991

The user who was sure GSX caused a crash (even MSFS support told him that), was nice enough to come here and report back what was the REAL cause:

https://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,26876.msg197806.html#msg197806

after MSFS support wrote to me several times that the simulator crashed because of GSX. However, that wasn't true, the problem was that a driver for my Rudder pedals was arguing with the Windows defender.

[waltch]

Thanks aal757 for your help. I tried your hint yesterday and today several times, sometimes it worked for me, sometimes not.

I launch MSFS as an administrator, then when it starts the loading process I wait a while (well before the Main Menue appears) and launch also Couatl GSX MSFS manually (also as administrator?). I guess this is the procedure you follow. After the main menue appears, I select the flight (or activity) normally.

As I said, it worked a few times (once with the Cessna 152, once with a bush flight), but it does not seem to be 100% sure.

In general I am quite fustrated and I would call your "fix" more a work-around and temporary "solution" for me. I would like to use my MSFS again in the same way as before last Saturday's purchase and installation of FSDream's GSX pro. Considering these facts:

• I use MSFS since about 3 years very regularly and had never any issues with CTDs on lauching or during flights.
  I assume my system is good enough as everything was always very smooth and stable with high settings (also with live weather and enough FlybyWire AI-Traffic).
  I always keep Windows 10 and graphic drivers updated and also I followed all the World Updates in MSFS.
  I mostly fly with airliners (mostly FBW A320 Neo), but have also finished about 70% of the bush flying.

@Virtuali
Thanks you also for your kind input, that I read just now:

Yes, I of course searched the forums after my installation of GSX Pro and I noticed your sticky post on this forum about the CDT issue last year when the product was launched, obviously just a few days appart from an MSFS update that caused problems with users. I fully accept your statements about GSX not having a direct influence on MSFS because I am not a computer or software specialist and therefore not in a position to discuss such issues.

However, I can definitely say this based on my experience since last Saturday: The installation of FSDT GSX Pro MSFS had surely an big influence on my system (in one way or the other) and the launching of MSFS on my system, even if GSX maybe does not directly cause the CDT's at the end of launching the flights. The fact that a manual starting of Couatl during the starting of MSFS can prevent the CDT is for me somewhat strange and at least a hint, that the recent installation of GSX Pro MSFS has done something with the present situation.

Let me say it like this: I regret having bought and installed GSX Pro MSFS, because without doing this, I am sure MSFS would still start and run like it did every day last week.

Walter

[waltch]

Dear Virtuali

One more question:
Which is the best way to remove everything that was created during the installation process by the FSDT installer / GSX Pro MSFS, so everything is the same as before the installation?
I noticed for instance that in the Windows System I have no entries for the deinstallation of GSX Pro MSFS (only for FSDT airports that I bought for FSX and Prepar3D).

Thanks

[virtuali]

Which is the best way to remove everything that was created during the installation process by the FSDT installer / GSX Pro MSFS, so everything is the same as before the installation?

There's no need to do anything like that, it's way easier: if you choose Uninstall from the FSDT Installer and reply Yes only to the first question (Unlink) but No to the 2nd question (Uninstall), the two links in Community folder will be removed, so you can keep the program installed in its own folder but, for all intent an purposes, in MSFS, it will be exactly as if GSX was never installed to begin with. GSX Pro will just take space on its own folder, but as far MSFS is concerned, it doesn't exist anyore.

I noticed for instance that in the Windows System I have no entries for the deinstallation of GSX Pro MSFS (only for FSDT airports that I bought for FSX and Prepar3D).

Not sure why you want in the "Windows System" (not sure what that means, exactly, you mean the Windows\System folder?), if you wanted to uninstall the "Fsdreamteam Universal Installer" itself, like any standard Windows program, it's uninstalled from the "Programs and Features" section of the Windows Control Panel.

Doing this won't make any difference to your MSFS installation. As I've said, as far MSFS is concerned, GSX Pro will be completely ignored, as long its two packages are not visible in the Community folder so, uninstalling the FSDT Universal Installer will only be useful if you suspect issues with the Installer ITSELF, like installer crashing, not downloading, activations not working.

I launch MSFS as an administrator, then when it starts the loading process I wait a while (well before the Main Menue appears) and launch also Couatl GSX MSFS manually (also as administrator?). I guess this is the procedure you follow. After the main menue appears, I select the flight (or activity) normally.

This shouldn't even be required. GSX Pro works perfectly fine, and this is how we test it, with MSFS starting normally, and GSX Pro starting automatically.

However, this assumes your Windows user account is NOT "limited", meaning it can use Admin permissions if required. Is this your case? Because, if your Windows account is in fact Limited, you might need to run both As Administrator, but if you use you PC mainly for simulation, it would be much better to just give your user account admin permissions.

If, instead, your Windows user account already has admin permissions, then it's completely useless to run MSFS and Couatl64_MSFS.exe as Admin.

[waltch]

Thank you for this additional input and the explanations.

I guess I have to go thru the process of finding the reason for the CDT's when loading a flight, as it is suggested on various forum contributions in the net.

I now started with deactivating the community folder (which includes also GSX) and build it up again step by step. Maybe this way I will find the cause of the problem or maybe an addon, that does interfere with GSX.

For the moment I can start MSFS again without problem (however no addons), so at least I can continue with bush flying.