Simconnect not working

[henoik]

When I start FSX after downloading any of your products, I first get a message that SimConnect can't initialize or something, indicating that SimConnect is turned off. Then I get an error message that couatl.exe cannot start, and has to close. And then FSX itself crashes with "A fatal error has occured". Sometimes, I can actually manage to start the sim without it crashing, and then the addon menu is totally gone. Because the addon menu is gone, I think: "Hmm, maybe I should reinstall FSUIPC", but that doesn't work at all, as it says that I'm running the wrong version of SimConnect. So therefore I do a complete uninstall of all of your products, I say yes to uninstall the couatl engine and addon manager, and afterwoods complete uninstall of FSX: Acceleration and FSX: Deluxe. Then I reinstall FSX: Deluxe and Acceleration, as well as FSUIPC (and another 3rd party addon, but that is irrelevant). Now the addon menu appears, so I think "Okay, let's give it a go with one of fsdt's addons now", so I install GSX, but nope, doesn't work, and the same thing happens as before.

Now, I go into really troubleshooting this, I uninstall everything again, do a registry cleanup, reinstall everything, as well as putting a SIMCONNECT.ini inside of the FSX folder in My Documents containing this "[SimConnect]
level=normal
console=1
RedirectStdOutToConsole=1
OutputDebugString=1
; file=c:\simconnect%03u.log
; file_next_index=0
; file_max_index=9", and then I run FSX, I see no errors whatsoever.

Now I start to wonder about my antivirus and firewall (I use AVG Internet Security 2013) because I see that in the start of the install of any of your addons, there is a downloading thingy, so I uninstall and reinstall everything for a third time, including a registry cleanup and rebootings of my computer. But now, when I reinstall any of your products, I make sure to have my antivirus and firewall de-activated, also whilst running FSX, and nope. Still the same thing happens. Now I uninstall your product (as well as couatl engine and addon manager), and I see that FSX runs fine, and that the addon menu shows up with all of my addons. For me, this confirms there is something with couatl.exe which makes my FSX crash and SimConnect to crash as well. Whilst having the couatl engine uninstalled, I try to reinstall FSUIPC to see if there's anything peculiar, and this time it does not report me having the wrong version of SimConnect. Then, I see another forum thread with a person seemingly having the same issue, but the solution that helped him, didn't help me (which was to manually install the couatl engine via a download on your websites).

Could someone please help me?

Thanks,
Henrik Sønstebø

[virtuali]

I first get a message that SimConnect can't initialize or something, indicating that SimConnect is turned off

That's the main issue. If Simconnect is not working, everything else is a consequence of it.

"Hmm, maybe I should reinstall FSUIPC", but that doesn't work at all

FSUIPC doesn't have anything to do with any of our products.

as it says that I'm running the wrong version of SimConnect

And it can't fix a broken Simconnect installation.

So therefore I do a complete uninstall of all of your products, I say yes to uninstall the couatl engine and addon manager

Neither this will fix a broken Simconnect installation.

Then I reinstall FSX: Deluxe and Acceleration, as well as FSUIPC (and another 3rd party addon, but that is irrelevant).

And this won't fix a broken Simconnect installation either. Simconnect is registered in Windows, so uninstalling/reinstalling FSX won't fix it automatically.

Now the addon menu appears

You are mislead thinking that reinstalling FSX fixed the broken Simconnect installation, because there are 3 different versions of Simconnect that are installed at the same time (standard FSX, SP1 and SP2/Acc.), and they are all running together.

so I think "Okay, let's give it a go with one of fsdt's addons now", so I install GSX, but nope, doesn't work, and the same thing happens as before.

Our products requires the SP2/Acc version to be working. If you reinstall FSX and this might fix the Simconnect standard version, the Addons menu might reappear, but the only add-ons that will work, are those that works also with older versions, if the SP2 version is still broken, our add-ons won't work and will issue the same message as before.

Now, I go into really troubleshooting this, I uninstall everything again, do a registry cleanup, reinstall everything, as well as putting a SIMCONNECT.ini inside of the FSX folder in My Documents containing this "[SimConnect]

I see no errors whatsoever.

But do you see the diagnostic window ? What does it says ? Post the first 10-20 lines or so, this will indicate what Simconnect is doing.

[henoik]

Okay, I tried uninstalling everything again, registry cleanup, and install it on another location of my hard drive. Still the same thing happens (on a fresh install). Now I've installed Aerosoft's AES too, as well as The FSPS' Sim Physics X, which both require both FSUIPC and a working SimConnect. These does not give any indication of a SimConnect error (mainly because of them not being in the main FSX folder?), however, these does not give any indication of being connected and being communicating with FSX. Now (even without any of your addons), FSX crashes after some time in game with "A Fatal Error has Occured".

I'll add the diagnostic output as an attachment, once without the addon manager and couatl, and one with them, as well as after a time the main FSX window has been on standby for a while.

And as you can see, I get the SimConnect Init Error once couatl.exe is loaded by SimConnect. I also noticed, before I uninstalled and reinstalled FSX for the first time, that bglmanx.dll gave an error in the diagnostic output. But that seems to have been fixed by the reinstall.

I figured my FSX install itself is corrupt, so I downloaded an install from the internet (which is not pirating, as I do have the keys). Same error.

Edit: Not before after I click OK on the SimConnect error, I see dlls continuing to load.

[virtuali]

These does not give any indication of a SimConnect error (mainly because of them not being in the main FSX folder?),

Not, probably because they require a different Simconnect version. As I've said, on a normal FSX installation with SP2, there are 3 different Simconnect installations, and they can all run at the same time.

however, these does not give any indication of being connected and being communicating with FSX. Now (even without any of your addons), FSX crashes after some time in game with "A Fatal Error has Occured".

That further indicates there's a problem with your FSX install.

I figured my FSX install itself is corrupt, so I downloaded an install from the internet (which is not pirating, as I do have the keys). Same error.

As I've said in my previous message, uninstalling and reinstalling FSX won't fix this, if the Simconnect installation is corrupted, it is in Windows, and reinstalling FSX won't fix it.

You can TRY to uninstall FSX, remove all the Simconnect folders in the WinSxS folder, and then reinstall FSX again, then SP1, then SP2.

[henoik]

However, when I told you about my FSX crashing with a fatal error in the last post, I did have other addons as well. And FSX do tend to crash like that with any addons whatsoever. However, I have uninstalled, then reinstalled some more times now, and now the planes become transparent   All of a sudden I just see the windows as black, and the flaps as white, and the rest of the airplane is gone...

As I understand, you want me to re-format my computer... Will this help? As I just have reformatted it about 3 months ago...

EDIT: I have also done the things you told me to do about manually reinstalling SimConnect... And I have done it many, many times before I made this support thread.
As of now, FSX is installed on my secondary drive... May it help installing it on the same drive as the OS is installed on?

[virtuali]

However, I have uninstalled, then reinstalled some more times now, and now the planes become transparent   All of a sudden I just see the windows as black, and the flaps as white, and the rest of the airplane is gone...

You are having far more serious problem than just Simconnect not working then.

As I understand, you want me to re-format my computer... Will this help? As I just have reformatted it about 3 months ago...

It will surely help.

As of now, FSX is installed on my secondary drive... May it help installing it on the same drive as the OS is installed on?

Doesn't make the slightest difference, provided you don't "move" FSX manually, but always run the proper uninstallers and installers, and of course for all the add-ons too.

[henoik]

Okay... But can you go through with me exactly why this is a windows problem and not an FSX one? I doubt that Simconnect comes pre-installed on any windows machine...

Edit: Will making a complete backup/restore give me this error again? Or do I have to lose everything I got on this computer?

[virtuali]

Okay... But can you go through with me exactly why this is a windows problem and not an FSX one? I doubt that Simconnect comes pre-installed on any windows machine...

You don't understand. FSX comes with Simconnect, but it *installs* it in Windows. If it gets corrupted in Windows, FSX can't always fix it. That's why you need to fix the problem in Windows.

Edit: Will making a complete backup/restore give me this error again?

By definition, a "complete" backup, will backup also the errors...

Or do I have to lose everything I got on this computer?

Obviously not. You should backup what YOU produced (documents, pictures, emails, address books, other files you created, etc.), but it doesn't make any sense to backup something that can be reinstalled from the original media, or can be downloaded.

[henoik]

Okay... I'm in support with FSPS support as well as Aerosoft as well. FSPS support seems to know a fix, whilst Aerosoft is just purely rude... I'll get back to you if ASAP about FSPS' fix and if it works or not...

[Hnla]

Okay... I'm in support with FSPS support as well as Aerosoft as well. FSPS support seems to know a fix, whilst Aerosoft is just purely rude... I'll get back to you if ASAP about FSPS' fix and if it works or not...

Well may I ask why you are even posting this here? This isn't a universal tech forum, this is for FSDT products, and you can't blame Aerosoft for being "rude", because none of his, or FSDT products are the "fault", only because your computer is clearly SOL.

[henoik]

I say that Aerosoft is rude, because of the way they answered my support ticket, they made me feel generally bad about myself, and the moderator that answered my thread, closed it straight away, and said that I HAD to do a re-formatting job, and he wasn't even an Aerosoft Developer. Just a moderator that closed the thread right away, so I couldn't say anything else - so excuse me for thinking that is rude . And I understand that this is not a universal tech forum, but FSDT's products was the first ones to show me errors. Nothing else was showing the same errors as GSX for example.

[virtuali]

but FSDT's products was the first ones to show me errors.

Not according to your own report:

Now (even without any of your addons), FSX crashes after some time in game with "A Fatal Error has Occured".

Nothing else was showing the same errors as GSX for example

That only means GSX tries to issue some diagnostic, to let you know something is wrong. Other FSX add-ons might just crash, as you said above.  Don't confuse the effect with the cause, and don't "shoot the messenger", GSX is only telling you there's something wrong in your install, but that doesn't mean it's causing it, it's just another victim of your situation.

[Hnla]

I say that Aerosoft is rude, because of the way they answered my support ticket, they made me feel generally bad about myself, and the moderator that answered my thread, closed it straight away, and said that I HAD to do a re-formatting job, and he wasn't even an Aerosoft Developer

You say this: http://forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?/topic/70765-aes-does-not-connect-to-fsx/?p=505869

Is being rude ? All he is doing is repeating that the issue is your computer, and there isn't anything they can do to fix it. The topic got locked obviously because you already bombarded them with 3 support requests.

[henoik]

Tell me when I said that GSX caused the problem.

[Hnla]

Tell me when I said that GSX caused the problem.

Here:

When I start FSX after downloading any of your products, I first get a message that SimConnect can't initialize or something

Here:

so I install GSX, but nope, doesn't work

And here:

For me, this confirms there is something with couatl.exe which makes my FSX crash and SimConnect to crash as well.