update results in crash **SOLVED**

[mrbill55]

I recently got a GSX update banner, whenever I clicked on it the screen flashed but that's it. Next I clicked on the update installer in the folder and tried again. This time I got an install banner saying there was no internet connection (there was) and something about using existing files. When it was finished I went to open FSX and guess what: after the splash screen I got my desktop! I tried a system restore and still no luck. Now I can no longer access my 100Gigs of Flight Sim. What the hell happened? Anyone have a clue about this?

Bill C

[virtuali]

This problem happens if some files were downloaded successfully and some not, resulting in a mix-matched version that will result in FSX quitting at start.

To fix this, download the current version of the Stand-Alone Addon Manager. Be sure you turn off every firewall or similar security-related product that might block online access to the installer.

And, there are two mirrors running in parallel for the update, which are randomly selected when the installer starts so, you might just try it again, unless you find one that works and/or is not blocked by any security program you might have installed.

But, even if you can't sort out your internet access problem, downloading the current Stand-Alone Addon Manager installer will ensure that files included in the installer are the same as the one that were supposed to be download so, it should work even if you get the "no internet connection" message, by pressing NEXT to use the local files that comes with the installer.

[mrbill55]

Thanks for the info; I agree with you. With regard to the latest Stand- Alone add on Mgr. I can't use the update banner from FSX. And as I now recall, in the confusion I went to the web site and clicked on Stand Alone for FSX. When I clicked run it started, gave the "no internet" message and continued resulting in my situation. I recovered my Hard Drive with an Acronis Back-up. Thank god for that. Everything works as before, but frankly I am now a bit paranoid to try updates.

[virtuali]

With regard to the latest Stand- Alone add on Mgr. I can't use the update banner from FSX.

I haven't said to use the automatic update from FSX. I said to DOWNLOAD and INSTALL the current version of the Stand-Alone Addon Manager, this will work regardless if you get the server that is down or the one that is up, because it contains the same files that it was supposed to download online.

[mrbill55]

Maybe I wasn't clear. I got the latest version from the FSDT web site (two options one FSX one FS9), and selected FSX version and that caused the problem. When I ignored the "no internet" and continued it said files were removed. That's when FSX failed to start. The update window generated in FSX has always just disappeared when clicked on.  Still, GSX works very well in its current condition. If I am still missing something here, please clarify where else I can get the current Stand Alone version that won't cause a crisis.

Thanks,
Bill C.

[virtuali]

When I ignored the "no internet" and continued it said files were removed.

If you saw the message about install files being removed, you might have mistakenly pressed the "Cancel" button, which removes all installation files and, basically, abort the installation You should press the "Next" button instead, which continues the installation with the files included in the installer.

Still, GSX works very well in its current condition.

Now I've lost you: you said FSX is failing to start, but GSX works ?? How ?

If I am still missing something here, please clarify where else I can get the current Stand Alone version that won't cause a crisis.

There's only one place you can get the current Stand-Alone Addon Manager, and it will surely fix any possible problems, even if there's no internet connection, just be sure you press the "Next" button, in case you get the error about missing internet connection.

[mrbill55]

As I previously stated: I got the Add on Mgr. update from the website and installed as instructed, pushing "next" until it was completed. THAT is when FSX no longer started. THEN I did a total recovery of
my hard drive, and that's when I could once again start FSX and use GSX. So now, if I click on the update banner it just disappears and nothing happens, just like before. So all I am hearing is to repeat what I did in the first place, which most likely will cause the same problem, just as before.

Bill C.

[braced]

Exact same thing just happened to me Bill. Managed to get flight sim running without GSX. I ran the download and install again and it came back. But now half the vehicles are clear. I ran GSX on my new PMDG 777 freighter to see the cargo loader work. It lined up with the door raised up about 2 feet short of level with the opening. Then I waited to see a pallet come out. The entire GSX just stopped and disappeared. It was no longer in the add on menu. I am very leery of updating ANYTHING now. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Wish I had listened to that advice. All worked great and now it's broke! I've spent hours lining up loaders, caters & air stairs to my numerous planes. In one short "update" it's all for not.

Any idea how to recover what I had? If I uninstall/reinstall GSX, will I lose all my data I spent hours on lining up?   

[mrbill55]

I would guess that you will lose what you created unless you first copy and save the folder with that info and then use it to overwrite the new one. Still there will be no guarantee.
I couldn't agree more with the idea of "if it aint broke don't fix it. I would apply this across the board, including Graphic card drivers. Most of the new drivers are for current games and can
conflict with FSX. Also, with so much 3rd party stuff there is no telling what will conflict with what where or how. I currently have 100Gigs of Sim and it gets real scary to see "fatal error" or crash to desktop.
I recommend cloning everything to a second drive with Acronis or similar program. Then you can experiment with the mirror copy and if something fatally crashes just go back to the other drive, re-copy and start over. That way the problem becomes an inconvenience, instead of heart failure or stroke.  

Bill C.

[virtuali]

As I previously stated: I got the Add on Mgr. update from the website and installed as instructed, pushing "next" until it was completed. THAT is when FSX no longer started.

I'm sorry but, if this is happening, these are the only possible causes:

1) You haven't really pressed "Next", but "Cancel" instead

OR

2) You weren't launching the latest Stand-Alone Addon Manager but, maybe, an earlier version

OR

3) You *really* had a BRIEF connection problem, but that fixed itself WHILE the installer was running. This resulted in a mix-match between files from the old version and the new version, some that were successfully installed and some that weren't and this WILL cause FSX to QUIT (not crash) on start.

Note that, an antivirus might cause this, it might block the Addon Manager .DLL (mistakenly thinking it might be a threat), but let pass the accompanying .DAT files to be installed, and this will cause a mix-match to.

THEN I did a total recovery of  my hard drive, and that's when I could once again start FSX and use GSX.

Well, if instead of taking so much time to do a recovery, you contacted us before doing anything, we would explain how to have FSX starting up properly in no time, because the reason for the problem is quite clear: files from different versions were mis-matched, due to one of the aforementioned reasons, and this would have been very easy to check and fixed.

Of course, restoring from a backup has downgraded everything so, any mis-match was fixed, but of course the easiest way should have been fixing the mis-match using the *current* version which, as I've said, would have been very easy, with your help. BEFORE doing something drastic like a complete restore, ALWAYS contact support, either by forum or by email. Do we have some kind of reputation for "slow" responses ? Don't think so...

So now, if I click on the update banner it just disappears and nothing happens, just like before.

What do you mean with "click on the update banner" ? The update notification, which present itself as a transparent menu, has several CHOICES, what choice you selected which was ignored ?

Since you are starting from a backup, I guess you are prompted to do a MAJOR upgrade, which means downloading and installing the Stand-Alone Addon Manager.

So all I am hearing is to repeat what I did in the first place, which most likely will cause the same problem, just as before.

That's what you think it will happen, based on your assumption that the update itself is flawed, which isn't the case. There IS a problem with ONE of the two mirrors, which has been blocked because of too much bandwidth, but that's why we have TWO of them!

As I've said, you have two options, and BOTH will work:

- Download and install the CURRENT Stand-Alone Addon Manager, and first check if you HAVE the "No internet connection" message. It's very possible you won't see it. As I've said, which mirror is going to be used to download is selected at random when the installer starts, so you might just not see the "No internet connection" message at all.

- Download and install the CURRENT Stand-Alone Addon Manager, and ignore the "No Internet connection" message, and press the "NEXT" button to use the files that comes with the installer. This will ALSO work, provided you are sure you are using the CURRENT Stand-Alone Addon Manager, not an older installer you might already had.

[virtuali]

I ran the download and install again and it came back. But now half the vehicles are clear.

Please, clearly indicate what do you mean with "vehicles are clear". Like having transparent textures or missing parts ? An update in the Addon Manager or GSX can't possibly caused anything like that, they don't have any control on how textures are displayed.

If, instead, you mean some liveries are missing with black textures, than it's likely you haven't updated your VEHICLES, which are a separate download, available on the GSX page, which contains updates with new liveries and current version of all models. They are also included in the Full GSX installer, of course.

I ran GSX on my new PMDG 777 freighter to see the cargo loader work. It lined up with the door raised up about 2 feet short of level with the opening. Then I waited to see a pallet come out. The entire GSX just stopped and disappeared. It was no longer in the add on menu.

Then you should enable Logging in the Troubleshooting section of the GSX Settings menu, and check your %APPDATA%\Virtuali\Couatl.ERR log file. However, this might be a problem with not having update the vehicles. They are NOT automatically update by the Self-Update program, only the GSX code is but, it's possible that, a GSX code update REQUIRES to download also the vehicles, but this depends how long ago you updated your vehicles.

Whenever you find something wrong with a vehicle, try to install one of the Vehicles Updates first. Or the Full GSX installer, it's the same.

Any idea how to recover what I had? If I uninstall/reinstall GSX, will I lose all my data I spent hours on lining up?    

If with "all my data" you are referring to custom configurations you made for your airplanes, what makes you think that reinstalling GSX you would LOSE them ? That's standard installation practice: your preferences, "YOUR DATA", is NEVER removed!! Yes, even if you decide to remove the whole Addon Manager and Couatl modules, and even if you remove FSX itself.

Your data is under the %APPDATA%\Virtuali folder, and nobody will touch it, the only way to lose it, is to reinstall Windows, or create a new user account and removing the old one and telling Windows to clear your settings too.

We had many support problems caused by user-created data, that we might fix if we simply wiped out all your settings when Uninstalling but, as a matter of principle, I believe is wrong that an Uninstaller would even give the OPTION to remove your personal settings. It's something you must do manually, intentionally.

HOWEVER, it's possible that "your data" might have become obsolete because of an update. We might have added support for an airplane that you started customizing BEFORE we added support for it. This has been explained countless of times, after the release of the PMDG 777, where users were so fast trying to customize it, that many ended up with configuration files that were not needed anymore, but they always get the highest priority against the files contained inside GSX.

[mrbill55]

No one has yet said where to get the CURRENT  Stand Alone Add on Mgr. The one on the web site does not show a date. The CLEAR update banner in FSX has always said "Update for Stand Alone Add on Mgr." but doesn't do anything when clicked; that's why I went to the web site. To repeatedly imply that erroneous buttons are being pushed isn't worth a response. The final screen says click "finish". As for doing a restore, well at least that got things working again instead of just going around in circles.

Bill C

[virtuali]

No one has yet said where to get the CURRENT  Stand Alone Add on Mgr.

Because the only places where Addon Manager download links can be found, which is on the left side of each and every "Info" page of every products, all points to the SAME link, which is always kept updated with the most current version. It's not possible that you would get an outdated version from any of the links on our site.

The one on the web site does not show a date.

What's for ? If you see a message from the update program asking to download it, it really means it. Just download it...

The CLEAR update banner in FSX has always said "Update for Stand Alone Add on Mgr." but doesn't do anything when clicked;

It does. It's supposed to start your browser to an Addon Manager download page.

that's why I went to the web site.

I don't know why the browser hasn't opened on your system, but it should have, maybe you have some kind of setting that prevents the browser to be opened automatically on a certain page. However, that wouldn't make any difference. As I've said, any Addon Manager download link on the web site will always point to the one and only download link for it, which is guaranteed to be always the very latest version.

To repeatedly imply that erroneous buttons are being pushed isn't worth a response.

I've listed the 3 only possible causes trying to explain what happened, for completeness. The "pushing the wrong button" was just one of them, but since is still theoretically possible, I had to included it in a list that is supposed to include ALL possible outcomes.

And, of course, because this is a PUBLIC forum, not a private conversation between you and me, messages are always intended to be directed at anyone.

Which means, even if YOU are sure to have pressed the "right button", ANOTHER user reading this message might not be so sure to have done the same, which is why I had to include ALL 3 possible explanations, so anybody else might eventually find some help that applies to HIS OWN situation. That's how you handle things in a public support forum. If you want to read only replies that pertains only to your specific issue, you are free to use email.

The final screen says click "finish". As for doing a restore, well at least that got things working again instead of just going around in circles.

It's you that lost plenty of time restoring your system when there wasn't obviously any need to. If you cared to ask for help as soon the problem happened, instead of trying to fix it yourself in the most complex imaginable way, it would have been an immediate fix.

A very easy question for you: have you TRIED, for once, doing EXACTLY what I've asked to do, in many messages ? Which is just:

- Download the Stand-Alone Addon Manager. Download it now, to be sure you are really installing the latest version.

- Install it again, and see if you get those errors again. If you do, just press "Next", if you don't, then it should work normally and will download all the needed files.

Are you worried your FSX might not start again ? As I've said, in the extremely unlikely case it happens again, it's a very easy fix, but it's something that WE will deal with AFTER the fact.

So, just try it.

[mrbill55]

OK. It's the Christmas season so lets all relax and start over.(important to read to the end) Let's make it a story: Once not long ago, I sat down at my computer and started FSX. Soon after, I saw a transparent banner suggesting an update for Stand Alone Add On Mgr. I chose to skip the update. After a few more of these I chose to do the update. Nothing happened. I kept getting the pop up, kept choosing to update, and nothing ever happened. Finally out of curiosity I read the manual and clicked on the link to update. I was directed to website land where I saw an update for FSX or FS9 I chose FSX. The download started and  then stated there was no internet, but I could click "next" and continue, so I did. The bar moved, files flashed, and at the end a message said files were deleted that would be replaced when I started FSX. I tried to open FSX but could not. I kept trying; no luck. Finally I used my Acronis backup and restored the system to where it was just before this all began. I then contacted the forum for answers. I tried to explain that AFTER restoring things back to the beginning, I..A. started getting the same transparent banner that when clicked on did nothing. B. I went to the website and opened the Current Stand Alone Add On Mgr. and once again got a "no internet" message. I tried over and over different times different days, still the same no internet message. Soooo, since everything was happening exactly the same, I chose not to take the final step and click "next" after the "no internet" message. Now if you really want me to do this, and risk another 12hrs of recovery, tell me in advance this miraculous solution you have should FSX refuse to open yet again.

Happy Holidays

Bill C,

[virtuali]

Now if you really want me to do this, and risk another 12hrs of recovery, tell me in advance this miraculous solution you have should FSX refuse to open yet again.

YOU made the mistake to waste 12hrs, because you decided it wasn't worth asking for help when the problem happened.

And now you don't want to try it, because you decided the program IS faulty so, if you repeat the procedure, it will happen again, and this because you don't want to accept my explanation that it might have been just a momentary problem that happened *that* time, and are assuming that "just" because you see the "No internet connection" message, this automatically means that FSX will not start if you dare to press Next, which is the only thing you should do.

So, here's the "miraculous" solution (just the term you used is annoying in itself, suggesting you don't believe it in advance).

- If you are worried that FSX might not start up, THESE are the ONLY files you need to save:

\YourFSXFolder\bglmanx.dll
\YourFSXFolder\bglmanx.dat
\YourFSXFolder\bglmanx_fsdt.dat
\YourFSXFolder\bglmanx_aerosoft.dat
\YourFSXFolder\bglmanx_qwings.dat
\YourFSXFolder\bglmanx_flightbeam.dat

So, basically, it's everything that starts with bgmanx* in your FSX root folder. Copy them to another place, like your Desktop for example.

Now, try to install the Stand-Alone Addon Manager, and IF you see the "No Internet connection" message again, press the NEXT button.

Now, FSX will surely start correctly but, in the very unlikely case it won't, just put the files you restored back in place. But if this is happening, then please let me arrange a Teamviewer session with you, because I would really like to have a look to check what's wrong in your system.

Note that, if you install the current Stand-Alone Addon Manager, and then FSX doesn't start, and then you have to restore the above bglmanx* files, FSX will start again, but no FSDT product will work. But that's not to be worried NOW, we handle this once you figure out that FSX starts correctly.