After GSX installation P3Dv2.5 hangs during start-up

[edwardpat]

Hi, there.
After installed GSX, my P3Dv2.5 hangs during the start-up sequence, after waiting for about three-four minutes, far above normal. I've downloaded and installed GSX with my ESET Smart Security AV disabled. I'm attaching a partial picture of the error message saying that there was an app hang. Help please.
Regards,
Edward

[edwardpat]

Hi, there.
After installed GSX, my P3Dv2.5 hangs during the start-up sequence, after waiting for about three-four minutes, far above normal. I've downloaded and installed GSX with my ESET Smart Security AV disabled. I'm attaching a partial picture of the error message saying that there was an app hang. Help please.
Regards,
Edward

More information:
- I'm running the latest update of P3Dv2.5 (2.5.12946.0 - hotfix 4)
- Windows 7, SP1 Ultimate.
- No other FSDT products installed yet (first one would be GSX).
- When I uninstall GSX, P3D starts normally.

I'm moving from P3Dv2.4 to P3Dv2.5 in a new computer and I would like to have GSX running normally, and the rest of the FSDT airports I have (not installed yet) as well. Seems that with this issue with GSX I would not be able to install any FSDT airport !!!. Please help.

Edward

[virtuali]

I'm sorry, but we are unable to reproduce that problem, and nobody has ever reported the same error. However, it's confirmed that NOD32 is bugged and it mistakenly consider our software as a threat, as explained here:

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,12292.0.html

As explained in all threads about the antivirus, it's NOT enough to just download and install with the antivirus disabled. You must ALSO configure it to exclude the following files from scanning BEFORE trying to run the sim:

YourP3DFolder\bglmanx.dll
YourP3DFolder\fsdreamteam\Couatl\Couatl.exe

With some antivirus, they are so bugged, that they still block files, even those that have been explicitly flagged to be ignored.

[edwardpat]

Took note of your suggestion regarding the measures against the AV. I'll try them and will report back.
Regards,
Edward

[edwardpat]

Hi Umberto:

Finally I had some time to try GSX installation again on my P3Dv2.5 (hotfix 4):

- Redownloaded the full GSX installer with AV (ESET Smart Security disabled
- Installed GSX with the AV disabled
- Added exceptions for the AV for the two files you indicated
- Started P3D as usual, but with the AV completely disabled (to make sure the AV is not running at all)
- P3D hangs during start-up
- Recorded the enclosed crash report using the utility "App Crash View" (see attachment)

I'm not saying or suggesting in any matter which is the cause of this issue and respect the fact that you mentioned about other users having not reported a similar error until now, but it seems to me that the AV is not causing the problem. Could you please take a look at the enclosed file to try to find an explanation about the cause of the issue? or suggest to me to send a different file that you think would help better?. Probably I'm missing a dependency or something similar. As I said before I love GSX and all FSDT addons and while this situation lasts I won't be able to run any of FSDT products I have bought and also the ones that I would buy in the future.

Thanks again and best regards,
Edward

[virtuali]

- Recorded the enclosed crash report using the utility "App Crash View" (see attachment)

Your crash log simply shows that P3D crashed. Nothing in your crash log indicates the crash could have anything to do with any of our products.

There are two software modules that are installed by GSX: the Addon Manager (bglmanx.dll) and Couatl (Couatl.exe)

1) Couatl.exe CANNOT crash the sim. That's the main advantage of being a separate .EXE because, as a separate exe, it doesn't have any access to the sim memory, thus it cannot crash it. If Couatl would crash, it will crash just for itself, but it cannot bring down the sim with it. Also, it will not take away from the sim memory, because (as an external .EXE) it has its own separate VAS address space.

2) the Bglmanx.dll COULD theoretically crash the sim, since it's an in-process .DLL so, if it would crash, it will bring down the whole sim with it. But USUALLY (not 100% of the times, but usually ), you should have seen that bglmanx.dll crashed in your crash log. But your log shows the crashed module is the Prepar3d.exe itself so, it doesn't look like the crash has any relationship with bglmanx.dll either.

Note that, I'm not excluding ( that's why I said "not 100% of the times ) that bglmanx.dll MIGHT be able to crash the sim, without crashing ITSELF.

To check this, try the following:

Go into the P3D root folder, and remove the bglmanx.dll file, and see if the crashes stops. Try to run the sim for a bit, switch to different airports, etc.

[edwardpat]

Umberto:

Thanks for your guidance. This is what I did:

- Removed bglmanx.dll from the main P3D folder and the simulator started normally
- Made several changes of airports (up to six different scenarios), and everything is normal
- The AV was enabled all the time with the exclusions of the couatl.exe and bglmanx.dll as you originally suggested (I could leave them in that way forever, it doesn't hurt)

In addition to this, I don't know why, it came to my mind an application that I have installed that you probably know, the Estonian Migration Tool (EMT), used for addons whose installers are designed exclusively for FSX, into P3D. At the time of the trials, after the installation of GSX, the EMT was enabled. I tried to run P3D again with EMT disabled and the bglmanx.bgl back into the P3D main folder, and P3D started completely normal. Thus, it seems that it was some kind of interference or conflict with bglmanx.dll and the EMT application.

At this moment, the simulator is running normally, with GSX installed with bglmanx.bgl into the P3D main folder, so I could say that everything is fine now. For me, unless there is a technical reason behind the possible conflict with EMT, I have no problem in making sure I run P3D with EMT disabled (I just use EMT to install old FSX addons, so no big issue there!). Probably some modules got corrupted, I don't know, I'm in no way an expert and too old to become one!.

Thanks again for your support and I'm now anxious to get all my FSDT addons into my P3D setup.

Best regards,

Edward
 

[virtuali]

I tried to run P3D again with EMT disabled and the bglmanx.bgl back into the P3D main folder, and P3D started completely normal. Thus, it seems that it was some kind of interference or conflict with bglmanx.dll and the EMT application.

OF COURSE there's an interference with the Migration Tool, and it must be disabled when running any of our products, especially the Legacy mode. This has been discussed many times on the forum, either.

What that tool does, is to change the P3D executable to LOOK like FSX, so applications not compatible with P3D that checks the executable will be fooled thinking they are running under FSX. The Addon Manager needs to know precisely in what sim it's running under (because it needs to access memory locations), but since the sim is NOT FSX (even if the executable has been disguised as such), those FSX memory locations are not valid for what is really P3D, which WILL surely cause a crash on start!

The Migration Tool should always be disabled when using products that properly support P3D natively, like all the FSDT ones.

An user here found a way to edit the P3D executable, to be able to use the Legacy mode with GSX:

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,11699.0.html

It might work, but we haven't tested it.