Hey All,Just thought I would throw into this discussion that FSX does have it's own SafeMode, use this command line:fsx.exe -safemodewhich skips processing of the EXE.XML and DLL.XML files and a few other bits and pieces. There's also:fsx.exe -resettrustwhich dumps the trusted section of the FSX.CFG file and reprompts for each loaded item, and there'sfsx.exe -manualloadwhich causes each item loaded by EXE.XML or DLL.XML to prompt you if it should load first (as if the ManualLoad option were set in the .XML file itself), allowing you to skip loading one or more items for diagnostic purposes.Tim

Thanks, Tim. Good to know.Bob

Tim --In FS9 there was safe mode fs9.exe -swrend which used software rendering. Does that work in FSX?scott s..

Hmmm... what is the syntax to make that work. I'm no expert at cmd usage.Bob

Hey Scott,No, the SWREND switch doesn't do anything anymore (I believe the software renderer we were using was only DX7 or DX8 compatible).Hey Bob,If you have a shortcut to FSX you can copy it, and then right click on the copy, select properties, and on the Shortcut tab, in the Target edit field, add the switch after the FSX.EXE part at the end of the field, so if the target originally said:c:\Program Files\Flight Simulator\FSX.EXEchange it to read:c:\Program Files\Flight Simulator\FSX.EXE -safemodereplace safemode with resettrust or manulload if you wanted one of those instead.If launching FS from a command line window, then just adding the switch will work, like this:c:\Program Files\Flight Simulator> fsx.exe -safemodeThere are also a few more useful switches:-flt:"RelativeOrAbsolutePathAndFilename.FLT"load specified flight bypassing gameshell/opening dialog (do include the quotes around the filename), as in:fsx.exe -flt:"c:\MyFolder\MyFlight.flt"-cfg:"AbsolutePathAndFilename.cfg"load specified alternate file instead of FSX.CFG (do include the quotes around the filename), as in:fsx.exe -cfg:"c:\MyFolder\MyConfig.cfg"-resetinicauses FSX to delete and rebuild the FSX.CFG file (or the named .CFG file if used with the -cfg switch)Tim

Tim,I really appreciate this extra documentation... are there other switches?

Those are most of the ones that are active in the retail build of FSX (ESP has some additional switches, those are all documented already). There are a couple of additional switches that can be used by model builders (not sure exactly what they do though) that are documented somewhere in the SDK docs (under SimObject container SDK I would assume).Tim

TimCould the alternate cfg switch be used to start FSX with different addon planes? I'm thinking of developers with so many addons that FSX takes a long time to load. Then they could load just default planes, or at least some lesser number. Bob

You can use the alternate .cfg file to change/modify anything adjustable by the FSX.CFG file, so yes, since the SimObjectPaths.n= lines are in the FSX.CFG file, you could have different versions of the file with different sets of SimObjectPaths.n= lines. You would need to have your addon planes setup in some sort of directory heirarchy, depending on how you want to partition your aircraft (one directory for helos, one for heavy tubeliners, one for regional jets, etc - or could be by addon developer, or if you are in a VA, you could have one directory that contained the aircraft your VA uses, and another directory with the rest of your aircraft, then have one .CFG file that just references your VA aircraft, etc, etc). You can also remove some/all of the default aircraft by removing any/all of the 6 default SimObjectPaths.n= lines in the .cfg file. These lines also control where the models for ground vehicles, boats, animals, etc come from, so be warned if you remove the wrong line, you might lose some/all of your AI boats, ground vehicles, or animals :->

This is really good info, thanks for posting it Tim. This info is going in my \FSInfo directory for future reference :)

-cfg:"AbsolutePathAndFilename.cfg"load specified alternate file instead of FSX.CFG (do include the quotes around the filename), as in:fsx.exe -cfg:"c:\MyFolder\MyConfig.cfg"Tim

I could not get this to work in Vista with the quotes. Works fine without quotes.Probably not the correct way to do this, but I made a folder called "Planes" in the SimObjects folder. Then I copied some random planes into it. I made a new fsx cfg without Airplanes in the SimObjectPath, but with Planes. With the switch I opened FSX with my new cfg. I got an error because the default ultralight was not in "Planes". FSX opened anyway. The planes I put into the folder were there.Bob

Odd, that works from a DOS prompt - the quotes are only technically needed if the path or filename has a space in it, I just usually always use them in case there's a space. This format might work:fsx.exe "-cfg:c:\My Folder\My File.cfg"Tim

I set up the switch in a copy of the desktop icon, as you said. In XP there are quotes in the shortcut properties box, for target and start in. But in Vista, no quotes.Bob

Hey ssurjapDid this happen after you installed vista sp2? Im about to reinstall FSX again for the fourth time due to the same problems you have had. Anyone else got any ideas?If this persists them im going back to XP and FS9 as I have spent more time mucking about with FSX / Vista than flying...... :( Cheers

Sorry it took a while for me to reply back. I had to go out of town on business. No, actually. I've had SP2 for a while. The last thing I did to that PC was install two memory management software (Vista System Optimizer and Advanced Vista Optimizer). Both programs optimizes your system memory. I figured I'd try both programs because of the out of memory errors I've been getting.I moved the logbook.bin onto my desktop and FS started again.

I got an error because the default ultralight was not in "Planes". FSX opened anyway.

Is your default flight still set to the Friday Harbor/ultralight? That would explain that error message if so.