Graphics corruption in FSX - (UPDATE: possible solution found!)

[Sigmar 5]

This proves that the LevelD767 is not up to W7 64bit ...

I stand corrected again ... just managed to reproduce the problem with the SimCheck A300 on a trip LSZH-LGRP (Zurich-Rhodos). FSX hung over Northern Italy, I had to go to the task manager by hitting CTRL ALT DEL, closed down a few processes, including one which was related to sound ... and FSX came back to life and continued, although without sound. Again: The problem was most likely to occur with the PMDG MD11, occasionally with LevelD767, very rarely with SimCheck A300 and - amazingly - still never with the Queen, PMDG 744X. The problem sure is sound-related, and some aircraft are more likely to run into it than others. Next I shall try to 1) identify the process responsible for the problem and 2) try to disable the (rather high-end) on-board sound and run FSX on a cheap soundcard in telephone quality. Will report back when results are available.Sigmar Stadlmeier

[Turbine777 13]

Hello Gents, I've been reading through this thread and haven't had FSX installed since this thread was started. I've read quite a few pages and just wondering what is it exactly that I should add to my cfg?From the original post I can see the last update was 4/4/2010 which shows:[GRAPHICS]HIGHMEMFIX=1STALE_BUFFER_THRESHOLD=2147483647... and also to delete the two shader folders, and in other posts I have read about the;[bUFFERPOOLS]RejectThreshold=524288... as well as the other choices, including usepools=0.I'm just trying to get the latest info and this thread has just lost me since lots have asked a lot of individual problem related questions.* Also, was curious about the guide that I read about and if that was going to be released anytime soon?Thanks,

[dazz 69]

Dan, the HIGHMEMFIX=1 is meant to solve graphic corruption and disapearing textures. It's a must have tweak as it won't hurt performance in any wayThe RejectThreshold=xxxxxxx under BUFFERPOOLS is an alternative to UsePools=0, and you shouldn't mixed them up. If your card is stable with UsePools=0 then you don't need no RejectThreshold whatsoever. Otherwise the RejectThreshold works like this:The lower the threshold the closer to UsePools=0 you are, so start with something likeRejectThreshold=524288. Thats 512K. If it crashes, up it by 2x (1048576 = 1M), otherwise lower it by a half (262144 = 256K) and play with it till you find your sweet spot

[Turbine777 13]

Thanks Dario! I have just finished installing again and going to test it all out. Looking forward to not losing half my bird at dusk :(

[HUSSAR 263]

Hello Gents, I've been reading through this thread and haven't had FSX installed since this thread was started. I've read quite a few pages and just wondering what is it exactly that I should add to my cfg?From the original post I can see the last update was 4/4/2010 which shows:[GRAPHICS]HIGHMEMFIX=1STALE_BUFFER_THRESHOLD=2147483647... and also to delete the two shader folders, and in other posts I have read about the;[bUFFERPOOLS]RejectThreshold=524288... as well as the other choices, including usepools=0.I'm just trying to get the latest info and this thread has just lost me since lots have asked a lot of individual problem related questions.* Also, was curious about the guide that I read about and if that was going to be released anytime soon?Thanks,

Hi Dan - Here are the edits I have used:There is a mod that you can use with the i7 Win 7 which looks like this:[JOBSCHEDULER]AffinityMask=15Here are the tweaks I have used with good results:[GRAPHICS]HIGHMEMFIX=1STALE_BUFFER_THRESHOLD=214748364 //(2048 Megabytes)ForceFullScreenVSync=1 //allow application to control, nHancer set to applicationALLOW_SHADER_30=1 //allow bojote shader modSHADER_CACHE_VERSION=9872432 //The verision number instructs FSX to recomile the shaders and must be changed if ShadersHLSL is modified [sOUND]SOUND=1SOUND_QUALITY=2SOUND_LOD=0UISound=1AmbientUI=0[Display]TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=90UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=0WideViewAspect=TrueTextureMaxLoad=3 //When using HD 4096 texture settings... based on calculation provided by bojote (*******), see below[bUFFERPOOLS]RejectThreshold=524288 //Tried to lower it to 262144 FSX became unstable.which replaces:[bUFFERPOOLS]UsePools=0[Main]DisablePreload=1FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION=0.15 //0.14 works as well[TERRAIN]LOD_RADIUS=5.500000 //or even 6.500000MIN_DETAIL_TEXTURE_LEVEL=21 //Supposed to remove grids, can drop to 15MAX_DETAIL_TEXTURE_LEVEL=21I use REx HD textures 4096 x 4096 and figured out a formula based on bojote's calculation where he provided the following infoTexture_Max_Load*(TextureMaxLoad*Texture_Bandwidth_Mult)/Frame LimitFor max texture load of 1024 x 1024(1024*(9*120))/30=36864 I am not sure if this is a max value or not, bojote did not comment on this.TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=1024TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=120UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=30TextureMaxLoad=9In my case I use the HD textures with the frame limiter (although FSX frames are set to unlimited) so the calculation is as follows:With frame limiter desired FPS is 30 and max texture load is 4096 pixels;(4096*(3*90))/30TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=4096TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=90UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=30TextureMaxLoad=3and the result is:TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=90UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=0TextureMaxLoad=3If using the frame limiter ensure the frames are set so they are 1/2 the display refresh rate and ensure your display is set to its native resolution, in my case my display is set to 1920 x 1200 @ 60Hz.Good luck

[Turbine777 13]

Thanks Robert,I've added some of these and already had some, however some look a bit strange so figured I'd ask. See my comments in blue.

Hi Dan - Here are the edits I have used:There is a mod that you can use with the i7 Win 7 which looks like this:[JOBSCHEDULER]AffinityMask=15I didn't add this yet. Is the mod just the entry as shown here? Or is there a file I need as well?Here are the tweaks I have used with good results:[GRAPHICS]ALLOW_SHADER_30=1 //allow bojote shader mod I didn't do this, since I'm not familliar with the mod.SHADER_CACHE_VERSION=9872432 //The verision number instructs FSX to recomile the shaders and must be changed if ShadersHLSL is modified I didn't add this line yet since as above am unsure. I do have a Shader_Cache_Primed=1693500672 but no verion entry.[Display]TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=90UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=0WideViewAspect=TrueTextureMaxLoad=3 //When using HD 4096 texture settings... based on calculation provided by bojote (*******), see belowTextureMaxLoad? Isn't that FS9? I thought FSX only used Texture_Max_Load?If using the frame limiter ensure the frames are set so they are 1/2 the display refresh rate and ensure your display is set to its native resolution, in my case my display is set to 1920 x 1200 @ 60Hz.I've always had ok results with unlimited until this last install,,, I'll try to lock it at 30 and see how it performs (5040x1050 @ 59). The high res is a hack using the nvidia control panel to create my resolution so 59hz really is what it is :(Good luckThanks again!

[MarcusarilliuS_IRL 0]

Hey guys,Thanks so much for the tweaks *******. Works great.Bit off topic but thought you might be able to help with 2 other issues that have cropped up.Java has suddenly stopped working for me.When I try to click on the java icon in control panel it just comes up saying "Java platform SE binary has stopped working. A problem caused the program to stop working correctly".I have uninstalled and reinstalled Java but no good.I discovered it was not working initially when I tried to launch a program I have for limiting FPS to a set number for FSX.When I tried to launch that Program(which up until now worked fine) it comes back with this error report.....## A fatal error has been detected by the Java Runtime Environment:## EXCEPTION_STACK_OVERFLOW (0xc00000fd) at pc=0x6c79e930, pid=2516, tid=3812## JRE version: 6.0_20-b02# Java VM: Java HotSpot Client VM (16.3-b01 mixed mode, sharing windows-x86 )# Problematic frame:# C [s3DWrapperD3D9.dll+0x3e930]## If you would like to submit a bug report, please visit:# HotSpot Virtual Machine Error Reporting Page# The crash happened outside the Java Virtual Machine in native code.# See problematic frame for where to report the bug.#--------------- T H R E A D ---------------Current thread (0x04c69000): JavaThread "AWT-Windows" daemon [_thread_in_native, id=3812, stack(0x05170000,0x051c0000)]siginfo: ExceptionCode=0xc00000fd, ExceptionInformation=0x00000001 0x05170ffcRegisters:EAX=0x00000002, EBX=0x07887100, ECX=0x6c9753d8, EDX=0x07887100ESP=0x05171000, EBP=0x00000000, ESI=0x026de0e0, EDI=0x07887100EIP=0x6c79e930, EFLAGS=0x00010206Top of Stack: (sp=0x05171000)0x05171000: 6c79e943 07887100 026de0e0 078871000x05171010: 026de0e0 07887100 6c79e943 078871000x05171020: 026de0e0 07887100 026de0e0 078871000x05171030: 6c79e943 07887100 026de0e0 078871000x05171040: 026de0e0 07887100 6c79e943 078871000x05171050: 026de0e0 07887100 026de0e0 078871000x05171060: 6c79e943 07887100 026de0e0 078871000x05171070: 026de0e0 07887100 6c79e943 07887100Instructions: (pc=0x6c79e930)0x6c79e920: ff d2 5f 5e 5d 8b c3 5b c2 0c 00 cc cc cc cc cc0x6c79e930: 53 8b 5c 24 08 56 8b 74 24 10 57 56 53 ff 15 dcStack: [0x05170000,0x051c0000], sp=0x05171000, free space=405170ae4kNative frames: (J=compiled Java code, j=interpreted, Vv=VM code, C=native code)C [s3DWrapperD3D9.dll+0x3e930]If anyone knows what the problem is I would be very grateful of the assistance.I also noticed that I no longer have the direct X 10 preview options in the display settings.Any idea why that should be?I uninstalled sp2 and reinstalled sp1 and 2 and still nothing.I normally fly with dx9 but decided to try dx10 so only noticed this now.Thanks,Mark.

[MarcusarilliuS_IRL 0]

Ok scratch that, both problems solved!!!!!!!!In case anyone had the same issue. I had installed a driver iz3d for trying anaglyph 3d in games and for some reason this messed up java completely and also dx preview button from appearing in FSX. Strange, but solved.Hope this helps anyone suffering simiilar problems.Mark.

[HUSSAR 263]

Thanks Robert,I've added some of these and already had some, however some look a bit strange so figured I'd ask. See my comments in blue.

Hi Dan - I have not recieved any topic reply notifications via email lately so I have been missing many post's, I am sure I paid my Avsim bill LOL.AffinityMask does not require a file it is just a mod.Allow_Shader_30=1 is bojote's Shader Mod 3.0 which you can find in the Avsim library and the SHADER_CACHE_VERSION=9872432 is what you would add if you were to use it. BTW the version number is a random number which you would change, the instructions are contained in the download. It is a quick and dirty install which can be easily reversed, remember to backup a couple of files on that one! More in the instructions.TextureMaxLoad=3 is another mod and is used in conjunction with bojote's calculation I provided above in my post, been a while since I looked at a FS9.cfg but it does ring a bell... good memory.Running unlimited is the way to go, as I mentioned I use the FPS Limiter.bat and I have good results with it. I removed a mod limiting number of tree's and building's per cell in [TERRAIN] which also helps reduce the load on the GPU.I've had a few issues with the mods but I have to say that I have learned quite a bit about the inner workings of FSX, nVidia and nHancer. I disabled AA and AF and turned off Vertical Synch in nHancer earlier today but have found that it is not worth the loss of texture sharpness and I will switch back to having nHancer control the two but I understand the new nVidia drivers eliminate the need for nHancer alltogether.I felt that I had found a real sweet spot and FSX was running extremely well but now for some reason it does not run as well as it did. I am waiting for Tabs and bojote to release thier much anticipated guide but I am unsure as to when that will happen.Best regards,

[brian747 5]

[JOBSCHEDULER]AffinityMask=15I didn't add this yet. Is the mod just the entry as shown here? Or is there a file I need as well?

Hi Dan!I feel I should enter a Minority Report on this AffinityMask business. I use this -[JOBSCHEDULER]AffinityMask=84Be aware that I have never seen this figure quoted by anyone else (so regard it as simply my two cents' worth), but there is a reason why I choose to use that number. If you follow this brief explanation, though, it might help you to figure out what to use in your own case.I have a core i7 processor, in a machine whose BIOS doesn't give me the option to shut down hyperthreading. So effectively I'm dealing with 8 processors (which is what I see in Task Mangler), consisting of four real cores and four virtual. Hence my affinity mask of 84.Here's my logic: 84 = 01010100 So (reading backwards from the right, as required, and taking into account suppressing those hyperthreading virtual cores): 0 OFF 1st core thread 1 (But still runs fibers (terrain)) 0 OFF 1st virtual core thread 2 1 ON 2nd core thread 1 (Main scheduler) 0 OFF 2nd virtual core thread 2 1 ON 3rd core thread 1 (Texture manager) 0 OFF 3rd virtual core thread 2 1 ON 4th core thread 1 (Texture manager) 0 OFF 4th virtual core thread 2Which is how I arrived at 84. I hope I've got it right, although it seems to work pretty well for me, so I've stuck with it.Back to the mainstream: for those with a quad core (or the ones who have disabled hyperthreading on their i7s) the equivalent of the above would be 14. Again, here's the logic:14 is 1110, so this is what we get (reading backwards from the right-hand end, as usual): CORE0 = OFF i.e. running fibers (terrain system) CORE1 = ON = Main Scheduler CORE2 = ON = Texture Manager CORE3 = ON = Texture ManagerThe figure of 14 above is *******'s recommendation, of course: all I did to arrive at 84 was to extend his logic to also switch off the four virtual cores that the hyperthreading insists on giving me.As ******* Bojote wrote:

But... for a user with 4 CORES... then, AffinityMask=14 is heaven ;) because you can even set FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION to 0.99 and you will not notice a single drop in frames.

The Maestro's comments on this (as always) make very interesting reading (if you're interested, here's a good place to start.)Cheers,BrianP.S. Yes, I think we're all waiting for Ryan to release the guide! :(

[brian747 5]

I feel I should enter a Minority Report on this AffinityMask business....

Hi Dan!Further to the above (and YMMV and all that jazz) I was scanning through this thread from NickN to see if there was anything new, and noticed that he says:

i7.. Do not bother setting more than a 4 core affinity mask. ... NOTE, Hyperthread is USELESS to FSX and therefore trying to set a high affinity mask for 8 cores is USELESS. 4 of the 8 i7 cores are virtual and FSX will not use them, at all, regardless of what you see on the CPU monitor.

In which case, using 14 instead of 84 would be the preferred way to go

[Sawydz 4]

I'm not very deep into latest technologies etc, but You shouldn't look at i7 HT like: one core is physical and other is virtual, because they are both... virtual cores assigned by system to a physical one. Hyper Threading means that many parts of the core are physically doubled while other are shared, this may lead to both, performance increase or decrease.

[HUSSAR 263]

Hi Dan - Here are the edits I have used:There is a mod that you can use with the i7 Win 7 which looks like this:[JOBSCHEDULER]AffinityMask=15Here are the tweaks I have used with good results:[GRAPHICS]HIGHMEMFIX=1STALE_BUFFER_THRESHOLD=214748364 //(2048 Megabytes) ForceFullScreenVSync=1 //allow application to control, nHancer set to applicationALLOW_SHADER_30=1 //allow bojote shader modSHADER_CACHE_VERSION=9872432 //The verision number instructs FSX to recomile the shaders and must be changed if ShadersHLSL is modified [sOUND]SOUND=1SOUND_QUALITY=2SOUND_LOD=0UISound=1AmbientUI=0[Display]TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=90UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=0WideViewAspect=TrueTextureMaxLoad=3 //When using HD 4096 texture settings... based on calculation provided by bojote (*******), see below[bUFFERPOOLS]RejectThreshold=524288 //Tried to lower it to 262144 FSX became unstable.which replaces:[bUFFERPOOLS]UsePools=0[Main]DisablePreload=1FIBER_FRAME_TIME_FRACTION=0.15 //0.14 works as well[TERRAIN]LOD_RADIUS=5.500000 //or even 6.500000MIN_DETAIL_TEXTURE_LEVEL=21 //Supposed to remove grids, can drop to 15MAX_DETAIL_TEXTURE_LEVEL=21I use REx HD textures 4096 x 4096 and figured out a formula based on bojote's calculation where he provided the following infoTexture_Max_Load*(TextureMaxLoad*Texture_Bandwidth_Mult)/Frame LimitFor max texture load of 1024 x 1024(1024*(9*120))/30=36864 I am not sure if this is a max value or not, bojote did not comment on this.TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=1024TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=120UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=30TextureMaxLoad=9In my case I use the HD textures with the frame limiter (although FSX frames are set to unlimited) so the calculation is as follows:With frame limiter desired FPS is 30 and max texture load is 4096 pixels;(4096*(3*90))/30TEXTURE_MAX_LOAD=4096TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=90UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=30TextureMaxLoad=3and the result is:TEXTURE_BANDWIDTH_MULT=90UPPER_FRAMERATE_LIMIT=0TextureMaxLoad=3If using the frame limiter ensure the frames are set so they are 1/2 the display refresh rate and ensure your display is set to its native resolution, in my case my display is set to 1920 x 1200 @ 60Hz.Good luck

Thanks to Brian747 I read the post he referred to and I discovered the value in the mod above is incorrect and should read as follows:STALE_BUFFER_THRESHOLD=1024 // Valid values are 5-1024

[Sigmar 5]

Will report back when results are available.

Here are the results, ladies and gentlemen, and they are remarkable ... disabled the sound chip on the ASUS P7P55D board, and replaced it by a cheap Terratec Aureon 5.1 PCI sound card ... and NO ISSUES AT ALL, not even with the PMDG MD11 which I reactivated just to test it with this setup. The issue is definitely with the interaction of the graphics card (in my case, nVidia GTX275) and the mainboard hardware. Even standard keyboard commands such as CTRL-TAB work now as they were supposed to - How come that one of the major software developers produces a sim, how come that one of the major developers of payware add-ons, developes pieces of high-end software which definitely malfunction when run on state-of-the art-mainboards, sold by the thousands to paying customers?! Where are the beta testers here?! Anyway, FSX now works, even with LevelD767 and PMDG MD11 (and always did with PMDG 744X), under the setup described above. Half a year of agony and wasted time has come to a good end. I hope this is useful to some fellow simmer.Yours respectfullyDr. Sigmar Stadlmeier

[aceridgey 330]

i have texture max load to 4098, what should everything else be to stablize?