FS 2004 problem - freezing on touch down!

[Guest]

I use a 2.0 GHz Pentium IV - PC and 768MB DDR-RAM but have a rather strange problem with FS2004. I get good frame-rates most of the time - between 17-20 fps (locked at 20 fps) even when flying in clouds, flying over detailed scenery like London or taxiing at airports. HOWEVER if I touch down after a flight that was longer than a few minutes, FS2004 more or less freezes completely (about 1 frame per 30 seconds/or even MINUTE). Then it even becomes hard to select an item from the menu because everything is almost frozen completely. If I manage to take off again - inspite of this condition - the moment the plane is in the air again (and if it is only a foot above the runway) - framerates are back to normal and everything is OK again. Sometimes also frame-rates are back to normal after fiddeling around in a menu. I have tried different settings but this had no effect at all. Yet as soon as a plane is in the air the sim seems to be more fluid and have better framerates than FS2002 - but not being able to land properly just spoils every fun with it :-( The strange thing is, that BEFORE take-off framerates are good on the runway, too...Has anybody else seen a similar effect in FS9?

[calypso 32]

Could you post details of your Video card and sound card?My first reaction was that the problem could be either sound (trying to play touchdown sounds)or effects (trying to run touchdown effects).You could try reducing hardware acelleration on your sound card to see if that eliminated the problem.The kind of slowdown you refer to is usually caused by the lack of sufficient avaiable memory (Video card RAM).

[Guest]

Well, I use the Nvidia GeForce 2/MX400 (Display Memory 64MB) and SBLive! Player 5.1. Not the newest equipment but if there are no problems in clouds and over detailed scenery why on touchdown? You may be right that it has something to do with sound but I have reduced sound-quality to minimum already without any success. Maybe I should mention that I always used the DC3. Maybe I should try another aircraft to see if I have the same problem with it, too...

[calypso 32]

Sound quality changes (in FS2004) will not work.You must reduce hardware acelleration on your sound card configuration.Control panel/Sounds and Multimedia/Audio/Advanced/Performance.Try setting the slider on the second step from the left.

[Wolfko 0]

Does this happen on EVERY touch down? If not, did you check if your P4 is overheating?In case a P4 overheats, it does not shut down, but reduces its clock. This can go as far as you described. It will be back to normal once the cpu has cooled down.There are different softwere utilities around, with which you can meassure the temp of your PC during using FS2004.Wolfgang

[Dick 47]

do you have a force feedback joystick ? some of them wont work well with fs9... if you have a force geedbakc joustick why dont you try to disable the force feedback seting in the joystick menu. and see what happens..b rdgs Dick

[Guest]

Many thanks for all the information. I will test FS2004 again when I come home this evening...and yes, I have a force feedback joystick!

[Guest]

Vortex...I have the very same problem with the very same configuration as you. I have the MS Sidewinder FF1 with NVidia MX400 with 64 Meg of ram. And every time I touch down, I also get the 1 FPS freeze. I'm trying different things, and will let you know of my results.

[Guest]

O.K. Thanks. I will test some things, too, but I guess I will not have the time to do it today. I would also like to test a new driver for the Nvidia (I re-installed version 29.42 a few months ago because it gave me BY FAR the best results using FS2002 but maybe things are different in FS2004!?)

[Guest]

I am trying to figure out a bug. Can you please do ctrl-alt-del at the time of freeze and let me how much resources is allcated to fs9. And by chance you have "ignore crash" checked??

[Guest]

I will test this tomorrow. I have just tried to fly using the newest Nvidia-driver: everything was MUCH worse! I reverted to my old 29.42 - driver as fast as I could! The funny thing is that I bought the new extremly dense Lago Venice-scenery (and expected it to be completely "unflyable" in FS2004) and while I had the usual problem when landing (and - in this case - also on takeoff) I was able to fly over the city of Venice with all those 3D-buildings in an height of 100-200 feet and getting 17-20 fps all the time! Only once the framerate dropped to 15 fps for a second - and you have sounds and moving ships etc in this scenery! I really don