Maybe this has already been addressed but I searched and can't find it. Toward the end of a flight I tried to change a altitude in the FMS, the msg light was lit and it would only let me put one character at a time in. Any ideas?

Do you have a screenshot? It would make it easier for us to help.

Sorry to dig up this old thread but same thing happened to me today after months of flawless behaviour : I was training on NPA around Bordeaux LFBD, made three NPAs (VOR 11, VOR 23, VOR 05) with their GA and holding, and for the last one, as I was heading to ETPAR for the holding, I wanted to change the altitude of the hold from 4000 to 5000, but impossible : I could only enter one symbol. If typing another symbol, instead of putting the new symbol AFTER the ones already present in the scratchpad as usual, it would simply replace the symbol. Therefore only one symbol at a time was possible on the scratchpad. Which of course makes it quite difficult to use the FMC. Landed without a problem after a last NPA, still unable to put anymore than one symbol during the approach, and during the powerdown at the gate, I noticed that I could now again put the symbols as usual on the FMC, one after the other.Any clue ? Or is this a bug I should report to the team ?Happy flights.

Edited March 1, 201214 yr by Driftdown

Same here after many uses with no problems. sp1b

Edited March 2, 201214 yr by Barnstormer1

Okay guys, we're all here to help, but help us help you. The first guy posted, and was asked for a screenshot, and then he never responded. Then we get two more posts of "same here!" It really doesn't help us.Nothing gets done here if we don't have the right information. Screenshots save about 3-4 posts on average - hundreds of words. You know, there's even a key within FSX that takes the shot for you.Now, I realize it'll be tough to recreate, but try to, and try to get screen shots. In the future, if you're having a problem, don't forget the screen shots.

Edited March 2, 201214 yr by scandinavian13

Lol what good is a screenshot I wonder : how much more clearer can it be than :"when I type another symbol, instead of appearing in the scratchpad AFTER the previous ones as usual, it replaces the previous one. Therefore only ONE symbol at a time appears in the scratchpad. As it is impossible to have more than one symbol at a time in the scratchpad, It is therefore impossible to use complex expression such as waypoint/navaids/fixes names, radials or range ring in the FIX page, speed and altitude constraints... which makes the FMC far less efficient".No screenshot will be of any use. It's the just the usual FMC with one letter in the scratchpad. Period. Nothing more, nothing less. Or if you absolutely want a screenshot I can take one of the FMC without the problem by typing just one letter. Is this your idea of a "useful" screenshot ? :(

Did you have keyboard typing enable for the FMC?

A picture is a thousand words, so yes, it's valuable to the team.It also clarifies if the issue is indeed the issue you think it is.Most I.T companies would insist on screenshots if reporting issues, and here is no different.

Edited March 2, 201214 yr by Jude Bradley

Check your insert button (Might be listed as INS on your keyboard). If it happens again, press Insert and see if that fixes it.

Most I.T companies would insist on screenshots if reporting issues, and here is no different.

Yep! Exactly. I work for one, so I guess that's why I'm asking...

Did you have keyboard typing enable for the FMC?

Unfortunately it was the same with both typing using the keyboard or using the mouse click on the buttons.

Check your insert button (Might be listed as INS on your keyboard). If it happens again, press Insert and see if that fixes it.

First thing I thought of too, although I doubted myself quickly as it was the same when clicking on the FMS keypad with the mouse. And indeed INSER or not INSER didn't change a thing unfortunately.@scandinavia13 and Jude Bradley : Gentlemen. Don't think I don't value your opinion. I do. You're most probably hundreds of times more competent than I will ever be on software/programming/debugging/... things. And if I'm proven wrong in the end with my finding useless the idea of a screenshot I will present my sincerest apologies.However when I read "Most I.T companies would insist on screenshots if reporting issues" I can't help but think two things :1) it is not because MOST of the time, MOST companies will ask for screenshots that it is ALWAYS useful. That's why we have two words/expressions : "most of the time" and "always". That's also why we've been given a brain : to think out of the box when necessary.2) what happened to good old reading carefully, understanding really, thinking instead of applying a basic "If there's no screenshot it's not even worth reading the post, I'm gonna tell them to post a screenshot before I even start thinking about their problem"Have you even read really what we all wrote ? I believe asking for a screenshot is pointless for a very simple reason (not to mention the fact that it apparently happened only once to all of us and that we may not have been able to replicate the issue and didn't take any screens the first time...) : it is a dynamic problem. Not a static glitch. Therefore a screenshot will only show, as we stated several times, a normal FMS with just one symbol in the scratchpad. If we take several screenshot all you will see is that same FMS on the same page, with just one symbol (changing) in the scratchpad.I can replicate/simulate this behaviour if you reaaaaaaaaaally insist on having a screenshot by just taking a screenshot at any time during any flight of the FMS with one symbol in the scratchpad... but would that be really usefull ? Allow me to seriously doubt it.Hence my "let's try to think out of the box and not use such hackneyed and pointless classics as "A picture is a thousand words""All the very best to all and thanks for all the ideas

Edited March 3, 201214 yr by Driftdown

Yep! Exactly. I work for one, so I guess that's why I'm asking...

Err, Me too :)and every day we insist on screen-shots (plus logs if applicable) for our error reports.

Are you guys using panel states that have gone through a bunch of different flights or generations of the saved state at all? Can anyone get this to happen just loading straight from free flight in a reproducible fashion that we can actually debug?

Are you guys using panel states that have gone through a bunch of different flights or generations of the saved state at all? Can anyone get this to happen just loading straight from free flight in a reproducible fashion that we can actually debug?

Hi Ryan, thanks for the answer. I can't talk for others, but as far as I am concerned, I only start the PMDG 737NGX with the default cold and dark state that you very generously supplied. So nothing to do with saved state in my experience (again can't speak for others). As for the "reproductible fashion" I'll try my best to identify what could have been the context leading to this. I'll redo the exact same flight the exact same way (-ish) and let you know.

Driftdown (please sign your name to the posts - it's the way of the forum),I see what you're getting at, but the problem is that when I troubleshoot issues, I'm not looking at the problem. Often, I'm looking at what surrounds the problem. When you're providing a textual description, your mind is giving me what you think is relevant to the situation (and what you supplied certainly is), but what about everything else going on? For computer issues, a lot of it is pretty stupid, to be honest (when troubleshooting at my job), but when it comes to complex programs (the NGX being one of them), a number of things could be causing an error, and your description plus a screenshot would be awesome.Like I said, I fully understand your hesitation to just say "the screenshot is clearly the solution," because you provided such a detailed explanation, but the screenshot will really help me understand where you were, what the FMS thought was going on, and probably somewhere in the background, I'd see the MCP, ND, or something else with clues. Granted, all of that could get me nothing more than your description, but there's no way for me to know that unless I see it. Additionally, text is great, but a picture would really help my mind piece it all together.Little known psych fact for peoples' mornings:When reading, your mind actually pictures the words as they are read (articles excepted, of course). For that reason, text with pictures generally tends to be more effective than text without.