I'm asking here because this forum get the most traffic. I read a lot of threads on various sites about problems people have in FS9. Losing text in ATC window, multiple CTDs, error messages, corrupt files, missing files, et cetera. I can't help in wonder why I don't ever have these problems. I've had maybe 3 CTDs, pre-9.1, and 2 were at the "Fly Now" page.I also see so many users who insist on overclocking. Is it not possible that a lot of these issues are from overclocking? How about those who install hundreds of scenery files, aircraft, and other add-ons. It seems like a lot of these problems occur after someone has installed new files. Perhaps it corrupts or removes files somehow. I honestly think a lot of these problems are related to multiple add-on use per each session. You have people running 3rd party weather, aircraft, scenery, and God knows what else at once. I don't understand how replacement textures or whatever would cause problems, but it seems they sometimes do. I want the best experience myself, but I wonder how much is overdone.Personally, I only run add-on aircraft, Ultimate Traffic, and maybe some mesh or landclass files at one time. I'm looking forward to getting Active Sky for my new computer, as the default engine is horrible, but I fear getting into the same situation as many others running too many things at once.Am I crazy or is FS9 like walking on eggshells, wondering if and when something might break and screw it all up? So far, I've been lucky and had no problems, but I fear what my new computer might bring when I start adding more stuff.

One thing I find in common with most CTD reports is add-ons, or having installed and deleted add-ons at some point in the past. CTD's fall into two categories--those that are repeatable all the time, and those that aren't. The latter is where overclocking, heat, etc.. comes into play quite often. The former still has so many factors, it's hard to nail if FS9 is the culprit or not.When the seasonal CTD's were reported, I never saw one until a specific scenario was posted. Sure enough, in that scenario I received a CTD. It was my first repeatable CTD I'd ever seen in the sim. After the 9.1 patch was in and I undid all the "CTD Avoidance" fixes, I tested the same scenario, and the CTD was gone.However, the only scenery add-ons I run are those created with my own landclass assistant tool. It's a well proven fact that some obscure scenery add-on can cause a CTD many miles away from the area the add-on covers. This is especially true with AFCAD add-ons. Some gauges cause CTD's. Downloaded weather....My own experience in a fairly add-on free environment other than aircraft, is I can set FS9 up for a long range flight slaved to the GPS. I can leave it for a twelve hour stretch if I want to, and if it arrives at my destination before I get back to my desk, I'll find the aircraft circling. I even find it a tad more stable than FS2002. Without add-ons, it certainly ain't eggshells for me...-John

Even with all the add-ons I've got installed (FSUIPC, Active cam, dozens and dozens of planes, a variety of different mesh and scenery files) I honestly can't recall ever having experienced a true ctd that I couldn't account for from some specific mistake I'd made installing an add-on. In fact, I can't even recall a ctd of that nature now that I think of it. I live in Winnipeg and spend much of my time in the sim flying around Manitoba (where winter comes about 4 times a year) and never experienced the seasonal ctd before or after 9.1. I'm not saying the sim is perfect or that there aren't any bugs in it, but sometimes when I read comments from people making it sound like it is just full of "game-breakers" I'm reminded of that joke where the guy runs into the doctors office and exclaims "Doc, Doc, it hurts when I do this!" to which the doctor responds "well don't do that."

Yeah, it's just so strange. So many people have issues that make me wonder if it's overclocking or what. Like people who insist on complaining about frame rates, yet if they post a windowed pic they've got AIM, Norton, Windows Media Player, and a few other tasks running in the background. Now I'm not saying this is always the case, but I've seen a few examples of it. I'm also not suggesting the users who have problems with FS9 are inept in their computer skills and haven't done the same as me to try and ensure perfect game play, but I just find it all so puzzling.

I've never had a CTD with FS2004. I'm just amazed as to how much time some people spent just tweaking the sim. I'm happy with the frame rates I'm getting on my aging rig. I tried to avoid as much pre-flying fiddling as possible, so I only disable Norton and Spy Sweeper. Secondly, with very few exceptions, I only use payware addons from reputable designers and companies. During my days with FS2000, I used to to download one freeware addon after another, then, after download, you were usually confronted with 200 different files that needed to be moved to 800 different locations -with predictable results. Plus, more often than not the installation instructions left much to be desired, especially if they were written by someone from another country with only a shaky command of English. Not blaming the many good freeware designers, but I just don't have the time anymore to deal with the hassle of backing up every #### file before installing something. Thirdly, I now have a fairly airtight system for handling addons. I have an Access database which stores information about what I have and where I bought it from. Every single addon is backed up onto a CD-R. Emails with installation keys are stored in my yahoo account, and I've also printed them out for easy retrieval. I'm bound to have to reinstall FS9 at some time, but I'm prepared. ricardo

I am one of those people with CTD problems.My FS2004 CTD in the startup screen quite consistently. I have had a couple of CTD when flying a plane but those are very rare. The startup screen (where you can go to Flying Lessons, Learning Center, Select a Flight, etc) seems to crash a lot. And it crashes in different places each time. But some seem to be quite common. 1. Picking the Flying Lessons item seems to crash about 70% of the time.2. Picking the Nav Log... button in the Flight Planner crashes about 80% of the time.3. Picking the Learning Center item seems to crash about 30% of the time.This is incredibly annoying and I haven't found a solution yet. I have re-installed from scratch. It happens with 9.0. It happens with 9.1. It happens with or without add-ons.I have a Dell Inspiron 9100 laptop with 768 MB memory and 2.6 GHz P4. I'm baffled. No one else seems to have this problem. Brad.

the best solution is to make sure you have updated audio, visual, motherboard BIOS, etc drivers.But the reason some people have problems and some don't is simple. What type of computer do you have? the possibilities are almost endless, and hardware issues cause most software problems. Now-a-days it takes an almost endless budget if you are a developer and want to test your game on different setups, BUT it seems like microsoft could have done a better QA job

Well if FS is running like it's supposed to you won't get any CTD's or problems, obviously. Only some people encounter these problems. It seems the two most common problems are addons and malconfigured systems though sometimes these problems can come out of the blue even if nothing appears to be wrong with the setup.Overclocking is only one of hundreds of potential factors. Most people who overclock tend to actually know what they're doing and so they run stress-test programs to establish if the overclocked system is still stable. Running a 2.4 GHz CPU at 3 GHz may sound like asking for trouble but the truth is that many slower CPUs are just disguised high-end CPUs that were downclocked to meet supply demands for midrange CPUs. Others will still happily overclock if you up the voltage.Addons can certainly cause problems as well, especially if you don't read and follow the instructions. Even if you do, some addons just don't play nicely together.Finally there does seem to be a new seasonal CTD in FS 9.1. It's much rarer than the winter CTD of FS9, but it does seem to be there, only it happens during fall and possibly also during spring. I experienced it once over France, repeatadly, over the exact same location. I was using Myworld but I think that it could happen with default too if the right (or wrong...) combination of textures are called by the landclass .bgl files. I experienced the same thing in Vermont US again with an addon landclass (FSGenesis) but only once even after trying to locate the same troublesome spot again. On both occasions, the problem was with the terrain.dll file. I have seen a few other reports of fall CTD's here in the forum but not that many.

My thoughts are that many FS users are never satisfied - if they get 30fps they want 35 - if they get 35 they want 40 - and so on.I believe that - in common with the majority of PC problems that occur - the majority(but not all) of FS problems are down to the user.( the nut behind the keyboard- we've all heard this before I'm sure)Certainly some problems are down to incompatability/ instability etc in addons- both freeware and payware- some are down to driver problems , and so on .The fact remains that the biggest source of problems remains that of users pushing things to their limits ( and beyond)- and I'm not just talking about the Graphics settings - but filling the system with too many addons of all kinds etc - then wondering why the system complains.If you drive a car - assuming there were no speed limits etc - you wouldn't drive it flat out and laden to it's max all the time. A computer deserves the same consideration.Dave

My system CTDs in the startup screen all the time.With 9.0, with 9.1, with add-ons, without add-ons.I have a vanilla Dell Inspiron 8500. No overclocking, no special additions. Drivers all up to date. I am a software engineer by trade so I do know what I am doing.The thing that baffles me is why it only happens in the startup screens. Flying a plane is fine. All that is happening when you hit the Flying Lessons button for instance is that some HTML is getting loaded and displayed. That's it. Why should it crash? You would think that it would crash when flying a plane with all the complex 3D stuff going on. But no, it happens when loading an HTML file. Geesh.Brad.

Is it in any way possible that some A/V or firewall setting regarding the handling of HTML could be involved? or even perhaps a Windows/IE setting? Does it happen when theres a video loaded in the library? Maybe a codec or something is messed up? Just some thoughts...

I have very rarely received a CTD since using FS9. Never received the seasonal one either. On the occasion I did receive a CTD, it was an addon installation problem I caused or the video driver's were not installed properly. I've had a CTD when clicking on the NAV log screen and it was a bad installation of video drivers that caused the problem. If you have a CTD and think your video drivers are properly installed, think again. They may appear properly installed in DirectX or the Device Manager but a corrupted video registry entry will crash FS9 everytime.Jim