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ErnstB

FSX just pitch black

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Hi all,

 

Everything was running fine for months now.

Since yesterday the start-up screen preview window just is black but offers all the options.

After full start of FSX just the Windows screen with Flightsimulator X information on its blue frame is showing, the rest stays black, no FSX menus, nothing.

 

Removing the fsx.cfg and creating a new one = no improvement, sometimes FSX wasn't even starting anymore, just hang.

 

Is somebody here on this forum who knows this problem and its remedy?

 

Thanks in advance for any helpful tips!

 

Best regards

Ernst

 

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What have you changed since the time it worked until the time it stopped working properly? Have you done any Windows updates, driver updates or anything like that?

 

If not, then it sounds like it could be video card related. Maybe time to open the case, take the card out and blow out the dust with a can of compressed air. While your at it clean out the inside of the case with air and/or a vacuum with a small attachment. Sometime months or years of dust can cause comments to overheat and not function properly. I make a habit to open my case and thoroughly clean it out every 3 months.

 

If that doesn't work and you hadn't made any changes to the computer system. Test with other games or programs that use video functions to see if they function properly. If they dont, then your card could have issues. You could always try reinstalling your last set of video card drivers that worked and flushing your FSX shader cache and see if that works.


Avsim Board of Directors | Avsim Forums Moderator

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I have had startup problems caused by a corrupted logbook file.  I have a logbook editor which works outside of FSX; I leave FSX and look for weird late logbook entries.  Fixing the entry fixes the problem.  Good Luck.

Jim Elder

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This will also happen if you have a lot of photoscenery installed. FSX has a hard time rendering when you put a lot of resources on your system, like high settings, bad tweaks, and photoscenery. Since you state you rebuilt your fsx.cfg, it cannot be high settings and bad tweaks though.

 

Best regards,


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Thank you all for your kind help!

I have no other games on my PC to crosscheck, but all other applications seem to work flawlessly.
I cleaned the PC and the filters about 2 weeks ago, must be ok.
The last thing I did before FSX stopped working was the REX texture change, but I don't really think this might have caused such a failure.

Start-up with African landscape where I have no addon sceneries and no photosceneries doesn't improve anything.
Plus, I never had a problem e.g. flying in Switzerland ProX, a large area photoscenery.

I think my PC is quite powerful and rarely shows a problem with heavy sceneries.

HIGHMEMFIX=1=1 and UsePools=0 fixes are applied.

Next I will check on the logbook suggestion have new nVidia drivers installed.

 

I'll report about the results here.

Again, thanks for helping me to fix my FSX!

Best regards
Ernst

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Check the screen resolution you have set in the graphics option.  Can't quite tell from your description but this happened to me when hooking my laptop into a lower resolution monitor. All the splash screens were readable but when you hit "fly now" you just get a blank screen.

 

Steve


Steve Corzine

 

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Sounds like you could be experiencing the dreaded NVddm 401 error https://forums.geforce.com/default/topic/742032/error-4101-display-driver-nvlddmkm-stopped-responding-and-has-successfully-recovered-/

 

You need to go and look in event viewer under "Warnings" What happens is that windows thinks the graphics card cannot keep up, and restarts your video display. All that was posted above can help, but also faulty ram can also cause this as well.


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Something similar happened to me a few days ago and i found out that it was the DSR custom resolution option on NV control panel was turn off after a driver update but on FSX the custom resolution was still on. So if you are using this DSR-factor tweak make sure is on.  

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Hi All,

 

Thanks for all your help!

I think I've tried everything suggested and nothing cured my FSX staying just black problem.

 

Now I have completely uninstalled it and with the new install this pronblem is be gone!

Don't know what really caused it.

 

My new problem now: various airports have elevation problems, raised rundways or lower level terrain, particularly with Orbx PNW airfields.

Any fast help on this issue?

 

Best regards

Ernst

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Hi Ernst,

 

I think that you might have missed something while uninstalling.  Here are some instructions I got for reinstalling FSX:

 

Uninstall

 

1. If you have special panel.cfgs or Aircraft.cfgs back them up first

 

2. Back-up the Flight plans folder C:/Documents and settings /My Documents/Flight Simulator X files

 

3. From add-remove programs remove any add-ons that you have. Clean any folders or files that may have been left behind after you uninstall any add-ons.

 

4. Remove Visual Basic C++ from Add/remove Programs

 

5. If you have installed the SDK service pack remove it first. Than remove FSX SP1 from add-remove programs.

 

6. Next Remove FSX itself from Add/Remove Programs or from the FSX Disk 1.

7. Manually delete the C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\FSX folder and all its left over contents

Also remove these folders if necessary:

 

All entries that start with: C:/WINDOWS/WinSxS/x86_Microsoft.FlightSimulator.SimConnect but do not delete anything else.  You may need permission to do this:

 

Note:  Win 7 Permissions

 

You can change the permissions for folders (and subdirectories) by right clicking on the parent folder, choose Properties, go to the Security tab, click Advanced, go to the Owner tab, click Edit, select the new owner and check the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects and press Apply.
 

Win 7

 

Scenery.CFG:

 

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\FSX

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX

 

Save Logbook.bin & GrantedRewards.bin if you don't want to start over on flight time and mission rewards.
 

 

Install

 

TURN OFF ANY ANTI-virus!!!!!!!

 

  1. Defrag now.
  2. Install FSX clean from the DVD into its default location then activate BUT DO NOT FLY!!!
  3. Reboot
  4. Install Acceleration and activate
  5. Reboot and then run FSX/Acceleration once do not fly yet!
  6. Back-up Microsoft Flight Simulator\Scenery\World\Texture 

Then go ahead and install in the following order if you have any of these addons:

 

World Mesh

Landclass

Ultimate Terrain

Orbx Regions

Orbx Airports

Orbx Libraries

Addon Airport Scenery

Ground Environment X


\Robert Hamlich/

 

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Hi Hussar,

This is a great uninstall/install guide!

But sadly I missed that...

 

I followed the PMDG guide found here  http://support.precisionmanuals.com/kb/a87/how-to-uninstall-and-reinstall-fsx.aspx

 

Still I am having airport elevation problems above all in the PNW area, perhaps a combination problem with FTX Global mesh?

 

Any hints on this issue would be highly appreciated!

 

Best regards and thank you for your contribution

Ernst

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Hi Ernst,

 

Elevation problems might be a result of misplaced scenery indexes in the scenery.cfg.  I do not have FTX Global installed any longer but I might be able to dig up an old .cfg with the placement order.  Here is my scenery.cfg for you to compare to in the meantime: 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ci6l6z6ek0ber5/Scenery.txt?dl=0

 

Robert


\Robert Hamlich/

 

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Hi All!

 

Problem solved!

 

Switching Orbx FTX Central from North America to FTX Global and back to North America solved all my elevation problems in NA.

 

Thanks for all your kind help!

 

Ernst

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Glad to hear Ernst.


\Robert Hamlich/

 

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