[13MAR17] [UPDATED] Faults when running the Operation Center and/or the OC based Product Updaters AND WHAT TO DO...

[deepstar 38]

Hi

I have updated the 747 with no problems. Updated first update, no problem. Updated second update, no problem. Everything went smooth as butter.

Edit: Yes. My 747 QOTSII works.

 

 

 

 

[Boomer 1,619]

21 hours ago, deepstar said:

Hi

I have updated the 747 with no problems. Updated first update, no problem. Updated second update, no problem. Everything went smooth as butter.

Edit: Yes. My 747 QOTSII works.

Is this "first update" for the OC?  Or do you mean the first QOTS2 update (major one) and then the second small one?

[deepstar 38]

24 minutes ago, Boomer said:

Is this "first update" for the OC?  Or do you mean the first QOTS2 update (major one) and then the second small one?

Hi.

No I have updated the OC 2 or 3 times because I have it for the 737NGX. I installed the 747 and after a few days there was 2 notifications, One for the OC and one for the 747. I updated the OC and without closing, I updated the 747 (major one 700 MB). After a few days a new update was available for the 747 (small one 300mb). I updated.

 

 

 

 

[scandinavian13 5,192]

Gents,

When you're updating, you will always only see one update for the product you're updating. Part of the reason the updater works the way it does is to avoid wasting time, bandwidth, and space.

Say you took some time away from simming for a few months and in that time we sent out 3 updates:

1. Updates to File A, File B, File C; added File D, referenced by an updated File E.
2. Updates to File B, and File C
3. Updates to File B, and File D

When you came back and requested the update, your download would contain:

File A, the final update of File B, the final update of File C, the final update of File D, and File E. Even though File B got updated each time, only the latest one will come down, and the updater will only request it that one time (a total of five files). This saves time in general for any file updated a number of times, and saves quite a lot of time if File B large.

 

If someone were actively simming that whole time and was around for each update, they would've downloaded each update as it came across. To them, it was three individual updates (and a total of nine files, though were three duplicated, and one more than once over that entire time - necessarily so, however).

If you're behind, it's all going to be lumped into a single package. This is part of the reason the files don't come down compressed in bulk: what you require isn't necessarily the same grouping of files as what someone else requires. This, as has been seen, is one of the reasons we're seeing issues (.dll being downloaded seems nefarious to AV programs, where .zip is so common that it would otherwise be ignored, despite a potentially nefarious payload). All the same, the ability for our server to queue up only the files you need saves you time, and saves us a logistical nightmare and bandwidth.

[Boomer 1,619]

Okay, Kyle, I follow you on that.  I will see if that somehow involves a solution to my issue and report back.

[simtom 495]

So I re-installed the 747 but the updater still isn't working.

I might think this has to do with the fact that I installed FSX in the Program Files folder instead of using a different location.

Unfortunately, on my laptop at least, I only have one partition. This means that you can't create a second Steam folder on the same disk... 

Will I be able to download an updated installer from the website?

[downscc 1,327]

2 hours ago, simtom said:

I might think this has to do with the fact that I installed FSX in the Program Files folder instead of using a different location.

That should have no impact unless you are not running the OC with admin rights.  Sure wish you'd be a little more specif than "isnt working."  I'm not going to read a four page thread to see what you last reported.

[simtom 495]

11 hours ago, downscc said:

That should have no impact unless you are not running the OC with admin rights.  Sure wish you'd be a little more specif than "isnt working."  I'm not going to read a four page thread to see what you last reported.

You can find more info here: 

and here: 

 

[Da Flyguy 3]

Hi Gents,

I have tried everything under the sun to make this work but all with the same result.
Update window appears, Updates start, Update windows closes.
This happens at different stages of updating.
I had it drop out at update 3 0f 65,  20 of 65 ,  31 of 65  and so on and on.
Please do not blame me for feeling utterly frustrated at this time.
Over the last 24 hours I must have tried 20 times.
I even completely uninstalled A/V , disabled Firewall, followed instructions as per Robert, Used direct line
through my ADSL by removing Phone and Filter, Complete fresh install of the 747 v2....
I have tried everything but the download window just drops out.

PMDG staff,  Can you please Update the aircraft pack itself so at least I can download that the normal way?

Kind regards ,  Rick Melcher

[Boomer 1,619]

1 hour ago, Da Flyguy said:

PMDG staff,  Can you please Update the aircraft pack itself so at least I can download that the normal way?

That's what I await as well.

[pcubine 143]

11 hours ago, Boomer said:

That's what I await as well.

Chris

Are you saying if you downloaded the installer by the view previous orders routine it would be the original RTM from around Feb 1, 2017 with updates 1 and 2 not included?

You could try to create a new OC by going to Program Files (X86) and delete everything in PMDG Operations Center except for PMDG Operations Center.exe. Run the one remaining file as administrator. That should create a new PMDG OC.

[Boomer 1,619]

3 hours ago, pcubine said:

You could try to create a new OC by going to Program Files (X86) and delete everything in PMDG Operations Center except for PMDG Operations Center.exe. Run the one remaining file as administrator. That should create a new PMDG OC.

No, that doesn't work.  Just get a dll error.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

On ‎4‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 7:51 PM, Da Flyguy said:

PMDG staff,  Can you please Update the aircraft pack itself so at least I can download that the normal way?

 

On ‎4‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 9:36 PM, Boomer said:

That's what I await as well.

 

--------
Response to both quoted posts:

Doing this for a micro-update really defeats the purpose of a micro-updater. We fully plan on updating the main installer, but on a regular (approximately quarterly) basis. The micro-updater is here so that we can get quick fixes out to people as we address them. Think of it this way: we created a new avenue to send out updates to people quicker, and with a shorter turnaround. Part of the reason for this is that it's not a huge commitment to rebuild the entire aircraft, upload the entire installer, and then have our servers hammered while people download the entire installer.

If we rebuilt the entire installer every time we changed a handful of files, and had everyone re-download the entire installer every time, our hosting bills would be astronomical. So, that avenue is out of the question.

 

 

What people seem to be forgetting, however, is that the updater is a new avenue. It's an alternate means of getting the updates. If, for whatever reason, it isn't working, the full updated installer will be uploaded once we've gotten things absolutely stable (via one or a few of the builds through the micro-updater). Beyond that, some of the upgrades we've added to the downloader (actually, the changes are more to the servers than the downloader, though the downloader has a bunch of protections added in) should solve most of handful of issues that remain on people's systems/connections.

It's frustrating. I understand. Apart from AV issues, the only issues that remain are connection issues, and we're addressing those. This is a new method. It will take a little bit for us to get it exactly where it needs to be. We're not Google, Mozilla, or Microsoft. Those companies have teams of people making/updating browsers have had downloaders in them for years, and the code is mature, and stable. The updater is something we dreamt up a few months ago as we were doing the 744 betas (built by members of the team not actively coding stuff on the 744). This is new to us. It's not going to be perfect out of the gate. We all hope code is perfect out of the gate, but nothing is ever perfect at all times. I'd say it's actually a remarkable success for a program that's well out of our core expertise. Please be patient while we tie up the loose ends. If the tied up loose ends don't solve the issue, then, as we've done in the past, the full installer will be available at some point (keeping in mind that SPs for our past products weren't available until much later than now for anything other than major show-stoppers, which the 744 hasn't seen).

[Boomer 1,619]

Theres no show stoppers, brother Kyle, true enough.

Still happily flying the release version, no issues.

Cheers.

[Boomer 1,619]

Here is the text from the "DOS" update window from the update attempt (same log every time, seems to get stuck after update 4 then the window just closes):

2017/04/03 13:31:23 [PMDG 1] ===== PMDG updater commencing
2017/04/03 13:31:23 [PMDG 1] Setting up for 744 / P3D
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] PMDG Updater: Version A16 - Build timestamp Mar 14
2017, 14:08:14
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Finding installed PMDG product version
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Installed PMDG product version: 3008132
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Fetching available product information for the conf
igured simulator...
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Retrieving data about PMDG product 22: PMDG 747-400
 QOTSII for P3Dv3
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Finding install-directory of next simulator in this
 family...
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] If a registry key error appears, disregard - it sim
ply means you do not have that simulator installed.
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Sim install directory in registry is Z:\Prepar3D v3
\
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] PMDG 747-400 QOTSII path should be Z:\Prepar3D v3\\
PMDG\PMDG 747 QOTS II
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Upstream says 65 new file(s) totaling 738388KB
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Product directory Z:\Prepar3D v3\\PMDG\PMDG 747 QOT
S II exists
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Your files are being updated. Depending on file siz
e, this may take some time.
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Need to update 65 file(s).
2017/04/03 13:31:24 [PMDG 1] Total download size is 738388KB.
2017/04/03 13:31:25 [PMDG 1] From remote: Effects\fx_PMDG_747_APU_exhaust.fx to
Z:\Prepar3D v3\Effects\fx_PMDG_747_APU_exhaust.fx, size 2KB
2017/04/03 13:31:25 [PMDG 1] File 1 of 65 successfuly updated for this sim.
2017/04/03 13:31:25 [PMDG 1] From remote: Effects\fx_PMDG_747_contrail.fx to Z:\
Prepar3D v3\Effects\fx_PMDG_747_contrail.fx, size 2KB
2017/04/03 13:31:25 [PMDG 1] File 2 of 65 successfuly updated for this sim.
2017/04/03 13:31:25 [PMDG 1] From remote: Effects\fx_PMDG_747_ENG_exhaust.fx to
Z:\Prepar3D v3\Effects\fx_PMDG_747_ENG_exhaust.fx, size 2KB
2017/04/03 13:31:25 [PMDG 1] File 3 of 65 successfuly updated for this sim.
2017/04/03 13:31:25 [PMDG 1] From remote: Effects\texture\fx_PMDG_747_exhaust.bm
p to Z:\Prepar3D v3\Effects\texture\fx_PMDG_747_exhaust.bmp, size 22KB
2017/04/03 13:31:26 [PMDG 1] File 4 of 65 successfuly updated for this sim.
2017/04/03 13:31:26 [PMDG 1] From remote: Gauges\PMDG_747QOTSII.dll to Z:\Prepar
3D v3\Gauges\PMDG_747QOTSII.dll, size 227833KB