Corrupt PLN Prevents FSX/SP2 from Launching

[DavidV935 6]

Thought I’d share my recent experience with FSX when it failed to load. This is a new variation not covered in the AVSIM CTD Guide.

I have FSX Deluxe with SP2 installed on a Windows 10 PC. The evening before the failure, I had started a short flight from EDDT to EGLL, but changed my mind about the plane I was using and exited FSX. When I came back, I clicked to FSX icon to launch the program and the splash screen appeared, and then FSX just hung up. I had to use Task Manager to kill FSX. Tried several times with no success, so figured I had a corrupt file and put the DVD in and ran the Repair FSX. FSX continued to hang at the splash screen.

Next, I pulled out Jim Young’s fabulous AVSIM CTD Guide v 5.0 and double checked all the recommended settings – all settings and recommendations in place, but still no success.

Next, backed up all my personal data folders (documents, pictures, music), then retrieved my other backup drive and restored my latest system image. SUCCESS – FSX launched all the way into the program and I could fly again!! After feeling relieved, I restored my personal data folders to bring back the latest emails, documents and photos. On my next attempt to launch FSX, it failed at the splash screen again!

Restored from my system image again, and FSX worked (again). So, this time, I pulled over individual folders within my backup Documents except the Documents\Flight Simulator X folder. FSX launched successfully. Finally, I went into the Documents\Flight Simulator X folder on my backup data drive and deleted the last flight plan I had created from EDDT to EGLL (IFR Tegel to Heathrow.PLN). Everything works fine now!!

Lesson here is that a corrupt flight plan file (.PLN) in your Documents\Flight Simulator X folder can prevent FSX from launching. Go figure…

[Jim Young 2,356]

When FSX starts up, and before the FSX startup screen, it loads anything in the dll.xml and default flight scenarios.  There have been many times when the logbook.bin would cause the crash at startup as it loads that too.  This is the first time I have heard a .pln caused the crash.  I do not see why the EDDT to EGLL plan would have to be loaded other than it loads everything in the Documents\Flight Simulator X Files folder?  That is not logical as you can delete or rename or move your Flight Simulator X Files folder to a temporary directory.  When you restart FSX, the folder will be rebuilt with just the logbook.bin and, when you first start up, it will generate your default flightplan.  So, why would it be concerned with non-default flight plans.  I would suggest it probably was the logbook.bin that caused the crash as that gets corrupted after using it for many years.  It contains every flight you have ever flown since installing FSX.  Glad you got your freeze fixed.

[DavidV935 6]

Jim...I will always defer to your insights since your depth of knowledge is far greater than mine. I was just trying to connect dots to find the root cause. I guess the coincidence here is the logbook.bin becoming corrupt when I exited FSX the first time. I used your CTD Guide to methodically go through things, but you can't look at the logbook.bin and know something is wrong. I am really thankful that I routinely do a system image backup because I obviously overwrote the good documents\flight simulator X files folder with a bad one.

Edited March 2, 2018 by DavidV935

[Jim Young 2,356]

You did good.  It's another solution that worked as I doubt anyone would have figured a bad flight plan would have been the cause.