FSX:SE not starting up

[Sam_W 0]

Hi all,

First time poster here.

Back in October 2018 I started getting an error out of the blue every time I started up FSX:SE. 

It says "Flight Simulator was unable to load some program files and will now exit". 

I have tried to reinstall 4 times (making sure to clear every single trace of FSX:SE that I could when uninstalling) and I've verified file integrity in Steam twice. No issues have shown up when verifying file integrity. 

At first I thought it was a corrupted file but from what I've seen I'm not sure it is that anymore.

Anyone know what could be causing this and how to fix this?

Thanks in advance.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Sam_W

[Sam_W 0]

Forgot to add that I'm running Windows 10 Version 1803 (if that helps)

[johncott 177]

The main issue I had where FSX:SE did not start was a faulty logbook file. This will usually happen if you make changes to your logbook in FSX. FSX does not like this. You can try renaming the logbook.bin file to something else like logbook.bak and see if that clears it up. This file can be found in documents/Flight Simulator X Files.  If this does clear it up you can do two things, delete the logbook.bin file, this will delete your logbook entries in your pilot records or download a logbook editor and load it and try saving it.

[Sam_W 0]

1 hour ago, johncott said:

The main issue I had where FSX:SE did not start was a faulty logbook file. This will usually happen if you make changes to your logbook in FSX. FSX does not like this. You can try renaming the logbook.bin file to something else like logbook.bak and see if that clears it up. This file can be found in documents/Flight Simulator X Files.  If this does clear it up you can do two things, delete the logbook.bin file, this will delete your logbook entries in your pilot records or download a logbook editor and load it and try saving it.

Thanks, I will try that now. 

[188AHC 2,138]

I agree. If the logbook gets corrupted FSX will not load. I made it a routine to always keep a backup of my logbook just in case something happened. It seemed to me that the corruption would occur when shutting down the sim or finishing a flight and then starting a new one.  This anomaly has always been in FSX but it doesn't happen consistently.

There might be a utility in the Avsim library to help you recover your logbook. At one time there was one called "Logbook Editor".  Look for it. It was great for repairing corrupted logbook files.

 

[Sam_W 0]

50 minutes ago, 188AHC said:

I agree. If the logbook gets corrupted FSX will not load. I made it a routine to always keep a backup of my logbook just in case something happened. It seemed to me that the corruption would occur when shutting down the sim or finishing a flight and then starting a new one.  This anomaly has always been in FSX but it doesn't happen.

There might be a utility in the Avsim library to help you recover your logbook. At one time there was one called "Logbook Editor".  Look for it. It was great for repairing corrupted logbook files.

 

I'll try and look for it. Thanks for your help.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Sam_W

[Sam_W 0]

@188AHC @johncott I've run into another issue. I have no logbook file, and I have no 'Flight Simulator X' folder in My Documents. What do I do now?

[charliearon 3,024]

10 minutes ago, Sam_W said:

@188AHC @johncott I've run into another issue. I have no logbook file, and I have no 'Flight Simulator X' folder in My Documents. What do I do now?

Do a search of your HDD for a folder called Flight Simulator X files.  It has to be there, somewhere.

[Sam_W 0]

10 minutes ago, charliearon said:

Do a search of your HDD for a folder called Flight Simulator X files.  It has to be there, somewhere.

I've just done it. All I could find was this: https://imgur.com/a/p0LvBqB (sorry if offsite links are not allowed, I'm not sure how to add in pictures on this forum). 

Edited February 6, 2019 by Sam_W

[188AHC 2,138]

Search your HDD for a file called Logbook.bin.  First, check in your saved flights folder.

 

[Sam_W 0]

9 hours ago, 188AHC said:

Search your HDD for a file called Logbook.bin.  First, check in your saved flights folder.

 

I wasn't able to find the logbook.bin or the saved flights folder. I'm not sure why this is happening. I've probably screwed up my game now.  

[188AHC 2,138]

Well, Sam, at this point I think your best bet is to completely remove FSX-SE from your system and start over. Something is definitely wrong.  Also make sure when you clean the program from your system you also clean your registry.  Then reinstall it completely from Steam.

One not, however. If you have downloaded or purchased any aircraft or sceneries, make sure you move them to a safe location then you will have them when you reinstall.

 

[Sam_W 0]

27 minutes ago, 188AHC said:

Well, Sam, at this point I think your best bet is to completely remove FSX-SE from your system and start over. Something is definitely wrong.  Also make sure when you clean the program from your system you also clean your registry.  Then reinstall it completely from Steam.

One not, however. If you have downloaded or purchased any aircraft or sceneries, make sure you move them to a safe location then you will have them when you reinstall.

 

Yeah, I think it's better to just reinstall too at this point. I've tried reinstalling 5 times (making sure to remove all 5 folders) but have never cleaned the registry.

I tried a fresh reinstall last night (including deleting the 5 folders) and when I verified the integrity of the game files, steam found 1 corrupted file. Seems weird to me that a file would be corrupted from a fresh install.

I'll try reinstalling (making sure to delete the 5 folders and clean the registry) now. 

Edited February 7, 2019 by Sam_W

[188AHC 2,138]

In addition, Sam. Run a virus scan and optimize your HDD after removing FSX and before reinstalling.

As for the corrupted file from Steam, sometimes that happens when the checksum on the a downloaded file doesn't match. This can be because of a glitch in the d/l or a buffer error.

 

[Sam_W 0]

1 hour ago, 188AHC said:

In addition, Sam. Run a virus scan and optimize your HDD after removing FSX and before reinstalling.

As for the corrupted file from Steam, sometimes that happens when the checksum on the a downloaded file doesn't match. This can be because of a glitch in the d/l or a buffer error.

I did that before installing but I'm still getting the same error. 

I also made sure to clean up the registry.

Should I just reinstall Windows? 

Edited February 7, 2019 by Sam_W