URGENT - HELP - MSFS won't start - what do I do?

[Jarnie]

The last time I started MSFS my virus checker (Malwarebytes) popped up displaying a message that MSFS was infected with some virus.

Now when I try to start MSFS nothing happens for quite some time and then a message is displayed   This app can't open   and nothing else.

I similar thing happened to me a year ago and I did something which caused MSFS to completely reinstall which takes hours and I lost all my personal settings and cockpit camera positions for 6 aircraft.

Can anyone suggest anything I should now do or do I have to resort to an uninstall and new install.

 

Edited July 4, 2024 by Jarnie
typo

[edpatino]

2 hours ago, Jarnie said:

The last time I started MSFS my virus checker (Malwarebytes) popped up displaying a message that MSFS was infected with some virus

Have you tried to clean up the infected file using your A/V already?. You're maybe lucky and the file is able to be Ok again.

I would recommend you to change your current A/V and use the default Windows Defender. It works very well for me and hasn't caused any trouble at all.

Edited July 4, 2024 by edpatino

[Jim Harnes]

Agree with Ed on this.  However, if you are "tied" to Malwarebytes try to restore the quarantined MSFS files(s) then exclude all MSFS folders from scans.

Edited July 4, 2024 by Jim Harnes
Clarity

[ErichB]

I uninstalled AV software years ago,  It was the worst plague imaginable on my PC.  If you don't look at dodgy websites and don't open anything you haven't asked for, there is low risk of any infection.  I've never looked back

[edpatino]

12 minutes ago, Jim Harnes said:

However, if you are "tied" to Malwarebytes try to restore the quarantined MSFS files(s) then exclude all MSFS folders from scans

That's indeed an excellent recommendation. All my critical MSFS folders are excluded from A/V scanning. This also improves sim performance.

[Bobsk8]

Been using Webroot AV for years, never had any issue. 

[Tom Wright]

I'm a firm believer that you really don't need any antivirus or antimalware software these days, or even worse those so called registry cleaners like CCleaner. They often do more harm than good and often come bundled with other rubbish. Windows 10 and 11 do a good enough job looking after themselves.

[Bob Scott]

Malwarebytes should allow you to move the file(s) out of quarantine back to the original location, provided you're confident it hasn't actually been infected and is a false positive.

Keeping a recent system backup available to restore your installation when these things happen might be a good idea going forward.. 

[Jarnie]

Wow so many responses

I thank each and every one of you and also mentioned that I have AVG as well as MalWareBytes and I will seriously consider removing them and just use Windows Defender.  Also I had forgotten that (so called) infected files are copied to a quarantine area.

 

12 hours ago, ErichB said:

If you don't look at dodgy websites and don't open anything you haven't asked for, there is low risk of any infection.

I am very careful where I 'tread' and even pass files from what I consider safe web sites through my virus checked after download.

Saying that I am wondering if the virus warning could have been cause when I copied an aircraft livery to the Community folder using ModManFX. Is it a bad idea to add to the Community folder whilst MSFS is running.

As it was getting late (i am in Australia) after I posted this thread and knowing that a reinstall of MSFS takes many hours and without any response at the time I decided to uninstall and reinstall MSFS overnight while I was asleep.

 

12 hours ago, edpatino said:

All my critical MSFS folders are excluded from A/V scanning. This also improves sim performance.

I didn't realise that could be done. And have now added all my D drive to the exceptions to AVG and Malwarebytes but are there any folders on C drive for MSFS?

 

Having said that I have read that any user settings will be reapplied from the 'cloud'. Is that true after a reinstall? I have the 'store' version) Is there anything which needs to be done or should it be automatic? I didn't see any warning stating that the 'cloud' was different from my settings and which one do I want to use (or whatever it says)?

 

10 hours ago, Bob Scott said:

Keeping a recent system backup available to restore your installation when these things happen might be a good idea going forward.. 

Lastly is there any method to backup things such as user set cockpit camera positions? Before I uninstalled I tried to copy all the aircraft but got a message stating that it cannot be done? I copied the camera.cfg file from every aircraft I had set up but when I did I got a warning something about it being encrypted and did I want to copy it anyway. Would that cause a problem?

 

 

Edited July 5, 2024 by Jarnie

[Jarnie]

typo

[Max Kraus]

So you've reinstalled ? Often that is not as scary as it seems. I did this a couple of months ago and MSFS seemed to preserve a lot of settings in particular your controller setups. I have found a complete MSFS and Nvidia settings reset is quite therapeutic also.  Usually when there's a new driver release. And performance goes back through the roof again!

[Jarnie]

I have reinstalled about 3 times now and usually hate it as it takes so long and then there are the setups to do again as well as re enable payware aircraft as well as market place payware aircraft which I would have thought would happen automatically with the MSFS install (annoying) and to populate the community folder with scenery and utilities again. Yes controller setups seem to get reinstalled.

[jmdriskell]

I run ESET and have never had a problem.  Its system load is very light.

 

Jim Driskell

[Jarnie]

Never heard of Eset. Thanks for the advice.

[Jarnie]

Just checked and the cockpit camera settings obviously aren't updated from the 'cloud' as they are all (aircraft) reset and need stting up again. Annoying to say the least. Is there any method they can backed up?