4 hours ago, JonathanC said:

Are you certain that you (or someone else) haven't changed the way the monitor is plugged in? If you can't check that, maybe you should take your machine to a local computer shop and ask them to help. MSFS isn't the issue here. Your machine is. 

I'm the only one here.  I used to know about video cards and stuff, but my knowledge hasn't kept up with the latest,  I'm 15+ years out-of-date. 

Here is the back of my computer, is the picture too blurry?

https://imgur.com/a/X6qDnO1

1 hour ago, andyjohnston.net said:

is the picture too blurry?

Yes

Are you not able to remove the case lid? It should be easy to see if the monitor cable is attached to the motherboard (on board graphics) or your Nvidia card.

So Andy, if that cable towards the top right of the image you provided is the HDMI which is plugged into your monitor, then that is definitely a problem. Your graphics card HDMI port is separate from the panel with all the other connections for USB, network cable, audio plugs etc. That image is not showing a separate graphics card connection.

If that is indeed the sum total of all connections at the back of your PC, I’m afraid you cannot run MSFS as you then have only an onboard ( i.e. on motherboard) graphics unit) and it will be hopelessly inadequate . It would then be quite something that you were able to run the sim on that PC previously.

Edited July 20, 20241 yr by RaptyrOne

7 hours ago, RaptyrOne said:

So Andy, if that cable towards the top right of the image you provided is the HDMI which is plugged into your monitor, then that is definitely a problem. Your graphics card HDMI port is separate from the panel with all the other connections for USB, network cable, audio plugs etc. That image is not showing a separate graphics card connection.

If that is indeed the sum total of all connections at the back of your PC, I’m afraid you cannot run MSFS as you then have only an onboard ( i.e. on motherboard) graphics unit) and it will be hopelessly inadequate . It would then be quite something that you were able to run the sim on that PC previously.

Yes, I don't have a separate video card, just I've shown.   Should I look into getting a separate one then?  This PC is fairly new, and I don't want to throw good money at it without reason.

 

If so, are you able to say what I should be looking at?

Edited July 20, 20241 yr by andyjohnston.net

Late edit:

RaptyrOne mentioned:

“I’m afraid you cannot run MSFS as you then have only an onboard ( i.e. on motherboard) graphics unit) and it will be hopelessly inadequate . It would then be quite something that you were able to run the sim on that PC previously. “

 

MSFS2020 should check for compatibility before allowing installation.

I noticed, besides the screenshot showing what looks like a lot of dust, the PC is a PRIME?

Where is it sold and how old is it?

Did it come with a list of specs?

Edited July 20, 20241 yr by vonmar

Seems to me this question regarding the video card and where the monitor was  was plugged in, was asked multiple times over the last few days. 

....and since he does not seem to have a separate graphics card, I think we all know the solution

How the heck did you ever run MSFS? 

2 hours ago, vonmar said:

I noticed, besides the screenshot showing what looks like a lot of dust, the PC is a PRIME?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Computer ? 😮

7 minutes ago, HiFlyer said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Computer ? 😮

A 20 year old PC at least......🤪 Would make a good boat anchor.

Edited July 20, 20241 yr by Bobsk8

2 hours ago, andyjohnston.net said:

Yes, I don't have a separate video card, just I've shown.   Should I look into getting a separate one then?  This PC is fairly new, and I don't want to throw good money at it without reason.

 

If so, are you able to say what I should be looking at?

Hey Andy. I take it you aren't a computer "nerd," right?  Sorry for using that term, but my point is, if you aren't familiar with computers, you should probably talk to a computer shop that can install the video card that you buy, and also see if you can talk them into making sure MSFS runs with whatever video card you buy. They may charge you extra for this, but if the price they charge is reasonable, you can have a peace of mind knowing that when you take your computer home from the computer shop, everything will be working as you expect it to.

At this point, if you are not too familiar with computers, I would strongly recommend that you post all the specifications of your computer here in this thread. Do not buy a video card until you are 100% sure that whatever video card you buy, will fit in your computer, and fit on your motherboard, and it also complements the CPU that you have. For example, it's a waste of money to get even one of the lower end NVidia 4000 cards, if it doesn't complement your CPU.  I think if you post your computer specs in this thread, including the name/make of your motherboard, your RAM specs and CPU specs, people here can give you advice on what is a good video card to buy. Post as much information as you can, with as much detail as you can.

Furthermore, I suggest that you get the computer shop you buy the card from, to put the card into your computer for you. It's not that difficult to put in the video card if you have done it before, but if you are not that knowledgeable about computer hardware, it's better to be safe than sorry.  And of course, see if you can talk the computer shop into making sure MSFS runs for you when they put the video card in (but they may charge extra for this).

One last thing. There are some prebuilt desktop computers that don't really allow modification of it, meaning you can't upgrade the parts of your computer, even if you wanted to. These computers are usually cheaper, but the downside is because they are cheaper and they are prebuilt, there are certain things that you cannot modify or upgrade. Make 100% sure that if you do buy a video card, that your computer can be upgraded (this is where the people at the computer should would come in, they would know when they take a look at your computer, or if you showed them photos of your computer, including the inside of your computer).

Edited July 20, 20241 yr by abrams_tank

48 minutes ago, HiFlyer said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Computer ? 😮

I had previously read about the Prime Supermincomputer 32 bit [see my screenshot] also shown further down in your link but not a PC version?

Did you see mention of the Prime PC as in the OP’S previous screenshot?

 

 

53 minutes ago, Bobsk8 said:

A 20 year old PC at least......🤪 Would make a good boat anchor.

A few posts prior the OP mentioned:

"This PC is fairly new, and I don't want to throw good money at it without reason. "

 

21 hours ago, andyjohnston.net said:

In the past, I could run MSFS just fine.  Has something changed within the program which would make it that different?

Did you try a "restore" prior to the last update ie. go back to the 'past'?  

Additional troubleshooting tips:
1. Make sure settings are set to default in the bios, cpu and gpu
2. Run Malwarebytes and WIndows Security
3. Run sfc /scannow and chkdsk
4. Run Steam's file integrity checker (if using Steam)
5. Disable the community folder
6. Uninstall and re-install GPU drivers
7. Run CCleaner
8. Run HD Tune Pro
9. Run Prime98 or IntelBurnTest with RealTemp (if using an Intel cpu)
10. Backup and restore a good image of the drives involved
11. Open the PC and check that components are clean and that all connections are good
12. Replace MSFS drive and restore a known good image

If all of the above tests pass and you still have a problem then the last resort would be to replace the PC.