docbrown

Bert, Thank you for your advice. I cleaned the air vents and fan on my laptop, and that seemed to have fixed the problem. There was so much dust in there! My GPU now idles at 34F and goes up to about 72F in FS2004 (and X-Plane). No more fps drops due to heat!

Okay, thank you, I will try that... I have a laptop... do I need to unscrew the bottom to blow out the dust? Or can I simply blow out the dust where the heat comes out?

Thanks for all the replies. I started FS in windowed mode and monitored my processes using task manager and GPU temp. After 5 minutes of simming, my GPU is at 92 celsius, but only 50% of the memory is used. My CPU is 60% in use, and I have over 3 GB RAM free. There are no unusual harddrive light flickers when the system is slowing down. I am wondering if my GPU is starting to fail. The problem also occurs in X-Plane 9. :( Is my problem a common symptom for graphics cards that are about to fail?

Hi all, I need some help. FS2004 used to work fine until now. I have about 40 fps, but recently, every 5-15 minutes, I experience a huge fps drop down to 10-12 fps. This lasts for about 1-3 minutes, and then it goes back to about 40 fps. I did not install any new addons, nor did I do any other significant system changes. I already tried: Complete windows reinstall Complete FS2004 reinstall Old NVIDIA drivers The newest NVIDIA driver Turn of ASE to see if the weather download causes problems I have REX GE Pro UT USA FSGenesis Computer HP Pavilion dv7 6GB RAM 2.4 GHz dual core Nvidia Geforce 9600GM Win7 x64 I searched the forums and saw that others had similar problems with FSX, but no one was able to answer the question. Anyone?

I had the same issue. Now, before loading the plane I press Alt-Enter to go to windowed mode, then I select the Kodiak, and when in the VC or 2D panel I press Alt-Enter again to go back to full screen mode. That worked for me. I suppose it could be the video card.

I am wondering if there is a way to increase realism in FS2004 (yes, I know it is already "as real as it gets").For example, are there programs that can simulate wear and tear on engines, tires, etc.? I know there are some addons, such as the Dornier Do27, and even FSD's products, but can these things be simulated for other addon planes? I am thinking of "AccuSim" from A2A for example.Thanks.

Never mind, I figured it out. I had an old version of FSUIPC installed, and the communication between FSUIPC and REX Weather caused the FPS drops. I installed the newest version, and now everything works great.

Thanks David. It could be my video card, but I am stuck with it because I am using a laptop. Oh well, at least the Kodiak is flyable. Some day I will get a better system...

For the last few days I have been experiencing a strange FPS issue in FS2004. After about 10 minutes of flying, the framerate drops from 30fps to only 8-12fps for about two minutes. Then it goes back to normal. I noticed that my HDD is accessing a bunch of stuff during the framerate drops, but I have no idea what it is doing because I am not running any progams in the background except REX weather engine. I would appreciate any ideas that could help me solve this issue. Thanks.I have a NVIDIA GeForce 9600M with the latest driver (285.58).

I am not sure if this helps you, but this is Bill's response when I told him about my CTD issue:"Mainly, you need the soundgauge.dll file in the main FS folder. Also, if you are booting up into the 2D panel view and have a very wide screen and resolution isnt the same in FS as it is in Windows Desktop, then you might experience a crash. Its extremely rare and usually only with powerful graphics cards on 3 screen monitor setups. The squashing of the PFD and MFD screens can cause freekish results with super wide screens. I guess GC's do not render the gauges flattened very well. If this is the case, try going into Windows mode, play around with screen resolutions, and even doing a copy/paste of the panel config file and comment out the PFD and MFD gauges from the 2D main panel section."I ended up loading the Kodiak in windowed mode, and it worked fine. Then I switched back to full screen mode for flying.However, after about 1-2 hours of flying, I still get a CTD - only when flying the Kodiak.Sorry I didn't post this earlier...BTW, Bill responded about one hour after I e-mailed him.

Ok, thank you. I just sent him an e-mail - if I get a response I will post it here.I even installed the performance pack to see if it is a texture problem, but that didn't fix it. I wonder if it is a panel problem? The FSX version works fine for me.

I just purchased and installed Lionheart's Quest Kodiak (build 2.6) for FS2004. However, immediately after selecting the plane in the FS2004 menu, the sim crashes instantly. I usually load the Kodiak from the default flight scenario.Does anyone have a similar problem with this addon? Does anyone know what I could do to make this plane work? I have Win7 x64. All other addons work without any problems.Thanks!

I just installed the MAAM C47 all theater's expansion pack with VC upgrade for FS2004, but the only VC that comes with clickable gauges is the C47 Delivery Condition. All the other liveries are unchanged... is this normal, or am I doing something wrong? Is there a way to have clickable VCs for all my MAAM DC3s?

I recently got a flight yoke and pedals from a friend, which got me started into creating my own home cockpit for FS2004. I thought that this http://www.simportsusa.com/kingAir.htm looked amazing, although I would like it to look more like a single engine Cessna - I would like it to look like a C172 cockpit. So far I have been in the planning phase for the whole project. I was thinking of buying a 40" Flat Screen TV for my front window, and two 24" PC monitors for my side windows. I will also need a smaller screen above my yoke to display my gauges. In order to finish planning ahead, I need a few questions answered. Does anyone know... Can my screen combination be done? Can I have a flat screen TV, two monitors, and another smaller one plugged into one PC? If not, what must be done to make this setup work? More computers? What about software requirements to make this work with FS2004? Can the sim handle all this stuff? Do I need a very powerful graphics card to do this? Do you think I need a left-front and a right-front view angle as well, to make it look more real? Your help would be appreciated. I am also open for suggestions, in order to make the home cockpit as immersive as possible. Thanks!

Well, I found the answer. Pressing ALT-Enter twice fixes the whole thing. Sometimes the most severe problems require only simple solutions! Thanks everyone for reading my post.

After a long break from FS2004, I decided to reinstall the simulator and all of my addons. One of my favorite planes is the Digital Aviation Piper Cheyenne - I installed it, and everything was fine at first. I had no problems and did a couple of flights. Today, after loading the Cheyenne from the default Cessna in "Cold and Dark" mode, I noticed that my annunciator lights in the VC were all on. They were off in the 2D panel, as they should be in "Cold and Dark." However, after turning on the battery, I pushed the annunciator test button, and no lights went on in the 2D panel. The lights in the VC were still on - all of them and continuously (even with the battery off). Also, I did not hear the characteristic "sound" of the annunciator test, and the caution light went on, but did not stay on until it is pushed. Everything else works fine. I can even start the engines as usual and take off. Only my annunciator lights behave weird. It's the same thing for all four models. I attached a picture of the VC with all annunciator lights lit. This plane has always worked. I first encountered the problem after I loaded the default Cessna, turned off all the switches (making it cold and dark in the Cessna), and then loaded the Cheyenne. Ever since then I had problems with the annunciator lights. But why would a reinstall not fix it? The only other thing I did was changing the Pan_rate=800 in the fs9.cfg. My Cheyenne is version 4.00 with the "yoke" fix installed for the IA model. I already reinstalled the Cheyenne, but that did not fix the problem. Uninstalling and reinstall the Cheyenne results in the exact same problem as soon as I load the plane. I also tried to delete the "Aircraft\Digital Aviation PA31T..." folders in the AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FS9\Aircraft folder. That did not fix the problem either. I tried to mess with the SHIFT-7 settings (Cheyenne configuration window), but nothing helped. I couldn't find anything in the DA support forum either. I'm at my wits end. Please help. I am trying to avoid a complete reinstall of FS2004, because I just did that, and it took forever! Did anyone who has the Cheyenne have the same problem as me? If so, how did you fix it? Here are my other FS2004 addons that I installed:FS9.1 updateFSGenesis mesh (whole world)Ultimate TerrainUltimate TrafficGround Env ProREXFSUIPC 3.98aActive Sky EvolutionI also use Nvidia Inspector 1.9.5.5. My specs are:HP Laptop Pavilion dv7Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 @ 2.4GHz6.00 GB RAMNvidia GeForce 9600 GTWin 7 64 SP1

Thank you! I appreciate the help!

This has probably been discussed numerous times, but I can't find the appropriate threads for it right now.I have a nvidia 9600 with the lastest driver updates and nhancer. How can I get the best out of it for FS2004, and how can I activate my profile in nhancer? I am utterly confused with this application. Does the use of nhancer really make a difference in FS2004?I would be grateful if anyone could respond or point me to the right threads where my question has already been answered.Thanks,Doc

Since the age of 12 I have owned: FS 4.0, FS 5.0, FS 5.1 (improved ground textures), FS95, FS98, FS2000 Pro, (not FS2002 - college!), FS2004, and FSX. I also had Flight Unlimited 1 and 2, which had great graphics at the time. I remember my very first landing in FS 5.0 in the Skylane, and then the Learjet, after many many tries. It was on Chicago's Meigs Field, and I remember that I was very proud of myself. I also remember using a ruler and an atlas for navigation. In my very early FS days I didn't understand how real pilots were able to fly from A to B without getting lost. I had no clues what VORs or NDBs were. So I used a map of Europe, drew a circle around my destination city, and estimated the heading with a ruler that went from the departure city to the destination. I invented dead reckoning for myself, I suppose - and it worked great!My best memory was a Lufthansa 747 flight from Frankfurt to Kaitak in real time. I used an adventure/navigation program from Abacus (can't remember the name) for FS 5.0. The 747 was also an Abacus product. My brother was my copilot as he managed my landing gear, flaps, spead brakes, etc. during take-off and landing.Now I exclusively fly GA aircraft because I am bored by the airliners. I want to see stuff and the graphics are actually good enough to simulate VFR flights well.

I put FS9 to the test to see if airframe icing actually occurs. This is how I did it and what I learned:1. I downloaded AFSD, as suggested by tgibson above (thank you!).2. I loaded the default flight.3. I selected the "Heavy Snows" theme from the weather menu.4. I went into the advanced weather menu and changed cloud icing from "light" to "severe."5. I took off and flew into the clouds to see what would happen.6. Within 5 minutes, AFSD showed that I had accumulated about 18 lbs of ice!7. My airspeed indicator started to drop. I had lost 20 knots already!8. I changed the weather theme back to "Fair Weather."9. AFSD indicated that the ice was slowly disappearing.Airframe icing is apparently simulated, even without weather addons. My Cessna probably would have crashed...Then I loaded the Dreamfleet Beech Baron, which is anti-ice equipped, to see what would happen. This revealed some additional info about FS9 icing. I recreated the exact same flight with the Baron, and ice started to build up (according to AFSD). I turned on the ice equipment (surface, props, etc.), but NOTHING happened, not even after 20 min. of flying. The ice kept building up on my plane. Strangely enough, I had accumulated over 70 lbs of ice, and the Baron kept on flying fine. Here's why: AFSD showed that the ice added to the weight of the plane, but I was burning enough fuel to compensate for the additional weight. So, FS9 seems to take ice weight into account, but not drag and lift, wing profile changes, etc. I guess if I had kept flying the Baron in the cloud long enough it may have had a bigger impact on the weight. Also, "severe" cloud icing built up ice a lot faster than the "light" or "trace" setting in the menu. Even in the "light" or "trace" setting, the icing equipment did not stop ice from accumulating though, which was disappointing.So, while airframe icing is possible, it does not affect the plane as it should. Therefore, icing equipment in FS9, apart from pitot heat, is useless, and the ice simply adds weight to the plane. In real life, 70 lbs of ice on a Baron 58 would be deadly.I hope that this shed some light on this issue. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to simulate airframe icing a little more realistically. Thanks!Doc

Using this setting, have you ever experienced airframe icing in FS9 then? What weather parameters need to be present for it to occur? Snow? Rain and cold temperatures? Flying in clouds during low temperatures? I found Weather Maker Pro (by Calibre Software) on simMarket for about $10. It says, "The new Enhanced Icing Engine (EIE) is an engine that monitors the conditions and will begin to cause your plane be adversely affected by icing if you do not have your de-icing on." So, apparently they put the icing feature back in. Do you think I could use this program in conjunction with Active Sky?Thanks,Doc

So, do I really need FSUIPC registered version to get airframe icing? Or does Active Sky simulate it through the unregistered version?

I am currently on a world tour as well. I started in KSBD and am currently in KFHR. I use Digital Aviation's Piper Cheyenne.For points of interest I use FS Discover (available at the flight1 website). You can plan routes in advance, and all points of interest that are available in FS9 and FSX are indicated on a map. Also, all landmarks can be displayed as text in FS9. It's really worth getting.

I have an unregistered version of FSUIPC. Is icing automatically turned off in the unregistered version?In other words, in order to have realistic airframe icing effects in FS9, all I need is Active Sky (either 6.5 or Evolution), of course the right kind of weather, and ... what else?Thanks,Doc

I recently decided to fly in the Alps, using X-Plane 9 (sorry, I don't mean to be a heretic). I downloaded real weather, and it was snowing quite a bit. I took off anyway, but after a while, my poor Piper Cherokee started to slow down and get really heavy... airframe icing! I went down in altitude, where the warmer air restored my normal flying capabilities.The experience was great fun. It reminded me of Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic (watch "The Spirit of St. Louis" with Jimmy Stewart, or better, read the book).I was wondering if realistic icing can be simulated in FS9 using Active Sky 6.5 or Evolution. I know pitot icing is simulated, but what about airframe icing? It seems to be simulated using the REX weather engine, although I have not tried it. The manual states, "Enable Realistic Icing Effects - This option increases the effect of cloud icing on the airframe of the aircraft."So, does Active Sky (any version) simulate airframe icing? I would appreciate any comments on this. Thanks!