ViperXBR

Just another quick update and probably my last for this thread. Been using Steve's DX10 Fixer for over 8 months now and not a single freeze since(knock on wood). Been working great! Highly recommend it for those still squeezing every last bit out of FSX. Cheers!

Thanks Jim. I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong. Plus it also helps the community know what works and what doesn't. So just recently I've actually went the DX10 Fixer route. So far I'm impressed on how far this little mod has come. Steve's done a great job. With the few hours I've done so far, stability (no freezes) has been great and the memory usage is much more efficient. The real test will come when I get some time to do some good long hauls (Vatsim's CTP). I'll keep ya updated. Cheers!

I know it's been a while but I thought I'd post an update and let you all know that I was incorrect. Setting the AffinityMask did not cure the freezes unfortunately. Haven't had much time to do any long flights over the summer months until the last week. Got one 8min freeze during a 3hr flight in the T7. Ah well... Disappointing...

Hyperthreading has always worked better for me as well. Much smoother experience. Here's a breakdown of my affinitymask setting: 4 Core HT on: 244 - 11 11 01 00 Break it down even more, reading the binary conversion from left to right: 11 (Core3 Thread/Logical) 11 (Core2 Thread/Logical) 01 (Core1 Logical) 00 (Core0 Neither Thread nor Logical core being used) As you can see here I've dedicated Core1 to FSX's main process/thread using the logical core and excluding the Thread(HT). Core0 will not be used by FSX.

A properly set affinitymask will indeed redirect FSX's primary process to the next available core. It can also be used to enable or disable other core's/threads for use. Set it, run FSX then bring up the Windows task manager and view the performance tab. You'll see the graphs and utilization of each core/thread. From left to right starts at Core 0. You will notice that the primary core FSX uses will usually be in the 90% or more when running. Give it a try.

The reason I use 244 is I have less stuttering when use the logical core on core 1 and both the logical core and thread on core's 2 & 3. This helps by dedicating the logical core 1 as FSX primary processor and with the progressive scenery rendering on core's 2 & 3.

Definitely minutes.

Fellow Simmers, Just wanted to share this here as I've seen many experiencing this issue with PMDG aircraft. I've experienced this with many other add-on aircraft as well. After experiencing the issue of FSX freezing in-flight for 5-10 minutes then resuming many times over the last few years, I've finally found a workaround that will eliminate it completely. I'm not calling it a fix because it's definitely some sort of bug in FSX that conflicts with a Windows OS resource or service. The short answer is, exclude "Core 0" (including the hyper-threading on that core if applicable) on all multi-core processors from FSX by setting an affinitymask. If you only have a single core processor, not much can be done(maybe consider upgrading to something newer ). I've done lots of testing and long flights using and not using "Core 0" and every time the tests are as predicted. Freezes when utilizing and does not freeze when excluded. If you get some other result after a freeze other than your flight resuming (ie crash to desktop - CTD), that is a completely different issue and this workaround probably will not resolve it. You can try it but no guarantees. A good tool to calculate your affinity mask would here: http://www.gatwick-fsg.org.uk/affinitymask.aspx?SubMenuItem=hardware For my Core i7 2600k (hyper-threading enabled) I get the best results using: [JOBSCHEDULER] AffinityMask=244 In conclusion, all I can say is give it a try if you are experiencing those annoying freezes. Make sure you make a backup of your fsx.cfg file before making any changes. Good luck!

There are three things I do before I start any flight which seem to have alleviated the pausing in FSX. 1. Disable ALL add-on scenery, using SceneryConfigEditor, except for my departure, arrival airports and ORBX Global. I also disable all ORBX regions/airports that may exist if FTX Central does not disable them. For VFR flights I'll enable the specific regions I'm flying in or keep them disabled if I'm not in any of them. 2. Created a seperate dll.xml file that has all ORBX dll's disabled so they will not load on initial FSX startup. That way I have an xml file for IFR flights(non-ORBX) and another xml file for VFR flights(ORBX enabled). I initially did this to save on VAS memory. 3. Purge all folders/files in the "Shaders" cache directory before starting FSX. Remove all folders/files under "/Users/<username>/AppData/Local/Microsoft/FSX/Shaders/" . Usually there's five folders under there that I remove before starting FSX. Doing these three steps every time before starting FSX has virtually eliminated the pausing issues I experienced in the past. Cheers!

Ah I see. Cool, Thanks!

Hello, I have a general FMC config question which, I'm assuming, could be applied for both the T7 and NGX. I've watched many videos of real world flights (ie Just Planes) and have heard one pilot ask the other to either "cleanup the FMC" or "extend the centre line" prior to approach. I know this removes all other points on the FMC and extends the runway centre line indefinitely(?) for the approach. My question is how is this accomplished? I know how to clear the previous points but what do they do to extend the centre line? Thanks!

Wait for the "Official" VATSIM Opensource client that they're working on. It should have all the bells & whistles you'll ever need. I had issues with FSInn a while back so I've been using SB4 for the longest time. vPilot has been leaps and bounds better and so far very stable. I use EFB/Plan-G and ASN so I have no need of any of those extras. Just a reliable VATSIM connection and ATC comms and I'm good!

Yes it supports networked PC's very well. The latest version installs a second small application called a "traffic proxy" which is used on the FSX PC. It's used to interface with FSX and the vPilot client over the wire on your secondary PC. vPilot, when initially released, used only SimConnect to communicate over the wire. Because of some networking latency issues in SimConnect, some people were experiencing stuttering movement of other aircraft when online. Similar to what you would see in Squawkbox. So Ross (Developer) wrote this second app to communicate over the wire, with it's own protocol, with vPilot and interface locally with FSX. This resolve the stuttering movement of other aircraft. Nice fluid motion now. Simply install the client on both PC's. Start ONLY the "traffic proxy" on your FSX PC then start FSX and load your aircraft at the gate. Make sure you do this before you start your vPilot client on the other PC. Good habit to get into! Start the vPilot client on your networked PC and configure all your AI rules, PTT, etc from there. That's it! You should be good to go.

I highly agree with that statement. The lack of advancements is where I don't see the justification to migrate to P3Dv2 right now. Yes, I may loose all the add-ons that I currently have for FSX (which I will keep installed and use regularly) going forward with XPX, but to invest in another sim that's still FSX at the core (over 8 year old code) just doesn't make much sense. Not too mention the added confusion of the "Professional" licensing gong show... When they decide to actually go 64bit and true multi-threaded, a platform that will truly utilize our new hardware, maybe then I'll have a much closer look at it. But like LM said, all other add-ons would have to be re-compiled for a 64bit FS if they do go down that road. I've decided to go down that road much earlier with XPX. Again looking forward for PMDG's first XPX aircraft! Cheers!

This is great news! I've been a long time user of MSFS products since the SubLogic days. IMHO, FSX has been pushed well beyond it's limits the last few years and I am one who has experienced those limitations on numerous occasions(OOM anyone?). Not to mention the idea of continual development on an 8+ year old piece of software(considered ancient in this industry) is unimaginable anywhere else. It is a very weird market. I digress... With all this said, and the circus that is P3Dv2 (and still a 32bit sim!), I decided to try the XPX demo about a month ago. I was astounded by the performance, the dynamics(simply amazing!) and just the raw simplicity of managing the sim and it's external add-ons. I really was blown away! Not to mention the simple fact it's 64bit which gives you a huge amount of room to work with. And it utilizes today's hardware to it's potential. Needless to say I bought it and will now focus my efforts(and funds) into expanding this platform as my FS successor to FSX. Looking forward to PMDG's first XPX product!