SteveFx

There is a new version 5.3 build 139 available for download. The new version addresses two significant issues that were introduced with Version 5.0. Issue 1 The first problem was a FSX load error after the libraries were installed that prevented FSX running. The problem here was that I had accidentally created a reference to the latest version of the DX10 DirectX libraries (June 2010). Most customers had this version installed either by · downloading and running a recent Microsoft DirectX installer · installing FSX Steam which ships with a post 2010 DirectX installer · Installing another game which ships with a post 2010 DirectX and so were not affected by this. Unfortunately if you had for example a fresh install of windows and had then installed FSX from the original DVDs the DirectX installer on the DVDs dated from 2006 and did not contain the 2010 version. This missing library prevented the Fixer library and hence FSX loading. The small number of customers affected plus the similarity of the symptoms to a previous issue where some antivirus products prevented the library installation completing properly meant that this issue took longer than I would like to identify and fix. Issue 2 The second issue concerns legacy models (FS9 scenery/FS8 Aircraft). From version 3 to 4 and then to 5 I have made significant advancements in improving the accuracy with which legacy models are displayed. Unfortunately the new logic in version 5.0 was only initialised when the shadow shader was initially loaded. So if the current time in the timezone of the default flight in the free flight window was night-time and the first flight loaded as a night-time flight then this initialisation did not occur as FSX had no need of shadows(!) and legacy items could then be displayed sub optimally – e.g AI aircraft tail lighting.

I believe that the problem is that in order for the legacy code in version 5 to work correctly it needs to be initialized. This only occurs when the general shadow shader header file is compiled which only occurs if its "daytime" in the sim. So if both the default flight timezone in free flight window is night and the loaded flight is night then the problem you describe will occur. I will release a version 5.3 to fix this later today or tomorrow. I had to wait all day to test this!!

Ok then do a third test make sure that 1) v5 legacy is ticked in debug 2) Dawn Dusk smoothing is unticked Load a daytime flight. Then change the time to night and observe your AI - how do they appear?

Can you install 5.2 again and try the following. Go into the debug dialog via top menu File->Debug Then untick v5 legacy at the bottom Left and press Apply. Then tell me if it behaves differently - this isnt guaranteed to fix it but i want to know what happens Then try a 2nd test - go back into debug and tick v5 legacy and press apply Then go into the Legacy dialog and select Dawn Dusk Smoothing and press apply Then tell me what happens with those settings

actually ignore that - i can see them on my PC - its the ipad i cannot

Can you upload the photos somewhere where I don’t have to create an account to view (or email them to the support yahoo email address)

DX10 Scenery Fixer and the extension DX10 Cloud Shadows are reduced by 50% until the end of the year (31/12/2019). Steve

I have reduced the fixer and cloud shadows prices by 50% until the new year.

The default nav lights use a texture called fx_2.bmp which should be found in the texture directory underneath the effects folder. Its not uncommon for it to go missing - my guess is that there is an demo or trial addon that contains an improved fx_2.bmp and and that if it is uninstalled it removes the improved version and doesn't restore the original. In DX9 the lights will then not appear as the DX9 engine discards missing textures. The other lights that you have replaced them with probably use a different texture which is still there and hence work. (The missing fx_2.bmp used to be a nuisance for me as the DX10 engine doesn't discard and so in DX10 they appear as transparent squares and I would get support calls about the issue although it was nothing to do with me)

In that case its most likely an issue with the airfield scenery. You could check that your halo.bmp is the original though (i.e check the date modified) - sometimes add on scenery can install a replacement which isn't aligned correctly for all use cases.

Do you have DX10 preview enabled?

V5.2 Legacy aircraft lighting (e.g on tail) is incorrect if the current time at the timezone of the default flight is nighttime and the first flight created is nighttime. Will be fixed in 5.3 - A workaround is to load a daytime flight first On a PC where the latest DirectX version is that on the FSX DVD (note this doesnt apply to Steam version) then FSX will fail to run with the fixer installed. Will be fixed in 5.3 - A workaround is to download and run the latest DirectX installer from Microsoft

Thats good news - at least if you try again you will know how to reverse it.

Does sweetfx not have an uninstaller? As far as I can recall sweetfx works by placing a d3d9.dll and dxgi.dll into the fsx directory. Fsx doesn’t have those files normally as it accesses the os versions in windows system 32. Do either of those two files exist in your fsx dir? If so remove them. then uninstall fixer libraries and test if fsx runs. if it’s not running at that point then try and tell me exactly what you did to delete sweetfx. Note do not under any circumstances remove anything from windows system32

Ok thanks, did you just install sweetfx? I don't think that there was any issue with 1.5 but it might be worth removing it at least temporarily if it has just been added. Then try uninstalling and reinstalling the libraries again from the controller Finally work through the pinned post above titled "Cloud are not Visible FAQ" - if you get to the end then it may be easier to email me the screenshot to the yahoo support email address from the front of the manual.

Can you provide a name or orderid please ( the STE number) not the serial with hyphens.

Microsoft have released a new beta for FSX:SE. Version 5.1 of the fixer tests for the FSX version and will refuse to install. If any Fastspring customers want to use this beta then let me know and I can let you have a beta version of 5.2 that will install. Its a little trickier with the patching for ex FSS customers - but if you wait a week or so I will release 5.2 and a new Cloud Shadows that patches FSS systems.

V5.1 nav lights do not shine on aircraft surfaces ( fixed in 5.2)

No problem at all Pierre , if anyone reports a similar problem I know have this thread to refer them to! And I am impressed with anyone who can debug a problem so well.

Ok, good testing as that’s what I would have asked you to do. Is it related to aircraft lights? Ie Turn all lights off. For something to change once a second I would have thought it must be related to effects in some way. Does it stop if you pause?

Hi firstly I am sorry that you had some issues. Its probably easiest if I first explain how the fixer works. When you "install the libraries" the fixer Copies in some libraries into FSX (hence the name of the command!) If option is selected will change the FS8 (legacy) reflection texture (envmap) as it doesn't work in DX10 and so legacy aircraft would not have any reflections In versions prior to 4.0 if option is selected will make changes to the effect files (this can be several hundred files) In versions prior to 4.0 if option is selected will install a replacement light package etc etc. In version prior to 4.0 replaces the blue DX10 missing texture with a dark texture. The fixer maintains a state file in the program data area which records what it has done - this includes the path to FSX, and which of these steps were taken. As its possible to have dual installs (FSX DVD and FSX Steam) the state file can include this information twice for the two different systems. When you uninstall the libraries the changes are backed out and the state file updated to reflect this. The fixer has some rules based on the state file - you cannot change the FSX path whilst the libraries are installed. This is to prevent you creating an orphaned FSX installation with installed libraries and modifications made but no way to back out those changes. Only if the libraries are uninstalled can the path then be changed. If FSX is to be relocated or reinstalled then the required procedure is that you first uninstall the fixer libraries - then make the change to FSX and then install the libraries to the new FSX system or location. This ensures that everything remains consistent. If this isn't done then the fixer state file and the FSX system will not match - depending on what change actually happened. There is no way at this point of avoiding error messages but there are ways to fix it (as you found) and provided you uninstall the libraries and install them everything should eventually be sorted out. There are some extra checks and options into the fixer to reduce the pain in this circumstances. So when you run the controller it checks whether when the fsx path is still valid (contains an fsx.exe) and if not it blanks the path which prevents trying to uninstall from a non existent system which will generate 100s of meaningless errors. There is as you found an emergency change of path option which lets you override the logic which locks the path when libraries are installed - but that doesn't then mean that the rest of the state file will then be correct - the fixer cannot at this point know whether the FSX installation at the new path really has the libraries installed and other changes made or not. The best thing to do at this point is uninstall and install the libraries (again as you found) - although there may potentially be errors from the uninstaller they have been written such that they should always get things back to a consistent state. On the envmap error can you just check these two files in fsx\textures and tell me their sizes - DX9envmap.bmp and envmap.bmp. Seeing three product features in Version 3.4 is correct. You should only see the extended version on the very first library install after the fixer is installed for the very first time - it was intended as a fast start for new customers to adjust their initial setup before they have read the manual. So the PMDG NGX option turns on the NGX option in shadows, the Active Sky turn on the ASN Missing texture options in the cloud dialog etc. Since these are preserved over an uninstall/install and are all documented there seemed no need to show the initial setup options again. Note that in version 5 I redid the GUI and moved all the 3rd party options into their own permanent dialog as this has always seemed to cause a small amount of confusion. I presume by the way that you purchased from the Flight SIm Store and haven't bought the Cloud Shadows addon which would patch 3.4 to 5.0. If I am correct then you need to contact me by email and request a replacement 3.4 installer as the Flight Sim Store installers no longer work. Update: Having written this I then went and had a look at the code to see if I could improve this. I see that in version 4.0 I added an extra check into the controller in the scenario where it finds that the fsx path has become invalid. In that situation it now pops up a message box to ask if you have reinstalled fsx at a different location - if you say yes then it assumes that the libraries will no longer be installed and resets the dialog accordingly, if you say no it assumes that you have moved the existing FSX setup with the libraries still installed.

V5.0. 1) Legacy aircraft shadows are offset - will be fixed in 5.1 2) Occasional issues with shadows on wingtips and tail area - will be fixed in 5.1

Yes I remember now that when I saw his original email that I had a sinking feeling ( what on earth could cause that) and then the next thing i hear from him is a clear explanation of how he had resolved it! i have googled a bit and it seems that what the Microsoft installation process does at the end of the installation is copy the installer to a hidden directory under windows and rename it with one of those weird strings with curly brackets and numbers. It then creates a registry entry which maps that to the product name. When you uninstall from control panel or install an updated product version it follows that to get the original installer to run with an uninstall parameter. Somewhere along the line that linkage must have got broken which is bit odd but there you go.

Ok I have been looking back through emails. The only other time anyone reported this error involved the 4.0 installer in April. The customer actually solved it for himself which was good as I am not sure I would have been able to resolve it for him. He found that the problem related to the uninstall of the previous version. He reported that if he tried uninstalling the previous version from control panel he got the same error which actually meant that windows couldn’t find the uninstaller and wanted you to insert the (imaginary) disk containing it. He concluded that the uninstaller which msi stores after the installation had been lost or corrupted in some pc issue/ corruption He downloaded the freeware revo uninstaller which cleaned up the old installation and the new one then worked fine.

Have you unzipped the downloaded zip file and extracted the msi to your local hard drive? The microsoft installer can fail if it’s on a USB key or shared drive and it may also fail if you open the zip (but don’t extract) and run it from there? Otherwise try a reboot which can sometimes clear out odd msi errors.