Simconnect failure - FSX won't start

[Hajo Horst]

Hello,

after installation as admin and starting spotlights as admin as well as FSX I get these pictures.
I acknowledge the use of the DLL ...
And the next thing is the simconnect message.
If I select yes the message returns after a while. If I select no nothing else happens. I have to shutdown FSX by the task manager.

System is Windows 10 64 bits, FSX with acceleration, Intel i7–4790

regards

 

[Bob L]

Do you have SIMstarter installed?  If yes, see the below response from the A320-X FAQ -

 

" A: Check that there is no simconnect.cfg anywhere in the "My Documents" folder configured to only use SimConnect remotely. "

[Hajo Horst]

I found no such file.

I then tried the following:

Uninstalled Spotlight

Started FSX ok

Installed and started Spotlight then I got the picture below with no lamps to select and no way to create a new group

[Bob L]

Did you load the aircraft at LGAV?   With FSL Spotlights in Trial / Demo mode the Spotlight Manager only works at this airport.

[Hajo Horst]

Yes it was at LGAV.

I also restored an image of C:\ several times so no traces of spotlights are left and so installed spotlights completely new but FSX shows only the first screen and nothing more at first start.

regards

[Hajo Horst]

I found that the error message "Simconnect does not answer ..." as in the third picture above is from EZdok Camera.

But it only comes up after installation of Spolights.

I also get this "Flight Simulator has detected a problem with a third-party software program (add-on): Name FSLSpotlights.dll or other .dlls): Do you want to run this software (not recommended)?"

But there is no entry in the registry as it says in the FAQ.

I still hope there is a solution as I relally would like buy Spotlights.

[Bob L]

Please see the A320-X FAQ - as it mentions this issue.

 

 

[Hajo Horst]

Thank you Bob, but I meant just this item in the A320-X FAQ and there is no " entry for fsx.exe"  at all.

It looks like Spotlight is doing something with simconnect.dll or its settings so that EZCA gives that message, FSX the other and Spotlight itself doesn't run either.

Regards

[Hajo Horst]

Hi Bob,

is it possible to download all the former versions of Spotlights in the hope one is running on my system?
From what I've seen in videos I would really love it.

Regards

[Bob L]

ver 22 can be downloaded -

 

[Hajo Horst]

I already tried 22 but it doesn't work either.

Any chance for the older ones?

[Hajo Horst]

I replied the following to "FSX crashes with spotlight fslabs 320 installed"

Hi Dominique,
I have a similar issue with the differences I don't have the A320 and at least the FSX splash screen comes up but then nothing more.

I now tried to disable all DLLs in the DLL.xml except the spotlights entry. Then FSX started completely even without admin rights and spotlights was running in demo mode.
Then I reenabled the DLLs one by one. FSX started all the time as well as spotlights until one DLL FSX started but not spotlights.

I disabled the last reenabled DLL, FSX started okay but not spotlights. Next I disabled all DLLs again but spotlights didn't start.

With "Rollback Rx Home" I restored the system to the state where spotlights was running with all DLLs disabled.
Next step I will try again to reenable the DLLs one by one. But this has to wait until later. I keep you informed.

[Hajo Horst]

Okay now, here is how it works for me.
I disabled in C:\Users\Name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX\dll.xml all other DLLs except FSUIPC and spotlights by changing
<Disabled>False</Disable to <Disabled>True</Disabled>.
Then FSX and spotlights (at LGAV) were starting okay.
With the spotlights manager I set up a new group with one lamp for a specific aircraft and saved a xxx.FLT.
Now I reenabled the DLLs one by one. Each time trying to start FSX with xxx.FLT at LGVA and checking if spotlights is running until FSX did not start anymore.
By this way I found out the conflicting DLL (Milviz_pack.dll).
I again set this to <Disabled>True</Disabled> and everything works fine.

One peculiar thing. For editing the dll.xml I use Notepad++. When I use "save" after I made the change these were somehow lost later.
I had to use "SAVE AS ..."  the dll.xml for permanent changes.

This is not really a solution it's merely a trick and I hope for an update.

Regards

[Lefteris Kalamaras]

Did you read the Spotlights FAQ? It's the very first item there...

Did you read the Spotlights FAQ? It's the very first item there...

[Hajo Horst]

Yes, indeed I did, but none of these questions or their answers do in any way correspond to the issue I am encountering.

The procedure I described above has nothing to do with this first item of the FAQ.

Concerning the 4th "Q" of this first item I mentioned already 2 times above that I don't have such an entry in the registry. The entry triggers just a message after a problem occured and is no cause for any problems. And furthermore this message doesn't come up by itself any more after the cause is eliminated, no need for registry editing.

After I "disabled" the conflicting DLL it didn't show up again.

Anyway Spotlights is amazing, I'm going to buy it tomorrow.

[Lefteris Kalamaras]

I'm sorry, I was posting from my phone.

The very first item in the Spotlights FAQ is the VRS TacPack which is EXACTLY what you disabled. The OTHER way to fix the VRS compatibility issue is to turn off their DX Experimental feature (it's a checkbox in their settings) which stops it from misbehaving.

[Hajo Horst]

Thank you for this clarification.
But I don't have "VRS TacPack" installed. And I'd never thought that this <Name>MILVIZPACK</Name> entry in the DLL.XML would have anything to do with the Q&A "VRS TacPack" nor that I have this feature installed with the F–15 add–on by Milviz.

Maybe Milviz_pack.dll is a different case of incompatibility?

PS. I bought spotlights meanwhile and love it!

 

[Bob L]

@jj737 - if you disable the Milviz_pack.dll do you still get the Spotlight errors/issues?

[Lefteris Kalamaras]

8 hours ago, jj737 said:

Thank you for this clarification.
But I don't have "VRS TacPack" installed. And I'd never thought that this <Name>MILVIZPACK</Name> entry in the DLL.XML would have anything to do with the Q&A "VRS TacPack" nor that I have this feature installed with the F–15 add–on by Milviz.

Maybe Milviz_pack.dll is a different case of incompatibility?

PS. I bought spotlights meanwhile and love it!

First of all, thank you for the support and for purchasing Spotlights!

I stand corrected (in a fashion) - the Milviz pack appears to be included in more than the VRS TacPack now. As such, I will need to modify the FAQ to say so. I need your help here, however: Is there anything in the add-on that installs that DLL which allows a "DX Experimental feature" to be unchecked / removed? That should be your best bet for this issue.

[Hajo Horst]

On 22.10.2016 at 5:00 PM, Bob L said:

@jj737 - if you disable the Milviz_pack.dll do you still get the Spotlight errors/issues?

No errors, no issues whatsoever. I don't even have to start FSX with admin rights.

Regards

PS. 1 issue I noticed however in the meantime. With some aircraft the lamps don't lit. I'll open another topic with that.
 

Edited October 23, 2016 by jj737

[Hajo Horst]

8 hours ago, Lefteris Kalamaras said:

First of all, thank you for the support and for purchasing Spotlights!

I stand corrected (in a fashion) - the Milviz pack appears to be included in more than the VRS TacPack now. As such, I will need to modify the FAQ to say so. I need your help here, however: Is there anything in the add-on that installs that DLL which allows a "DX Experimental feature" to be unchecked / removed? That should be your best bet for this issue.

No I didn't find any "DX Experimental feature" options, neither in any Windows or FSX menus/settings nor any mention in the F-15 manuals.
Hope I could be of help.
Regards