ACTIVE FS Earth Link and Orbx Library update

[EHB]

For those who haven't come across this addon it sends the position of your aircraft to Google Earth so that you can follow exactly where you are.  I love it, I have it on a netbook that sits on my flight yoke.  I admit to being a sight-seeing simmer which I think I can be allowed as I am a great-grandmother!  

 

My problem is that on three occasions now after updating to the latest library file FSX won't load FS Earth link giving a message saying there is a problem with the dll.xml file.

 

I have been in contact with the author of the software and have ascertained that the dll in question is not the Earth Link dll but possibly a corruption in the FSX dll.xml.  Twice I have been able to fix the the problem by sorting out the FSX dll.xml but all efforts to restore its function have failed on this occasion.  I have totally uninstalled and reinstalled FS Earth Link.  I have it working perfectly OK on FSX on a Windows 7 PC.

 

I can't see anything wrong with the FSX dll.xml file but I don't fully understand it and have got boggle-eyed looking at it:

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="Windows-1252"?>

 

<SimBase.Document Type="Launch" version="1,0">

  <Descr>Launch</Descr>

  <Filename>dll.xml</Filename>

  <Disabled>False</Disabled>

  <Launch.ManualLoad>False</Launch.ManualLoad>

<Launch.Addon>

<Name>FS_Earth</Name>

<Disabled>False</Disabled>

<Path>FS_Earth\fs_earth.dll</Path>

</Launch.Addon>

  <Launch.Addon>

    <Name>Object Placement Tool</Name>

    <Disabled>True</Disabled>

    <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>

    <Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Mission Creation Kit\object_placement.dll</Path>

  </Launch.Addon>

  <Launch.Addon>

    <Name>Traffic Toolbox</Name>

    <Disabled>True</Disabled>

    <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>

    <Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Traffic Toolbox SDK\traffictoolbox.dll</Path>

  </Launch.Addon>

  <Launch.Addon>

    <Name>Visual Effects Tool</Name>

    <Disabled>True</Disabled>

    <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>

    <Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Special Effects SDK\visualfxtool.dll</Path>

  </Launch.Addon>

</SimBase.Document>

 

I am on Windows 8.1 and run FSX in DX10 with Steve's fixer (brilliant).

 

I have also looked at the FSX config file and noticed that I have 3 entries for the Orbx library - is that right?  

 

Any help will be much appreciated.  Thanks! 

 

 

[Jethro VH-JET]

Hi EHB,

 

Welcome to the forum, I've had a look through your (dll.xml) in its current format pasted to your post. (A better way of pasting such files so that an exact copy is duplicated including all possible errors, would be to open the (dll.xml) with MS notepad then select/highlight all text as is within the file,  copy the highlighted text, then use the forum post edit tool Quote function icon (located just below the "My Media" button) then paste the copied text within the Quote grey panel which appears.  

 

Essentially your (dll.xml) reads correctly with no apparent tag errors. I did however note that you have no orbx (objectflow.dll) listed among the entries, if you have installed the latest Orbx Libraries and installed FTXCentralv2 and the unified (ObjectFlow.dll), then started FSX to add the (ObjectFlow.dll) to the [Trusted] section of your (FSX.cfg) by saying "yes" to all the module trust dialogs, afaik it should appear as an entry in your (dll.xml).

 

I don't have this GoogleEarth tool so don't know what dependencies there may be for GE's  "fs_earth.dll"  to run, but the entry looks OK to me.  Does it need a path in the "FSX.cfg [Trusted] section, if it does is it in the [Trusted] section with =1 meaning trusted and active.

I note you have also <disabled> the FSX SDK tools, (object_placement.dll  traffictoolbox.dll  visualfxtool.dll) within the (dll.xml), setting them from <True> to <False> will enable them. (please make a backup copy of your dll.xml before making any edits)

 

One other thing to note, it is not unusual to have more than one reference to the ObjectFlow.dll [Trusted] section of (FSX.cfg) referenced from Directory - \ORBX\FTX_AU\FTXAA_ORBXLIBS\Scenery\ObjectFlow.dll.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=1

 

One thing that will definitely help you within these forums when looking for support from Orbx staff, as a requirement an FSS order Number is needed for support within the Payware support forum, but this post is not really asking about Orbx products necessarily, just FS earth linking, Orbx libraries, and a possible dll.xml error preventing FS earth from working within FSX.

 

I note you have installed Orbxlibs a few times already. My suggestion would be to open FTXCentralv2 check for any updates.  Run FSX and accept & run all trust dialogs that may appear, exit FSX check that you have (ObjectFlow.dll) in the (dll.xml) file. If none of this works - Repost your (dll.xml) contents in the above prescribed manner (there maybe an error that will show up if an exact copy is pasted to a Quote - retaining its exact format.

[EHB]

Hi Jeff

 

Thanks so much for your reply and your pointers to making a better job of my cry for help.  I have reworked the update steps for FTXCentral v2 and made sure that the entry ObjectFlow.dll is now present and that the trusted section in the cfg file has the dlls for Orbx libraries and for FS Earth included and the path entries do =1. 

 

I had uninstalled FS Earth so I reinstalled that after redoing the latest Orbx library.  The file is just as the two installs wrote it with no fiddles from me and is the one used when I checked if FS Earth had come back to life.

 

Sadly FSX still throws up a warning that there is an error in fs_earth.dll file (FS Earth is published by Wideview). If I click yes to continue loading it FSX crashes out with a fatal error.  I have emailed with Luciano at Wideview.  He could not replicate the error and I know that the addon works as I have had it working loads!  Twice I discovered an orphan part line in the FSX dll.xml which when repaired corrected the problem.  Both of these errors occurred directly after the Orbx library update.  At least that made some sort of sense to me.  This time I am completely unable to fathom what has happened (probably not surprising as my understanding of the inner working of FSX are next to zero!).  

 

Will find out how I create a signature but in the meantime my order number for Global Base is FSS0300010

 

Thanks again!

 

Elisabeth

 

 

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="Windows-1252"?>

 

<SimBase.Document Type="Launch" version="1,0">

  <Descr>Launch</Descr>

  <Filename>dll.xml</Filename>

  <Disabled>False</Disabled>

  <Launch.ManualLoad>False</Launch.ManualLoad>

<Launch.Addon>

<Name>FS_Earth</Name>

<Disabled>False</Disabled>

<Path>FS_Earth\fs_earth.dll</Path>

</Launch.Addon>

<Launch.Addon>

    <Name>ObjectFlow.dll</Name>

    <Disabled>False</Disabled>

    <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>

    <Path>C:\FSX\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\ORBX\FTX_AU\FTXAA_ORBXLIBS\Scenery\ObjectFlow.dll</Path>

  </Launch.Addon>

  <Launch.Addon>

    <Name>Object Placement Tool</Name>

    <Disabled>True</Disabled>

    <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>

    <Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Mission Creation Kit\object_placement.dll</Path>

  </Launch.Addon>

  <Launch.Addon>

    <Name>Traffic Toolbox</Name>

    <Disabled>True</Disabled>

    <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>

    <Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Traffic Toolbox SDK\traffictoolbox.dll</Path>

  </Launch.Addon>

  <Launch.Addon>

    <Name>Visual Effects Tool</Name>

    <Disabled>True</Disabled>

    <ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>

    <Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Special Effects SDK\visualfxtool.dll</Path>

  </Launch.Addon>

</SimBase.Document>

 

 

 

 

[Jethro VH-JET]

Hi Elisabeth,

 

I see in your signature FSS order number, I'm sure the team will appreciate that Thankyou.

 

Thankyou for the extra info and (dll.xml) there is nothing immediately obvious in there as to why the fs_earth.dll throws an error on start of FSX, I'm not even sure that it has anything to do with an Orbx Library update. I do hope we are both on the same page as to version of FSX:MS boxed and not FSX:SE steam edition. Please indicate if you are using FSX:SE.

 

You did say in the original post that you use GE on a Netbook linked to FSX through FSEarth-link on a Windows 7 PC.

 

 

For those who haven't come across this addon it sends the position of your aircraft to Google Earth so that you can follow exactly where you are.  I love it, I have it on a netbook that sits on my flight yoke.

 

My problem is that on three occasions now after updating to the latest library file FSX won't load FS Earth link giving a message saying there is a problem with the dll.xml file.

 

I have been in contact with the author of the software and have ascertained that the dll in question is not the Earth Link dll but possibly a corruption in the FSX dll.xml.  Twice I have been able to fix the the problem by sorting out the FSX dll.xml but all efforts to restore its function have failed on this occasion.  I have totally uninstalled and reinstalled FS Earth Link.  I have it working perfectly OK on FSX on a Windows 7 PC.

 

What happens when FSEarth is uninstalled do you get any dll.xml error message - if none then it would indicate the dll.xml is intact with no errors - It may be that the text tags or a complete entry tag for fs_earth is omitted. it is unusual also that FSEarth is located at the top as first entry in the dll.xml as in mine Orbx ObjectFlow.dll  has the first Launch after launching itself.

It would be worth asking (Luciano at Wideview) for an comparative check between his working dll.xml and yours to see if the text and Tags are identical.

 

This might be an issue best left to someone with more knowledge than I, hopefully with more ideas than I can provide.

[EHB]

Hi Jeff, thanks for this - bed-time in England so I will have a look at all you suggestions tomorrow.  Thanks for taking the time to give thought to my problem.

 

Just quickly I do have the boxed version of FSX and have checked the file with Luciano.  Also, the order of the entries in the dll.xml is the same on the working Widows 7 PC (which does run FS Earth fine but is too slow to use for FSX really, one loaded it as a double check on FS Earth.  Have had a new copy of the fs_earth.dll from Luicano to no avail and also moved the addon block for FS Earth down the dll.xml but again no joy.

 

It may well be that Orbx itself is nothing to do with it directly but something gets changed somewhere with the update of the library as it has happened 3 times now and no other changes are made that could account for it.

 

Will read you message again in the morning as my brain functions better in daylight!

 

Cheers!

 

Elisabeth

[Jethro VH-JET]

Hello Elisabeth,

 

Very baffling problem you have, I wonder at this stage if you have a admin permissions problem, with either your FSX installation folder or FS Earth installation folder, as it is necessary for full read/write functionality when a program creates a new module tag in the dll.xml. Program Files folder &  Program File (X86) are in a protected area of the Operating System and therefore are notorious for preventing proper read write to such files as the dll.xml and any other constantly accessed and changing files for the purposes of full read/write function.

 

If you like you can give both of these Folders (FSX (or whatever you have named your main FSX install folder) & also ( FS Earth installation folder ) Full Admin permissions   

 

To do this: locate your FSX installation directory

mine is installed on its own drive as follows  -  G:\FSX

yours might be the default location  -  C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X

 

-Rightclick your FSX installation folder 

-Select Properties - then in General tab

-Uncheck or remove blue bullet from - (Read only attributes)  checkbox

-Click Apply - a dialog opens

-Select if not already - Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files

-Click OK - let it run to completion - a progress bar will display

-when finished click OK on properties dialog

 

Do this same procedure  as above for the FS Earth folder

 

I do hope that by giving these folders Full Admin Permission, you regain functionality in FSEarth and see the last of any Library update errors causing this glitch in the dll.xml file.

 

I thought long and hard about installing FS Earth onto my system just to see what all the components look like and also if it functions correctly for me out of the box as it were, but couldn't bring myself to install with potential software glitch to have a only 5min trial around  PANC Anchorage Alaska.

 

I am sorry to say that I am out of any other useful ideas at this stage, I hope someone else can provide an answer if the Permissions thingy does not bring a solution.

[EHB]

Thanks for all your help and ideas, Jeff, really appreciated.  Sadly no change with the attribute change.  I am considering starting from scratch and reinstalling everything.  I wouldn't want to encourage you to install the demo version although for me it did work out of the box absolutely fine and the only issue I have now is that FS Earth will not function, no other corruption so far as I can detect.  As long as I don't load it all is otherwise OK.

 

I do enjoy FS Earth, though!

 

Any ideas from anyone else would be very welcome.

 

Thanks again.

 

Elisabeth