active Unexpected Error when trying to unload FTX Trees

[Mike Sierra]

Having the suspicion that the FTX Global Trees HD package causes P3D v4.0.28.21686 to have massive delays (up to 5-7 minutes!) when loading a scenario (it seems to hang at 81, 82 and 83% of the progress bar; no discernible disk drive activity, CPU activity near zero, lots of RAM unused), I just tried to unload FTX Trees (for testing purposes, at first).

But instantly after clicking the "unload" button, I get a nasty little info window, that "an unexpected error occurred. Please send Orbx staff the %LocalAppData%\Orbx\ftxc3.log" with an "ok" button.

Ok.

Here it is.

 

Michael.

ftxc3.log

 

P.S.: after two repetitions of this info window, FTXC3 stopped working and crashed to desktop.

I know that it cannot be your intention that users remove your sceneries (although they would already have paid their obolus to you), but I consider the 'remove' option a fair thing - as long as it works... ;o)

[Nick Cooper]

Hello,

The error message seems to be saying that another process is using your

scenery.cfg file.

This could be anti virus software checking it and if so could also be the cause

of the delay in loading P3Dv4.

[Mike Sierra]

Nick, with all respect - you won't really tell me, the antivirus software - or P3D, whatever - needs 7 minutes to read a file, that is 32kb (kilo(!)byte) small.... ;o)

Fact is, that I could not find the backup files, which were generated by the installation of FTX trees, in the \Global\texture folder (or at least most of them were not identical), so I must believe, that the 'removal' only has affected the installation database of FTXC3.
I'm just restoring my P3D installation from the point, when I started to install OrbX sceneries (this time leaving out the trees)...

Michael.

[Nick Cooper]

You are absolutely right, I am not suggesting that it takes 7 minutes to check one file.

It might well take 7 minutes to check all the files that P3D loads though.

Feel free to read whatever you wish into my answer but my meaning was that if your

virus checking was the cause, it would also be checking all the other files that P3D was using.

 

I don't think a few mb of tree textures is going to take 7 minutes either.

 

The error message could also have been something as simple as you were running P3D at the

same time or had the scenery.cfg file open in Notepad.

 

Quote

[2017-06-30_07-18-03- 3.2.1.1] - System.IO.IOException: Der Prozess kann nicht auf die Datei "C:\ProgramData\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v4\scenery.cfg" zugreifen, da sie von einem anderen Prozess verwendet wird.

 

Purely as a matter of interest, my copy of P3Dv4, with all the Global products including Vector and Open LC SA, all the regions, HD trees and four FTX airports, not to mention Rex textures and having not been started already, took 3 minutes and 42 seconds from OK to ready to fly.

The second time I loaded it, it took less than a minute. I see this as normal.

[Mike Sierra]

NIck,

Please don't feel offended by my first response, if you did (and I'm not so sure about it reading your second answer), please accept my apology.

The dodgy thing about these delays is, that it does not occur regularly.

I can start P3D and have the same OK-to-ready-to-fly times like you, but every now and then (I'd guess, every third or fourth time), it first seems to have a 3:42-minutes-start, but at 81% of the loading bar, it stops.

About one and a half matches of 'Solitaire' later, it progresses to 82%, and another match later to 83%, then continuing with 'normal' speed.

Sometimes I already see the scenario scenery at 81% (P3D reacting to my TrackIR head movements), and there I noticed that the autogen buildings are already shown, but autogen trees are still missing in the display.

That's why I suspect FTX trees to be the reason.

Before having started Orbx installations (in the sequel: Global, Library, LC Euroe, LC North America, Trees) this delay at 81% never occurred.

I'm still investigating...

Michael.

 

[Nick Cooper]

Hello Michael,

 

Sometimes I do not use enough words, so people can and do understand something else than what I meant.

This is my fault and far from being offended, I apologise for not making myself clear.

 

I am as new as any customer to P3Dv4, I was never a beta tester, so my copy was bought just after it was released.

 

Because I am using it to test FTX customers' reported problems and because I am also testing it myself, I have been able to

observe that in many ways, it does not behave in the same way as FSX.

This is my first copy of P3D, I was attracted to v4 because of the 64 bit aspect and am now hooked by the quality of the display.

For these reasons, I am inclined to accept that, like yours, sometimes it takes a long time to load and not worry about it.

I don't think it is the trees, I do think it has more to do with the way that P3Dv4 at least, works.

I will be interested in your conclusions.

 

Now, perhaps too many words.

 

[Mike Sierra]

You're welcome :o)

Back to my problem:

Two findings:

1. FTX Trees HD is NOT the faulty add-on.

2. I surrender without a conclusion.

I've tested P3D for the last hours and took the times between OK button and ready-to-fly.

These are the results:

Having FTX Global, Orblibs, openLC Europe, openLC North America installed: 2'28", 1'06", 1'00", 1'00" (At the first startup obviously P3D wasn't in the cache memory).

Adding: EU England, Germany north, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway, Scotland and Wales: 2'09" (again the cache!), 1'09", 7'44" (!)

Removed Wales: 7'53"

Then I deactivated my McAfee antivirus: 1'03" (oho!), but then again: 7'46" (so McAfee isn't the faulty either),

Removed Scotland: 1'15", 1'12", 1'14", 1'14", 1'11", 1'10", 1'10" (have I found it?)

Adding Wales again: 5'22" (huh?), 1'12", 1'12", 1'10", 1'07", 1'11" - so could it be Scotland? But what about the 5:22 at the first time?

I deleted the sceneryindexdata files: 1'11" (no effect, though it took a lot longer to come to the scenario setup, as all 184 sceneryindexdata files had to be re-created)

I deleted about 2800 shader files: 1'11" until 100% loading bar, änother 1'13" to build up the shaders again and to be ready to fly.

I've re-installed my yersterday's version (including FTX Trees) - only one test: 1'14".

Now I'm adding the North American and Oceanian sceneries.

And I have no solution to the 7:44 startup time problem.

Going back to Simflying....

Michael

 

P.S.: I've joined P3D at v2.0, with the exception of FsFW95 I flew with all Bruce Artwick / Microsoft Flight Simulators, beginning with FS 2.0

BTW: The Commodore C64 version of FS 2.0 had the startup insert saying something about a loading time of 2'41".... (at CPU speed of 1MHz!)

Michael.