All of a sudden, P3DV4 disappearing act....

[Navy Chief]

This evening, I booted up V4. Got the usual starting up screen (loading scenery, etc...), and then...nothing. Not able to bring the sim to desktop. It simply disappears. Pulled up Task Manager, and it indicates V4 is running, but am not able to get it back to the desktop.

I am in the process of copying my entire Lockheed directory to my network cloud drive. Have just over 90gb.

The last thing I want to do is uninstall/reinstall everything. Am wondering doing a restore might work? NC

[docjohnson]

Chief, I had that problem a while back. If I remember right I used this guide to figure out what to do to fix it:

https://www.avsim.com/files/file/93-avsim-ctd-guide/

[Daube]

I also has this problem a month ago or so, with P3Dv4.1. I ended up uninstalling the P3D 4.1 client and installing the 4.2 client instead, after I deleted all "generated" files (shaders, Prepar3D.Cfg etc...) and each DLL module I was using.

Not sure about the real origin of the problem but I believe it was actually a problem with one of the DLL modules. Perhaps FSUIPC, I don't know. After I installed the P3D 4.2 client, the sim was working fine, so I started reinstalling the modules, but I downloaded the very latest version of FSUIPC first to ensure it was ok for 4.2.

[Navy Chief]

Thanks for your replies! I will do more investigating tomorrow morning, after coffee! I am inclined to try suggestion #2. Doc, the process outlined in that document from AVSIM made my 65 year old brain hurt! NC

[strykerpsg]

I also has this problem a month ago or so, with P3Dv4.1. I ended up uninstalling the P3D 4.1 client and installing the 4.2 client instead, after I deleted all "generated" files (shaders, Prepar3D.Cfg etc...) and each DLL module I was using.

Not sure about the real origin of the problem but I believe it was actually a problem with one of the DLL modules. Perhaps FSUIPC, I don't know. After I installed the P3D 4.2 client, the sim was working fine, so I started reinstalling the modules, but I downloaded the very latest version of FSUIPC first to ensure it was ok for 4.2.

Daube,

Is the technique you describe above the only thing needed to update from 4.1 to 4.2? In other words, nothing such as scenery, aircraft or weather need be uninstalled and reinstalled to get 4.2 up and running?

Thanks in advance.

[Dimus]

That is correct Matt. Uninstall 4.1 client and then install 4.2 client. No need to do anything to your addons, unless they need an update, in which case the add on designer usually provides.

If you wish you can also uninstall/install the content and scenery modules if you wish to use any of the new stuff introduced.

[Daube]

I confirm.
Also, in case you don't want to update from 4.1 to 4.2, you can also simply reinstall the 4.1 client after you uninstalled it.
Just be careful, when you are in Windows Add/Remove programs (it's not called like this in Windows10, but you get the idea, it's that place in the control panel where you see the list of programs installed, and you can uninstall them), ensure you select the "client" part of prepar3D, not the full sim or anything else. You may already know that, but a reminder never harms...

EDIT: and before you try to uninstall the client, try first to simply uninstall the various modules you are using, FSUIPC first.
And instead of uninstalling, it might be just enough to temporarily rename/remove the EXE.xml and DLL.xml files, to ensure P3D doesn't launch anything when it starts. Might be a good way to identify the source of problems.

[strykerpsg]

That is correct Matt. Uninstall 4.1 client and then install 4.2 client. No need to do anything to your addons, unless they need an update, in which case the add on designer usually provides.

If you wish you can also uninstall/install the content and scenery modules if you wish to use any of the new stuff introduced.

Dimus, thank you. Your reply put a smile on my face till I read Daube's......

EDIT: and before you try to uninstall the client, try first to simply uninstall the various modules you are using, FSUIPC first.
And instead of uninstalling, it might be just enough to temporarily rename/remove the EXE.xml and DLL.xml files, to ensure P3D doesn't launch anything when it starts. Might be a good way to identify the source of problems.

Daube, understood your first part I deleted, however, I am not clear as to what you mean in the last part captured above. When you say modules, I interpret that as add-ons. Do you just mean FSUIPC, TAC PACK, etc...

For the record, I have had no problems, but have delayed updating to 4.2 for various reasons not applicable to anything FS related, just life issues in general.

Thanks both for very quick replies.

[Daube]

By modules, I mean the various *.dll files which are loaded at the start of the simulator, and which are listed in the DLL.xml file (which sits in the same folder as your Prepar3D.cfg file).
This usually includes FSUIPC, plus some others related to programs like ActiveSky or such.

Concerning the version of your P3D, I don't know what to recommend you.
A part of me would like to say "Stay with 4.1", because you may need to update some of your addons (including TacPack, most likely) to make them compatible with 4.2.

[strykerpsg]

By modules, I mean the various *.dll files which are loaded at the start of the simulator, and which are listed in the DLL.xml file (which sits in the same folder as your Prepar3D.cfg file).
This usually includes FSUIPC, plus some others related to programs like ActiveSky or such.

Concerning the version of your P3D, I don't know what to recommend you.
A part of me would like to say "Stay with 4.1", because you may need to update some of your addons (including TacPack, most likely) to make them compatible with 4.2.

Thanks for clarification. Regarding the last part, good point....perhaps should wait a bit longer to upgrade till TacPack is upgraded. I think all the aircraft are fine in 4.2, if not mistaken. Wish REX would hurry up and finish their updates on their stuff, my sim would then be complete.

[DaveWG]

Thanks for clarification. Regarding the last part, good point....perhaps should wait a bit longer to upgrade till TacPack is upgraded. I think all the aircraft are fine in 4.2, if not mistaken. Wish REX would hurry up and finish their updates on their stuff, my sim would then be complete.

Just a FYI, the current version of TacPack is fully 4.2 compatible.

[Dimus]

True about Tacpack, plus I don't have any problem with REX products either in 4.2.

[RobM]

Chief, are you running in windowed mode? I ask because someone else running in windowed mode was reporting a
similar problem awhile back (P3Dv4 occasionally seeming to CTD, but still running in task manager). I don't know
what the final solution to that, if any, was.

- Rob

[Navy Chief]

Chief, are you running in windowed mode? I ask because someone else running in windowed mode was reporting a
similar problem awhile back (P3Dv4 occasionally seeming to CTD, but still running in task manager). I don't know
what the final solution to that, if any, was.

- Rob

Rob, I run it in Windowed mode because I have a 34" wide screen. When I go to full screen, it distorts. And I am already running 4.2. Have been having a lot of crashes anyway (not this serious though), so I have a feeling a reinstall is the only way for me to go at this point....darn it. NC

[RobM]

Well, it may be that P3Dv4 just isn't happy running in windowed mode, at least to start. Maybe the solution is to start in full
screen, then use Alt+Enter to go into windowed mode.

I have a 27" 1080p monitor. I run in full screen, but I don't use the wide screen aspect mode; for me, it makes everything
looked too stretched. So I leave that box unticked in the P3Dv4 display settings. Have you tried that?

As for running windowed mode, I seem to recall reading for FSX a long time ago, that when you're running in windowed mode,
the window cannot touch the task bar, even by a single row of pixels, or bad things would happen to FSX. Since I never ran
'in windowed mode, I don't know how true that is, but I wonder if it might apply to P3Dv4 as well.

Just some thoughts.

- Rob

[Navy Chief]

I ended up deciding to uninstall/reinstall. Went smoothly, and slowly reinstalling addons.

One thing for certain, the more add-ons and scenery, the slower things become... NC

[SkippyBing]

Chief, are you running in windowed mode? I ask because someone else running in windowed mode was reporting a
similar problem awhile back (P3Dv4 occasionally seeming to CTD, but still running in task manager). I don't know
what the final solution to that, if any, was.

- Rob

That was me, it happened exactly as Navy Chief described. I found just deleting P3D.cfg solved the problem although it sometimes reoccurs it hasn't for a while.