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Freeze-up of simulation due to sound


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Hi forum,

there is an annoying issue on my FSX which I would like to eliminate as soon as possible with your help. The problem is that whenever a sound file is played within FSX, e.g. ATC calls, touchdown sound, flaps, gear or pressing buttons sound, a freeze appears. This freeze appears in each flight about 80% of the time. Muting the simulation via Q fixes the the touchdown freeze, however, freezes before ATC calls are still remaining. Here's a complete summary of what I've already tried to fix this problem:

April 2015: changed sound device from primary to sound card driver; changed graphics settings and texture max load

11 May 2015: fx_skidmark.fx relocated und renamed fx_skidmark.fxinactive
18 May 2015: fx_lakewaves.fx copied and renamed fx_skidmark.fx; process reverted, because of lakewaves around plane at touchdown and braking

20 May 2015: Orbx_PF2_Jackhammer.fx copied and renamed fx_skidmark.fx; process reverted, because of severe error at braking
20 May 2015: fx_tchdwn_s.fx copied and renamed fx_skidmark.fx; process reverted, because of continuous touchdown smoke at braking
20 May 2015: fx_tchdrt.fx copied and renamed fx_skidmark.fx; process reverted, because of continuous blow up of dust at braking
20 May 2015: fx_GenevaFountain.fx copied and renamed fx_skidmark.fx

12 June 2015: Last process reverted, because freeze-up still appears

12 June 2015: Moved correct UIAutomationCore.dll to my FSX root folder, because I had an issue with menu bar crashes; menu bar crashes fixed
15 June 2015: fx_skidmark.fxinactive renamed fx_skidmark.fx and moved back to effects folder; original state restored

02 July 2015: fx_skidmark.fx relocated und renamed fx_skidmark.fxinactive; no solution
02 July 2015 fx_skidmark.fxinactive copied, deleted content, renamed fx_skidmark.fx and moves to effects folder; process reverted, because no solution
03 July 2015: fx_tchdrt.fx removed; no solution
03 July 2015: fx_tchdrt.fx deleted content and moved to effects; process reverted, because no solution; original state restored
03 July 2015: fx_tchdwn_m.fx, fx_tchdwn.fx und fx_tchdwn_s.fx removed, no solution; deleted content and moved to effects; process reverted, because no solution; original state restored
09 July 2015: fsx.cfg deleted and let FSX build new one; no solution

12 July 2015: bmtouch1.wav - bmtouch12.wav removed out of sound folder; process reverted, I think this fixed touchdown freeze with small GA aircraft like the Cessna 172SP only partially; original state restored

21 July 2015: Realtek HD audio codecs updated; no solution, (not yet) restored original sound driver

02 August 2015: Restored previous sound driver, because of sound issues after codec update; no solution, sound issues still there

02 August 2015: Automatic sound driver update; no solution, sound issues still there

03 August 2015: Installed sound driver from ASUS website fitting with my notebook; sound issues solved, freeze still there; original state restored

I highly appreciate your support to help me fix the freeze! Greetings,

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  • Aerosoft

I applaud your structured approach to the issue, it a long cry from the customer support that simply states "it does not work" without even mentioning the product (and yes that happens)!

If I were in your shoes I would do this:

  1. Check if there are Direct X issues (see: http://forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?/topic/86687-got-problems-try-fixing-your-net-runtimes/)
  2. Disable all devices not used in your BIOS. I have seen these issues when serial ports etc were active. It's always a good idea to deactivate all hardware you are not using
  3. See if there is a relation with FPS. It could simply be your hardware is not able to keep up. Try very basic setting and see if that fixes the issue.

 

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I applaud your structured approach to the issue, it a long cry from the customer support that simply states "it does not work" without even mentioning the product (and yes that happens)!

Well thank you, I thought it's most efficient doing it this way.

Here's what the NetFxRepairTool.exe did, however without solving the freezes:

1) Reregister Windows Installer service (Unregisters and re-registers the Windows Installer service using MsiExec.exe. Applicable regardless of the diagnosis results.)

2) Restart Windows Installer service (Stops and restarts the Windows Installer service. Applicable regardless of the diagnosis results.)

Now there's a file called FixDotNet20150809182609612.cab on my desktop, what should I do with it?

  1. Check if there are Direct X issues (see: http://forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?/topic/86687-got-problems-try-fixing-your-net-runtimes/)
  2. Disable all devices not used in your BIOS. I have seen these issues when serial ports etc were active. It's always a good idea to deactivate all hardware you are not using

Could you give me a hint on how to do this, because I haven't used the BIOS yet? On my notebook I'm using a Thrustmaster Joystick, headphones and sometimes the charging device for my wireless mouse.

  1. Check if there are Direct X issues (see: http://forum.aerosoft.com/index.php?/topic/86687-got-problems-try-fixing-your-net-runtimes/)
  2. Disable all devices not used in your BIOS. I have seen these issues when serial ports etc were active. It's always a good idea to deactivate all hardware you are not using
  3. See if there is a relation with FPS. It could simply be your hardware is not able to keep up. Try very basic setting and see if that fixes the issue.

 

The ATC call freeze is completely independent from FPS, it appears even at 100+ FPS, but during the freeze, FPS decreases about ca. 10 FPS. The touchdown freeze behaves differently: It is more likely to vanish or become shorter at higher FPS, but sometimes it still appears even at 100+ FPS.

Thanks for your ideas! This issue is really persistent and it wasn't existent from the beginning, something must have gone wrong. Maybe the last possibility would be to reinstall the whole simulator :mellow:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's what the NetFxRepairTool.exe did, however without solving the freezes:

1) Reregister Windows Installer service (Unregisters and re-registers the Windows Installer service using MsiExec.exe. Applicable regardless of the diagnosis results.)

2) Restart Windows Installer service (Stops and restarts the Windows Installer service. Applicable regardless of the diagnosis results.)

Now there's a file called FixDotNet20150809182609612.cab on my desktop, what should I do with it?

Could someone please tell me what to do with this .cab file? There's a sreenshot of the file's content attached.

Thanks in advance!

Please login to display this image.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi everybody,

here's an update of my investigations from the last weeks. Perhaps someone of you comes up with another idea as I welcome all suggestions and ideas that might solve this issue.

09 August 2015: Checked on Direct X issues using NetFxRepairTool.exe: 1) Reregister Windows Installer service (Unregisters and re-registers the Windows Installer service using MsiExec.exe. Applicable regardless of the diagnosis results.) 2) Restart Windows Installer service (Stops and restarts the Windows Installer service. Applicable regardless of the diagnosis results.)

03 September 2015: Switched audio bit depth and sampling rate to higher and lower settings; no solution
03 September 2015: Checked reliability history; no problem reports concerning FSX
10 September 2015: Exchanged sound.dll in FSX main directory with a fresh one; no solution
15 September 2015: Tried this http://theairtactica...ead.php?t=10031; process reverted, because no solution
16 September 2015: Created a fresh installation of FSX; issue still present, so it's unlikely that some addon or corrupt file is the cause of the freeze
17 September 2015: Returned to original FSX installation; saved additional installation as backup on another harddrive, original state restored
18 September 2015: Removed UIAutomationCore.dll from FSX directory; process reverted, because no solution
18 September 2015: In "Choose how to report problems" I switched to "Never check for solutions (not recommended)"; process reverted, because no solution, original state restored
21 September 2015: Upgraded to Windows 10; no solution

Additional info:

  • FSX + addons are on D: while everything else is on OS (C:).
  • My default sound file opener is Windows Media Player. I notice a short loading period each time I open a new sound file so maybe this causes the freeze.
  • Muting the simulation via Q fixes the the touchdown freeze, however, freezes before ATC calls are still remaining.
  • The ATC call freeze is completely independent from FPS, it appears even at 100+ FPS, but during the freeze, FPS decreases about ca. 10 FPS. The touchdown freeze behaves differently: It is more likely to vanish or become shorter at higher FPS, but sometimes it still appears even at 100+ FPS.

Greetings,

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Not at all. On time, my codecs were updated automatically. I'm not sure when or why this happened, perhaps when upgrading from Windows 8 to 8.1. Afterwards applications like Audio Wizard didn't work anymore and the sound level was generally to high. That's why on 03 August 2015 I reinstalled the original sound driver from ASUS website fitting to my PC and sound level as well as Audio Wizard were fine again. However, I can't remember when the freeze had actually started.

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  • Deputy Sheriffs

Check the manual for your PC. It should tell you how to access the BIOS and where the settings are located. It always depends a bit on the vendor of The PC/BIOS.

Usually when booting your PC, you should see a screen showing you the which BIOS you have and how to access it. Normally this is done by pressing the "DEL" or "F2" key at the beginning of the boot sequence.

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Thanks for the tip!

In the bios under Security > USB Interface Security I locked all four components: External Ports, BlueTooth, CMOS Camera and Card Reader.

Is this what Mathijs meant by disabling all hardware and serial ports or did I miss something?

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  • Deputy Sheriffs

Might be if this is the screen where you can disable internal devices. You can check this If you have a onboard graphic chip which also needs to be disabled when you have an additonal graphic card. If you have a laptop with a onboard graphic, and it looks like as this is the case, you should of course not disable it.

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Indeed, I'm using an ASUS gaming notebook. I found nothing else in the bios which I could disable, could be that I missed it. I just made some traffic patterns and the freeze is still present, both ATC calls and touchdown freeze.

I also noted that when I touchdown several times shortly after another on the same surface like asphalt the freeze disappears, but when leaving the runway and touching the grass next to it, the freeze again appears.

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Thanks for your tips and advices, maybe I'll find a solution by chance in the next time. For the completeness, these are the last entries from my protocol:

27 September 2015: Switched Audio Wizard Sound enhancement to OFF; process reverted, because no solution
28 September 2015: In BIOS under Security > USB Interface Security I locked all four components: External Ports, BlueTooth, CMOS Camera and Card Reader; process reverted, because no solution
28 September 2015: Locked complete USB Interface Security; changed legacy usb from enabled to auto, so that unused usb slots are disabled; process reverted, because no solution, original state restored

Greetings,

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  • 3 months later...

Unfortunately, all testing brought no solution. For anyone, who comes across this topic with the same problem, I'll finish my protocol.

12 October 2015: In device manager disabled NVIDIA High Definition Audio and NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device (Wave Extensible) (WDM); process reverted, because no solution
02 November 2015: FSX completely uninstalled.

 

I'm now running P3D V3.1. Thanks for your efforts Mathijs and Otto!

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