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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2012 15:13:43 GMT -5
I've posted a few times about how up to now, I've never managed to get FSX running in Windows 7. In truth it wasn't just FSX - my complete Windows 7 system was unstable even when just browsing the web or doing normal 'ordinary' things so it was hardly surprising really that I couldn't get a demanding application like FSX to run. I had the problem with my old Nvidia 9800GTX card that worked great in Windows XP including running FSX and I thought I'd overcome the problems when I bought a new GTX560 card only to find that I had the same problems. Yup, the GTX560 worked great in XP, including running FSX, but wouldn't play nicely in Windows 7.
I'd more or less given up after installing one new, clean system after another only to always end up with the same old problems and I wasn't alone. There are literally thousands upon thousand of postings on the Internet by people having exactly the same experiences as me, many with brand new PCs and laptops straight out of the store, and what I found amazing is that in all the time, the years in fact, that this has been going on, there has been no official acknowledgement of the situation from either Nvidia or Microsoft, let alone advice on how to solve the problems. Both companies seem happy to take your money but when there are problems it seems that you are on your own.
Well now I've got good news and I'm sharing it in case it might help other poor souls who are in the same pickle as I was (hopefully). There are dozens of web sites out there giving useless solutions to the problems that don't work but quite by chance I had the good fortune to happen upon another one that contained a suggestion that has done it for me. The solution that is working for me right now is as follows.
Nvidia cards have something called PhysX - don't ask me what it is or what it does because I don't know and really I don't care. What I do know is that in the Nvidia Control Panel under '3D Settings' there's a heading 'Set PhysX Configuration'. This takes you into a section called 'Select a PhysX Processor' and the default setting is 'Auto-select (recommended)'. So like all good boys and just about everyone else in the world, I left this alone. WRONG!!!!
Luckily there's a maverick out there who isn't happy until he tweaks and changes things and it turns out that this innocent looking little setting is the cause of all of the problems for lots of people (possibly everyone) including me. If you change the setting to select your graphics card it seems that your machine doesn't then get confused about whether it should use your graphics card or the CPU for whatever PhysX does and - VOILA!!! It isn't unstable any more.
I knew I was onto something when after changing the setting I fired up FSX and began to fly. Then while I was doing so I paused and changed the aircraft. This would usually have been guaranteed to crash the system, but it didn't. Then I changed the weather - same result. Then I changed the time and ....OK, you've guessed - nothing went wrong.
This evening I've been enjoying the best FSX that I've ever had. OK, I've crashed the system a few times as I've experimented with changing settings but whereas this would have led to ultimate disaster before, this time I got things back by reverting the setting - like what is supposed to happen!
So shame on you Microsoft and Nvidia! I can't believe that you have left so many people hanging out to dry when you KNOW there is a problem and the solution appears to be so simple. However, on past experience of both companies, I'm really not that surprised.
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Post by beana51 on Nov 10, 2012 16:18:42 GMT -5
Mais bien sûr, mon cher ami ! ;D ;D ;D.........Yes IT DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!! Roger! Comme Al ; moyens...Vincent ! Uploaded with ImageShack.us
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2012 6:31:27 GMT -5
Well, just before turning off my PC (I've got some things I really must do today) I went into my Nvidia control panel and turned ON some more of my 3D settings and fired up FSX. I'm delighted to be able to say that I've just done a couple of really enjoyable circuits in the Auster Autocrat with nary a jump, flicker or flash on my screen. In fact it was rock solid and pin sharp with nice smooth outlines etc and - woops, just as I typed that I got the old 'driver stopped responding and has recovered' message - the whole experience was very positive. So everything still looks pretty encouraging this morning and it looks as though this simple setting change may have done the trick. It's only taken a couple of years or so to get here .... Roger
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2012 8:48:55 GMT -5
Yup, this has definitely cracked it for me. I'm now getting terrific performance out of my GTX560 in Windows 7 just with my old 'obsolete' Core 2 Quad Q6600 cpu which I've clocked to a modest 3GHz. I can see myself spending a lot more time now running FSX and I'll be looking around for aircraft and new sceneries, especially for here in France. It's a pity that I've been out of Gmax for so long otherwise I might even have got back to scenery design although I can't see that for now. Pity as I was well into a very detailed new scenery for Rochester UK and although I'd made a lot of new 3D objects including much of the BAE Systems factory on the site there was still much too much to do to consider releasing it.
Roger
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2013 11:32:13 GMT -5
This might be useful for anyone else having chronic graphics problems with Windows 7, which is the case for many, many people. Changing my PhysX setting didn't turn out to be a long-term solution and ever since I've had Windows 7 32 bit I've had to endure constant graphics problems despite having a fairly high end gpu (Nvidia GTX560) that performed perfectly in Windows XP. This not only meant that running FSX always turned into a highly frustrating experience that made it not worth the effort (although on the rare occasions when it did work, it was great) but even browsing the internet and using almost any graphics based software always turned into a gamble whether the screen would keep going black just for a few seconds or perhaps switch off completely. And often if the latter occurred, it also resulted in all of my BIOS settings being deleted meaning that on restart, the PC would need to be completely re-configured. I was not alone in this - thousands, if not millions of souls all over the world were affected, many with brand new PCs and laptops just off the shelves, but although it was obviously a Windows 7 problem, they were just abandoned by Microsoft to get on with it and have been so for what, three or more years? And it was a Windows 7 problem because everyone who had kit that they'd upgraded from XP to Win 7 was reporting that up to the time they'd 'upgraded', their kit had worked fine. Well now it seems that someone, not Microsoft, has found what appears to be a permanent solution. The problem is to do with what is called TDR - Timeout Detection and Recovery - that MS began by building into Vista and also included in Windows 7. This was designed to detect when a gpu had 'timed-out' ie hung and then automatically reset it so the whole system would not crash as a result. However, as seems to be the case with much MS software nowadays, it doesn't work properly. Lots of higher end gpu's nowadays have a lot of processing power on board, as MS surely knows, and when one such gpu enters a mode where its processing 'a lot' of graphics data, the smartarse TDR system thinks it has hung and re-sets it. In reality, the gpu is doing what it's supposed to be doing but TDR grapbs it by the scruff of its neck, stops it and resets it. And while its doing it it shuts off your graphics (hence ther black screen) and afterwards has the downright cheek to tell you that your display driver stopped responding, which of course it did not. But that's no consolation to you because TDR thinks that scrolling in your browser is 'a lot' of graphics data and it can get very frustrating whenever you do such a simple thing that your screen goes black for 5 or 6 seconds or, at worst, your system blue screens and you lose a your BIOS. But apparently MS think that that's your problem and they have better things to do with their time than make software they've taken good money for actually work. But it has been discovered that this ridiculous TDR system can be switched off. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to do it because it involves editing your Windows 7 registry and adding a new setting, TdrLevel = 0, in the grahics area of the system section. How is explained in a video on the following link ae3dtools.com/gpu_timeout/I did it and so far not only have my graphics problems SO FAR gone away completely, but I've also been able to run FSX faultlessly. What a pity that it took a 3rd-party to come out with this and not Microsoft itself. They always like to disavow all responsibility for their software and blame the hardware, the poor user or anyone else but themselves, which I think is thoroughly shameful. Having said that I'm glad to have back what appears to be a stable, working PC and I just hope that the above helps anyone else who reads this and has similar problems. I'm also going to put a posting about it on my blog. Roger
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Post by beana51 on Mar 13, 2013 15:05:25 GMT -5
Very Interesting Roger...While I do run Win 7, with a modest GTX 570 game card I personally do not know if I have a problem.?..However if I thought I did, like you apparently had,I would think this revelation would ,could be the answer for me. ,and as you say for very many others...Your Detective work here is great...it was not easy it seems!..I looked at the procedure to do this "How to disable Timeout Detection and Recovery of GPUs through WDDM " I'm afraid I neither posses the will or skill to do it...Its Beyond My Pay grade.. But if I ever had too???My Son,who is well versed with this stuff will help....Happy your Happy now..I hope you post some airplanes so we all can see the effect you achieved!! Thanks My Friend!!...Vin!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2013 18:20:56 GMT -5
Vin, have tinkered a bit more since - changed some settings in the Nvidia control panel and it all went a bit doolalley again, but in a different way, changed things back and it's stable again. It's like having a different computer, except for some reason Chrome still doesn't really want to play ball. So I'm staying with Firefox as I've added some more bookmarks than had in Chrome anyway. Also I was getting a bit cheesed off with Chrome asking whether I wanted to translate every French web site I browsed I've had some very enjoyable FSX flights already but more experimental than anything else so I haven't bothered much with taking screen shots. As soon as I'm confident that I've cracked it, I'll get back to doing some more 'serious' FSX stuff. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this time I've got it sorted. If so, it will only have taken just over 2 years or so.... I'll keep you posted. Roger PS don't worry if your FSX and graphics are OK. In fact I'd say 'Don't touch a thing!!!!!!' as you can't be suffering from the problem. Not everyone is
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Post by beana51 on Mar 14, 2013 19:50:56 GMT -5
Thanx Roger! got rid of all Google's except for GOOGLE EARTH..And even with that ,I may dump it..There are alternates Its a full time job getting unwanted entrenched junk out of here....LEST IS BEST.....Stay away from Win8,IF yer thinking about it....took me days to set up my Daughters New dell Lap Top....yes Firefox,has some issues,but I live with it..but they too ,on first install,it comes with JUNK...I gave that a Sewer flush Job also..You see my Pics..looks OK..not perfect,but OK..,....Yes get the dust out of the Black box..Darn,I hope you get it right for you....Your extremely adept at fixing things and this too will get fixed!...Hows yer fire place???Must be toasty now...Have Fun...Vin! Ya Get Great Aerial shots World Over with this... www.liveatc.net/feedmap/feedmap.htmlThis too..BINGS MAPS www.bing.com/?scope=web&mkt=en-US&FORM=QBLH
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2013 8:47:41 GMT -5
Well Vin, as usual it didn't last. After enjoying a couple of days of stability including a few fun flights in FSX, it all began to go unstable just out of the blue. It seems like whenever I make major changes to the system that get around the problems, the system then 'learns' a new way to go wrong So for the time being at least, and possibly permanently, I've given up on Windows 7 and reverted totally back to Windows XP which I've always had in the background because I have a dual drive/dual boot system. I've copied over all my email settings and messages in Thunderbird, which is a piece of cake compared to Outlook Express, and imported my bookmarks in my browser. I'll keep all my pics and videos on my Windows 7 disk for now, but as it's a 2TB disk that I bought specially for Windows 7 and my old XP disk is full up, I'll find somewhere else to store them temporarily and them migrate my old XP system onto the new disk so I can scrap Windows 7 altogether. It's not like me to give up but there are obviously more aspects to Windows 7, probably to do with the TDR system that I've switched off, that are still causing the graphics problems. Life's too short, I have too many other things to do than waste yet more hours trying to get what is plainly a bum OS on my PC working and it's a great relief again just to be able to turn the PC on and have it work without issues. Maybe I'll now be able to find some time to use FSX again which works fine on my XP system rather than keep just trouble shooting and getting annoyed and frustrated all the time. Wish I could get my money back though Roger PS it's now 2.50pm here and I'm off to watch the 6 Nations Rugby that starts at 3.00pm. First Ireland v Italy then a match to savour, Wales v England for the Championship. Rugby, now there's a man's game - not like that mamby-pampby American Football with all those fancy helmets and girlie shoulder pads....
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Post by beana51 on Mar 16, 2013 10:33:46 GMT -5
Sorry Darn It..what you now need is a "WATSON"...Guaranteed to solve yer problem.,Make you look smart, Enhance your stature amongst men,cure yer warts. and generally will make you "HAPPY"...I give you "WATSON"..... Yer correct of course..American Football has now become a "MAMBY -PAMPBY Game...Over Priced Freaks complaining of headaches...The NFL now prohibits lowering ones head into some line backer.......America is becoming too Fat,Dumb,and Lazy in football!.. . It s St. Paddy Day..Wish IRELAND well,...ENGLAND may be getting Fat too,I'll go with WALES!...ANYWHO???...Have Fun...Vin
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2013 12:00:35 GMT -5
Just back before the England - Wales match starts. Ireland have just been beaten by Italy so could end up with the Wooden Spoon. Ireland have been dominant in past years but have relied on a number of players who have reached 'that' age and appear to have few young bloods coming through. They have also suffered in a dire way from injuries and have lost many of their key players in recent matches. Possibly the two things are linked? But pity the coach who will probably lose his job but could be essential for Ireland to start on the long road of rebuilding. It has taken England 10 years, so we know the pain....
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Post by bhk on Mar 16, 2013 14:36:14 GMT -5
....So for the time being at least, and possibly permanently, I've given up on Windows 7 and reverted totally back to Windows XP .. If I had my options I would convert to Mac. I only ever used a Mac system at work between 1998 and 2001 and, along with the Commodore Amiga I had way back, it was the most stable and constant OS that I have ever experienced. The only problems are that Apples are expensive and it is next to impossible for the home handyman to tinker with them as we do with PCs. I kept my XP laptop when its onboard wireless modem karked it and some of my games and all of my audio & video editors are run on that unit. (I switch the external SSD from this W7 laptop to the XP laptop). From my experience, the most stable OS that Microsoft ever released was Windows 3.1, but then, it wasn't really the OS because it sat on top of DOS 6, and THAT was as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar! Bruce
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Post by beana51 on Mar 16, 2013 20:40:54 GMT -5
I may be wrong Bruce ..Microsoft's Flight Simulator only works on computers running the Windows operating system. There is no version for Mac OS X. An alternative for the Mac is X Plane ....Your best bet is to use BootCamp on MAC and install Windows so it can run native and you should be fine. Downside is you will have to shutdown your MAC and reboot into Windows...There may be other ways,,but I DUUNO!...Vin
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