# FS2004 / FS9 hang (freeze)



## Hawkeye52 (Sep 26, 2007)

Hi folks! I'm struggling with an FS9 problem-

SUMMARY: FS9 freezes within a couple of minutes (sometimes immediately!) of placing default a/c on runway.

BACKGROUND: I replaced my faulty video card [Creative GeForce2 GTS 32MB AGP] with an XFX GeForce 6200 256MB AGP 8X card. That is when my problem started. I made a new install on a 46GB HDD of FS9, all by itself as it comes from the box, with only SP1 (bridges) added. There are NO ADD-ONS (a/c, scenery, effects, etc.)

I have run Spybot SD and Ad-Aware; I deactivate McAfee, empty the system tray and close everything else before running FS. I have tried all 4 recommended drivers (vers. 82.65, 84.21, 91.47 & 162.18) with essentially the same results. I lock FPS at 15 to avoided draining resources (no difference if I run at "unlimited").

Before changing video cards, I had run FS9 on this same system for 2+ years without a hitch (and with tons of add-ons).

MY SYSTEM:
OS : Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version:	5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
Processor:	AMD Athlon ~908 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date: Award Software, Inc. ASUS A7V ACPI BIOS Revision 1009, 10/3/2001
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Mobo: ASUS A7V 200MHz FSB AGP Pro/4X
Maxtor 46GB IDE for FS9
Two Maxtor 250GB SATA in RAID level 1 array
w/ 10GB partition for WINDOWS & WINDOWS\system32
and 240GB for Apps, data, etc.
Boot Device:	\Device\HarddiskVolume1
3-Ware 8006-2LP RAID controller
Total Physical Memory:	512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory:	237.61 MB
Total Virtual Memory	: 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory:	1.96 GB
Page File Space:	1.22 GB

I have 4 case fans on an Antec tower plus an HDD fan mounted on the bottom of the 46GB; all drives run cool to the touch. The video card heatsink is only slightly warmer than *cool*

*Is there a clue in the following observation? * With nVidia video drivers 91.47 & 84.21 all a/c appear with a reddish-pink caste if REFLECTIONS is selected in Settings\Display\Aircraft.
No such problem with driver 82.65.

I've run out of ideas, so if you have one (or two!), please post 'em!!!

- Hawkeye 52


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## iscnitzan (Sep 1, 2004)

Hi,

I also have a problem of new video cards and their drivers with this program. 

I currently run a Gigabyte nVidia Geforce FX 5200 (128 ram) with older driver 7.1.8.4 and FS 2004 runs okay, but when I try installing a new video card (a Geforce FX 6200 with 512 ram) the new driver loads the game with half screen blank....

I had to remove the new card & drivers and reinstall the smaller card to get the game running again.


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## Hawkeye52 (Sep 26, 2007)

I've thought about going back to the old card but it's kaput {Is it really? When I instld the new card, the video problem I was having at that time was resolved, so we presume the card was bad} Anyhow, that's similar to re-marrying your first wife. There has to be a better way! 

Thanks for the reply...and stick around...we BOTH may be able to get fixes!!!
- Hawkeye 52


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## iscnitzan (Sep 1, 2004)

Hawkeye52 said:


> Anyhow, that's similar to re-marrying your first wife. There has to be a better way!


Love the analogy....

What I actually meant was - you can try using some older nVidia driver version to work with your card, for me the nVidia Geforce driver 7.1.8.4 (from 2004) was the one that worked. I thing its because the new drivers are geared towards Vista and DX10 so some backwards capabilities got messed up.

Since you run old reliable XP you can easily try working an older driver version without loosing anything. Its cheap enough to give it a try....


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## iscnitzan (Sep 1, 2004)

Also, see this post

http://flyawaysimulation.com/article313.html


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## Hawkeye52 (Sep 26, 2007)

Two of the drivers I listed as having been tried (82.65, 84.21) are "old", dating to 2005/2006. Ver 82.65 is on the CD that came w/ the card and 84.21 is the oldest one on XFXForce.com and NVidia lists only 163.75 (which I tried and resulted in an immediate freeze). *How would I go about locating older ones?*

Btw, I booted in SAFE MODE and opened FS9 and was able to fly without hanging.
*What does that tell you?*

-H52


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## iscnitzan (Sep 1, 2004)

Hawkeye52 said:


> Two of the drivers I listed as having been tried (82.65, 84.21) are "old", dating to 2005/2006. Ver 82.65 is on the CD that came w/ the card and 84.21 is the oldest one on XFXForce.com and NVidia lists only 163.75 (which I tried and resulted in an immediate freeze). *How would I go about locating older ones?*
> 
> Btw, I booted in SAFE MODE and opened FS9 and was able to fly without hanging.
> *What does that tell you?*
> ...


Okay - 
First regarding the driver, I read a lot about 'drivers braking games' with relations to nVidia 5xxx & 6xxx models. here is a link (http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion/index.php?t19168.html) to nVidia site that recommends driver 77.72 for your type of card...

Second - your experiment with Safe Mode tell us a lot more, basically it says that when windows loads up with limited capabilities (i.e. - no startup prog, limited services and limited graphics) it works!!
So, what I would do next is try tweaking the settings and get rid of the problem which seems to load in regular mode, here is how:

1. go here and read about graphic cards, settings and crashes http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?$=fs2004/faq.htm
2. make sure your nVidia driver is NOT set to force performance such as anti aliasing etc.
3. tweak windows XP services for games by following this - http://www.tweakxp.com/article37047.aspx

that should do it.

Finally - you mentioned in the specs you provided a rather slow CPU (~908 Mhz ?), this is a heavy game... I would recommend upgrading to a 2 Ghz CPU.

good luck, keep us posted.


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## MahaGamer (Jul 29, 2005)

heat might be an issue, my FS9 used to lock up tight when my gfx card would overheat, or my cpu.


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## Hawkeye52 (Sep 26, 2007)

I'm back. It took me a while because I was running tests to be reasonably certain I had a fix. I've not run all the combinations I need in order to be 100% certain, but at this point I'd say I'm 80-90% sure I've nailed The Fix.

I am indebted to *ISCNITZAN* for providing the links (see reply # 7, above) which eventually brought resolution.

1. As stated in my original posting, I have the OS installed in a partition [C:] on a 250GB HDD but FS9 is on a 46GB HDD. This results in the _My Documents_ folder not being in the default location. I was alerted to this situation at

```
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;837195
```
. When I corrected, there was an immediate decrease in hangs and stutters, so much so that I consider this to be the main component of The Fix.
2. Even though I was killing items which appear in the system tray prior to starting FS9, it turns out I was addressing only the tip of the iceberg. It is unbelievable how much crap is loaded every time you boot, and most of it doesnt give you a clue by placing an icon in the system tray. Help came in the form of

```
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/303032/
```
 I now run _msconfig_ and reboot prior to starting FS9. 
3. Based on

```
http://forums.nvidia.com/lofiversion...hp?t19168.html
```
 I am using nVidia driver 77.72 as recommended for my video card. (I may try a later version driver, but for now Im leaving well-enough alone!)

Those are the chief components of The Fix. I am running with sliders at the default settings except for resolution at 1024x768x32 and tri-linear filtering. FPS is locked at 15 to conserve resources. These settings are essentially what I was using before my problems started back in August. With the default DC-3 I get occasional stuttering (but no hangs!) depending on the complexity of the scenery/clouds. More complex add-on a/c will be tested next, but for now the flying experience is satisfactory. Sliders-to-the-right will have to wait for an upgraded MoBo and 2GB of RAM.

Once again, thanks to all who helped, and hopefully this post will help someone else get airborne!

- Hawkeye52


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## iscnitzan (Sep 1, 2004)

Hey , happy to hear you're airborne again...

Few last notes to eliminate your stuttering flights - 
according to the FS websites and my own experiences the minimal fps you should be aiming for is about 20. to reach that do a trial & error test by getting airborne and pressing Shift+Z+Z (shift + twice Z), this will show you what fps you actually get.
Now you can start tweaking the display settings by clicking Alt and select Settings > Display from the menu, and then see how your settings effect the performance of fps...

Try setting the target fps to 30 (high enough to show you how high you can get...) and then change various settings like - trilinear to bilinear filtering - anti-aliasing - cloud complexity - etc.

When you get close or above 20 fps you stuttering will stop.

Good luck, I hope this helps many others as well.


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## Hawkeye52 (Sep 26, 2007)

Thanks. Maybe our definition of "STUTTERING" is diff. I have smooth frames (NOT jumpy). However, every 5 to 15 minutes the sim just stops for approx 3 seconds, and then continues. That's what I'm labeling as _stuttering_.

Comment?
-H52


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