TROUBLESHOOTING - Help us help you.

DCS:Black Shark 1.0.x edition

For us to be able to help you with your problem, there's a few things that is incredibly helpful.

A post descripting:

- What were you doing - or trying to do?

- What did you expect to happen?

- Relevant info regarding your issue - SP, MP, Mods, custom built gear - anything relevant.

- Screenshots when possible. We may not understand what you are talking about until you illustrate it properly.

So when you post a TECHNICAL/GAME problem please attach the following:

• DxDiag report:
  
  • Use Start->Run: DXDIAG and "Save All Information, to a TXT file" for the report.
    
  • In the forum post - upload it using "Go Advanced", then press the "Manage Attachments" in the section below the post. Upload the TXT file.
    

  [*]Any *.CRASH files in your ".\Eagle Dynamics\Ka-50\Temp" folder.

  [*]Any ERROR* files you find in the ".\Eagle Dynamics\Ka-50\Temp" folder.

  [*]Screenshots to illustrate the problem.

GAMING ISSUES - additional info required:

• To illustrate a "gaming issue", post a *.TRK file. (Check the same \Temp folders as above to find your last flights)
  SP last track: "LastMissionTrack.trk"
  MP tracks: "client-nnnnnnnn-nnnnnn.miz.trk"
  

Locations of the \Temp folder may vary:

* All platforms - custom install location: <YourDrive>:\<your custom location>\LockOn Flaming Cliffs 2\Temp

* XP/2003: C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\Ka-50\Temp

* Vista / Win 7 with "default permissions" on the system / UAC on:

32 bit editions: C:\Users\<users>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\Ka-50\Temp

64 bit editions: C:\Users\<users>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Eagle Dynamics\Ka-50\Temp

SP track recordings location: .\Temp\LastMissionTrack.trk

MP Track recordings location:

- MP Client: .\Temp\client-<latest-datetime>.miz.trk

- MP Server: .\<your mission folder>\<yourmission>.trk

The next few posts will be dedicated to assisting *you* into having a look at your system so you can fix your problem more quickly, while the rest of is reading your posts and pondering on how to help you. :)

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CONTRIBUTORS:

- Please post guides, troubleshooting tips for DCS:BS and relevant components, and I'll add a link to them in the section.

- It's okai to discuss wether a troubleshooting method is relevant / correct etc. The more correct a methods is, the better it is for us all.

- Also good; Shorter guides with *just enough info* for the average gamer to troubleshoot.

- This is not a FAQ. It's several mini-guide's to remind the gamer's what to check and provide methods to resolve the issue more quickly.

MODERATORS:

- Please - if anyone posts about spefic issues in this thread, can you please split the posts out of this thread? Thank you.

- I dont mind you correcting information directly as long as you're confident that it needs correction. Or moving content up / down in the sections for that matter.

* Installation / Patchday ABC

BIG RED LETTERS: The 1.0.2 patch must be installed over a fresh installation of DCS:BS 1.0.

- Patching over version 1.0.1c is not supported.

- Mods (even if just disabled) will break the patch installation.

Procedure:

• Backup \Config\Input\Aircrafts
  
  • Remove from backup you took:
    
    • aircraftNames.lua
      
    • Any default.lua you find in the subfolders.
      

  [*]Uninstall DCS

  [*]Check if you have files here - if so, remove them:

  • C:\Users\<your user>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\Eagle Dynamics\Ka-50
    
  • C:\Users\<your user>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\Ka-50
    

  [*]install 1.0

  [*]install 1.0.2

  [*]Copy your backup of \Aircrafts back. Replace all.

  Note: Important that you DID remove the files in the backup-step.

  [*]Start DCS 1.0.2 in MP or fly a SP Mission - it will ASK for activation - but it will NOT spend any activations.

Also:

- Be sure you have picked the correct LANGUAGE for your DCS versions.

- If you have problems during install/reinstall/patching/activation - try to disable "security/ anti-malware software" since some of them may prevent the installer or activation to work properly.

- TrackIR users must download the latest "game updates" from the TrackIR updater.

-----------------------------------------

* Game related

* FPS problems:

- Be sure you're not using any tools that may be affecting the game performance (Fraps / TacView Recording).

- Patched? Check. Tweak and tune the settings of the game afterwards (there's quite a few tips around this fine forum - you just need to search / look for them).

- Run without MODS, including DCSmax. Leave all your skins / sounds etc at the front door, dont bring them in with you into DCS just yet.

* Graphics/GPU/Driver related

- Test with different drivers (depending on your GPU).

- Use driver cleaner kits when you unintsall one driver and test the next.

- Disable Graphic "FluffyStuff things" and see if this changes anything regarding yhour issue.

- Disable SLI / CrossFire if possible.

- Clogged up cooling? Your card may be overheating.

* Computer related

- Get rid of all unnecessary software (tools / coolstuff / badstuff)

- Temporary disable all security related software while being OFFLINE from internet

(never do that while you're hotwired to internet).

- O/C is bad when troubleshooting. O/C must be set to standard frequencies.

Timings and everything related to PCI-bus/Graphics are being affected. Even FPS may be affected by a improperly set O/C or Memory timings.

* Healthy system

- Free up your disk, check them for errors (CHKDSK C: /F etc)

- Defrag. (It's quite often superfluious - but it's hard to tell in advance when there's something related to fragmentation).

- Ensure that your system is without other related glitches (read the Event Logs for System, Application)

- Ensure that you *did* remove all unnecessary software - because Services running in the background will affect your game performance.

- Had virus on your computer previously?

Your Windows is damaged - it may need a full reinstall to actually work properly with the game.

* And you *DID* remember to REBOOT after that "last minor change on the system of yours last night" ... :)

* Driver Issues / Install / Reinstall:

- Be sure that you have removed all traces of some of the old drivers (BETA drivers especially).

ATI and Nvidia driver Sweeper tool: http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/

* MP Server Troubleshooting:

- It may be hard to tell whats happening on the network sometimes. Using Wireshark or similar tools for network sniffing may be a great for digging into those freak problems happening when you are hosting a Server.

* Input Controls / Joystick

- Always check you Windows Joystick Calibration.

When assigning Axis in DCS you may need to remember that DCS will try to analyze which Axis you use. If you have a improperly adjusted joystick it might pick up the wrong Axis (Y instead of X etc).

- Weird input / odd control results.

"Your profiler software" might send dual inputs. Try the other way around - without Profiler Software. Just remember to bring up the "Gaming Device" Properties, keep the window open while you go back into DCS and reassign your stick and try again.

[ATTACH]30594[/ATTACH]

BIG RED WARNING: Do NOT save your Gamecontrols configuration over BLACKSHARK.LUA. That file contains game-code, and is not intended to contain your control-config.

* TrackIR not working

After the patch you may find your TrackIR is not working.

- If it's been a long time since you updated the TrackIR software you may have to do this first.

- If you have one of the latest version, all you need to do is update the Game List.

1. 2.

* Installation Troubleshooting

- Be sure that you have ADMIN permissions to do the install. You might have to (hold SHIFT and ..) Right-click the SETUP file, then "Run as Administrator".

- If loading of the DVD takes forever, or you suspect bad media or a bad DVD-player;

Copy the content to your Harddrive - run setup again from the place you copied it to. (You can keep playing without the DVD).

* Uninstallation Problems

- If you lack the "DCS Uninstall" in the Start-menu or in the "Add Remove Programs", try simply installing over the old game again. This way you will get all the Icons and uninstall-methods repaired.

* System related Troubleshooting

"Event Viewer": On most system you can check out the "Application" and "System" eventogs.

[ATTACH]30158[/ATTACH]

a) Look for *anything* relevant to the problem you are trying to solve.

b) Look for anything being serious enough to cause stability / system issues.

Reliability monitor: Use your other "Best friend" on Vista / Windows 7. (not found in XP).

a) Poke around until you find some relevant issues - try revert some of your changes.

[ATTACH]30157[/ATTACH]

CHKDSK: Automaticly fix your disks.

Quite often minor issues in your filesystem may cause rather big and *very* strange issues, crashes.

The disk check takes very little effort to perform - a very good insurance for getting a healthy system.

- Using CMD (Command prompt) in Administrator mode type. (No admin mode for XP).

(You can do it from Explorer/Disk Properties too - but CHKDSK and CMD is the same for all OS - using GUI may vary from OS to OS).

[ATTACH]30193[/ATTACH]

1.) Start a Command Prompt in Admin mode.

2.) CHKDSK C: /F

3.) If you have more disks, continue checking all of them. If you get questions about "disk in use, check on next reboot?" or "dismount volume?" answer "Yes" (Y) to them and continue the process.

4.) It will be complete after a reboot (if a reboot is required).

<just one more reserved, just in case>

Needs a sticky.

I think you missed an issue here. I am on my THIRD try at downloading! Each download has taken upwards of 8 hours and I can't get the software downloaded. I've gotten the data1.cab DL but setup.exe has yet to come across. On a download of this size, a 30K to 50K connection BEGS for issues. Having a connection open for 8 hours to download half of an application is ludicrous.

Also, it would be wise to use some download-manager, which supports resuming of downloads - helps A LOT. :D

With Windows Vista and Windows 7, many difficulties are avoided by installing the application outside of C:\Program Files\ , this avoids the User Access Control feature of these products.

Patch-procedure - with backup hints updated in Post#2:

http://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=738468&postcount=2

Fixes for Runtime Errors with 32 bit operating systems

If you're using either Windows XP 32bit, Windows Vista 32bit or Windows 7 32bit and you're encountering C++ Runtime Errors or related crashes, please try out these following fixes:

Enable the 3GB switch on Windows XP

• Right-click My Computer. Click Properties.
  
• In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
  
• On the Advanced tab, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
  
• In the Startup and Recovery dialog box, under System startup, click Edit. The Windows boot.ini file will be opened in Microsoft® Notepad.
  
• Create a backup copy of the boot.ini file. Note: Boot.ini files may vary from computer to computer.
  Select the following line in the boot.ini file:
  

• Press Ctrl+C to copy the line and then press Ctrl+V to paste it immediately below the original line.
  Note: Your text string may be different from the text string in this solution, so be sure to copy the text string from your boot.ini file, and not the text string included here.
  Modify the copied line to include “ /3GB”, as shown in the following example:
  

• Save and close the boot.ini file.
  
• Click OK to close each dialog box.
  
• Restart your computer.
  
• During startup, select the 3GB option. If you do not select the 3GB option, the system will default to the 2GB total memory setting.
  

If you're using either Windows XP 32bit, Windows Vista 32bit or Windows 7 32bit and you're encountering C++ Runtime Errors or related crashes, please try out these following fixes:

 

 

Enable the 3GB switch on Windows XP

• Right-click My Computer. Click Properties.
  
• In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
  
• On the Advanced tab, under Startup and Recovery, click Settings.
  
• In the Startup and Recovery dialog box, under System startup, click Edit. The Windows boot.ini file will be opened in Microsoft® Notepad.
  
• Create a backup copy of the boot.ini file. Note: Boot.ini files may vary from computer to computer.
  Select the following line in the boot.ini file:
  

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

• Press Ctrl+C to copy the line and then press Ctrl+V to paste it immediately below the original line.
  Note: Your text string may be different from the text string in this solution, so be sure to copy the text string from your boot.ini file, and not the text string included here.
  Modify the copied line to include “ /3GB”, as shown in the following example:
  

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Micro soft Windows XP Professional 3GB" /3GB /fastdetect

Note: Do not overwrite any existing lines.

• Save and close the boot.ini file.
  
• Click OK to close each dialog box.
  
• Restart your computer.
  
• During startup, select the 3GB option. If you do not select the 3GB option, the system will default to the 2GB total memory setting.
  

Note: If problems occur during startup, you may need to update some of your drivers.

 

 

For Windows 7 or Vista 32bit:

 

goto a DOS window by typing CMD into your "search programs and files"

 

type

bcdedit /set increaseuserva 3072

and press enter

 

 

restart your PC and see if the texture losses/crashes still occur.

 

edit: you may need to temporarily disable UAC for this to work.

 

As ever, outstanding, pertinent, relevant information and assistance.

:thumbup: + 1

'T'

I had a crash but I couldn't find the "Eagle Dynamics\Ka-50\Temp" neither in:

C:\Users\***\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\?

nor the Ka-50\Temp in:

C:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\?

So where else is this Ka-50\Temp to be found?

I have WIN 7 64bit

How are we supposed to support you with materials if we don't get any answers to where to find specific folders. I wrote to you one month ago and now I have a Game problem. So again :

I have Win 7, 64 bit. To report a Game problem I searched for the File LastMissionTrack.trk on (C:\Users\<Biba>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\) but there, there was no

Eagle Dynamics Folder let alone \Ka-50\Temp).

I found there Folders for other Games, so where else could that Temp Folder be?

To report a Game problem I searched for the File LastMissionTrack.trk

Well, i think all those files are in C:/users/Biba/"Saved games" (or something like that)/DCS/

Well, i think all those files are in C:/users/Biba/"Saved games" (or something like that)/DCS/

There you'll only find your saved "*.trk" in the Track Folder or "*.crash" in the Logs Folder.

But I'm looking for the "LastMissionTrack.trk" in the Temp Folder, and in Saved Games there also no Temp folder to illustrate a "gaming issue" of my last flight.:book:

Cant get BS1 to upgrade to BS2

Hello,

Well I have return after and absence of almost 4 years to DCS. I have installed DCS World that was suggested by on of our community pilots in the name of Pingkinda and everything went smooth. I can see that I have bought in DCS website the box edition of DCS 1 on the 28-03-2010 and also the downloadable version on 14-03-2009. I have also bought on the 29-11-2011 the upgrade version of DCS BS 2.

My first step was to download from DCS website the .exe and the bin file of DSC BS 1. It went smooth. When I run the .exe file at a certain moment into the installation I get an error message saying: Extract failed with error code 2. And also my DCS World is install on my WD Velociradtor: E:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World so where do I install the DCS 1? in which folder?

Secondly I have tried to install DCS 1 to upgrade it to DCS BS2, in:E:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\ but still in vain, the module doesn't show up in the game modules from DCS World. So I cannot activate the module: Upgrade DCS BS1 to DCS BS2.

After installing DCS1 into DCS World folder, I click on DCS World icon on my desktop, the game launch but when I get to the module upgrade version 1 to version to and click install, it fails. Then when I get back to my desktop to relaunch DCS World, the icon doesn't function anymore. It ask me if I want to get rid of the icon, saying the icon have been moved or modified. I forgot to mention that I am using Windows 10 (x64).

So I need :helpsmilie: :helpsmilie: :helpsmilie: please because I have tried to the BEST of my knowledge to get it working.

Thank you all

Hello,

 

Well I have return after and absence of almost 4 years to DCS. I have installed DCS World that was suggested by on of our community pilots in the name of Pingkinda and everything went smooth.

 

I can see that I have bought in DCS website

1. the box edition of DCS 1 on the 28-03-2010 and also the

2. downloadable version on 14-03-2009.

3. I have also bought on the 29-11-2011 the upgrade version of DCS BS 2.

 

My first step was to download from DCS website the .exe and the bin file of DSC BS 1. It went smooth.

 

When I run the .exe file at a certain moment into the installation I get an error message saying: Extract failed with error code 2. And also my DCS World is install on my WD Velociradtor: E:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World so where do I install the DCS 1? in which folder?

DCS BS 1 should not be installed into the DCSW folder systems under any circumstances.

Both programs are two destinct installations, ie two different install directories.

• Since you have made a mess of things at the moment, I would uninstall all bs1, bs2 and DCS world programs and start again.
  
• You may have to just delete all of the DCS Folders that exist all ready manually.
  

1. Install either one of the BS 1 versions first as adminstrator, just use default install directory presented by the installer, as guess it will be (c:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\Blackshark) and make sure it runs ok after installation.
   
2. If it doesn't install properly, then you are missing one of the required install files, or you have merged it with BS 2 or DCS World (a no no).
   
3. If it is running ok, play a quick mission and make sure you activate BS 1 with its required serial number. (BS 2 upgrade will not see this serial number otherwise and will not run)
   

1. Download and Install DCS World as adminstrator, just use default install directory presented by the installer, it will be (c:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World) and make sure it runs ok after installation
   
2. Use the DCS World module manager to install the BS 2 upgrade module (not the BS 2 stand alone module), don't use your download upgrade version as that will be another stand alone version of BS 2 in (c:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS Black Shark 2) that will not intergrate with DCS World.
   
3. Play a BS 2 quick mission and make sure you activate BS 2 with its required serial number (if serial doen't work you may have installed the BS 2 full version instead of the BS 2 upgrade version).
   
4. Quit DCS World if all goes ok, and test that your BS 1 install works ok still.
   

Secondly I have tried to install DCS 1 to upgrade it to DCS BS2, in:E:\Program Files\Eagle Dynamics\DCS World\ but still in vain, the module doesn't show up in the game modules from DCS World.

 

So I cannot activate the module: Upgrade DCS BS1 to DCS BS2.

 

After installing DCS1 into DCS World folder, I click on DCS World icon on my desktop, the game launch but when I get to the module upgrade version 1 to version to and click install, it fails.

Then when I get back to my desktop to relaunch DCS World, the icon doesn't function anymore. It ask me if I want to get rid of the icon, saying the icon have been moved or modified.

Kind Regards, Ian.