Com-Central.net

Hey ya'll......have just recently done a fresh install of FS9 to my fresh installed windows XP....(fired vista..lol)...All is well but I have installed only a couple jets thus far...which I had previously!.....anyways I'm having A stutter in VC only....I can't remember if there is a fix for it or not.....any help would be a blessing!...thanks

Hey Hoppa,

What's going on here with your new hotrod multi-core CPU machine with WinXP (as opposed to your older single-core CPU Pentium system) is essentially 'contention' between the multiple CPU's (you have two CPU's in one on a dual-core and 4 CPU's on a quad-core, which is what you bought, right?). Each core is trying to run "some" of the FS9 code and FS9 is an older program written in the days before multi-core CPU's were around. So the CPU's are fighting over who gets to do what with FS9. I think this shows up in VC more than anywhere else becuase of the extra code embedded inside gauges that has to be executed, etc...just a guess though.

So anyway, the CPU's get a little out of step with each other amid all that. That's your stutter.

A way you can prove this for yourself with FS9 running is to ALT-TAB to the desktop (if you're in fullscreen mode), press CTRL-SHIFT-DEL to call up the WindowsXP applet that lets you launch Task Manager, go ahead and launch Task Manager, go to the "Processes" tab, find the FS9.exe entry, right-click on it, and select "Set Affinity". Notice it shows you how many CPU's you have runnign the task....you shoudl show 2 or 4 (dual or quad core). Click the little green checkmarks so that just CPU0 is set active. Hit K and close Task manager, go back to FS9, stutters should be gone.

To fix this permanently, Microsoft has a "hotfix" for this which should help:

support.microsoft.com/...6256/en-us

Not sure it's also needed but may not be a bad idea to get this one too while you're at it:

support.microsoft.com/...6357/en-us

I got the same thing when I first set up WinXP on my new dual-core machine, boy it ran fast but stuttery from the VC with FS9. FSX was fine (because with SP1/SP2 it is written for multi-core CPU's). Thought I had screwed something up big-time. It went away on it's own and now I realize it's just because I have my system set to download and install automatic updates, which at some point included this hotfix.

Should fix ya right up.

If you want a REAL hoot, install CFS3 before instaling the Hotfix and look at the poor Spit pilot moving around in the opening menu. He's got the shakes so bad I thought he was going through serious DT's or was just quaking in his boots knowing a JG300 FW190 pilot had a new hot simming rig to make life miserable for his AI Spitfire.....

Okay......not as easy as I had hoped so here's where I'm at......I downloaded both of those fixes....same same.....stuttering in VC in all aircraft!....I did as you had said with the task manager but I am not seeing the same as you, when I locate the FS9.exe its as you say....in the CPU column it is flashing between 2, 3 and 4. when I right click on it the only things I see are......

End Process
End Process tree

Debug.....(which I cannot access)

Set Priority.....which will open up too
Realtime
High
above normal
normal
below normal
low


I did play with these but nothing really happened that I could see.


So I`m thinking it has to be one of three aircraft maybe that I installed but I don`t understand how that would affect all the aircraft....and oh yeah.....this stutter kinda did happen near the end of my installing because everything was fine to begin with..I had at first installed some vital scenery`s like the pigsty and BCmesh and when I checked to see them I jumped in a plane and all was fine.....the final installs were 3 jets....

FA18 superhornet
the F14 that comes with the waikato carrier pack....and finally the F-86 sabrejet which gave me two sound.dll errors upon startup of FS9...I fixed that though....so is it possible that one of these plane installs could have done this?
before I get to un-install mania I`ll wait for a reply...lol

thanks Stoop

Hmmm. If you don't see a "Set Affinity" and you have a new machine (what kind? what CPU?) I'm puzzled.

Tell you what - to see if it's something you installed, just try a stock plane - does it occur in the VC of the Cessna 172, for instance?

And you rebooted after installing those hotfixes, right?

Maybe it's not the CPU core stuff I thought it was, maybe it's video settings perhaps....I'm kind of puzzled now.

"Set Affinity" shoudl be right below "Set Priority" in Task Mgr when you right-click a prcoess. IF it isn't I'm also wondering if you are fully up-to-date with all WIndows updates - this is Windows XP (Home, Pro or what?) SP2 version?

Odd...and actually since you mention the CPU collumn showung CPU 1, 2, 3 etc you are on a multi-core machine and shoudl have the option to set the affinity.

Okay so now that my stress levels hit the real dangerous point I'll try to explain the best i can............
My CPU which I've had for awhile is an INTEL CORE2 DUo 2.4 gig.....

I just sent my puter off for the reformat to XP....I've had to get a new puter guy because my last one more or less quit me for time reasons....the new guy although he is a legitimate computer repair business I found to be mediocre at best.......so now that I'm looking into my box carefully for the first time this CPU says Intel but I see core2 duo nowhere on the processor itself.....when I goto system info ....this is what it says......


version 5.1.2600 SP2
processor x-86 family 6 model 15 stepping 6 genuineIntel ~2399 mhz

total physical memory 2,048 megs
available physical memory 1.58 GB
total virtual memory 2.0 GB
available virtual memory 1.96GB

does this seem like a core 2 duo to you??????....I dunno....if not....next time you hear from me I'll be getting out of jail for Assault causing severe deformation.......

Shake the stress off buddy... aint worth it......no biggie we'll get it figured out.....

Not sure abtu the CPU. Tell ya what. Right-Click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop and go to "Properties"......this is what I have.....a slightly later model Core 2 Duo (2.66 Ghz)......looks like this.....

Couple other things on the checklist :

- You've installed the 9.1 update for FS2004, right?

- Also, when doing a format/reinstall of an operating system (in this case, going from Vista back to XP) you should reinstall any motherboard or chipset drivers - look for a CD that came with the system or motherboard. That could explain less-than-optimum performance right there.

WHEW!.......barely got a wink of sleep last night.....I honestly got to thinkin' that guy pulled a fast one on me......after all when he first seen my box his eyes lit up like christmas and he ooh'd and aahhh'd about my hardware and the CPU was almost alien to him......so last night when you got confused about my CPU...I got to lookin' at it and for some reason it just didn't look like the monster I thought I had!....all is well though and someone gets to keep his fingers...lol...thanks for that tip.....although I kinda knew that I tend to get some brain blockage when the stress hits....my apologies for that....I really do appreciate your help.
As for all the updates you have thus far mentioned...the answer is yes.....I am running the 9.1 update and my windows is all up to date. As for the re-format the guy did.......I sent all the discs and stuff with him and he said that this kind of format was his specialty and that instead of having an XP updates disc like the box stores....he does the slower, more "Generic" installs of all that stuff......I'm already missing my ol' buddy whom did all my builds and repairs for roughly 5 years. The stuttering thing as I said didn.t happen until somewhere around my final aircraft installs.....I am out for the afternoon here but tonight I'll get hardcore on this issue even if it means a re-install of FS9....after all....most of my favourite addons were made into easy-installs by you Stoop so the process would not be so bad if it comes to that.

Could sound too simple but I'd de-frag the hard drive. Think your guy would have done it but maybe not. When you do fresh install of an operating system and all your programs your drive gets fragmented big time and I know that MSFS doesn't seem to run good on a drive that's even got minor fragmentation going on. Also don't trust XP if it tells you you don't need to de-frag. I've noticed a difference after de-fraging when I was told by XP I didn't need to.

Not guaranteeing it will solve the problem, but couldn't hurt and I like to try the simple stuff first.

Well I dunno what really did it or not but looks like the problem could be fixed....I un-installed my FA/18 superhornet, set my display settings back to default....Fixed.....turned my settings all back up to 100% and the stutter was gone.......I turned it off happy as could be but now I'm afraid to boot it up just in case...lol.....I think somehow the self-installing F/18 jumped into my hangar and proceeded to let out a nasty poot which thus corrupted my fleet!!....but the good thing is....I'm a sucker for punishment and loves me F-18 so much I'm a gonna' try parking it right back in there and see what happens....
I'm not going to do it tonight because fr8ycat's right......time for a good defrag!........thanks guys , now if I might add......next comes the online section of getting me back to full flight status.........

Pray for me!!!!!!....