Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

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Archive88
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Location: Washington state

Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Archive88 »

Flying the wonderful Comanche 25. Pranged it on hard landing, but now cannot open Maintenance Shop option to repair prop. Actually cannot open any of the options. They flash on-screen, but do not open. Huh? What am I missing here or what wrong keyboard button have I pushed? No problems for about a year and a half with this bird or program. Must have done something wrong.
Please assist.
-=dcp=-

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Nick - A2A
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Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Nick - A2A »

Hi DCP,

The first and simplest thing to check is that you haven't inadvertently set the 2-D panel transparency to 100%. You can check this setting via the standard FSX menus: options → settings → display → aircraft tab.

Thanks,
Nick

Archive88
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Joined: 01 Mar 2016, 19:08
Location: Washington state

Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Archive88 »

Nick:
Aha...thought it might be something like that. Will take a look and report.
-dcp=-

Archive88
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Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Archive88 »

Nick:
Again. Just checked. Nope, 2-D transparency set to zero. Default is for 3-D panel. And all the options like Maintenance just flash by but do not open for use. Never had this before as long as I've used this aircraft. I must have done something stupid inadvertently.
-=dcp=-

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Lewis - A2A
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Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Lewis - A2A »

Hello,

what platform are you using?

Any recent installations?

It sounds like your simconnect needs a quick reinstall as its gotten itself all screwed up.

thanks
Lewis
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Nick - A2A
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Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Nick - A2A »

Thanks for the update dcp - it was worth a try. :wink:

Yes, might be worth thinking back as to whether you've made any changes or additions to the sim since you last successfully used the 2-D panels. If I remember correctly, you use FSX disk edition?

As Lewis says, an issue with the SimConnect client might be one possible cause. (this is software which lets the A2A aircraft communicate with the host sim.) Before trying to reinstall it, can you confirm that you're loading a default FSX aircraft and then switching to the Comanche when you start your sim session?

It doesn't sound like the keys have been remapped if you're getting a brief flash of the 2-D panels.

Thanks,
Nick

Archive88
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Posts: 93
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Location: Washington state

Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Archive88 »

Nick/Lewis:
Actually no. Have always just startedwith the Comanche 250, it's my go-to aircraft. I rarely use any of the other aircraft options. Certainly in this case I did just a ho-hum load and fly...and then remembered my last flight was in a bad cross wind and I misjudged things...ended up with a bent prop. So, there I am on the pad and need to get to the Maint Shop to fix things, and what to my wondering eyes should appear - nothing but a flash. and there we stand. Yes maybe I need to reload the whole Comanche thing. Can do that I guess, but am a guy who likes to know the answer to the question 'why'?

Also dunno what a 'simconnect' is when it's alive and well and walking. (Using Win7 and no new installations. And don't remember if I had an A2A Comanche disk...rather doubt it. I think I downloaded it from the A2A site, but it has been a while.)

One problem - I am now at a different geographic address and will not be back to the house-of-the-bent-prop for a while...indefinite. So there will be a bit of a pause until I return, but return I will like MacArthur. What I mean is that there is no urgency here and you should be prepared for a gap in correspondence on the topic. Surely you have other things to do. I will scroll down the forum and find this thread when I return. So y'all have time to cogitate with no pressure.

Thanks for the responses. Always good to deal with you folks.
-=dcp=-

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Nick - A2A
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Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Nick - A2A »

Okay, dcp - whenever you're ready, drop us another line and we can hopefully get you sorted.

First suggestion will be to start by loading the sim with a simple, default aircraft and only once that's loaded, switch to the Comanche. Loading straight into a complex add-on can sometimes prevent SimConnect from starting up properly. (SimConnect is basically a software interface to FSX; it's installed by default when you install FSX, probably without you knowing about it.)

Thanks,
Nick

P.S. By "FSX Disk edition" I meant did you install FSX from a disk, rather than using the Steam version? (The Comanche is only available as a download.) :)

Archive88
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Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Archive88 »

Nick-A2A and others:

Well, guys I'm back like a bad penny.
The last time, after no correction of the lack of any of the Shift key screens (for example, Maintenance Shop) I thought it might be that the graphics card on this older machine at this house, could not handle displaying the screens. But I installed an Invidia GTX 950 card from another machine and still get no drop down screens.
Now this is not (repeat not) restricted to A2A aircraft - I find that any aircraft that wants me to use a drop down screen to select, perhaps, GPS, will not respond properly. A black silhouette of the screen merely flashes briefly, then repeating the Shft+whatever results in nothing. Initially I contacted you guys because my favorite and routine aircraft is your great Comanche 250, and at present I cannot get into the Maint Shop to repair, cannot refuel, cannot get the GPS installed.
Reviewed all the comments and suggestions again, and repeated all, with no results.
Have no idea what's going on or why. Have no idea where the problem lies.
Using Win 10 on this machine (Win 7 at another place...with no problems).
Can you think of some site that might be focused on this kind of problem? I hate to keep bothering you with a problem that is not in A2A's corner.
Archive (Don Pearson)

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Nick - A2A
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Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Nick - A2A »

Hello again Don.

As discussed above, it's possible that the SimConnect client on your machine is corrupt. If you're using the disk edition of FSX, please can you try these steps from the FAQ thread:
How to fix SimConnect:
You can test if simconnect is working by opening up the default Cessna 172 and check to see if you have gauges. If you do not have gauges, then SimConnect is probably not working.

AUTOMATIC
- Run the Microsoft DirectX installer here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/downloa ... x?id=34429
- Run the Microsoft FSX Simconnect installer here: http://a2asimulations.com/public/downlo ... onnect.msi
- Reboot your computer
And please don't worry about 'bothering' us; we'll do our best to get you back up an running even if the problem isn't specific to the A2A product in question. :)

Thanks,
Nick

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Lewis - A2A
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Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Lewis - A2A »

Just to double up on what Nick says, please if you have an issue never be afraid to post on the forums so we and or the community can help you out, be it tech support or general fs hobby, training advice.

thanks,
Lewis
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Archive88
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Posts: 93
Joined: 01 Mar 2016, 19:08
Location: Washington state

Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Archive88 »

Nick and Lewis:
Interesting: I am now at my home computer where things have been just fine. And in the middle of a long flight plan from KFHR Friday Harbor to PANC Anchorage along the BC coast. All going well until I landed at Prince Rupert to refuel. Just tonight tried taking off from CYPR, but the airspeed indicator (Comanche 250, remember, my 'home' aircraft) is suddenly not working. Duh? Am now sitting in the middle of nowhere in BC. Prince Rupert (bad accommodations, guys and poor restaurants) waiting for some tech to give me some help. (No, I'm not making this up. No airspeed indicator.) Where did that come from? This is too close to real-world aircraft problems for comfort, no?

I will be going back to the other place to try and attack the basic lack of drop down screens tomorrow. But I believe I did re-install the sim connect bit you had suggested earlier, before I left the other day and before I sent the 'help' message here. I will check again when I get there and log back on with the result.

You're a class act.
-=dcp=-

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Piper_EEWL
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Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Piper_EEWL »

The airspeed indicator not working could either be pitot icing or something is blocking the pitot tube. Did you fly through clouds in low temperatures? Does anything show up on the pitot tube during the walkaround? Like the pitot tube cover for example?
B377&COTS, J3 Cub, B-17G, Spitfire, P-40, P-51D, C172, C182, Pa28, Pa24, T-6 Texan, L-049&COTS, Bonanza V35B

Archive88
Airman First Class
Posts: 93
Joined: 01 Mar 2016, 19:08
Location: Washington state

Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Archive88 »

Piper:
Good thought and I never thought of that. I was in low temp cloudy conditions before landing, but was on the ground refueling, and I believe that being aware of Active Sky reports I had the pitot heat on during the long interval before I got to Prince Rupert. Will review. I did test the 'general FSX system' by flying other aircraft and all the air speed indicators worked normally.

Lemme look at it and get back.
Thanks, Archive

Archive88
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Posts: 93
Joined: 01 Mar 2016, 19:08
Location: Washington state

Re: Cannot open Maintenance Shop option

Post by Archive88 »

Piper, Nick and Lewis:
Finally a short time back at the errant version of FSX where the drop down options flash but do not open for use (no maintenance shop or refueling...etc)

Piper: arrrrgh - you were correct. I shut down to cold and dark status and did not remove the pitot sleeve before leaving. dumb. Thanks for the reminder.

Nick and Lewis: I did review that I had downloaded and reinstalled simconnect. Am using Win10 so doing a DirectX 9.0 installer you suggest warns that it is not appropriate for Win10 - only other versions.

To review: older processor (but it worked before something threw things out of wack) = AMD Phenom 9750, graphics card= Invidia GTX 950 (I thought the older slower card was the problem...but no),8 G Corsair XMS2 DDR2 (yes, not DDR3, but again, worked just fine).

FSX was originally loaded from the original accelerated FSX diskettes with the two 'fixes' installed.

I can fly VOR to VOR but can't refuel or do maintenance...and miss the GPS that I cannot install from the dropdown screen.

No emergency here, since I have to leave for Tucson for a memorial service for the unexpected death of a brother in law (he has/had his own, quite real Comanche 250 that he flew everywhere.) Sad loss. Back in about 2 weeks unless there is some drama that we need to help with. He died on vacation in Mexico...I recommend a different place to expire. Bureaucratic mess and someone is hacking his personal accounts from there now using Mex issued death certificate info and required SSN info to acquire the certificate.

Appreciate the help.
-=dcp=-

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