MS Flight Simulator X keeps crashing

[GuntherHanne]

With the recent upgrade of my system I now find that Microsoft Flight Simulator X regularly keeps crashing and I wonder if anyone out there can perhaps assist with ideas to try and solve this problem

With my previous system, with far lower specs, I didn't have this problem

The problem I'm getting now is that regularly, about 20 - 30 minutes into the game (and sometimes even sooner), my PC "Blue Screens" and crashes

The only components that I have overclocked are:

CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9950 BE (clocked from 2600 to 2913MHz) by changing the multiplyer from 13 to 14.5

GPU: 2 x EVGA GTX 280 in SLi (clocked from 602/2214/1296 to 648/2430/1395 [clock/memory/shader]) - with EVGA Precision

The error message I get is as follows (which quite honestly doesn't mean anything to me):

BCCode: a
BCP1: 00000088248C8954
BCP2: 0000000000000006
BCP3: 0000000000000000
BCP4: FFFFF80001C8B792
OS Version: 6_0_6001
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 256_1
Server information: 60137f9f-70b9-43d2-a691-97c72056eaf4

I have installed MS Flight Simulator X Deluxe and the Acceleration expansion pack (I have not insatlled SP1 and SP2 as these are included with "Acceleration")

My graphics setting are all at very high or even near maximum

Is FSX sensitive to overclocked PC components or very high graphics settings? Do I need to reset my CPU and GPU back to default for this game? Or is there possibly another problem with FSX?

(Everything else is working and running like a charm, such as Crysis and Crysis Warhead, 3DMark 06 and Vantage, Far Cry 2, Fallout 3, etc)

Any help and suggestions with this problem is greatly appreciated

[TheModDoctor]

Try setting your PC back to normal clocks or setting graphics lower and see if that helps? Did your older system also use Vista SP1?

[Synthesis]

lol, excuse the interruption and off topic remark but c'mon, the irony of the thread title. i lol'd

[TheModDoctor]

LOL! I see that now

[GuntherHanne]

Try setting your PC back to normal clocks or setting graphics lower and see if that helps? Did your older system also use Vista SP1?

Yes, Vista SP1 as well, but the 32-bit version

Will try and reset my clocks to normal and see how it goes, thanks

[GuntherHanne]

lol, excuse the interruption and off topic remark but c'mon, the irony of the thread title. i lol'd

OOPs

[maxxis]

Too many jokes... must restrain self...

Anyhoo. Clock back to your stock settings or do some loops of 3DMark Vantage or 3D06 to test for stability. The BSOD is caused by excessive overclocking if you ask me. Most likely something is overheating. I would image that to be GFX cards. With SLI your top card will always run a little hotter than the bottom one due to heat rising up and onto the card.

You can also try opening the case and have a fan blow into the case. If that keeps your system stable then you know the problem is cooling.

Onto your case itself. The P180 is not the best ventilated case. When I went from the Antec PV1000AMG to the P180 my temps actually rose. With the stock cooling its not suprising that you are having problems. I can't imagine the nightmare of 2 280s in SLI in that case.

Wow. I haven't posted this much in a long time.

[GuntherHanne]

Too many jokes... must restrain self...

Anyhoo. Clock back to your stock settings or do some loops of 3DMark Vantage or 3D06 to test for stability. The BSOD is caused by excessive overclocking if you ask me. Most likely something is overheating. I would image that to be GFX cards. With SLI your top card will always run a little hotter than the bottom one due to heat rising up and onto the card.

You can also try opening the case and have a fan blow into the case. If that keeps your system stable then you know the problem is cooling.

Onto your case itself. The P180 is not the best ventilated case. When I went from the Antec PV1000AMG to the P180 my temps actually rose. With the stock cooling its not suprising that you are having problems. I can't imagine the nightmare of 2 280s in SLI in that case.

Thanks maxxis

The temps are actually not that bad, way lower than I had them with my previous two 8800GTX's

Both Vantage and 3D06 are running perfectly even running the benchmark five, six times in a row, no problems

I'll try setting my cards back first and see if that does the trick, and if not, the CPU. Also will take your advise to open the case and blow a fan into it - good idea; that should give me a good idea of what the main culprit may be

One way or another I will hopefully sort this out (as I quite enjoy playing this game as a break from all the FPS's I usually like playing)

[bosaap]

The first time installed my game i had the same problem........
I don't think its the over clocking of the CPU coz mine is also over clocked... Look at the GPU and bring it a tad down..... (don't think that will help) Unless its what is said before over heating. What is strange I had BSOD before (but with GRID) and all i did was updated my drivers for the card and all was fine
WHen you did your install did you installed deluxe then straight after that acceleration?
Try the following uninstall ( i know it takes a while to install again, have done it a few times). Install Deluxe play the game and see what happens. Then if all goes well install acceleration......

DO you fly online ???

[GuntherHanne]

Thanks bosaap, will ceratinly give that a try before I start downclocking my components. Maybe there is a problem with the Acceleration package (somehow I doubt it though) (it would suite me more to hopefully find that the problem lies with the game instead of any overclocking of my PC). So guess what I'll be doing this weekend - unistalling and reinstalling FSX. It seems there are now quite a number of things I can try to hopefully get this problem sorted out. Thanks to everyone that offered some solutions

I have installed the latest drivers for the cards, and generally, I don't fly online. In the past the internet connections here have been to slow to properly play anything online and I therefore never really got into this online playing. How is flying online like?

[GuntherHanne]

Quick update

It seems that by bringing back my graphics cards to stock settings, this game now seems to play fine without these dreaded BSOD crashes. Yipee

Been monitoring the GPU and CPU tems and they're all quite fine as well. GPUs at between 68 and 77/78 degrees and the CPU at between 47 and 49 degrees - so all good

One thing I have notices though is that all the road markings/lines keep flashing terribly, but I guess I'll have to live with that. At least the game plays fine. Been playing now for a few hours this morning. Tried to set back some of the graphics settings in the game, but that doesn't stop the flickering of these lines/road markings. Oh well ...........

[bosaap]

One thing I have notices though is that all the road markings/lines keep flashing terribly, but I guess I'll have to live with that. At least the game plays fine. Been playing now for a few hours this morning. Tried to set back some of the graphics settings in the game, but that doesn't stop the flickering of these lines/road markings. Oh well ...........

Just turn the bloom off ........

Flying online is just like flying offline but there you have real ATC and you talk instead of pushing buttons. ANd we have real pilots aslo that can help you if you need help and copilot flights..

[GuntherHanne]

Thanks, again, bosaap, switching off bloom certainly did the trick regarding the flickering of the road markings, etc. Unfortunately it just BSOD crashed again just now. Maybe just a little glitch somewhere. Will try again later

[GuntherHanne]

Latest update:

Well, FSX now plays fine without crashing when I set my GPU card fans to 100% with my overclock settings in place. Seems thus after all that somehow this game doesn't like warm temperatures at all and the automatic fan control (and that is working fine) just doesn't seem enough. Oh well, if that means I'll have to increase the fan speed manually to permanently be at 100% during this game, well then that's also fine. With EVGA Precision that's easy

All other games work fine with all my overclock settings and the cards at automatic fan control