FSX crash, no hope

[Speed of flight]

Just formatted and reinstalled again over this one.
Found that after a plain install of win 7 64 bit, that now FSX won't work anymore.
Error log "event viewer" has this to say about it:
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
- <System>
<Provider Name="ACEEventLogSource" />
<EventID Qualifiers="0">0</EventID>
<Level>4</Level>
<Task>0</Task>
<Keywords>0x80000000000000</Keywords>
<TimeCreated SystemTime="2014-10-07T20:08:35.000000000Z" />
<EventRecordID>1482</EventRecordID>
<Channel>ACEEventLog</Channel>
<Computer>Mike-PC</Computer>
<Security />
</System>
- <EventData>
<Data>0000000088: 2014-10-07 13:08:35:789 Unable to obtain Color Correction information, dem status: -2 Error Called by: ATI.ACE.CLI.Aspect.DeviceDFP.Graphics.Runtime.RT_DeviceDFP::PrivateRefresh processID:02496 threadID:( ) domainName:(CCC.exe ) assemblyName:(CLI.Aspect.DeviceDFP.Graphics.Runtime, Version=4.0.4736.27505, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=90ba9c70f846762e)

I have no idea what this means. I don't speak error log, I guess. So, I've tried all sorts of tricks, and after installing Acceleration, (where FSX works fine, really) I can't make the whole program work anymore.
I've rolled back to several different drivers, CCC13.2, 13.4, and 13.1, of course after uninstalling each, deleting their folders and restarting.
After selecting "DX10 preview" once, I can not make it work with DX10 or DX9. DX 10 will load, and crash after a few mouse clicks. DX9 will crash immediately after loading.
I've tried the UIAutomationcore.dll in the root folder trick, and nothing.
It seems to be a graphics driver issue, but none of the earliest drivers for this model GPU seem to fix it, either. Weird, because it used to work fine. I haven't a clue where to go with this, other than AMD support. I have an open ticket with support. Anybody know or have a clue why this may happen?
I'd rather be doing this
than this:

[Fozzer]

So...

You have formatted your one and only; "C" HDD....

...and you are starting all over again on a "new" hard drive!

...and reinstalled a genuine copy of the Windows Operating system....together with any other hardware drivers as necessary...

...and then installed a genuine copy of FSX in its own Folder, once again, on the "C" drive, ready for testing?

Paul..... ....!

[pegger]

Where is fsx getting installed?
Program Files, Program Files x86, or a custom location?

[Speed of flight]

Yes, Paul. Exactly as you say. I'm all done with the strictly necessary installs, as in Win 7, display driver, joystick driver, and FSX. All from CD/DVD, because that's how they come off the shelf...
Into C:programs(x86) default location, and that's pretty much it. I'm trying out all the graphics drivers of old, just to see which one may be causing an issue.
Interesting to note: I keep AMD CCC 13.2 handy, since it's the only one that doesn't produce graphical anomalies.
Alas, nothing is working the way it used to. I wonder if FSX can run on this new SSD I got...

[Fozzer]

When it comes to graphics cards, I tend to find the drivers that came on the original CD with the card to be the most reliable...at least to start off with... ...!

Forgetting about FSX for the moment, did everything else work on the computer immediately after installing the Win 7 Operating System, and any necessary Windows upgrades....

Screen display, files and folders, sound, etc...etc...all OK?

This will eliminate any possible FSX problems...

Paul... ....!

[Speed of flight]

When it comes to graphics cards, I tend to find the drivers that came on the original CD with the card to be the most reliable...at least to start off with... ...!

Forgetting about FSX for the moment, did everything else work on the computer immediately after installing the Win 7 Operating System, and any necessary Windows upgrades....

Screen display, files and folders, sound, etc...etc...all OK?

This will eliminate any possible FSX problems...

Paul... ....!

Indeedly! I have done this whole reinstall thing so many times now, I could do it with both eyes tied behind my back. It even will run benchmark programs OK, and whatever else I can throw at it. I even have just the stock clocks set right now, and haven't even attempted my typical overclock settings yet. I don't get it!
Additionally, I chose the "additional options" tab on the FSX install process, to put it on my older HDD (D:), just to eliminate the "bad SSD" possibility, but alas it still installed into C:, the SSD. On top of that, after the 3rd attempt today to uninstall, delete, and reinstall, I ran it in DX9 mode, and it blue screened! I keep checking the error log to see what happened, but again, it's written in a language that we may have to pay someone to understand.
I have quite a machine, and honestly, I don't understand what's going on. It's like something is starting to go bad, or something. I don't know how to tell if maybe a stick of RAM is bad, other than the ol memtest windows program. Even after doing that, I can't put my finger on what's going on.
Thank you for all your replies, and I lok forward to everyone's suggestions. I miss flying the PMDG 777. It's been a couple of weeks, now, and I'm almost out of ideas.

[Speed of flight]

Also, the CD that came with my AMD 7870 had a problem that caused weird artifacting and other odd polygon some weird thing, so I found that AMDs CCC13.2 to be the only one that didn't cause this problem. Even with that installed, a blue screen? What the...

[Fozzer]

Speed.... ....

....more suggestions...

Do you have any other very demanding computer games in your collection, including perhaps a copy of FS 2004, that you can install, to detect whether or not the problem is due to your computer hardware bits and bobs, or just a particular problem with your copy of FSX?

Paul... ...!

[garymbuska]

What i am about to suggest is going to sound strange but it just might work.
First thing I would do is If your mother board has a VGA input than plug your monitor into that for the time being.
If not than you are going to have to do this the hard way.
We will assume you have a VGA input
Shut down your system than remove the video card form your system and plug your monitor into the VGA input.
After windows starts up Make sure you uninstall the video card from your system if FSX is still installed than open up your FSX CFG file and save it as FSX.BAK By doing this you will make fsx recreate the FSX cfg file and see if it will start up. Do Not expect it to run but it should at least open.
If that works you now know beyond the shadow of any doubt that your problem is the graphic card.
Shut down FSX than go back and delete the newly created FSX.CFG file but leave the other one you renamed alone for now
Than shut your system down again and reinstall your video card make sure it is in the slot all the way plug your monitor into the video card and turn your system back on. Let it find the driver for the card or install it manually and than try FSx Again this will again recreate a new FSX.CFG FILE if you still get the same problem than the odds are that your video card has kicked the bucket.
The hard way of doing the same thing is you have to first uninstall the video card than you have to open up the control panel and open up the device manager and remove the video card under display devices. Than reboot this should force your system to refined the video card.
If FSX is not installed I recommend that you DO NOT instal to the DEFAULT LOCATION. Make a new folder anywhere except in the PROGRAM FILES(86) FOLDER
In your case the default location is not what is causing your issue. But this will help out in the long run.

[Speed of flight]

It would have been rather sudden if a component had gone bad, but that's how they do go, I suspect.

It may help to also mention that along with graphics driver issues being reported in the error log, there were many others. So many, in fact, that I wasn't sure what I was seeing. This bout of problems listed 10+ errors and conflicts for every CTD, and the one that ended at the top of the list was the fan speed utility part of the driver, but under the same time stamp was BEX, and many other resulting faults, I can only attribute that to having FSX and windows 7 installed on the same SSD.

So, as I type this, I'm installing win 7 on a HDD, and plan to install FSX on the SSD. If this causes a conflict, surely we can accuse the SSD as the problem.

I tried not installing the graphics driver, and running the GPU with no software, as it is the only video output I have, but it didn't act any different.

If this works, I can say that having the OS and FSX on the same SSD is a no-no. I've heard that, but I've always installed them both on the same HDD, I figured, "what's the difference?"

Hoping to pioneer some results over this, so others may learn from my plight.

[Speed of flight]

After much testing, I think I have my problem cornered. It's one I haven't seen before.
I flew from SFO>SEA with FSX deluxe. No problems. DX9, no tweaks, spare the sliders adjustments.
After installing acceleration, not 5 minutes on the active, CTD. It seems like installing acceleration from the DVD is causing my issue. Doing so causes a problem somewhere. The readme says to have FSX SP1 installed, and if it's not, then the installer does it for you. Looking at the files on the disc, sure enough, SP1 is there. It's a CAB file, and I'm sure it works fine.
I went to Microsoft.com and got DX9.0c runtime components, but nothing.
What am I missing? Why does installing Acceleration make the sim into a brick?

[Speed of flight]

Anybody ever take a good look at your dxdiag file in where the cfg goes? I would never have thought to, until now.
I saw a section in there that says:
D3D9 Overlay: Not Supported
DXVA-HD: Not Supported
DDraw Status: Enabled
D3D Status: Enabled
AGP Status: Enabled
What does any of that mean? It would be helpful to know what it said before the Acceleration install. I bet, though, I'm just grabbing at straws, now.
Where is the dang problem? I may add that I flew a mission with the Air Creation trike at KEDW, the first listed mission, but no others will work. I wonder if the "saved default flight" has anything to do with this?
Is it completely apparent that I haven't been getting much sleep by the way I'm typing?

[Speed of flight]

I wonder if maybe a windows update causes a conflict. Example: any AMD catalyst drivers after 13.2 cause graphics issues. Any thoughts on "planed obsolescence"? Or am I being suspicious?

[garymbuska]

About now you are ready to jump through a burning hoop if you thought that would help.
The best thing to do is take a step back grab a drink and chill for a while. The way you are jumping around one would think you jump crazy.
Installing FSX on a SSD should not cause any issues. But I would not install FSX on the same drive as your operating system. I have Three hard drives two internal and one external plugged into a USB3.0 port. My System drive or C drive is only 80 gigs. Both of my other drives have 1TB on them.
The best approach here is to result to the keep it simple stupid rule
Take it one step at a time
First install Windows and make sure every thing is in working order before doing anything else.
Run DXDIAG and see what it comes up with.
Once satisfied than install FSX followed by Acceleration and go from there.

[Speed of flight]

About now you are ready to jump through a burning hoop if you thought that would help.
The best thing to do is take a step back grab a drink and chill for a while. The way you are jumping around one would think you jump crazy.
Installing FSX on a SSD should not cause any issues. But I would not install FSX on the same drive as your operating system. I have Three hard drives two internal and one external plugged into a USB3.0 port. My System drive or C drive is only 80 gigs. Both of my other drives have 1TB on them.
The best approach here is to result to the keep it simple stupid rule
Take it one step at a time
First install Windows and make sure every thing is in working order before doing anything else.
Run DXDIAG and see what it comes up with.
Once satisfied than install FSX followed by Acceleration and go from there.

It would be that Microsoft would provide the fuel and the burning hoop, just to watch someone try to make their program work.
But who can blame them? They do make cool enough stuff to make someone consider it, if that's what it would take. If I had the money, well, anybody see "Rat Race"?...

So I've uninstalled Acceleration, and FSX works fine. Problem found. Now what? Should I try to install SP1, and then Acceleration? It's supposed to do that on its own.
What kinds of things does Acceleration install? Just for GPs, after installing it, neither DX9 or DX10 mode seem to run longer than a few minutes, ending in either an app crash, or even a blue screen.
I don't get blue screens ever, and this is appalling. Just for Ss & Gs, running HardwareMonitor shows clearly the CPU not going over 41*. So, alas it's a conflict between something and Acceleration. A new problem, because I've owned these two since release day, with all the typical problems, but nothing like this.