OnCourse Software

Please allow me to apologize for being the typical clueless newbie. Just like pulling over to ask for directions in my car, seeking help on the forums is very much a last resort for me. I have carefully read the install instructions and tried searching the web with no success. Allow me describe the issue:

I am running the latest version of MSFS 2020. I have downloaded PF3 and the other necessary programs, namely FSUIPC7 and makeRWYS 5.127. I have placed the makeRWYS executable file in its own directory and run the program. It has accumulated the necessary files and they are present in said directory. When I attempt to run PF3, the program starts and I use the rebuild database button in the settings. It asks if I would like to save any personal settings, since I have never used the program I have nothing to save, I choose no. Then it asks again if I am certain I wish to rebuild and I confirm. PF3 immediately crashes and the window immediately closes. I've repeated the process many times with the same result. I have also deleted and reinstalled all of the programs mentioned above with the same results.

Any suggestions? If this is a common problem and I have missed the solution, please point me in the right direction. Would this problem be included in the Debug_Monitor log file? I did not try to retrieve the file because PF3 never got far enough to actually connect to MSFS. Thanks in advance for your help!

C0SM0S

I'm assuming you have updated the base installation to the latest version (3.10.50)?

If so, the first thing I would suggest is to turn off the PF3 skins, as some systems appear to have issues with 'some' skins (not all). But rather than go through them one at a time (which you can do of course should you wish) the best way is to turn them off completely to see if that is indeed causing the problem.

To turn them off select Options #2 from the main screen then select 'Advanced Options and INI File Tweaks'. From the next display go to the 'Misc' section and the 3rd option down is 'Don't use skins'. Select that option then click on 'Save Changes' to return to the main display.

Now try rebuilding the database

I tried the suggested fix without success, but I am not updating.


I probably left out some important information:

I am attempting to install the trial version. This also means I am using a free version of FSUIPC7 as well. I'm not certain if this makes a difference, but when FSUIPC asked for a registration code, I chose to skip that step.

I have never installed a 3rd party ATC client before. My goal was to use the PF3 and Pilot2ATC trials to determine which program was best suited to my needs. From my research, I currently believe PF3 fits the bill so that is why I was trying it first. I figure this might be important because it can rule out any kind of conflict or change in settings from another program.

Hope this additional info may help narrow down problem.

C0SM0S

Do you get any error messages at all when PF3 closes?

No, it would just close. However, I had more progress but things seem to be very temperamental. It seems like I have problems at every step. Finally, on the database issue, I have no idea what I did differently, but on shear volume of trying, instead of PF3 closing, it opened the window and allowed me to choose the MakeRWYS file and the database updated.

Now when I tried to connect, I got the message where the window was closing but I should right click on the PF3-reg file to run as an administrator, wait 10 seconds, then retry the program. I followed the instructions, but it did not work the first time. I repeated the process several times and finally it worked. At this point when I attempted to connect, I got a message along the lines of "lack of hotkey space" and to please restart MSFS. I figured perhaps there was a conflict with a hot key and one I had programmed in MSFS for something else, so I reduced the number of active hot keys in PF3 to the bare minimum. I only had 3 and I made certain they were not assigned to anything else in MSFS.

I felt like I was so close I was beginning to taste it, but after restarting MSFS and PF3 with the hotkey update, I got sent back to the previous error message. The one asking to run PF3-reg as an admin wait 10 seconds and restart. This time, multiple attempts have done nothing and I can't get beyond that message. Its frustrating because this really seems like a superior program compared to Pilot2ATC. It has better voices, a better price, and a more user friendly interface. Of course, I am relying upon other reviews and videos online for this information. I have not experienced any of this first hand yet because I cant get this to work.

So any suggestions at this point? Is the initial setup usually problematic or am I just the lucky one? Also, I really appreciate your fast and helpful replies. I know you take pride in this program. It seems like you really created something wonderful and I hope I can try it for myself soon.

COSMOS

No, it's not usually this problematic

It appears you have some system DirectX files missing so would suggest the following:

Download the Microsoft DirectX for Managed Code Runtimes, using the following link:-

http://www.ocs-support.co.uk/downloads/ ... ntimes.zip

Once downloaded you need to unzip the content into a temporary folder anywhere on your system, then run the downloaded EXE. You will be prompted for a location to copy the extracted files into, so just choose the same temp folder.

Once that's done go into the temp folder and right-click the 'DXSetup.exe' program and then select 'Run as Administrator'

This will NOT alter any of your currently installed DirectX files but merely installs any missing runtimes in parallel
Once the DirectX Runtimes are installed please try running PF3 again and connecting to FS and let me know what happens. You can also delete the downloaded runtimes and temp folder if you wish