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Lost TOOLS Menu

Never mind...

The SP1a update installs itself automatically in Program Files\Microsoft Games, so if you have the SDK somewhere else it won't update the real SDK, and you'll have the old dll versions that won't load.

Thanks for the help!
 
Thanks for posting José.

I followed all your instructions but with no sucsess :( . I had the Object Placement Tool installed like everyone else and after installing FSX SP1, it messed it all up. Does anyone have a way of getting it to work?

Steve - www.ukpilots.co.nr
 
Hi Steve,

Like posted earlier in this thread, following these steps should work:

  1. Install the SP1 for FsX
  2. Install the SP1A for the FsX SDKs
  3. Edit the dll.xml file to enable the plugins/DLL files again
 
Golf-HotelDelta said:
No it doesn't, it uses the registry entry to find the path to the SDK installation.

George
Click to expand...

Well, apparently it's either using the wrong entry then, or the wrong entry was written by FSX when the SDK was installed. I never installed the FSX SDK to where SP1a installed itself.

I ultimately just copied over the updated SP1a files from Program Files\Microsoft Games to my actual SDK directory to get my menu to show up again.
 
I have a variant of this problem.
Having installed FSX SDK SP1A before FSX SP1 (oops!), I still get the tools menu with "Object Placement", but I can't remove it or add anything else! :confused:
It doesn't matter if I change dll.xml to have an invalid path for object placement, remove the file from dll.xml, add more entries (like traffic toolbox), it always loads only object_placement.dll (from the correct, default location in the updated SDK).
I've searched the disc for any other references to object_placement, and only found the template in the SDK, so I modified that as well (and tried removing it) but with no luck.

Is there anywhere else that FSX can look to find out what DLLs should load? (and could that explain the opposite problem reported?)

Hopefully someone will point out the obvious that is escaping me....

Thanks,
Ken
 
Solved

well, after a week of wrestling it was Jose's post that cued me to the solution. I checked my Object_Placement.dll and the version was different than original SDK, but also different than my FS X SP1. My OP was 10.0.61238.0.

I had downloaded the SP1A for SDK from a friends FTP. He must have had an earlier release of the SDK... a beta release I guess. When I DL and install the SDK from Microsoft I now have correct version and the TOOLS are back. Thanks all for your time!
 
Actually, there is a mistake in your XML file. Just before you get to the path to the effects tool there is a statement like this:

Code: 
<Name>Visual Effects Tool</Name>
<Disabled>True</Disabled>
<ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>
<Path>H:\FSX\SDK\Environment Kit\Special Effects SDK\visualfxtool.dll</Path>
</Launch.Addon>
</SimBase.Document>

It should say <Disabled>False<Disabled>

I made this change (per the SDK) and my tools menu came back.

Cheers, Paul
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That's interesting Paul. I did not think it was required to have all plugins active, but it seems to be the case. That is one we need to remember :).
 
Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but this seems to be the place to post this.
So far I have tried everything in this thread to no avail.
I still can't get Tools to show up, just to make sure, am I right that "TOOLS" should show up when you start FsX on the first screen where "HOME" "FREE FLIGHT" "MISSIONS" etc. is located?
I have Vista installed, I have the FSX Deluxe with Acceleration installed and I installed the SDK from the Acceleration disc. Everything is installed in its respective default directory.
My FS.exe and the XXX.DLL files have the same version number
10.0.61637.0, I did run the ConfigSDK.exe and my dll.xml file looks like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="Windows-1252"?>

<SimBase.Document Type="Launch" version="1,0">
<Descr>Launch</Descr>
<Filename>dll.xml</Filename>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<Launch.ManualLoad>False</Launch.ManualLoad>
<Launch.Addon>
<Name>Object Placement Tool</Name>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>
<Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Mission Creation Kit\object_placement.dll</Path>
</Launch.Addon>
<Launch.Addon>
<Name>Traffic Toolbox</Name>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>
<Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Traffic Toolbox SDK\traffictoolbox.dll</Path>
</Launch.Addon>
<Launch.Addon>
<Name>Visual Effects Tool</Name>
<Disabled>False</Disabled>
<ManualLoad>False</ManualLoad>
<Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Environment Kit\Special Effects SDK\visualfxtool.dll</Path>
</Launch.Addon>
</SimBase.Document>ohh and under these path like <Path>..\Microsoft Flight Simulator X SDK\SDK\Mission Creation Kit\object_placement.dll</Path> I did replace the two dots (..) for all of them with the full link e.g. c:\Program Files\Microsoft Games but it didn't make a difference.
I have uninstalled and reinstalled the SDK and still no difference.
I'm lost, has anyone any other idea what to look for?

Thank you
 
HeliCyborg said:
I still can't get Tools to show up, just to make sure, am I right that "TOOLS" should show up when you start FsX on the first screen where "HOME" "FREE FLIGHT" "MISSIONS" etc. is located?
Click to expand...

No. The menu entry for TOOLS will appear on the top menu bar in FSX when when called up by the ALT key. It should be the last entry on right end.
 
n4gix said:
No. The menu entry for TOOLS will appear on the top menu bar in FSX when when called up by the ALT key. It should be the last entry on right end.
Click to expand...

Now, you really made me feel stupid (which I deserved), guess what, it never occurred to me to look there and it sure must have been there all this time.
Thanx
 
How about a new variant to the problem. Installed Acceleration. That changed the flightsim executable version. And, of course, it is different from the SP1a dll version.

Anyways. Tools lost...again!

Before, when I installed AFX and Instant Scenery I lost the tools. I reinstalled the SP1a and they reappeared.

I didn't investigate further but this time around I had to uninstall the Flight 1 tools until I could update them. When I did, the tools dissappeared.

Does the installation of Acceleration cause them to not work or is it the Flight 1 install?

Anyone experience this particular episode?

Thank you,

Derrick
 
Look on your Acceleration disk. You will find the updated SDK SP2 in a subfolder.

Install it.

Done.

Every time the executable is updated, a new revision to the SDK will be issued.
 
I tried it both ways, meshman.

On round two I restored the system to a point I created before Acceleration install.

Then, I updated both Flight 1 programs. Everything was as it should be. Tools menu was right in place with all the tools enabled.

Only after the Acceleration install did I loose the tools menu.

I then, downloaded the SP1a from the website for a fresh install on the outside chance that it had changed. But it won't install over the previous installation. I believe it checks and see the update already in place. This file version is the same number as the previous copy I used so there has been no change.

But, the FS exe is now, a different version number and if what Jose said is correct that would be the reason it is not loading.

That is why I am wondering if anyone with Acceleration has this functioning properly. If so, then I can rule that theory out.

Derrick
 
Hi Folks

Derrick -
If you have installed Acceleration,
you are now running SP2 as well.

SDK SP1 or SP1a will not run with Acceleration/SP2.

Installing FSX Acceleration
does not automatically install the Acceleration SDK.
You must perform the Acceleration SDK install as a seperate task

For instructions on installing the SDK,
see - FS Developer Wiki - Object Placement Tool

HTH
ATB
Paul
 
dcmiller58 said:
That is why I am wondering if anyone with Acceleration has this functioning properly. If so, then I can rule that theory out.

Derrick
Click to expand...

I have Acceleration, Flight 1 AFX, Instant Scenery, UTX, MytrafficX and have the tools menu. Do not understand why some people have trouble and others do not.
 
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