I’ve had this happen numerous times. It’s frustrating but there is a solution. Here’s what I have done:
If you can remember to temporarily move your Community folder somewhere else before the update, you’ll likely save some grief. If you forget and are stuck at Checking for Updates, move the community folder. Cut and paste it somewhere. The update will re-create the folder and you can restore the contents after updates are complete.
Go to your Apps, and download Updates. Often there is a required Flight Simulator update and if you don’t do this, the game will tell you that you need to go do it first.
In the Apps & Features, find Microsoft Flight Simulator. Choose Advanced Options, and then click the Repair button.
In Windows Update, check for updates, and install any pending updates.
This should allow the game to startup past the Checking for Updates. It has been reported that sometimes a stuck screen can be bypassed by pressing the ESC key, so that’s an easy thing to try.
Hola, ofrezco una disculpa de antemano por escribir en español. Utilizaré el traductor automático para postear en inglés también.
ANTECEDENTES: Probablemente éste solo sea mi caso, pero lo comento por si a alguien más le puede ayudar. Mi instalación funcionaba correctamente hace dos días. Ayer, al iniciar el simulador, solicitó actualizaciones e inicié la instalación correspondiente. Cuando terminó de descargar e instalar las actualizaciones no presioné el botón “continuar” porque estaba distraído en otras acciones. Desafortunadamente hubo un corte de energía y cuando pude volver a encender el equipo e iniciar el simulador, éste se quedo atascado en la pantalla de “Checking for updates”. Intenté varias soluciones que encontré en internet, pero ninguna funcionó.
Antes de restablecer la aplicación o volver a instalar, decidí hacer una copia en otra unidad, de las carpetas “Community” y “Official”, pero sin borrar las ya existentes.
SOLUCIÓN: Restablecí la aplicación desde el menú avanzado de aplicaciones. CONFIGURACIÓN > APLICACIONES Y CARACTERISTICAS > MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR > OPCIONES AVANZADAS > RESTABLECER.
Después de restablecer e iniciar nuevamente, la aplicación solicitó descargar actualizaciones de 122GB aproximadamente, para instalarlas en la ruta por defecto. Cambié la ruta por defecto hacia aquella carpeta personalizada dónde tenía la instalación previa y la aplicación quedó atascada por varios minutos en la pantalla “Checking for updates”. Cerré la aplicación. Ordené las carpetas por fecha de modificación más reciente dentro de Official > OneStore y borré las cinco carpetas mas recientes.
Inicié la aplicación nuevamente y al pasar a la pantalla de “Checking for updates”, solo tardó un instante en pedirme descargar 132mb aproximadamente (los que había borrado, supongo), después el botón continuar y listo! Nuevamente está funcionando.
Por cierto, no fue necesario eliminar el contenido de la carpeta “Community”.
Hello, I offer an apology in advance for writing in Spanish. I will use the automatic translator to post in English as well.
BACKGROUND: This is probably just my case, but I comment on it in case someone else can help. My installation was working correctly two days ago. Yesterday, when starting the simulator, it requested updates and I started the corresponding installation. When it finished downloading and installing the updates I didn’t press the “continue” button because I was distracted in other actions. Unfortunately there was a power outage and when I was able to turn the computer back on and start the simulator, it got stuck at the “Checking for updates” screen. I tried various solutions that I found on the internet, but none of them worked.
Before restoring the application or reinstalling, I decided to make a copy of the “Community” and “Official” folders on another drive, but without deleting the existing ones.
SOLUTION: I reset the application from the advanced applications menu. CONFIGURATION> APPLICATIONS AND FEATURES> MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR> ADVANCED OPTIONS> RESET.
After resetting and starting again, the application asked to download updates of approximately 122GB, to install them in the default path. I changed the default path to that custom folder where I had the previous installation and the application was stuck for several minutes at the “Checking for updates” screen. I closed the application. I sorted the folders by most recent modification date within Official> OneStore and deleted the five most recent folders.
I started the application again and when I went to the “Checking for updates” screen, it only took a moment to ask me to download approximately 132mb (the ones I had deleted, I suppose), then the button continue and that’s it! It is working again.
By the way, it was not necessary to delete the contents of the “Community” folder.
I’m now having this issue sometimes too. Very frustrating. give up after 5-10 mins of waiting.
Nothing to do with a sim update, or community folder stuff as nothing there has changed. There was a windows update that came through last night, I really hope it’s not that, as then it’s out of our control. It could be a server issue, other connected services work fine so it’s not the connection…
I’ll try the steps above and see if I get any results.
It’s not the community folder
Deleted the content.xml
Removed Malwarebytes (just in case)
Restarted computer
Finally got through. Took over 10 minutes (on a fast SSD) to get past the update screen. 20 minutes to get into the game in total, on an empty community folder. No downloads.
Just what is going on???
Final edit:
After getting in that ‘first’ time, I shut down the sim, replaced my Community folder with all my stuff in it and it reloaded fine again.
Mine was working earlier today but during a flight in Turkey I had the game crash and it was one of those exception breakpoint errors and I’ve never had one of those before but now the game is continuously stuck on ‘checking for updates’ and I can’t get past it and I can’t figure out what even happened and it’s very frustrating
Try moving or deleting your community folder. That is what worked for me. If you read this thread carefully there is another method involved with deleting certain other files, but since the community one worked for me I stopped there.
This evening I’ve been trying for two hours to get in to no avail. I’ve missed my weekly community event now because of this…
Emptied the community folder, deleted content.xml, updated the nvidia drivers (just in case, but worked flawlessly this morning), speedof.me reports 40mbps/100mbps.
I’m out of ideas. No response from ZenDesk, yet…
I guess I’ll try the reset above next. Otherwise it’s a full reinstall…
Wow finally got past it. 20 minutes. Now another 20 mins to load to the main menu. Didn’t happen. ALT F4 again…
Software these days! ARGGH!
3hrs later
Uninstalled. Trying to reinstall from the store it will not download anything
Finally found for stuck at install:
Download MSFS and wait for it to error
REPLACE USER_NAME WITH YOUR LOCAL PC USERNAME
Go to C:\Users\User_name\AppData\Local\Packages \Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache
and delete all the files in there
Reboot your PC.
Attempt the download once more.
And it has started installing immediately, no reboot required.
Aaaaand after reinstalling, back to ‘checking for updates’
However, it then prompted to install the data (which I’d kept) and then loaded, although slowly.
Finger’s crossed.
It works again! Community folder loaded again.
7 hours it took… Let’s see if it holds for tomorrow.
What a journey!
Well it seems to have fixed it. Got in no worries this morning and about to enjoy a flight across Vic Australia. And although it reset my display settings, after setting them again I’m getting a few more frames than before.
I’m having this problem for the second time already, it’s too annoying. It happens out of the blue, I was playing, left for lunch and then opened the game and booom…the bug comes up. The first time I reinstalled the game and it worked again…but well, I can’t download it every single time I have a bug.
Now I tried everything, I deleted all the folders people said to delete inside %appData.
I don’t know what to do anymore to just play this game.
I’m playing the gamepass version (PC). I don’t know if it’s related to the Xbox Launcher on PC that’s awful. I’m wondering if people have this issue using Steam version.
I am running xplane 11 also and it has non of these issues. The one annoying thing is ATC in xplane only talks to your plane, there is no simulated discussion with AI aircraft.
Oh and I have the same issue with FS2020 after the big update to fix performance, now I have no performance at all. I am glad I only bought the cheapest version of FS2020. This will be the 2nd time I will have to remove and reinstall from scratch.
Same issue. It forced me to install the whole 129 GB. It ran fine for few hours but now all the sudden stuck and checking for update screen.
Community folder is empty.
same here. Had a loadingscreen for about 15 Minutes into the game, 10 Minutes at the checking for updates page and five minutes into the following loadingscreen. Really fun at the moment!
