I have played since Alpha, not a single CTD, ever. Here is the solution!
Clean install of Windows. Not a restore from a manufactures disk or partition. This is very important! The install needs to be clean, from a Microsoft disk or ISO. You cannot have any added software. Once you have a clean install, then install Windows updates, I would skip the optional updates until later. Don’t install any additional software! If Windows update does not have all your hardware drivers go install the latest drivers, nothing else!! Finally you can load MSFS, do not load any add-ons!!
If you do a clean install like I instructed above and still have problems you have a hardware issue.
If you have hardware issue, there is a list of steps to determine what piece is giving you the problem but I won’t go into that now.
I was (retired now) a director of technology for a small school dist. for 20 years. I have built my own computers for 30 years. Owned my on computer repair business.
Explain? In my many years dealing with dozens of different makers and thousands (and I mean 1,000) of computers this is the first step of trouble shooting. If you haven’t done a CLEAN install of windows you won’t know if it’s software or hardware (unless it’s obvious, power supply, video card,etc). Please explain your reasoning’s. It’s either software or hardware
I will add this: After doing a clean install of Windows I would use your computer for a several days with out loading ANY software. It could be MSFS (software) that’s causing the problem.
Your assertion: With a fresh Windows with only MSFS and still CTDs, it must be a hardware problem. This is wrong. Quite simply. Of course this can be the case, but it doesn’t have to be. And most of the time it is not.
Many could help themselves by installing older nvidia drivers, for example.
Generally there are 3 things to ask yourself here as a helper in this forum:
If a certain number of users suddenly experience problems after a specific update, do all users have a hardware problem at the same time?
If the users play other games at the same time and have no problems there, is it a hardware problem?
Should I open a thread in which I suggest that I have the solution, even though I am not affected by the problem myself? With the risk that people read it, invest time etc. because they commit to a factual claim that may not be true?
I am happy about every user who helps with tips. Like for example: Hey, try this or that. But your approach and the way you write it just costs most people time. Nothing more.
#1: If a certain number of users suddenly experience problems after a specific update, do all users have a hardware problem at the same time?
Reply: I would call this a software issue.
#2: If the users play other games at the same time and have no problems there, is it a hardware problem?
Reply: Not a given. But like I said, do a clean install, don’t load any other software (not even MSFS) run for a few days. If no issues probably software you had loaded was your problem.
#3: Should I open a thread in which I suggest that I have the solution, even though I am not affected by the problem myself? With the risk that people read it, invest time etc. because they commit to a factual claim that may not be true?
Reply: This is the first step to trouble shooting PC’s. Is it software or hardware. I have given a way to determine that.
How would you trouble shoot a CTD issue?
P.S. There are always exceptions, but you need to start somewhere.
This seems like a good place to start troubleshooting, compared to the typical “stupid game keeps crashing and Asobo needs to fix it!” comments I see here.
if you buy the MSFS and everyone agrees how great it runs, but you have CTDs all the time, then yes. Then you can use it to gradually eliminate things. At least in theory.
But that’s not what most people on the forum are talking about. Most people with CTDs have this problem after certain updates.
What this forum is supposed to be good for is an exchange of experiences with people who have this problem and how they solved it.
So I ask you:
If I suddenly have spikes all over the world after a specific update, or if I have CTDs all the time from then on (in my case during descents), should I start checking my virus scanner or see if my thermal paste is still OK? (no joke, I’ve already read that here)
Oooor do I rather write: “Hey Asobo. Please fix”?
Your “good place to start” costs you at least around a day of downloading, reconfiguring and testing your complete system. But this does not help you if the software causes CTDs after a certain update. This is what it will do again afterwards.
I love it when Paying Customers blame everything except the development company…
Try this. You’ll have to search for the link on the forum. I’m currently testing after following Asobos suggestions. I’ll give it time before doing a Clear All though…
12-31-2020 Edit: Note, there is zero in the Community folder, I do not OC anything. I8700, 16gig, 6gig 2060. Been flying all over the world in various aircraft including LA and NYC. Done VFR and IFR. System has not CTD since following the CTD suggestions from above. However, I’ve noticed over time, like 4hrs of flying from one airport to another and using simrate increase, the program just significantly slows down. Here’s a picture. I was cruising along at 30fps when out of the blue it began to stutter. After 10min of this I reset the computer and restarted another flight. I was 10000ft going from KJFK to KMIA at the time and max simrate.
There are certainly people experiencing problems. I don’t have anyone to blame because I’m not having these problems.
Anyway, I see one reasonable suggestion in this thread from someone who seems interested in helping solve user issues. It has worked for me to solve other issues in the past. Perhaps it is not literally the best place “start.” On the other hand, if you’ve been pulling your hair out trying to solve CTD’s it could be helpful.
One issue that has been causing me no end of CTD’s is addons… ie liveries. everytime i start using liveries the ctd’s start to return, remove them and wow, the game works as it should.
I am not saying all liveries or addons are responsible, but be aware some are.
I am assuming you know about DISM commands and SFC commands which should fix 90% of the problems a clean install will fix. For the other 10% they cant fix you can always download the windows 10 ISO and do a repair install. Using a clean installation is always a good idea, but you don’t need to start fresh in order to achieve this. Just remove any manufacturer software like HP or Dell utilities, remove any garbage or third party apps and antivirus, windows 10 defender is good enough for most people. Good examples of garbage are CCleaner, IOBit anything, diskdefrag utilites, programs that claim to speed up your PC basically anything your buddy that “knows computers” told you would help probably doesn’t. Finally use startup in task manger to disable anything that isn’t required by the system. You don’t need skype on startup, you don’t need discord, you don’t need itunes anything, steam doesn’t need to start with the computer, a good rule of thumb with this is if it doesn’t say intel, Realtek, AMD or Microsoft corporation under the publisher list, you probably don’t need it on startup, just disable that stuff and it will help.
But to be clear, the CTD’s appear to be related to something else, I believe the culprit is live traffic and the way it is cached in the memory creating an overrun. So a problem with the software is most likely.
