I bought a new PC and wanted to use my old for music and the new one for MSFS, so I bought a mechanical switch box so I could switch the keyboard and mouse between them. I noticed that when I switched away from MSFS while I was on any of the menus and switched back, I would lose mouse and kb control for about 30 seconds to a minute. Not ideal, but first world problems, I thought.
The real problem came when I left the kb and mouse switched to the other PC for more than a minute or so during flight. I’ve tested this several times, and every time, it caused a CTD.
In fairness, I don’t know if the problem is that the box is not powered (it has an optional power cord, but I haven’t tried that). This falls into the category of “just so you know” in case you were thinking about getting a box to switch between PCs.
Does exactly the same with a proper powered KVM system.
I think the issue is that the display “disappears” when you switch as does the USB connected peripherals and the sim doesn’t know what to do with that when you come back.
Coming back my sim is frozen for a good 30 seconds but rest of Windows is totally fine immediately. I’m lucky that I don’t get CTDs though.
The sim is very sensitive to ANY USB device being connected or disconnected to your PC while it’s running, even if the sim isn’t actually using that device (like a USB drive for example). The second it detects any change in your USB buses, it will freeze. ​If you’re lucky, it will only freeze for 30-60 seconds then resume. Or it could freeze permanently. Or CTD. It’s a roll of the dice.
A KVM or KM switch is not a viable solution for MSFS if you plan on switching while the sim is running.
Regarding this issue, there is a bug report in Archives that talks about this. If you’d like, I can pull it out of Archives and back to active and you can add your vote/comment to it.
Regarding the other issue, do you get the CTD when you switch back? Or does it just happen in a few minutes without intervention? I ask because I’ve noticed that if I unplug and re-plug in a bunch of USB peripherals at once, I can get a CTD. I’m wondering if the issue is related.
It happens when I’m actively flying, switch away from FS, and don’t return for more than about a minute. As long as I switch back relatively quickly, it works.