To my surprise, running as an administrator solved 3 of my problems!

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21

So… actually, running in administrator mode is different because it has different system access parameters. In the past this meant, sometimes files would have “wrong” permissions during install, and a few other situations, so running in admin mode got around permissions access issues because it had access to everything and to do anything.

Now that’s no longer the case. Microsoft has been locking down the operating system in a variety of ways, and admin mode is not as powerful as it used to be. For instance, the WindowsApps directory, where apps like MSFS and others are installed, is different. One of the vectors viruses use to get around permissions is to get access to “admin” mode, which then allows them to do even more damage. So Microsoft closed this vector off with the WindowsApps directory concept (sandboxing) which doesn’t even allow admin access to files (I don’t know the details of this), and, if you install the software using admin mode, it’s possible you can lock out access to the software from your normal user. I don’t know if this is still the case.

You can also somewhat circumvent this issue by not installing MSFS to its default install location (i.e. I install to D:\MSFS2020). Now, if you do this, there are still files that are stored in WindowsApps, that you don’t have direct access to (which is why I didn’t want to install the whole shebang there, when I installed at initial release, I couldn’t access any of the files in the install, and I really did want to do some modification and understand the general file structure and other aspects of the software). But the majority of the files that you might want to modify or access are in the OneStore directory, so, by installing outside of WindowsApps, you get access to these files.

So, anyway, back in the beginning days, it was a bad idea to run MSFS in admin mode. Maybe that has changed.

Now, all this is related the Store version. Steam version is a different beast and depends on Steam permissions rules, as well as WindowsApps I think. I only have the Store version, so I don’t have any experience with managing a Steam install, and I haven’t paid much attention to the issues there.

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22

So this morning, I didn’t need to start the sim in Admin mode. And none of my problems I describe in my original post are currently occuring. This is the first time in two weeks.

I have not changed anything on my computer (I was at a Jubillee street party most of yesterday), and no recent Windows update etc. Yesterday morning I got an error if I started without being in Admin mode, but this morning I don’t.

Just like when the problem started, there is no obvious reason why.

So are MS changing something on the servers?

The first thing the program does when running is contact the servers (as evidenced by the warning to update the sim when a new update is available)), and this ties up with when I was getting my error message.

Other people have reported having connection problems one day, but OK the next. Certainly in my case, I don’t believe it was the actual load on the servers as my problems were 100% of the time, morning, noon and night. So is there something more fundamental happening?

We shall see if it’s still OK tomorrow.

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23

the thing your simply ignoring here is the hundreds of thousands that Dont need admin rights to run the game (i have Never needed to do that personally)
i have to think this is something Local on your end for this reason, not something “on the server”
(i dont mean ‘its your fault’ here, simply that w/e it is its not common to everyone)

the fact it comes and goes does not prove anything really, but i have to think this has something to do with your windows account and/or pc security setup
i know nothing of windows account security or firewalls etc but i suspect w/e is ‘not common’ among us on your system would be in that category somewhere, if that actually resolves the issue permanently (you suggest it has but only for a moment, while also saying other fixes helped for only a short time)
i do hope you get it fixed, but if your waiting for this to get fixed ‘on their end’ you may be disappointed in the long run

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24

Never been the cause for me. It’s always something in the base sim.

The Top Gun update has caused my install to CTD when I exit a flight back to the menu. It’s 100% reproducible with no addons.

I’m going to try the admin trick for kicks but I don’t expect it will work.

25

In our windows user account ( %appdata%.. bla… bla… bla), msfs2020 create a folder with all the settings and I belive some compiled aircraft (crj, fbw, et).

Maybe when you used Admin account, your msfs2020 settings folder was empty and that made a difference.

For steam version, the executable file is in steam folder → common app → msfs2020.

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It opens the door for the program in question giving it access to otherwise gated parts of Windows

When it comes to Windows User Accounts think of an Admin account as a kind of god-level access card.

Its lets you mess about with advanced deep level settings in Windows.You have to know what youre doing or you can bork the system…

…which is why Standard & Guest Accounts exist.

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27

The best solution to many of these problems is to NOT install it to the default location.
As someone mentioned above, but it in a custom directory. Mine is C:\FS2020 for example.

You can create C:\FS2020 for example, and move your Official and Community folders there, uninstall the sim from its default location, and reinstall to C:\FS2020. It should then find your data so it’s just the base sim you’re reinstalling, without having to redownload everything again.

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28

Yes, it’s available for people who know what they’re doing, but need to get under the bonnet (or “hood” across the pond) to fix something.

In this case, running FS2020 in Admin mode doesn’t give me (the user) any extra privileges, as the sim will appear to me to be the same, and won’t allow me to do anything abnormal. But for some reason, the sim itself needed extra privileges, perhaps because of some extra security setting on my computer (though I couldn’t find the culprit). As long as I trust Asobo/MS not to do anything nefarious, this is not a problem.

The puzzle to me is why did it suddenly needed these privileges, and then two week later not need them anymore.

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29

Yes, mine is installed on another drive. I haven’t altered this location since day 1 of FS2020 release. For me, maybe this was part of my problem.

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30

During last week i had about 20 flights no crashes Iv been away for 2 days Iv just turned pc on for this first time since to have a quick flight this morning and on loading just after the splash screen im now getting a CTD everytime…I just can not understand this (Steam Version)

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Usually that occurs if the software is trying to save settings to a file or folder where it has no access permission. Running in administrator mode just the once lets it right the required settings and from then on in you can start normally without the admin mode.

33

Thanks for your comment. I actually hadn’t been able to get into the sim for 2 weeks without using Admin mode (see the previous posts). The post you refer to was just to say the problem has now cleared.

What you say about the software not able to access a file is certainly a possibility, but I still don’t see how it’s been OK since the start of FS2020, then not OK for a couple of weeks, then OK again.

It’s working at the moment, so I can just hope it doesn’t recur.

34

I would also like to report that when there is an update (recent world update for example). the sim hangs at the loading screen - when I launch it as Admin, everything works fine.

I also noted that when launching normally (without using Admin) and on my wired LAN connection, it hangs. But when I switch to WIFI and disable my LAN, it works fine.

It looks like the firewall is blocking something. I have permissions for both private and public connection, but is still an issue. I just switch to WIFI and play the sim - hope this can help a fellow simmer.

35

Just as a general caveat from a software engineer and user of many, MANY applications on many operating systems (including „exotic“ ones as AIX, Sun Solaris and IRIX), for many, many, many years:

Never run an application „as administrator“ - ever.

The few occasions (one-time setup, „system-software“ like network traffic analysers, hardware drivers) are so rare (from a „normal“ user‘s perspective) that the above statement is actually justified.

The most overlooked problem with running an application „as administrator“: if your app is exploited by, for instance, a malicious third-party add-on or you are loading maliciously crafted data that exploits a bug in your software the malicious code typically inherits your elevated user access rights - „administrator“.

So if you think that MSFS runs actually better „as administrator“ then the problem for sure lies elsewhere. MSFS does not require administrator rights.

And I would be highly suspicious with any application (apart from „system software“ like virus scanners) that asks you for administrator rights for no obvious reasons.

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36

True, so true.

37

There is sense in what you say. However, for users who have CTDs, freezes etc., who are at their wit’s end trying to find a solution, running just once as administrator could be a useful tool to potentially more closely identify the source of the problem, or even cure it. In light of your comments, perhaps the best advice would be to empty the community folder before trying it.

In my case, I ran as an admin about ten times, but checked each day to see if it was still needed. Eventually, for no obvious reason, the sim started running properly without the extra rights, and (as I described above) not only was my inability to start the Sim solved, but two other major problems also disappeared.

For me, this was a useful step in getting back into the Sim. I considered it a risk worth taking, and probably no more risky than going to previously unvisited sites on the Internet, which I currently need to do often to learn more about aviation!

38

If it does work with administrator rights and not without, there is some problem that needs to be looked at.

FS should be able to atleast open/read/write it’s own files and folders. There could be a bug somewhere and if you dont find the cause it can’t be solved.

39

“if you don’t find the cause it can’t be solved.”

As I said, in my case the problem went away after a couple of weeks of using an Admin start. I didn’t knowingly change anything to cause this. Before the major problem started, I had been having much trouble with dropouts in the MS server (as many people have if you read these forums), and I suspect the problem was not being able to access the server at sim start-up. I will never know if I needed to do the admin start as I did to solve the problem, but at the very least it allowed me to access the sim while the system (i.e. server plus sim plus computer) sorted it out between themselves.

I do not have a problem with any other program (including those I write myself), nor a problem with server dropouts other than those I used to experience in this sim.

I would note that somebody else above said they did it once and that was enough to solve their problem.

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By can’t be solved I ment, not finding what caused the issue in the first place. There is a reason it didn’t run and who knows if it works 100% or not after ‘fixing’ it with admin.

41

Hmm… So on Xbox, would this be the equivalent of signing out and signing back in? Because I’ve noticed how that changes the settings back to default, oddly.