Unable to update for months - Download Looping

MODERATOR EDIT: These posts were merged from another topic.

I’ve spent the last 3-4 months trying to update MSFS so I can play. I have wasted so much bandwidth, purchased, software, hardware, service, disabled security protocol, crippled my system all so I can accomplish nothing. Support just insists on close the ticket and claim they are forwarding to someone to fix it. Same response I got a month ago and still can’t play.

System Specs:
Intel i5-9600K @ 3.7
48Gb Ram
GTX 1080
Windows 10 Pro (21H1-19043.964) x64
M2 Drive with 310Gb free
HDD with 1.81Tb Free
25/1.9mb DSL connection

Steps i’ve tried (Not in order):

  • Disabling AutoTuning - Have toggled back and forth a few times and it didn’t make a difference
    -I used and eventually purchased a full version of Netlimiter
    -Closed background apps
    -Disabled IPv6
    -Disabled Antivirus
    -Disabled Firewalls
    -Set speed & duplex setting
    -Uninstalled full installation
    -Changed installation location
    -Tried a VPN connection to Germany, Sweden, UK
    -Bought and installed more ram
    -Direct connection to modem (bypassing enterprise grade routing equipment)
    -Installed a VM to try to download it on a clean system there - No vid memory so wont install
    -Wiped laptop, reinstalled windows- didn’t meet minimum spec either
    -Tried installing on children’s computer, faired worse.

So sorry for your problems. I hope you can get it sorted out.
Mark

I wish I could, I’ve tried all the troubleshooting steps. I don’t understand why this is such a hard task for them to accomplish. In the last week i’ve dedicated 300gb of data to try to download the program and I only have 53Gb installed. I am really glad I don’t pay by the Gb, but it does create a lot of latency for my network. Why do they even waste the time compressing it. They refuse to provide any alternate means to address the issue and the only recourse is to seek it here on the community forum. But good luck with that, I’ve had to resurrect a 5 mnth dead chat because as a newbie here i’m not allowed to create a new post.

Hi @Mastema13603,
When it downloads, is it looping?

I just want to make sure I got the topic title correct.

It downloads the file, partially, then resets and downloads the file again. Sometimes the file is downloaded completely, but it still resets the download percentage to zero and tries the same file again. On a rare occasion it progresses to the next file. I had two days where I was able to get the bulk of the download that I currently do have, it hasn’t advanced a file in 2 days. Currently stuck on fs-base-cgl-00.1.21.fspackage.006

Thank you.

When you tried the VPN, did you pick a location closest to you? I see you tried Germany, Sweden & UK. Are you near there?

No, I’m in the US, North Carolina to be a little more precise. For a little extra I even tried TOR, didn’t even load. OH, btw, I’ve tried both starting in both standard user and admin mode, I just use admin all the time now.

2 things to try:

VPN - pick a location that is near you.
Netlimiter - this slows down your internet and some have reported that helps stop the looping.

See this FAQ:
Download stuck on packages / Install loop & Decompressing issues – Microsoft Flight Simulator Support (zendesk.com)

Can you tell me who your ISP is? If you don’t feel comfortable posting here publicly, you can reply to the private message you and I were in.

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Already have netlimiter installed, had to buy it because trial expired. ISP is windstream.

What speed do you have netlimiter set at?

I tried it at 5mb as was suggested somewhere, tried 3mb and that’s when I had lucky days and then have been afraid to change it back to five. The App however, doesn’t register as the same speed as Netlimiter, it currently tracking at ~600kb/s and MSFS says ~5mb

This is what other have report on the forum too. If it doesn’t loop at that, let it keep going. I think you only need to do this with these packages files. After that, you can remove the netlmiter speed.

I tried that FAQ, was one of the first I read. What is truly sad it that post was October 5th. 7 months ago, and they haven’t found a solution.

Note: This conversation went into a private message. Trying some things. Will post back if anything worked!

Did you try changing the DNS in your router or in Windows? Have a look at

Maybe your ISP has issues with their DNS server. Another thing might be the route (hops) your ISP goes through until reaching the Microsoft servers. Even though you tried downloading through VPN, the connection still goes through the ISP first.

Have you got any issues with other services like Netflix or other online games?

I saw file looping for the first time last week. Not on my own FS computer, but on a new Alienware system, which is actually much more powerful than my own. I have a 200MB cable internet connection at home, and have never had the slightest problem downloading the base sim, or any of the world updates. WU4 downloaded at 100MB (average) speed, and took about 45 minutes total.

A friend recently purchased the new Alienware computer mainly to run MSFS. He lives in a rural area outside of the city, and his only internet option is via satellite. His bandwidth is pretty good, but his service has a hard data cap of 80GB per month, making initial install of the sim impossible via his own ISP.

When he received his new computer, I brought it to my house to do the initial install of MSFS using my cable internet. It downloaded every bit as fast as my own computer does - averaging 100MB. I installed the base sim (Premium Deluxe version), as well as WU1, 2 and 3. The whole process took less than 4 hours. He then took the computer home, and reported that it worked very well on his satellite internet service.

Then WU4 was released… A couple of days later, he called me to report that (as expected), his MSFS automatically started downloading WU4 and “it seems to be stuck”. Apparently it had been trying to download the same file over and over for two days. I figured that the issue was his satellite connection, and when he checked his ISP app, he discovered that he was over his monthly data limit.

So, he brought his computer back to my house, and I connected to my unlimited internet. The very same router and modem I use for my own MSFS system every day, and the very same connection I used to do his initial install just a few weeks ago. To my surprise, when I launched MSFS, it started looping on the very first file. I also noted that the bandwidth of the connection on the update progress bar was showing only 5MB.

I asked if he had changed any of the data settings in the sim, and he said that yes, he had changed the bandwidth from “unlimited” to 5 MB (the lowest setting), because he found that otherwise, MSFS would “hog” all his satellite bandwith and interfered with streaming apps used by other family members.

This was a classic Catch 22 situation. It seemed evident that the file looping was caused by his MSFS data bandwidth settings being lowered to minimum - but the only way to change that would be to have a fully functioning sim - and there was no way to get to that point because it was stuck in an infinite update loop. AFAIK, the data settings are stored in the cloud, and cannot be changed on the local machine without a fully functioning MSFS.

What I finally did to fix it was to log him out of the X-Box app, and logged in using my own credentials. Since we both own the same version of MSFS, once logged in under my own gamer tag, my own personal settings were applied to the local copy of MSFS, including my bandwidth setting of “unlimited”.

Sure enough, once I launched MSFS (as me), it immediately started downloading WU4 at full speed of 100MB, with no looping or hesitation whatsoever. Once the update was complete, I shutdown the sim, logged out of the X-Box app, and had my friend log back in with his own ID. I relaunched, MSFS, and once it was loaded, confirmed that his bandwidth was indeed set to 5 MB. I told him to try a higher setting at home, to see if he can find something that won’t bog down his satellite connection, or at least set it back to “unlimited” before any scheduled major sim update.

I know that some users have solved looping downloads by limiting bandwidth using a external program like NetLimiter, but in this case, the limited bandwith settings in MSFS itself was 100 percent responsible for the download problem.

External limiters may have their place, but based on this experience, I do not think it is wise to ever set MSFS own internal bandwith to anything other than “unlimited”. If I had not been able to “rescue” the situation by temporarily taking ownership of his MSFS installation by logging into X-Box under my own ID, he might have lost access to the sim permanently, because the critical setting causing the issue was locked away in the cloud and unreachable without a fully-updated sim.

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With horrible internet service I have found that it is more stable and reliable for me to run my own DNS servers. I have 2 servers running a recursive DNS servers with each also hosting PiHoles so depending on which VLAN your connected to you either have ads or otherwise. I have tried it without this configuration, using public DNS servers to no noticeable difference other than an increase in DNS resolution failures.

One of the links I was directed to leads to a suggestion of throttle of Microsofts Games servers. I tried several VPNs which all continued the loop. So I am in the process of setting up a server on azure to act as my own private VPN, i doubt microsoft will throttle microsoft. However, I won’t be able to fully test it until tomorrow. I finally finished my 14 hr day and its time to relax with fam.

ask him if he is following Dishy McFlatface.

This would be consistent with the ISP throttling the game server as well. The satellite providers that I know about, who have data caps, have been known to throttle streaming and gaming services.

No this had nothing to do with external ISP throttling. His computer was experiencing the same low bandwidth and file loopiing when connected to my uncapped and unlimited cable modem connection as he was experiencing at home on satellite.

The file looping was (in this case) entirely due to the 5MB download bandwidth limit in his personal MSFS settings - which I could not “get to” to change, because the game would not fully load until the WU4 update was installed first.

When I logged into the X-Box app under my own user ID, MSFS then acquired my personal settings, which include an “unlimited” download bandwidth setting under OPTIONS/DATA. As soon as I launched MSFS under my own account, it immediately started to download WU4 at high speed, with no looping, and completed the 30GB download in about 40 minutes.

Fortunately, he won’t have to put up with satellite internet much longer. His electric company, which is a rural electric co-op, is running fiber along all their power line poles throughout their service area, and will soon be offering 1000 MB bandwidth unlimited internet to all of their electric customers. He will be going from famine to feast!

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After further testing I have been able to confirm that two additional VPN’s aren’t providing a solution. One ported through Amazon and another through Microsoft.