Firstly - I'm new here and new to MSTS, so I apologise if all this has been said and done before, however I have a major problem I need some help with.
Having got MSTS, installed as per instructions, I find that on running it is unusable - so slow as to put everything to a standstill. I have a high-spec PC (2600XP, 1024RAM, 256mb graphics....). Is there a compatibility issue with WindowsXP? Is there a patch or update I should be using? Or is this to dow ith something else?
I have uninstalled MSTS at the moment, but would really like to get involved with it. For now however,, it's back to BVE.
Thanks for any help, advice you can offer.
WinXP problem - help!!
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asalmon
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Works great on XP here (Intel P4 2.4ghz, 1gb ram, ATI 9800 256mb, serial ATA hard drive.
The latter made quite a difference for me, loading is quicker, and there is less delay when running moving tile to tile.
Make sure you have directx 9b from "windows updates". Make sure you have exited all unnecessary programs.
What display resolution are you running at, and what's the actual frame-rate (shift-z).
If I explore on Marias Pass with the default settings from view 3 I get 30 frames per second. What do you get?
The latter made quite a difference for me, loading is quicker, and there is less delay when running moving tile to tile.
Make sure you have directx 9b from "windows updates". Make sure you have exited all unnecessary programs.
What display resolution are you running at, and what's the actual frame-rate (shift-z).
If I explore on Marias Pass with the default settings from view 3 I get 30 frames per second. What do you get?
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thenudehamster
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Something has to be wrong somewhere; my PC doesnb't ocome anywhere near as high spec as yours (AMD K7-900, 256 Ram, 60G 7200HD, VIA on-board graphics) and although jerky, TS used to be quite enjoyable even at only 4fps sometimes. It's up to 20+ now I have a bearable graphics card in there (Father's Day is coming, if any of my kids are reading this....???). Assuming everything else is OK, and you've checked driver updates and things, I'd venture to suggest that it might be something odd with the Sim installation. First option, as with all software, would be a proper uninstall, then re-install it and see if that makes any difference - it IS Micro$oft, after all...). Next, I would think would be to run it, Alt-tab out of the sim and check the processes in the Task Manager to see what is taking up all the processor time. After that you're in the hands of the real geeks, I'm afraid....
BarryH - thenudehamster
(nothing to do with unclothed pet rodents -- it's just where I used to live)
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Any opinion expressed above is herein warranted to be worth exactly what you paid for it.
(nothing to do with unclothed pet rodents -- it's just where I used to live)
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Any opinion expressed above is herein warranted to be worth exactly what you paid for it.
exasperated!
OK - I have some new info. I have discovered that when I lauch MSTS at first start-up something called 'MProfile' comes up which uses all my CPU power. Then when I end that process, MSTS starts but there is another process called launch.exe which also drains the CPU power. So I end that also using the task manager and MSTS runs fine, real smooth and lovely. Now the crunch - add-ons. I have downloaded and installed some add-ons (trains, routes and activities), done eveything correctly as per the read-me's but find on start-up that virtually eveything is listed as 'error reading data file'. Is this really such a dreadful prgram that it conflicts with just about everything?
Oh, by the way, MSTS won't shut down unless I manually end task using the task manager. On the list, it too is draining all my CPU power. What on earth is goin gon here???
BTW, I have 80gb free space!
Oh, by the way, MSTS won't shut down unless I manually end task using the task manager. On the list, it too is draining all my CPU power. What on earth is goin gon here???
BTW, I have 80gb free space!
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asalmon
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mprofile - that runs the first time to determine what your video card can do. You shouldn't have to end task, it should go itself after a few seconds. If you are ending it, it's quite likely msts isn't talking properly to your video card, causing the slow running.
from the start menu, go into msts troubleshooter and click change display driver, that will run mprofile again, see if it works when run on its onw. Once it is run it doesn't get called again. Also you can go into the "trobuleshooting" section and try ticking some of the boxes like "my video card doesn't support all features"
Are you really getting "error reading data file"? Or is it an error about the train database? The former suggests a corrupt hard disk. The latter means you have consists without stock, or services without consists. (in other words installing an activity without all the required stock)
from the start menu, go into msts troubleshooter and click change display driver, that will run mprofile again, see if it works when run on its onw. Once it is run it doesn't get called again. Also you can go into the "trobuleshooting" section and try ticking some of the boxes like "my video card doesn't support all features"
Are you really getting "error reading data file"? Or is it an error about the train database? The former suggests a corrupt hard disk. The latter means you have consists without stock, or services without consists. (in other words installing an activity without all the required stock)
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baldwin
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- Location: Chippenham, Wiltshire
Looking at the system and th symptoms, I am wondering if perhaps there is some form of AV protection on this machine that is maybe causing this to happen. MSTS 'per se' should not behave in the manner described, nor should mprofile and launcher. One question, what graphics card are you running.?
Mervyn
Mervyn
Beer is not a matter of life and death. It is much more important than that.
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Guys - I have almost got it sorted!! 
Thanks to your help and some links I found when I put MProfile into google, the game now starts and plays really well. It doesn't shut down, but hey - you can't have everything I suppose. I'll get it all sorted eventually.
I have the 3rd party download bug I'm afraid, really like the 222, 153, etc but I can't for the life of me get any 158 to work. It's a pity cos I want to drive the Ginsters one since it's a local train in these parts.
Thanks again guys - excellent forum!
Thanks to your help and some links I found when I put MProfile into google, the game now starts and plays really well. It doesn't shut down, but hey - you can't have everything I suppose. I'll get it all sorted eventually.
I have the 3rd party download bug I'm afraid, really like the 222, 153, etc but I can't for the life of me get any 158 to work. It's a pity cos I want to drive the Ginsters one since it's a local train in these parts.
Thanks again guys - excellent forum!