Help Solved FP Crashes - Windows 11 Setting?

[LochavenManor]

I've been working on a complete arcade system for quite a long time. I had Future Pinball installed and working back in October / November, and I moved on to other platforms to try to get the arcade set up in what little free time I have these days.

This past weekend, I finished everything and was going back to test everything one final time before I move the system upstairs to the game room - and FP doesn't work anymore. I launch Future Pinball (first through RocketLauncher, and stand alone to isolate any issues) ... the splash screen comes up, then the loading page for a table with a progress bar ... it cycles through textures and scripts ... and just when it gets to the end ... it closes. That's it. Back to the desktop screen.

The only thing that might be different over the past 8 months is the computer decided to update itself to Windows 11. So is there a setting that makes it crash? That I can fix?

First I thought it was the overall program. I wiped out the entire installation, downloaded a new @TerryRed AIO installation, and started from scratch. Followed the very comprehensive written guide. Same thing - crashes when it gets to the end of its loading sequence.

So I wiped it out again, did a whole new installation (and watched the whole YouTube tutorial to see if I was missing something). In the process of checking the [Preferences>>Editor Options] and [Preferences>>Video Rendering Options] (which both open fine), I accidentally clicked on [Preferences>>Game Keys and Controls]. The program closed itself immediately.

Any thoughts? Why would FPLoader launch itself, and not even loading a table, crash on opening the preferences settings page?

I'd like to think this is related to why the program crashes when trying to play a table, too. Is there something blocking a script? (I have Defender turned off, and I have exceptions listed for when it decides to come back on.)

This has been five days trying to fix a system that used to work - hopefully someone has heard of an incompatibility (and resolution) for a similar problem?

Thanks!

 

[pinhead1]

do you have VPX installed and does it work?
try the FP launcher instead of the rocketlauncher frontend and see what happens.
when you mentioned standalone is that FP launcher?
did you install into C/local or program files?

 

[LochavenManor]

@pinhead1 I do not have VPX installed.

I have not been running through a frontend. I've been running it standalone, so I could isolate the issue (if it was the front end causing it or masking something).

It's installed on a second hard drive. H:\Emulators\Future Pinball

The program opens. But if I click on Game Keys and Controls, it crashes.



The other options screens work fine. Just the middle one. But I don't know what that screen is trying to open from the system, and why the system shuts it down when it tries. Might be what is causing tables to crash when they load, too.

 

[madmrmax]

Have you loaded FP using the BAM loader under administrator at least once? Also do you have any unique USB devices attached? Perhaps when FP attempts to enumerate mouse\joypad controllers it is encountering an error?

 

[pinhead1]

i'm still have win7 and win10
i found this
i think you might be interested in this.
why dont you guys look this over

Google Search

 

[LochavenManor]

@pinhead1 Yep, got TPM 2.0


@madmrmax I have run as administrator, yes.

Last night before I turned in for the night, I nuked Windows 11. Did a complete reset in place. Wiped out the rest of the residual future pinball entries in the registry. I am in the process of reloading the few programs that need to be reinstalled now. It's just a gaming system, so shouldn't take long.

Interesting thought, though, about the controllers. I guess I did add some X-Box pads and some wireless dongles to the system. When I reinstall FP, I'll unplug all of the controllers and install FP without them, to see what happens.

 

[GeorgeH]

I think Max's idea about loading FP using the BAM loader under administrator at least once sounds like a good idea also. You right click on "FPLoader.exe" and select "Properties". Then click on the Compatibility tab:



You might do this to the "Future Pinball.exe" file also.

Just don't leave it this way. After you play it once, remove the check box in the screen shot above.

 

[LochavenManor]

Well, this was promising ... I got the controls preferences to open.


And then I played a game!

And then I launched one through Rocketlauncher!

Okay, now I am feeling a lot less stressed.

I still don't have the game controllers plugged in. I'll have to see if that is what was causing it to crash. If I plug them all back in and it crashes I think I will know my answer.

Or it may have been the complete reinstallation of Windows 11, plus the old DirectX and C++ files I used to have installed. Not sure if the AIO installation made me overwrite something that made it go unstable, but a whole brand new installation of windows and then FP might have done it. (Reinstalling windows was something I was trying to avoid.)

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'll let you know if it was the controllers or not.

 

[LochavenManor]

It is the controllers. Good call, @madmrmax

Plugged them in, nothing worked. Ran as administrator, rebooted. Nothing worked. Unplugged them, works like a charm.

So now I know what needs troubleshooting ...

Thanks everyone!

 

[madmrmax]

It is the controllers. Good call, @madmrmax

Plugged them in, nothing worked. Ran as administrator, rebooted. Nothing worked. Unplugged them, works like a charm.

So now I know what needs troubleshooting ...

Thanks everyone!

Awesome that you've figured out the root cause of the crash, though very interesting issue! This is the first I've heard someone mention an issue so whatever you do find out about which controller is causing the issue please update us when you can!

-mark

 

[LochavenManor]

It is an EasySMX 8236 Wireless Controller.

It connects wirelessly through a USB dongle. It also comes with a USB-C cable to recharge it, and I think to connect it to a limited few standalone game consoles (PC Switch and Android might be it).

I had the controller plugged in to charge through a game system USB port. The wireless dongle was also connected to a game system USB port. Apparently they conflicted with one another. Perhaps I should have realized it would be a problem myself, but I honestly thought the devices (or at least the PC) would have been smarter to not try to connect a device twice. With my whole USB hub plugged in for the dongles, as soon as I unplugged the wired connection, everything worked.

The good news, I suppose, is that when I move the system upstairs, the intent is to plug a USB hub into the wall with cables for charging, and then the USB hub for the dongles into the PC for wireless control. It would have fixed itself, I suppose. But I would have never gotten there until I figured this one out.

So don't charge your rechargeable controllers off of the PC your wireless dongle is attached too ...

 

[madmrmax]

So don't charge your rechargeable controllers off of the PC your wireless dongle is attached too ...

Let's add this quote to the Future Pinball manual! :D