Track IR3 not working in FSX

[venomace]

My Track IR3 with vector expansion works perfectly in Ubisoft's Pacific Fighter, but not in FSX (SP2/Acceleration Pack) - I run Vista64 and TrackIR v4.1.030. Have tried anything so far, like disabling the DirectX checkbox in FSX. Since the View (pan) button has been assigned to the Hat Switch of my Saitek X52Pro Controller, I also deleted that assignement for a trial, with no success. In windowed mode I can monitor the tracking while I fly -the virtual cockpit doesn't move a single pixel . Any help?

[VincentG]

Any add-on applications installed for FSX?

What firewall/antivirus software do you have installed?

Are you running both FSX and TrackIR as admin applications?

[venomace]

Apart from some (mega)scenery addons I can only think of the Saitek radio stack plugin - but I deny its use when asked on FSX startup. However, the Saitek X52 drivers include some keyboard and mouse emulation - you probably know better than me what that does. And I certainly can't be the only one who uses that beautiful peace of hardware. I'm not even using a controler profile, just the FSX button and axis mapping.

I use standard Vista firewall and Avira Antivirus classic edition.

Since I'm the only user on this system and never changed or added a profile, I assume I run everything as Admin. However, I explicitely started both programs as admin processes and it didn't change anything.

[VincentG]

Many new Flight Simulator add-on products connect to Flight Simulator X (FSX) via the new SimConnect Application Programming Interface (API). When you run FSX with an add-on installed, some non-Microsoft firewall and antivirus applications (such as ZoneAlarm) may detect that FSX is attempting to make a network connection and display a dialog asking you to allow or block this connection.

This �network connection� is necessary for the add-on to connect with FSX. It�s a local connection between the add-on and FSX (via a network localhost/127.0.0.1 connection), and does not involve a connection to the Internet. Be assured: FSX is not trying to send personal data about you through the Internet.

Note that Microsoft Windows Firewall will not exhibit this behavior. It will, however, alert you if an add-on is actually trying to access the Internet.

In order for your FSX add-on to work properly with FSX you MUST allow this connection to be made. If you do not allow the connection to be made, the add-on you are trying to run (and all subsequent add-ons that connect to FSX through the SimConnect API) will not work properly.

Some non-Microsoft firewall and antivirus applications will block this "localhost" connection between an add-on and FSX automatically, without any notification. In this case, you must configure the firewall or antivirus application to include both FSX and the add-on (specifically, the fsx.exe file and the add-on's .exe file, if it has one) in the list of �trusted exceptions.� If this is not done, the add-on will not work properly with FSX. Please refer to the documentation for your specific firewall or antivirus application for details on how to add programs to the list of trusted exceptions.

[venomace]

I think we have a misunderstanding, it's not about internet or LAN connections. FSX used to ask me if I wanted to run a 3rd party module. Since a de- and reinstall of the Saitek drivers last week without installing that module, I'm not asked that anymore, and the radio stack module is not running.
However, I have explicitely added fsx.exe and the saitek_fs.exe to the list of exceptions in the vista firewall - no change.

I just come from removing the Saitek controller and de-installing ALL Saitek drivers and software, restarted the system, fired TrackIR4 and FSX - the virtual cockpit does not respond! TrackIR is "tracking" and even the heads are moving in their monitor window.

Are there any FSX configuration settings that I can/must check?

[VincentG]

Please check your virus software as this canalso have an effect on the connection between the TrackIR and a part of FSX called Simconnect, which does use the network for communication within itself.

[venomace]

I have disabled my virus software completely - doesn't help. With the Saitek removed I don't see any game controller now, but in the mapping section of FSX I still see two "controllers" named "mouse joke" and "mouse look".(?)

[VincentG]

Have you tried a clean install of FSX?

Have you tried running both the TrackIR software and FSX as an Admin (right click on the shortcut and select the option to run as admin)

[venomace]

I run both as Admin. Both system and FSX are really *quite* clean. In fact I did a clean install of FSX/Acceleration Pack only 10 days ago after a number of blue screens (that finally came down to a faulty RAM unit). But it looks like I must go thru that again?
The only thing I notice is that I usually can't close down TrackIR4 properly. But it works fine, the head monitors do and it also works perfectly in Pacific Fighter. Is TrackIR interfacing with these programs in a much different way? Why must MS FS do it the complicated way??

[VincentG]

Yes FSX does thing differently than IL-2, or even FS9.........

It uses the Simconnect feature, which Microsoft designed to work with 3rd party add-on products......