Skin Install Disaster

[SharpeXB]

I hate to post something alarmist and negative so I'll try to be calm... :crash:

 

If you don't want to wreck your DCS installation, do NOT install skins from the user downloads!

 

I have controls not working, a blue screen crash, who knows what else is wrong?

 

Ok I'll be calm.

One skin install asked for me to edit the graphics.cfg file, this was a mistake.

It disabled one of my control axis, luckily I saved the old file and was able to replace it.

 

I wish I could post something more exact but I can't remember or find which skin install did the damage

 

For now, no more skin installs for me.

[Flagrum]

I hate to post something alarmist and negative so I'll try to be calm... :crash:

 

If you don't want to wreck your DCS installation, do NOT do silly things with it.

 

I have controls not working, a blue screen crash, who knows what else is wrong?

 

Ok I'll be calm.

One skin install asked for me to edit the graphics.cfg file, this was a mistake.

It disabled one of my control axis, luckily I saved the old file and was able to replace it.

 

I wish I could post something more exact but I can't remember or find which skin install did the damage

 

For now, no more skin installs for me.

There, fixed it for you.

 

Seriously, if you don't know what you did with what files, how can you be sure that it was the fault of the stuff you downloaded?

 

Unless you wildly modify random (lua)files and/or delete randomly files of which you don't know what they do, the possibility of causing blue screens is about nigh. And whatever you broke in your DCS installation, it should be easily be fixable by running a DCS Repair.

 

But, especially as you mention blue screens, my bet would be on either a) some driver compatibility problems (updated your gfx card drivers lately?) or some hardware malfunction (cpu/gfx temp?).

[NeilWillis]

Plus there is the wise, if not essential step to take before making any updates/modifications - BACK UP YOUR ENTIRE INSTALLATION FOLDERS AND THEIR CONTENTS.

 

If you just take that simple step, no matter what cock-ups occur, you can simply overwrite the whole lot with the unchanged original, and solve all your problems in one step.

 

Don't forget though that your installation includes the folder in the saved games folder of your user files as well as the main installation folder.

 

If you don't take that simple step, you have no easy way back. Back-ups save a whole world of grief.

[cichlidfan]

Editing your graphics.cfg will not make changes to your controls.

[Mustang]

graphics.cfg isn't even used anymore (graphics.lua)

[NRG-Vampire]

dont panic

 

using new skins is the most stable modding in dcsw

if something wrong (mostly in description.lua file) then dcsw wont crash at all :doh:

it will start to use the orange colored "warning missing texture" file

 

:book: so investigate it from your dcs.log or crash.log file - skins dont do a crash

[SharpeXB]

Editing your graphics.cfg will not make changes to your controls.

Well in this case absolutely it did. It disabled the zoom axis I had assigned and changed the default zoom setting in the cockpit. I of course had saved the old one and as soon as I replaced it the control returned to normal. That's too much of a coincidence for it not to be the culprit.

[SharpeXB]

graphics.cfg isn't even used anymore (graphics.lua)

It was graphics.lua then.

[Flagrum]

Well in this case absolutely it did. It disabled the zoom axis I had assigned and changed the default zoom setting in the cockpit. I of course had saved the old one and as soon as I replaced it the control returned to normal. That's too much of a coincidence for it not to be the culprit.

What was the change you made?

[SharpeXB]

There, fixed it for you.

 

Seriously, if you don't know what you did with what files, how can you be sure that it was the fault of the stuff you downloaded?

 

Unless you wildly modify random (lua)files and/or delete randomly files of which you don't know what they do, the possibility of causing blue screens is about nigh. And whatever you broke in your DCS installation, it should be easily be fixable by running a DCS Repair.

 

But, especially as you mention blue screens, my bet would be on either a) some driver compatibility problems (updated your gfx card drivers lately?) or some hardware malfunction (cpu/gfx temp?).

Yeah I realize my post is a mindless rant of frustration. I'll try to find exactly

which files I updated that caused the problem or see if it's repeatable.

[SharpeXB]

What was the change you made?

I will find and post it when I have time later. It is bizarre that changing the graphics.lua affects the cockpit view. I'll try repeating the edit and see if it creates the problem again.

[joey45]

You shouldn't need to change any files anymore...

 

It might of been an old version..

 

What was it?

[SharpeXB]

This is the change I made to the graphics.lua file

I tried it again and this time it works no problem, I didn't have a repeat of the issue where I lost the zoom axis function

 

"./Bazar/World/textures/F-18C",

"./Bazar/World/textures/23rd ACC Demo Aircraft",

"./Bazar/World/textures/355th ACC Demo Aircraft",

"./Bazar/World/textures/P-51D",

[joey45]

What skin is it?

 

With mine and 99% of skins it's unzip in the livery folder without editing any files.

[SharpeXB]

What skin is it?

 

With mine and 99% of skins it's unzip in the livery folder without editing any files.

This one here. Some of them involve editing the graphics file to add textures.

http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/84720/

 

Nice skins btw. I went to the University of Arizona near Davis Monthan and the A-10s would fly over campus every day.