Crash troubleshooting guide

[Flappie]

There can be many different causes to DCS startup failures and crashes-to–desktop: a genuine DCS bug, conflicting user mods, incorrect DCS settings, faulty drivers, hardware failures, a corrupted file system...

This guide is here to help. If it fails to do so, create your own thread and attach your dcs.log file.

 

A. DCS main menu does not even appear

B. DCS crashes to desktop and a “Bad Image” popup window appears

C. DCS crashes to desktop (all other cases)

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Flappie

[Flappie]

A. DCS main menu does not appear

First things first: open your DCS log (Saved Games/DCS.../Logs/dcs.log) and look for "try to write dump information". If you find such line, go to step C.

1. In your antivirus, add your DCS installation path (/DCS World/ or /DCS World OpenBeta/) as an exception.
2. If your Windows language uses special characters (e.g. Chinese), try installing English language support.
3. Rename your “Saved Games/DCS…/Config/options.lua” file to “options.lua.bak”.
4. Browse to "C:/Users/username/AppData/Local/Temp", then delete any folder starting with “DCS”.
5. Run DCS cleanup and repair (choose the “slow” repair method).
6. Rename your “Saved Games/DCS…/MissionEditor/logbook.lua” file to “logbook.lua.bak”.
7. Check the compatibility options of your DCS.exe executable: right-click on it, click “Properties”, then display the “Compatibility” tab.
   • Ensure “Run this program in compatibility mode for” is unticked.
   • Ensure “Full screen optimisations disable” is unticked.
   • Ensure “Run this program as an administrator” is unticked.
8. Ensure DCS is given the right GPU by the system (either disable your internal GPU, or use Windows High/Max performance power plan, or tell your graphics driver to use your discrete GPU).
9. Update Windows.
10. Update your GPU driver.
11. Try a Windows Refresh (at your own risks).

Edited February 25 by Flappie

[Flappie]

B. DCS crashes to desktop and a “Bad Image” popup window appears

DCS relies on Visual C++ redistributable packages. The "Bad Image" window appears when your PC C++ libraries are not up-to-date.

1. Browse to "./DCS World/distr" (or "./DCS World OpenBeta/distr").
2. Run redist_x64.exe and click "Repair".
3. Now run vc_redist.x64.exe and click "Install". If the installation comes to a halt, it's OK: it means this package is already installed on your computer.

[Flappie]

C. DCS crashes to desktop (all other cases)

Now is the time to read your DCS log.

1. Open “Saved Games/DCS/Logs/dcs.log” in a text editor.
2. Look for this sentence: “try to write dump information”. Two possibilities:

There's no such line: 

That means this was not a “proper” DCS crash. It is what one would call an “eternal freeze”. DCS could not write in the log file anymore, which leaves little to no clue. It can be very tricky to learn what went wrong. In this case, read the latest lines of your log file. Sometimes, there’s a clue, especially if the last message cannot be found anywhere else in the log file.

If you cannot find a solution at this point, create your own thread and attach your dcs.log file. We’ll help you.

 

The line is present:

Good! Three lines below, you’ll find the name of the library (.dll)  that crashed.

Here's an example:

2023-07-30 02:19:29.793 INFO    EDCORE (wasapi_capture_thread): try to write dump information
2023-07-30 02:19:29.822 INFO    EDCORE (wasapi_capture_thread): # -------------- 20230730-021929 --------------
2023-07-30 02:19:29.823 INFO    EDCORE (wasapi_capture_thread): DCS/2.8.7.42718 (x86_64; MT; Windows NT 10.0.22621)
2023-07-30 02:19:29.824 INFO    EDCORE (wasapi_capture_thread): C:\Windows\System32\KERNELBASE.dll

 

• If the .dll is part of a specific DCS module (e.g. "./DCS World/Mods/F-16C/…/*.dll"), the crash was likely caused by a DCS bug.
  • In this case, please create a new thread in the affected module subforum.

 

• If the .dll is part of Windows (e.g. "C:/Windows/…/*.dll", as in the example above), it often points to a system instability. It can be caused by a lack of memory, overclocking, an outdated BIOS version, a conflict with another software, a faulty PSU, a faulty RAM stick or a faulty filesystem/drive.
  • Please read the following sections.
  • If nothing works, consider updating your BIOS.

 

• If the .dll is from DCS core files (e.g. "./DCS World/bin/*.dll"), the source of the crash is harder to determine.
  • Please read the following sections.

 

Important: if your PC is plugged to a surge protector, try not using it. Plug your PC directly to the wall and see if you keep having crashes.

 

If you're still here, it's time to look for the cause of the crash. In the whole dcs.log file, look for the following keywords:

• MSCTF.dll
• E_OUTOFMEMORY
• out of memory
• Not enough memory
• mmfMemoryBlockPrefetch
• NVDEV_Thunk
• NVENCODEAPI_Thunk
• IN_PAGE_ERROR
• FileStream
• XR_ERROR_EXTENSION_NOT_PRESENT
• DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED

If you can find at least one of them, click its link.

 

Edited February 10 by Flappie
added solution for MSCTF.dll crash (text-to-speech)

[Flappie]

 E_OUTOFMEMORY / Out of memory / Not enough memory

The crash was caused by a lack of memory. DCS uses three kinds of memory: VRAM (RAM that comes with the GPU), standard RAM (RAM that is used by the CPU), and Windows pagefile. When DCS complains about a lack of memory, it simply means it did not have the proper amount of memory to proceed.

Read the third line of your dcs.log file to learn:

• How much RAM is detected by DCS (it should match the amount of RAM your PC has - if it does not match, chances are one of your RAM stick is dead).
• How much pagefile is given to DCS.

Here’s an example: 

2023-07-30 02:03:38.189 INFO    APP (Main): CPU cores: 10, threads: 20, System RAM: 32668 MB, Pagefile: 6547 MB

Sum up the two figures: 

If it exceeds 50000 MB (50 GB), close any external app that might eat up some RAM you want to keep for DCS. Also ensure your drives have enough free space (you don’t want to choke your pagefile).

If it’s below 50000 MB, you have three different solutions:

• Buy more RAM. 64 GB of RAM is the new normal when playing DCS on a recent PC.
• Use this guide to set a bigger pagefile: this won’t cost you anything, but you have to remember that the pagefile is slower than RAM, way slower. Ensure your pagefile is located on your fastest drive. This drive also must have enough free space (about 50 GB). We often advise users to set a 32 GB pagefile (init size=32768, max size=32768).
• Lower DCS needs for RAM by lowering your graphic settings. Start with a lower Preload Radius, and if that is not enough, lower textures, clouds and shadows quality.

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Flappie

[Flappie]

mmfMemoryBlockPrefetch

This keyword often points to a RAM issue. 

1. Check your RAM using MemTest86. In MemTest, the red color means a defect was found in one of your RAM sticks.
2. If MemTest86 cannot find any issue after a two hour run, check your pagefile (see “Out of memory” section).

Edited August 9, 2023 by Flappie

[Flappie]

NVDEV_Thunk / NVENCODEAPI_Thunk

1. Empty your “Saved Games/DCS…/fxo” folder.
2. Empty your “Saved Games/DCS…/metashaders2” folder.
3. Disable XMP profile in your PC BIOS.
4. Check your RAM sticks using MemTest86.

Edited August 9, 2023 by Flappie

[Flappie]

IN_PAGE_ERROR / FileStream

When at least one of these keywords is found, it means a game file could not be read, which often points to corrupted game files or a filesystem issue.

1. Run a DCS cleanup and repair (choose the “slow” repair method).
2. If this does not solve your issue:

• Run the sfc command to check your Windows files.
• Then run the chkdsk command on your DCS drive.
• Then run another DCS cleanup and repair (choose the “slow” repair method).

[Flappie]

DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED / 0x887A0006

This issue is very common. It can have many different causes. Here's a list of solutions that helped users with this kind of crashes. Try them one by one.

1. If your PC is plugged to a surge protector, try not using it. Plug your PC directly to the wall and see if you keep having crashes.
2. Run DCS cleanup and repair (choose the “slow” repair method).
3. NVIDIA GPU: in the NVCP, set Power Management Mode to "Prefer maximum performance". ^(new)
4. Rename “Saved Games/DCS.../Config/options.lua” to "options.lua.bak".
5. Rename “Saved Games/DCS.../Config/autoexec.cfg” to "autoexec.cfg.bak".
6. Rename “Saved Games/DCS.../Scripts/Export.lua” to "Export.lua.bak".
7. Rename your whole “Saved Games/DCS…" folder to “DCS.bak" (you will need to login - your custom settings are now stored in the "DCS.bak" folder -do NOT delete it).
8. Disable XMP profile in your PC BIOS.
9. Disable Resizable BAR in your PC BIOS (for NVIDIA GPU owners). ^(new)
10. Ensure Windows power plan setting is correct (default or High).
11. Disable GPU overclocking (in NVIDIA control panel: Help > Debug Mode / in AMD control panel: Restore Factory Defaults).
12. Disable Asus GPU Tweak.
13. Disable MSI Center SDK.
14. Disable MSI Afterburner.
15. Disable RivaTuner.
16. Disable Aorus Graphics Engine auto scanning feature (auto OC).
17. Disable GeForce Experience performance overlay.
18. Uninstall then reinstall your GPU driver.
19. If you're using a Gen3 PCI riser with a Gen4 CPU, well don't.
20. If DCS is windowed, and NVIDIA G-Sync is set to "Fullscreen", set NVIDIA G-Sync to "Fullscreen and Windowed".
21. Wipe off the dust from your CPU.
22. In PC BIOS, set PCIE to “Auto”.
23. Update your motherboard BIOS.

If none of these solutions help, consider a hardware fault : GPU, RAM or PSU.

• You can check your RAM sticks using MemTest86.
• If you have another GPU card at your disposal, use it and see if DCS keeps crashing.
• If you have another PSU at your disposal, use it and see if DCS keeps crashing.

Edited February 26 by Flappie

[Flappie]

How to use MemTest86 to test your RAM sticks

1. In your PC BIOS, ensure your XMP mode is not "Auto". Simply choose another XMP profile. If no XMP mode helps, disable it and retry DCS.
2. Still crashing? Create a bootable MemTest86 device (USB drive or CD) : https://www.memtest86.com/download.htm
3. Boot up the MemTest86 device on your PC. When the MemTest menu appears, press “S” key to start the memory test. If you get no error after a one-hour test, consider that your RAM is OK (if you see red characters as in the picture below, it shows defective RAM sectors).
4. If an issue is found, shut down your PC, open it, and kindly remove the RAM sticks from their slots before re-seating them, then re-test your RAM (sometimes, all you need is static electricity from the sticks, and this is how it's done).
5. Still crashing? You’ll probably have to replace the faulty RAM stick.

 

Red means RAM is defective: