[AndyGoldstein]

This note is for anyone looking for help with a problem. There's a bunch of folks here eager and willing to help, but as they said in the TV show, We Need Information. We're not clairvoyant. A tech support question titled "I Need Help!!!" that consists of "X-Plane crashes after startup" just isn't going to get real far.

What do we need?

First and foremost, the exact, complete X-Plane version number. X-Plane is a continual work in progress and every version is different. New features come in every release; sometimes features disappear. Old bugs get fixed and new ones take their place. When you ask how to do something, it doesn't help when someone tells you to use a feature that doesn't exist in the version you're running.

The error message. If you get an error message as part of the failure, include it - all of it, exactly as it appears. Spelling matters. Best is to post a screenshot.

Technical details of your computer system. We need this especially for crashes, video problems, performance problems, and most of the other situations where you're having trouble installing or X-Plane just out and out doesn't work. The minimum information is

• cpu type and speed
• operating system type and version
• video card make, model, and video driver version
• where you have X-Plane installed (or where you're trying to install it)
• Other details like RAM and VRAM size are helpful.
• If you're asking about a performance problem, attaching a screenshot of your Rendering Options menu will save a lot of time.

X-Plane writes a file into the main X-Plane folder called Log.txt. It contains all the details of your system configuration and what's going on as X-Plane runs. Attaching this to your question is usually a big help with complex problems. The installer and updater write a corresponding log file named X-Plane Installer Log.txt.

The aircraft you're flying. We need this if it's a flight model problem or any kind of question related to the operation or performance of an aircraft. Please be specific. Even if you've seen a problem with multiple aircraft, don't say "any plane I've tried." We don't know which ones you've tried. Murphy's Law says the person trying to reproduce the problem will pick the one on which the problem does not occur.

If it's one of the stock X-Plane aircraft, just say so and name it. If it's downloaded from somewhere, give the URL where it's available. (And make sure it's the same version.) Again, if you just give a name, chances are the person trying to reproduce the problem will pick a different version or different aircraft with the same name. If it's an aircraft you've built or modified, we'll need a copy of the actual aircraft. A description doesn't cut it - doubtless you'll forget something important. Wait for someone to ask and send it by PM to avoid redistribution restrictions. If it's a payware aircraft, you should be contacting the author of the aircraft for help.

So if you get questions in response to your questions, please take the time to answer them - all of them. We're not fishing for details of your personal life. Oftentimes a symptom may have multiple causes. A lot of the folks here have been around X-Plane for years and know what's likely to be relevant to your problem. You'll get the best tech support available for X-Plane, but we need the details of the problem to give it.

- Andy