Building Your Personal Troubleshooting Checklist

Estimated Lesson Time: 35–45 Minutes

Lesson Overview

Throughout Module 7, you have learned how to diagnose the most common Microsoft Flight Simulator problems, including:

• Low FPS.
• Stuttering.
• Long loading times.
• Crashes to desktop.
• Performance changes after simulator updates.
• Hardware instability.
• Add-on conflicts.
• Graphics-driver problems.

You have also learned that the same symptom can have several possible causes.

Low FPS might be caused by the CPU, GPU, aircraft, airport or traffic settings. A crash might be caused by an add-on, unstable RAM, a driver problem or corrupted files. A stutter might be caused by scenery streaming, VRAM pressure, shader compilation or a Windows background task.

Remembering every possible cause and every troubleshooting step during a stressful problem can be difficult.

This is why professional technicians use checklists.

A troubleshooting checklist gives you a consistent process to follow whenever something goes wrong. It prevents you from skipping important checks, changing multiple settings simultaneously or beginning with unnecessary actions such as reinstalling the simulator.

In this lesson, you will build a personalised troubleshooting checklist based on:

• Your hardware.
• Your simulator installation.
• Your usual aircraft.
• Your preferred airports.
• Your installed add-ons.
• Your graphics driver.
• Your benchmark routine.

This checklist will become one of the most practical tools you take away from the Performance Academy.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will understand:

 Why a personal troubleshooting checklist is valuable.

 How to organise checks into a logical order.

 Which hardware checks should be included.

 Which software and Windows checks should be included.

 How to review graphics-driver problems.

 How to test the Community Folder.

 How benchmark comparisons support diagnosis.

 Which simulator settings and services should be checked.

 How to test individual add-ons.

 How to record confirmed causes and solutions.

 How to create separate checklist sections for different symptoms.

1. Why Create a Personal Checklist?

When the simulator develops a problem, it is easy to become frustrated and begin trying random fixes.

A checklist creates discipline.

It reminds you to:

• Define the problem first.
• Record the current configuration.
• Check recent changes.
• Start with simple, reversible tests.
• Change one variable at a time.
• Compare against your benchmark.
• Confirm the solution.
• Document what worked.

Without a checklist, users often repeat the same unsuccessful actions whenever a new problem appears.

With a checklist, every troubleshooting session becomes more efficient and easier to understand.

2. Generic Advice vs a Personal Checklist

A generic troubleshooting guide may say:

• Check your drivers.
• Disable add-ons.
• Reduce settings.
• Clear the cache.

These suggestions are broad and may not reflect your actual simulator setup.

A personal checklist includes details specific to your system.

For example:

• Your known stable graphics-driver version.
• Your permanent benchmark airport.
• Your usual PMDG or Fenix configuration.
• Your Add-ons Linker profiles.
• Your normal CPU and GPU temperatures.
• Your preferred Rolling Cache setting.
• Your standard Terrain and Object LOD.
• Your installed traffic and ground-service tools.

This makes the checklist more useful because it refers to known-good values rather than vague recommendations.

3. The Correct Checklist Order

Your checklist should move from the simplest checks towards deeper and more invasive troubleshooting.

A professional order is:

1. Define the symptom.
2. Check recent changes.
3. Reproduce the issue.
4. Compare with the previous benchmark.
5. Check simple system conditions.
6. Test simulator settings.
7. Test add-ons and Community content.
8. Check drivers.
9. Check Windows.
10. Check hardware.
11. Apply advanced repairs only if justified.
12. Confirm and document the solution.

This order prevents unnecessary reinstalls, driver removals and system changes.

4. Section One – Define the Problem

Every personal checklist should begin with a problem report.

Do not begin by applying a fix.

Record:

• Exact symptom.
• Airport.
• Aircraft.
• Weather.
• Flight phase.
• Add-ons active.
• Frequency.
• Whether the problem is repeatable.
• When it first appeared.
• Whether Windows remained stable.

Example

Too vague:

“MSFS is running badly.”

Useful description:

“The simulator develops repeated frame-time spikes approximately ten miles from third-party Heathrow while using the Fenix A320, FSLTL and GSX. Cruise performance remains normal.”

This description immediately narrows the investigation.

5. Section Two – Recent Changes

Many problems begin after a specific change.

Your checklist should ask whether any of the following occurred recently:

• Simulator Update.
• World Update.
• Graphics-driver update.
• Windows update.
• Add-on installation.
• Add-on update.
• Airport installation.
• Aircraft update.
• BIOS change.
• XMP or EXPO change.
• CPU or GPU overclock.
• New monitor or resolution.
• New traffic settings.
• New Community Folder profile.

Record the order of these changes.

The most recent change is not automatically the cause, but it provides a strong starting point.

6. Section Three – Reproduce the Issue

Before changing anything, determine whether the problem can be recreated.

Use the same:

• Airport.
• Aircraft.
• Weather.
• Route.
• Traffic.
• Add-ons.
• Camera position.

Record whether the problem occurs:

• Every time.
• Occasionally.
• Only after a long flight.
• At one specific location.
• With one aircraft.
• At every airport.
• Only in VR.

A repeatable issue can be tested. An intermittent issue may require additional logging before any conclusion can be reached.

7. Section Four – Benchmark Comparison

Your Performance Profile and permanent benchmark should be central to the checklist.

Compare the current result with the last known good result.

Record:

• Average FPS.
• 1% lows.
• Frame times.
• MainThread status.
• GPU utilisation.
• VRAM usage.
• RAM usage.
• CPU temperature.
• GPU temperature.
• Loading time.
• Stutter locations.

Questions to Include

• Has average FPS changed significantly?
• Have 1% lows become worse?
• Has the system changed from GPU limited to MainThread limited?
• Has VRAM usage increased?
• Have temperatures changed?
• Is loading slower?
• Is the permanent benchmark affected?

If the permanent benchmark remains normal, the problem is likely specific to the original airport, aircraft, route or add-on combination.

If the benchmark also performs badly, the issue is more likely global.

8. Section Five – Quick System Checks

Before performing deeper troubleshooting, complete the simplest checks.

Include:

• Restart Microsoft Flight Simulator.
• Restart Windows.
• Confirm the update or download has finished.
• Check that no background installation is running.
• Confirm sufficient storage space.
• Check that the correct power plan is active.
• Verify the monitor is using the correct refresh rate.
• Confirm the correct graphics adapter is selected.
• Close unnecessary background applications.
• Check Task Manager for unusual CPU, RAM, disk or network activity.

These checks are quick, reversible and often solve temporary problems.

9. Hardware Checks

Your checklist should include hardware monitoring whenever performance, stability or temperature is involved.

CPU Checks

Record:

• CPU temperature.
• Clock speed.
• Package power.
• MainThread behaviour.
• Thermal-throttling indicators.

Ask:

• Are temperatures higher than the system’s usual benchmark range?
• Are clocks falling during a long flight?
• Is the CPU heavily MainThread limited?
• Has the cooling behaviour changed?

GPU Checks

Record:

• GPU utilisation.
• GPU temperature.
• Hotspot temperature where available.
• Clock speed.
• Power draw.
• Thermal or power-limit indicators.

Ask:

• Is the GPU at 95–100% utilisation?
• Are clocks stable?
• Is the GPU overheating?
• Has power draw unexpectedly fallen?
• Is the GPU limited by temperature or power?

RAM Checks

Record:

• Installed capacity.
• Current usage.
• XMP or EXPO status.
• Whether memory tuning is active.

Ask:

• Are crashes random across several applications?
• Did instability begin after enabling XMP or EXPO?
• Are mixed memory kits installed?
• Does testing at stock memory settings improve stability?

High RAM usage does not automatically indicate instability.

VRAM Checks

Record:

• VRAM usage.
• Texture Resolution.
• Render resolution.
• Active airport and aircraft.

Possible warning signs include:

• Texture pop-in.
• Heavy stutters.
• Large frame-time spikes.
• VRAM usage repeatedly reaching capacity.

Storage Checks

Record:

• SSD health.
• SSD temperature.
• Free space.
• Simulator installation drive.
• Community Folder location.

Ask:

• Is the drive almost full?
• Are SMART warnings present?
• Is disk usage unusually high?
• Is the simulator installed on an HDD despite an SSD being available?

PSU and Power Checks

Consider power delivery when the PC experiences:

• Sudden shutdowns.
• Complete restarts.
• Black screens under heavy load.
• GPU-driver crashes across multiple games.

Software monitoring cannot always prove a PSU fault, but the symptom pattern can justify further hardware testing.

10. Software Checks

The software section should focus on background applications and services.

Check:

• Antivirus scan activity.
• Windows Update.
• OneDrive synchronisation.
• Browser tabs.
• Discord overlays.
• NVIDIA or AMD overlays.
• RGB software.
• Recording software.
• Monitoring utilities.
• Peripheral-control applications.
• Other launchers and downloads.

Ask:

• Did the problem disappear after closing unnecessary programs?
• Is one application consuming unusual CPU, RAM, disk or network resources?
• Is an overlay conflicting with the simulator?
• Is a recording application adding GPU encoding load?

Disable one application at a time when testing.

11. Driver Checks

Your graphics-driver section should include:

• Current driver version.
• Last known stable driver.
• Date of the most recent update.
• Game Ready or Studio branch where relevant.
• Whether the driver profile was reset.
• Whether shaders are rebuilding.
• Whether other games are affected.

Driver Checklist

 Confirm the correct driver profile is active.

 Review Power Management Mode.

 Verify G-SYNC, FreeSync and V-Sync settings.

 Check FPS caps.

 Verify DLSS, FSR, Frame Generation and Reflex settings.

 Complete more than one benchmark after an update.

 Roll back only when a repeatable regression is confirmed.

 Use a normal clean installation before considering DDU.

 Reserve DDU for persistent corruption or major driver conflicts.

The checklist should prevent DDU from becoming the first response to every graphical problem.

12. Community Folder Checks

Your Community Folder section should be detailed because third-party content is a common source of problems.

Record:

• Current profile.
• Recently installed packages.
• Recently updated packages.
• Duplicate airports.
• Duplicate libraries.
• Outdated utilities.
• Marketplace and Community overlap.
• Number of active packages.

Community Folder Test

1. Save the current active profile.
2. Disable Community content temporarily.
3. Test a default aircraft and airport.
4. Repeat the original problem scenario where possible.
5. Re-enable add-ons in categories.
6. Narrow the category until the problematic package is found.

Categories might include:

• Aircraft.
• Airports.
• Liveries.
• Traffic.
• Utilities.
• Libraries.
• Scenery enhancements.

For very large collections, use the binary elimination method by testing half the packages at a time.

13. Simulator Checks

Your simulator section should include both graphics and online settings.

Graphics Settings

Confirm:

• Resolution.
• Render Scaling.
• Anti-Aliasing.
• DLSS or FSR.
• Frame Generation.
• Terrain LOD.
• Object LOD.
• Texture Resolution.
• Clouds.
• Shadows.
• Reflections.
• Glass Cockpit Refresh Rate.
• V-Sync.

Ask whether an update reset any values.

Traffic Settings

Confirm:

• AI or Live Traffic.
• Ground Aircraft.
• Airport Workers.
• Ground Vehicles.
• Road Traffic.
• Ships and boats.

Traffic settings are particularly important when diagnosing MainThread limitations or approach stutters.

Online Settings

Check:

• Bing Data.
• Photogrammetry.
• Live Weather.
• Live Traffic.
• Multiplayer.
• Data limitation warnings.

Online-service issues may affect scenery quality, streaming and consistency.

Cache and Storage Settings

Record:

• Rolling Cache on or off.
• Cache size.
• Cache drive.
• Recent World Update.
• Recent scenery changes.

Do not automatically clear Rolling Cache or Shader Cache. Use these actions only when the symptom supports them.

14. Add-on Checks

Not all add-ons are located or managed in exactly the same way.

Your checklist should include external applications such as:

• GSX.
• FSLTL.
• BeyondATC.
• AutoFPS.
• Navigraph.
• Toolbar utilities.
• Weather programs.
• Camera software.
• Head-tracking software.
• VR runtimes.

Add-on Checklist

For each major add-on, record:

• Version.
• Compatibility status.
• Whether it launches correctly.
• Whether it is required for the test.
• CPU, GPU or network impact.
• Recent updates.
• Known configuration changes.

Test one add-on at a time.

Example

Problem:

Stutters during approach.

Test order:

1. Disable FSLTL.
2. Repeat the approach.
3. Restore FSLTL if not responsible.
4. Disable GSX.
5. Repeat.
6. Test the destination airport.
7. Test a simpler aircraft.

This identifies the actual contributor instead of disabling everything permanently.

15. Windows Checks

Windows troubleshooting should be included, but it should come after simpler simulator and add-on checks unless the issue is clearly system-wide.

Windows Checklist

 Check Windows Update history.

 Review Task Manager.

 Review Resource Monitor.

 Check Reliability Monitor.

 Review Event Viewer when crashes or hardware errors occur.

 Check Windows Game Mode and graphics settings.

 Confirm the page file remains enabled unless intentionally configured.

 Test a clean boot if a background-service conflict is suspected.

 Run DISM and SFC only when Windows corruption is reasonably suspected.

 Check security software and folder access.

Do not run every Windows repair command as routine maintenance.

16. Symptom-Specific Checklists

One master checklist is useful, but separate sections for common symptoms make it faster to use.

Low FPS Checklist

1. Confirm the benchmark conditions.
2. Check MainThread status.
3. Check GPU utilisation.
4. Check VRAM usage.
5. Check temperatures and clocks.
6. Review Traffic, Terrain LOD and Object LOD.
7. Review resolution, clouds, shadows and reflections.
8. Test the airport and aircraft separately.
9. Disable recent add-ons.
10. Compare with the previous Performance Profile.

Stuttering Checklist

1. Record exactly where the stutter occurs.
2. Review frame-time graphs.
3. Check 1% and 0.1% lows.
4. Check MainThread spikes.
5. Check GPU spikes.
6. Monitor VRAM.
7. Review AI traffic and Glass Cockpit Refresh Rate.
8. Consider shader rebuilding.
9. Test scenery streaming and Rolling Cache.
10. Check Windows background tasks.

Long Loading Checklist

1. Measure startup and flight-loading time.
2. Check active Community packages.
3. Use a lightweight add-on profile.
4. Confirm the simulator is on an SSD or NVMe drive.
5. Check free storage space.
6. Review World Updates.
7. Test complex aircraft and airports separately.
8. Check internet and online services.
9. Monitor RAM and disk activity.
10. Compare before-and-after times.

CTD Checklist

1. Record the crash time and scenario.
2. Check Reliability Monitor.
3. Review Event Viewer.
4. Test a default aircraft.
5. Test a default airport.
6. Disable Community packages.
7. Review Marketplace content.
8. Disable external utilities.
9. Return overclocks and undervolts to stock.
10. Review temperatures, RAM and VRAM.
11. Review the graphics driver.
12. Verify files or repair specific packages.
13. Escalate to Windows and hardware checks only when justified.
14. Repeat the original scenario to confirm stability.

Post-Update Checklist

1. Record the new simulator version.
2. Read release notes.
3. Verify graphics settings.
4. Allow shaders to rebuild.
5. Run multiple benchmarks.
6. Check add-on compatibility.
7. Test the Community Folder.
8. Review Marketplace updates.
9. Review Rolling Cache only if scenery problems occur.
10. Create a new Performance Profile entry.

VR Checklist

1. Confirm the correct OpenXR runtime.
2. Check headset refresh rate.
3. Check render resolution.
4. Look for stacked resolution scaling.
5. Check Motion Reprojection.
6. Check CPU and GPU frame timing.
7. Monitor VRAM.
8. Test a default airport and aircraft.
9. Review headset software and driver updates.
10. Check USB, cable or wireless-link quality.

17. Personalising the Checklist

Now adapt the checklist to your system.

Include your own known-good information.

Example Personal Entries

Permanent benchmark airport: Heathrow, Gate 215.

Permanent benchmark aircraft: PMDG 737-800.

Weather preset: Broken Clouds.

Normal average FPS: 68–72.

Normal 1% low: 55–60.

Normal GPU temperature: 63–68°C.

Normal CPU temperature: 60–75°C.

Normal VRAM usage: 10–12 GB.

Known stable graphics driver: Record the exact version.

Preferred Rolling Cache setting: Enabled, 32 GB.

Standard Add-ons Linker profile: Airline Benchmark.

Normal Terrain LOD: 200.

Normal Object LOD: 150.

These figures are examples only. Students should record values from their own healthy benchmark rather than copying someone else’s numbers.

18. Creating a Known-Good Configuration

Save a known-good configuration that can be restored during future troubleshooting.

Include:

• Graphics-settings screenshots.
• Driver-profile screenshots.
• Add-ons Linker profile.
• List of installed utilities.
• Working driver version.
• Benchmark data.
• Windows build.
• Simulator version.
• Hardware-monitoring results.

This becomes the reference point for future problems.

19. Create a Troubleshooting Log

Every checklist should include space for test results.

Troubleshooting Log Template