FS2004 closes immediately after installing FS9.1 update and no-CD patch

FS2004 closing immediately after 9.1 + no‑CD

This one usually comes down to the order of operations and/or a mismatch between what the patch expects and what’s actually installed.

Step-by-step things to try

1. First, temporarily remove the no‑CD patch from the equation.
   • If you still have your original FS9.exe backed up, put that back.
   • If not, the cleanest test is: reinstall FS2004 fresh, confirm it runs before any update/patches.
2. Install the official FS9.1 update only, then run the sim once.
   • Don’t add anything else yet (no no‑CD, no add-ons).
   • If it launches fine at this point, you know the base + 9.1 update is good.
3. If FS9 runs with 9.1 but closes immediately right after the no‑CD patch, that strongly points to the patch being the wrong one for your FS9.exe (wrong region/version) or it simply not playing nice with your install.
   • In that case, don’t keep forcing it—put the original FS9.exe back and use the disc to confirm stability.
4. Make sure FS2004 isn’t installed in a “protected” folder path.
   • If FS9 is under C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86), Windows permissions/virtualization can cause weird behavior after patching EXEs.
   • If that’s your situation, reinstalling to something simple like C:\FS9 (or another non-Program Files folder) is often the difference between “works” and “instant exit.”
5. Check the crash details so we can see what module is killing it.
   • Open Windows Event Viewer and look under:

     Windows Logs -> Application

   • Find the FS9 crash entry and note the “Faulting module name” and “Exception code.”

A couple quick questions so we can narrow it down

• What OS are you on (Win10/Win11?), and is FS9 installed under Program Files?
• Does FS9 run normally before applying the 9.1 update?
• After applying just the 9.1 update (no no‑CD), does it run?
• Can you paste the Event Viewer crash entry details (faulting module + exception code)?

Answer those and we can get you to a reliable “known good” setup without the trial-and-error.