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Troubleshoot a Simulator

Use visible simulator status to recover pairing, agent, sync, and settings problems.

Use this guide when a simulator is not paired, offline, out of sync, or failing a managed content or settings step.

Start from the simulator dashboard. It shows the simulator label, pairing state, last report, content state, settings state, and latest failure message.

Simulator Is Not Paired

If the simulator is not paired:

  1. Confirm the simulator exists in the venue dashboard.
  2. Confirm Pista Agent is installed on the Windows machine.
  3. Open the simulator Machine page.
  4. Select Pair machine or New pairing code.
  5. Select Generate pairing code.
  6. Pair the machine again.
  7. Confirm the machine can reach Pista if pairing fails again.

If Windows was reinstalled, create a new pairing code. Do not reuse old credentials.

Agent Is Offline

If the agent is offline:

  1. Confirm the Windows machine is powered on.
  2. Confirm the network is connected.
  3. Confirm Pista Agent is running.
  4. Confirm security software allows Pista Agent to run.
  5. Confirm the Windows system clock and timezone are correct.
  6. Return to the simulator dashboard and check for a new agent report.

If the agent was recently reinstalled, confirm it is paired to the intended simulator.

Remote Support Is Incomplete

If Setup says Agent connected; remote support incomplete, the agent pairing is valid but installation is not complete:

  1. Rerun the same downloaded PistaSetup.exe as Administrator.
  2. Choose REPAIR. Do not generate or enter another pairing code.
  3. Let repair upgrade and prove the persistent agent, then reconcile the full local remote rail: the existing Pista-owned Tailscale identity, pista-support account, OpenSSH configuration, Pista key, and restricted firewall.
  4. Confirm Setup reports that SSH support access over Tailscale is locally ready.

Repair retries Level grouping independently. A Level failure remains a warning and does not make a ready Tailscale/OpenSSH rail incomplete. An SSH login from an authorized support device is the separate external acceptance check.

Repair deliberately receives no Tailscale enrollment key. If it reports that the Pista-owned Tailscale client is missing, logged out, or connected under a different identity, uninstall Pista Agent and pair again with one fresh code. Do not manually create pista-support, weaken SSH authentication, or open port 22 outside Tailscale.

Required Content Manager SteamID64 Is Missing

Pista reads every Windows station's required SteamID64 from Content Manager. It does not ask staff to type the ID and does not wait for the station's first driving result.

  1. Sign in to the Windows account used to operate the simulator.
  2. Open Content Manager and confirm it points at the intended AC or AC PRO root.
  3. Confirm CM has the intended Steam account selected and uses its default application-data storage.
  4. Close Content Manager.
  5. Run the current PistaSetup.exe as Administrator and choose REPAIR.
  6. Confirm the Assetto Corsa row on the machine page shows the expected SteamID64.

This Content Manager prerequisite applies even when the station primarily runs Assetto Corsa Competizione, DiRT Rally 2.0, or another supported game.

Content Sync Failed

If content sync failed:

  1. Open the simulator dashboard.
  2. Check the latest sync status and failure message.
  3. Fix the machine issue named by the message.
  4. On the venue's simulator-content page, select Repair All when the machine reports changed or failed content.
  5. Confirm the simulator reports in sync.

Common causes include:

  • Interrupted download.
  • Insufficient disk space.
  • Blocked artifact download.
  • Missing write permissions.
  • Unexpected files in managed content paths.
  • Assetto Corsa installed in a path Pista Agent cannot detect.

If the selected content itself is wrong, remove or replace it in the venue library. That selection immediately becomes current, and missing content updates automatically across paired machines.

Settings Failed

If settings could not be captured or applied, or originals could not be restored during uninstall:

  1. Confirm both Assetto Corsa and Content Manager are closed.
  2. Confirm Content Manager was run by the simulator's current Windows account, still owns the acmanager Windows integration, points at the intended AC or AC PRO root, and uses its default application-data storage. Portable CM installations and custom storage locations are unsupported in v1.
  3. Confirm the simulator runs the settings you mean to capture; capture saves its live files.
  4. Check the exact capture or native-file error shown under Stations › Game settings.
  5. Confirm the simulator Windows account can access its Documents folder and the configured Assetto Corsa root.
  6. For capture, verify the current triple_screen.ini and camera_onboard.ini contain the intended geometry/FOV. Their absence is captured deliberately and removes the corresponding destination file.
  7. Retry the capture or apply after fixing the named issue.

The assigned preset writes exact video.ini, system graphics.ini, and oculus.ini contents plus optional triple_screen.ini and camera_onboard.ini companions. Pista does not apply semantic, driver, or session overlays and does not restore another configuration after game exit.

A Display capture also saves the simulator's CSP module settings. If capture requests an agent update, update Pista Agent on that simulator and capture again.

If staff explicitly chose to restore the machine's originals during uninstall, those originals come only from that machine's local Pista Agent data. They are not recoverable from another simulator's game setting.

Conflicting Paired Agents

If one simulator shows conflicting paired agents:

  1. Stop pairing more machines to that simulator.
  2. Confirm which Windows installation must remain attached.
  3. Contact support to remove the stale credential.

Confirm It Worked

The simulator is recovered when the dashboard shows the expected pairing state, a recent report, the expected content and settings state, and no active failure message.

Include This in a Support Note

When escalating a simulator issue, include:

  • Venue name.
  • Simulator label.
  • Last report time.
  • Selected content and current sync status.
  • Manually installed game or runtime-mod details when relevant.
  • Game settings and latest settings state.
  • Latest dashboard failure message.
  • What changed immediately before the issue started.

Manage Station Settings

Capture and apply exact named Assetto Corsa game settings safely.

On this page

Simulator Is Not PairedAgent Is OfflineRemote Support Is IncompleteRequired Content Manager SteamID64 Is MissingContent Sync FailedSettings FailedConflicting Paired AgentsConfirm It WorkedInclude This in a Support Note