Multiple FSUIPC.dll

[peterhayes]

Hi Pete

Sometimes add-on programs will try to "install" a version of FSUIPC.dll with their software which may or may not be the latest version. Sometimes you get an option to install the included FSUIPC.dll, but sometimes you do not. ASVe and FS Real time both spring to mind. Now you could end up with multiple copies of FSUIPC all of vaying versions and dates in your Fligt Simulator 9 directory. (ASVe "installs" their included version of FSUIPC in Flight Simulator 9 \Modules\ASV\ folder).

My questions are:

1) Should there only be ONE copy of FSUPIC.dll in the FS9 folder?

2) Will multiple copies of the FSUIPC.dll and of varying ages and versions on your PC cause any problems?

3)Should you delete all other copies of FSUIPC.dll except the registered one?

Thanks

PeterH

[JSkorna]

Hi Peter,

We supply a version of FSUIPC.dll but we do not install it! Yes, there is a copy in the ASV folder, but the thing to remember is that only the FSUIPC.dll that is active is in the Modules folder. You can have 10 FSUIPC.dlls anywhere else in FS and it will not matter, only the one in the Modules folder is active.

1. Only one in the Modules folder.

2. Not that I know of.

3. Up to you.

[Pete Dowson]

Just to amplify what Jim has said:

Sometimes add-on programs will try to "install" a version of FSUIPC.dll with their software which may or may not be the latest version.

They should (but may not, that is the problem) first check whether the version they wish to install is a later version than the one you have installed. Otherwise they should not install it. This is one of the conditions I request of products which do install FSUIPC. If you do find any that violate this, please report this to the originators as this is really a bug or omission.

To safeguard yourself against such installs, always go to the FSUIPC options (ALT M F) after any new install and check the version. Currently anything before 3.50 is out of date and unsupported. Version 3.51 should be available early December.

Now you could end up with multiple copies of FSUIPC all of vaying versions and dates in your Fligt Simulator 9 directory. (ASVe "installs" their included version of FSUIPC in Flight Simulator 9 \Modules\ASV\ folder).

The latter does not count as an "installed" FSUIPC -- ASV will be putting it there for your convenience, in case you do have an earlier version.

The current version of FS (FS2004, updated to 9.1) will only load add-in modules if they are placed in the FS Modules folder. There is some suspicion that earlier versions of FS may have loaded modules placed in the main FS folder too, but certainly never from anywhere else.

The Windows file system ensures that you cannot have multiple copies of the same file in one folder, unless you have renamed any. The name has to be unique in the folder.

So, good rules to follow are:

* Never rename any modules in the FS Modules folder. If you want to keep different versions "just in case" make a new folder, for example "Saved", and put them in there.

* Never install any add-in module into the FS main folder. Although this doesn't seem to matter with FS9.1 it may have had an adverse effect in earlier versions and, you never know, may do so again in future.

Incidentally, for quite a long time now FSUIPC has had a built-in check against two or more versions of itself being loaded at the same time. If it detects another copy of itself running it will tell you so, when FS is loading, and will attempt to terminate one of them.

Regards

Pete

[peterhayes]

Hi Jim and Pete

Many thanks for the info. For Jim, I merely gave ASVe as an example of where a copy of FSUIPC.dll was included in the software. Pete Dowson seems to have the situation well in hand as his program has enough smarts to know if there were more than one version installed.

Thanks so much for your effort and time.

Regards

PeterH