3rd Party FlightSim Addons Using Windows Vista

[mikepalmer3]

Hi,can anyone help me with a problem I'm having with 3rd party add ons using Windows Vista,they all worked ok with XP,one particular addon I'm having a problem with is British Airports 1-5 by Just Flight,the path I am using is c:\program files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 2004,it seems to install ok but I can't find it when I go into FS2004,any suggestions?

Regards Mike P.

[baksteen33]

Hi Mike, AFAIK, some JF products aren't Vista compatible. Maybe you can find more information here:

http://forum.justflight.com/forum/

Hope this helps, kind regards

Jaap

[Pete Dowson]

Hi,can anyone help me with a problem I'm having with 3rd party add ons using Windows Vista,they all worked ok with XP,one particular addon I'm having a problem with is British Airports 1-5 by Just Flight,the path I am using is c:\program files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 2004,it seems to install ok but I can't find it when I go into FS2004,any suggestions?

Regards Mike P.

With Vista it is a bit of a mistake installing FS to its default location, in "Program Files". Vista applies data protection to anything installed there -- this has been causing a lot of headaches.

Because Vista recognises FS2004 as a pre-Vista program, and therefore one which will probably need to write stuff to its own folders (apparently a no-no for Vista-aware programs), it actually creates the folders elsewhere (I've no idea where -- they are hidden) and the ones you can see as a user are NOT the real folders, but aliasses. They don't contain anything written as data, all that stays in the "real" folders, wherever they are.

There are two choices. For a trouble-free future I suggest you un-install FS2004 completely and re-install it elsewhere, like C:\FS2004.

Alternatively you would need to either run everything to do with FS2004 as an "elevated administrator" (by Run As Administrator, or changing properties for every such program), or somehow change the access and user permissions for every folder which needs data files written to it. These methods are difficult and frankly I gave up trying and just took the simpler installation path method instead.

Regards

Pete

[mglanfield]

Hi Pete,

I have recently upgraded to Vista and would like to ask if you would also recommend keeping FSX out of 'Program files' as well for the same reasons? I currently have FSX running under 'Program files' and receive the 'Data Protection Message' together with the 'Flight Simulator has closed message' every time I go to shut down.

Kind regards,

Mike.

[Pete Dowson]

I have recently upgraded to Vista and would like to ask if you would also recommend keeping FSX out of 'Program files' as well for the same reasons?

For non-Vista aware third-party add-ons, yes, for sure.

Not for exactly the same reasons as with FS2004, as Vista doesn't alias the FSX folders as it does with non-Vista programs, which saves difficulties finding things. But non-Vista aware programs which still want to write stuff to FSX subfolders will have difficulty. (Under Vista, programs are supposed to go into Program Files, and their data into a program-specific subfolder in Documents & Settings "AppData" fodler, or something like that -- one for each user, or into All Users).

The FSUIPC4 installer still puts its stuff into a newly created FSX Modules folder, but it manages okay because it also automatically sets the permissions on that folder for all user read/write access. I expect, gradually, all third party add-ons will be changed to do this.

Another reason for installing into something nice and easy like C:\FSX is that, well, it's shorter, easier to remember, etc. I've always used such short paths. In fact i usually install FS on a separate disk (or at least a separate partition) from the main system, so fragmentation happens less often and less severely and hopefully access will be faster.

I currently have FSX running under 'Program files' and receive the 'Data Protection Message' together with the 'Flight Simulator has closed message' every time I go to shut down.

Maybe there's a third-party program trying to save its state someplace in the FSX subfolders?

Regards

Pete

[mgglanfield]

Thanks for your prompt reply Peter, that appears to explain why I have been having so many problems with some 3rd party software for FSX.

Mike.

[Michel MEGIER]

Hello,

I've a new pc with windows Vista.

In FS9, advdisplay does not go normally.

For example Radar Contact v4.3 does not go in the advdisplay's window.

I've two windows...

With XP all goes normally.

Can you help me ?

Best regards

Michel

[Pete Dowson]

In FS9, advdisplay does not go normally.

AdvDisplay is not supported, and has not been used for over two years. Please use the special FS window facilities now built into FSUIPC, as documented near the beginning of its User Guide.

Pete

[Michel MEGIER]

Thank you for your answer.

I shall try.

Best regards and "bravo" for yours very goods tools for Fs...

Michel MEGIER