Makerunways

[Anthony T]

I have downloaded the makerunways program. When I run it it reads the various scenery files within the FS9 folder and says it has successfully completed the various files. However, none of these files appear in the FS9 main folder. A search of the computer fails to find the files. It is as if they have not been created! I am using Windows 7 operating system. Is that the problem?

Also Radar Contact seems to have problem with makerunways showing a "run time error 75 Path / File access error" when I build the scenery database.

AET

[Pete Dowson]

I have downloaded the makerunways program. When I run it it reads the various scenery files within the FS9 folder and says it has successfully completed the various files. However, none of these files appear in the FS9 main folder. A search of the computer fails to find the files. It is as if they have not been created! I am using Windows 7 operating system. Is that the problem?

Have you by any chance allowed FS9 to install itself it its default location, in the windows "Program Files" folder? If so then a lot of programs will have problems, because those folders are protected by Vista and Windows 7 from being written to by anything without elevated privileges, such as installers.

Windows 7 recognises FS9 as being a non-Vista aware program, written at a time where there were no such rules, so it provides it with separate, hidden, folders elsewhere, ones the program, FS9, can actually write to if it wants. And then the folders it shows you, in Explorer, are not the real folders but "aliassed" folders.

This doesn't apply to folders elsewhere. For example, it is a good idea to install FS9 to, say, "C:\FS9" or "D:\FS9" which would be better if you have a separate drive. Short names also make it much easier when editing files and telling programs where FS is installed.

As it is, in order to run MakeRunways successfully you'll probably need to do two things:

1. Run Explorer "as administrator" (that's a right-click option). Doing that gives it elevated privileges, like an installer, and allows you to see and write to the "real" folders instead of the aliassed ones.

2. Using the privileged Explorer, copy in MakeRunways.exe, if it isn't already there.

3. Now run MakeRunways in that folder, also right-clicking and selecting "as administator" so it can write the data back to the same folder.

Note that this applies even if you ARE the administrator. That's not relevant. Confusing isn't it? Vista was the same, this isn't new in Win 7.

Also Radar Contact seems to have problem with makerunways showing a "run time error 75 Path / File access error" when I build the scenery database.

Same problem.

Many folks are told they must run FS9 "as administrator" all the time. This shouldn't be necessary, but it is made more so by having FS9 in the Program Files folder, which is the real problem. If you do run FS9 "as administrator" you must run all programs wishing to interface to it via FSUIPC "as administrator" too, because Windows 7, like Vista, prevents programs of different privilege levels talking to each othr!

Regards

Pete

[Anthony T]

Brilliant! It worked. :D Many thanks.

AET

[Turbine777]

Question that seems to suit this thread.

I ran makerwys.exe and its not creating an xml file. It does create the following files:

• g5.csv
  
• r4.csv
  
• r5.csv
  
• runways.csv
  
• Runways.txt
  
• t5.csv
  
• airports.fsm
  
• FstarRC.rws
  

My FSX installation is not in the default and is on my D:\ but for what its worth I don't have UAC enabled anyway.

Is there a setting somewhere that is keeping an xml from being created?

I just saw this problem for the first time after installing Super Traffic Board V.3 and it's compile of course isn't working due to no .xml being created.

[Pete Dowson]

I ran makerwys.exe and its not creating an xml file.

Seems it must be a version you are using which precedes that addition.

My FSX installation is not in the default and is on my D:\ but for what its worth I don't have UAC enabled anyway.

Is there a setting somewhere that is keeping an xml from being created?

If you are using any recent version (4.43 is the latest) then there is no way it cannot produce such a file. It has exactly the same level of importance as all the others.

Regards

Pete

[Turbine777]

Thanks Pete. I just downloaded 4.41 (the latest I found on the website http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html ) and it worked.

Thanks

[Pete Dowson]

I just downloaded 4.41 (the latest I found on the website http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html ) and it worked.

Yes. At present 4.43 is only available here in the Download Links sub-forum, with all the other updated programs.

Pete

[Turbine777]

I clicked the link above that says downloads and nothing is showing. I'll scroll around later throught the forums and look for a "download subforum" but as for now, all it fixed. Thanks again...

[Pete Dowson]

I clicked the link above that says downloads and nothing is showing. I'll scroll around later throught the forums and look for a "download subforum" but as for now, all it fixed. Thanks again...

Is there a link saying "downloads"? where? I can't see one!

The subforums here are at the top of this Forum, before the topics themselves. There are four of them:

Announcements

FAQ ("Frequently Answered Questions")

Download Links

User Contributions

Between them there's a lot of useful stuff. I really recommend you don't miss them. The reason they are placed at the top is so you CAN'T miss them!!!

Pete

[Turbine777]

Is there a link saying "downloads"? where? I can't see one!

Really? Look up, it's right at the top of the page.

Thanks for the other info, I'll go check out other things they may have been updated in my recent inactivity.

[Pete Dowson]

Really? Look up, it's right at the top of the page.

Oh, in the "simFlight Forums" banner? Phew. Never looked there! That's way outside my little Support Forum. I have no idea what goes in there. I'm talking about here, in this Forum, where my updates have ALWAYS been provided, for years. It's just that the owners have started using different Forum software, since some weeks ago, and what used to be "stickies" and "Announcements" are now in "subforums". But they are easily accessible - at the top of this Forum, and in fact just above this thread when it's the latest to be written in.

The idea of the subforums is to provide ongoing useful reference data, downloads, help, as well as news. Different from the support threads themselves which eventually scroll out of sight and get lost among the thousands of others.

Pete

[Turbine777]

Thanks for the education there Pete. Too bad some of us don't come here as much as yourself, or need to for that matter.