Switching from one PC to a network

[stopnicki]

Hello Peter:

I am not sure if this question belongs here, but I will only know if I ask.

After observing a networked FS arrangement at a friend of mine, I have decided to attempt it myself.

I have re-enlisted the help of a couple of old PC's that were on "door- stopper" duty for a while. After a good dusting, they appear happy to work again.

I currently have FS (2004) and a large number of add-ons, running on one PC. I have always had a registered copy of FSUIPC and since yesterday, I am the proud owner of a registered copy of WideFS. My questions are:

1) Do I have to un-install the add-ons (i.e. Squawkbox, ActiveSky, FSCommander, etc.) from my current PC (that will become the server) and install them on the PC's that will become the clients?

2) Can I just leave things as they are in the current PC and install the add-ons on the soon-to-be client PC's? Would this create confusion and/or conflicts?

As always, I appreciate any advice.

Regards,

Roberto

[Pete Dowson]

1) Do I have to un-install the add-ons (i.e. Squawkbox, ActiveSky, FSCommander, etc.) from my current PC (that will become the server) and install them on the PC's that will become the clients?

If they have some protection mechanism that stops them being installed on more that one PC at a time, I suppose so, but that sounds unlikely. If they aren't going to be used on the FS PC they could be left alone, surely, unless you desperately needed the disk space.

Mind you, Squawkbox might be different. Doesn't that need something installed on both the FS PC and the client in order to operate effectively? I'm not sure. You'll need to consult the documentation for that.

2) Can I just leave things as they are in the current PC and install the add-ons on the soon-to-be client PC's? Would this create confusion and/or conflicts?

As I said, if you didn't use them on both PCs at the same time, what could go wrong? How would they cause confusion and conflict if they aren't used?

But check Squawkbox. I don't know enough to say for sure how that operates over WideFS.

Regards

Pete

[stopnicki]

Hi Peter:

I think that unwittingly, I got myself into immense trouble. And your response above is so "on the mark".

Impatient as I am, I installed/registered WideFS in the server and the appropriate two files in another PC that will be my client in anticipation of the help of a friend who will help in establishing the network. That is all I did. I did not run any of the programs that have to be run with WideFS. Just installed them.

After registering WideFS last night, FSUIPC asked to reinitiate the FS and I did that today.

Unfortunately, after starting FS (2004) I am now getting an error that says: "The Squawkbox was unable to start because FSUIPC could not be initialized. Ensure that FSUIPC is properly installed and restart Flight Simulator to try again". I am unable to understand what happened.

To try to "undo" whatever I did, I deleted the WideFS dll's from the server PC. I uninstalled and re-installed SB4, I deleted and replaced the FSUIPC.dll (the version is 3.947). To no avail, as the same error message continues to appear.

The "Modules" tab in FS only shows FSUIPC, but not the "Start Squawkbox" option that it did before.

When I open FSUIPC, it appears to be quite content, telling that it (and WideFS) are registered. All the my settings/selections that it had before are there. The "Modules" folder of FS has the "fsuipc.ini" file.

I have also realized that Active Sky is not connecting and that the flaps that were calibrated via FSUIPC are not working properly either ..

Sorry about the wordy message, but I just don't know where could this have gone wrong?

(As an aside, I tried to open the connection to IVAO and it complained similarly that it was unable to connect with FSUIPC, however it continued with the on-line connection warning me that options such as TCAS, etc. would not be available))

Thanks again.

Roberto

[Pete Dowson]

After registering WideFS last night, FSUIPC asked to reinitiate the FS and I did that today.

It would have been better to use the FSUIPC installer to register WideFS, just as I hope you did if/when you registered FSUIPC.

Unfortunately, after starting FS (2004) I am now getting an error that says: "The Squawkbox was unable to start because FSUIPC could not be initialized. Ensure that FSUIPC is properly installed and restart Flight Simulator to try again". I am unable to understand what happened.

Questions:

1. What does the FSUIPC.LOG file show? That is always the first place to look. You'll find it in the FS Modules folder.

2. Did you have it working BEFORE you registered WideFS?

3. Are you using Vista or Windows 7, and if so, did you allow FS2004 to install into its default place of "Program Files"?

To try to "undo" whatever I did, I deleted the WideFS dll's from the server PC.

There's only the one, and it is called "WideServer.DLL". It won't have anything whatsoever to do with any of this.

I uninstalled and re-installed SB4, I deleted and replaced the FSUIPC.dll (the version is 3.947).

3.947? That's way out of date and totally unsupportable! 3.96 is the minimum currently supported version, and there's a much later version (3.976) available here in the Updates announcement. Please do LOOK AT THE ANNOUNCEMENTS! They are VERY important. I Announce things there! I sdtill don't understand why no one ever reads them! :-(

The most likely cause of your problem is that you purchased your WideFS registration in 2010, and 2010 keys only work with 3.96 or later. Please ALWAYS keep FSUIPC up to date if you want help. Tha'ts always the first thing to ask yourself, "am I using the latest version?".

Download and install 3.96 from the Schiratti site. Then overwrite the DLL with 3.976 from the Announcement. Then you'll be up to date -- at least until next week when 3.98 will be released and become the only one supported.

:-(

Pete

[stopnicki]

Hello Pete:

I regret that I caused your obvious (and justified) frustration.

While any explanation is now an excuse, I have been in the hobby for over 10 years and carefully (as I am totally system ignorant) following instructions, to avoid the disasters that just befell upon me.

I made an error in the numbering of FSUIPC download folders, and re-installed the old 3.947 thinking that I had installed the new 3.96 version. As simple, unfortunate and silly as that.

Many more problems were created as a result, but now that I know their source, I am slowly trying to repair them.

While I cannot promise to ever annoy you again, I can promise that I will really try not to.

Thanks for your continuing help.

Regards,

Roberto

[Pete Dowson]

I regret that I caused your obvious (and justified) frustration.

Sorry if I gave that impression. It wasn't so much frustration, just surprise. ;-)

Regards

Pete

[stopnicki]

Just completed a flight with FS on the server and FSCommander on a client

WWOOWW!!!!!

Smiling widely

Roberto