I guess its either BAV or 64bit OS. Or an external laptop ($$$) for the applications.

No, you can have both. Install BAV ACARS and WideFS on a 32bit machine (?your laptop). The second machine doesn't even need FS9/FSX installed - I use an old slot 1 AMD machine from 1999. It is not an ideal solution but it is simple to set up and works flawlessly for most people.

No, you can have both. Install BAV ACARS and WideFS on a 32bit machine (?your laptop). The second machine doesn't even need FS9/FSX installed - I use an old slot 1 AMD machine from 1999. It is not an ideal solution but it is simple to set up and works flawlessly for most people.

I have here an old P3 800 with 128mb RAM, but unfortunately it doesn't want to install XP. If a 2nd machine, then I want it to run all other apps, like maps, SB, ASA and ACARS. XP is needed.

I have here an old P3 800 with 128mb RAM, but unfortunately it doesn't want to install XP. If a 2nd machine, then I want it to run all other apps, like maps, SB, ASA and ACARS. XP is needed.

I'm not sure about that. I run Win2000 on my WideFS client. BAV ACARS and Malev ACARS perform perfectly, as does Radio Contact 4, Active Weather 6, vasFMC, etc. FSUIPC and WideFS will also run on Win98 and Win95 systems. WideFS may not support SB as I think this runs within the simulator. If you have a problem running SB in Vista 64 on your main machine then maybe you should get in touch with the SB developers. It is easy to try WideFS. It takes about 10 minutes to read the relevant .pdf and about 10 seconds to install. It's worth a try if you're really interested in finding a solution to your FS problem.