Have you experimented with adjusting the contrast and brightness settings on your monitor?I had a somewhat similar issue a few years ago and adjusting my monitor settings helped alot.

Yes, I just got a new TFT and used Adobe Gamma to optimize settings but not much improvement, I'm afraid

I would try changing the settings in the display area of fs9.cfg mentioned previously to a number like 5 or 10 just to test. That will prove if you have lights and they were just too small or non-existant.[DISPLAY]RUNWAY_LIGHTS_SURFACE_SCALAR=10RUNWAY_LIGHTS_VASI_SCALAR=10RUNWAY_LIGHTS_APPROACH_SCALAR=10RUNWAY_LIGHTS_STROBE_SCALAR=10The lights are produced from halo.bmp found in the textures folder. Someone has created a special one for TH2G users which has smaller VASI lights, but in your case it wont help if you cant see them to begin with. Check if you have the halo.bmp file and if not, download a new one from the file library.

My advice if you want to fly at night is have a mug of cocoa first! It helps a lot!!Vololiberista

I believe you're too dim. No, not you (hehe) but your monitor. So, is it a CRT or a LCD? Makes a difference. Also your resolution.I too have trouble doing taxi at night. Those blue lights blend with other runway lights, etc. So, I make a window and make it TOP-DOWN view. Then even if I can't see the blue taxi 'path' lights in other views, I can clearly see where I have to go to negotiate taxiways effectively. Can't beat it. You have 2 monitors? Then one can temporarily be ALL top down view. Or just start at 'Locked Spot View' and use 'S' (next view) to cycle thru to 'Top Down View' (zoom in!) and main monitor can be used for those views, swithcing views with 'S' key as needed. So 'use my head' and beat the 'night blindness' that MS so graciously provided for you.Chuck BNapamule

I believe you're too dim. No, not you (hehe) but your monitor. So, is it a CRT or a LCD? Makes a difference. Also your resolution.I too have trouble doing taxi at night. Those blue lights blend with other runway lights, etc. So, I make a window and make it TOP-DOWN view. Then even if I can't see the blue taxi 'path' lights in other views, I can clearly see where I have to go to negotiate taxiways effectively. Can't beat it. You have 2 monitors? Then one can temporarily be ALL top down view. Or just start at 'Locked Spot View' and use 'S' (next view) to cycle thru to 'Top Down View' (zoom in!) and main monitor can be used for those views, swithcing views with 'S' key as needed. So 'use my head' and beat the 'night blindness' that MS so graciously provided for you.Chuck BNapamule

It's a TFT monitor, running at its optimum resolution of 1280 x 1024, just like the sim itself. I have two monitors but my topdown view is pitch black as well. I can follow the yellow taxi lines in the light of my landing lights but I won't be able to see the 747 right in my path before it's too late.

I would try changing the settings in the display area of fs9.cfg mentioned previously to a number like 5 or 10 just to test. That will prove if you have lights and they were just too small or non-existant.[DISPLAY]RUNWAY_LIGHTS_SURFACE_SCALAR=10RUNWAY_LIGHTS_VASI_SCALAR=10RUNWAY_LIGHTS_APPROACH_SCALAR=10RUNWAY_LIGHTS_STROBE_SCALAR=10The lights are produced from halo.bmp found in the textures folder. Someone has created a special one for TH2G users which has smaller VASI lights, but in your case it wont help if you cant see them to begin with. Check if you have the halo.bmp file and if not, download a new one from the file library.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try them out. I do have the Halo.bmp and I can see the VASI and approach lights when landing. The problems start after that, trying to taxi.

The SCALAR's "do not" change the size of the blue and green taxiway lights. In the halo.bmp have a look at the bottom left light. That is the bmp for taxiway lights. I have changed the size of mine so that it can model PAPI's more correctly and as a spin off give the indication of embedded taxiway lights. The problem always is that the simulated lights are not "real" lights. It's virtually impossible to simulate the brightness of a small light. So it is always a swings and roundabouts exercise. In my lights I added a very slight lens flare. If the lens is too large the lights merge at a distance whereas in real life they would remain distinct. In effect my halo.bmp for the taxiway lights is overlarge. Thus compensated for by the SCALAR's when the same halo is used for rwy lights.Vololiberista

Just reinstall the whole thing.. something seems to be missing, what we dont know.

I think for FS use you need to turn up the brightness and back down for other use. FS via DirectX video uses a much lower gamma forced onto the video by its scenery texture it seems only when FS is running. I use a CRT and night illumination still lacks outside of the landing light area. It is just visible on my aging CRT.If your video card driver allows settings for each application, turn up the brightness curve in that. TFTs compress black at the bottom not affected by the middle range of the gamma curve. If you can do a custom curve to stretch the black/near black area try that.If you look at posted unretouched screen shots you may note they are darker than what you expect to see in gray to shadow areas.Here's my curve reducing highlights slightly and bringing up blacks.