I have a legitimate 5 year old copy of FS9 and I want to preserve it as buying another copy seems to be getting harder and harder. Can I install it on a back up external hard drive? Can I run it from there? Am I legally entitled to do so? If I am allowed to, do I have to copy Windows as well? In the event of a computer crash (and that has happened 3 times in the last 6 years) or dead FS2004 CDs, I would really like to be able to pull the programme off the external drive and onto a new machine without having to buy another copy of FS2004 if indeed I even can. Lots of questions I know but others must be thinking about the same thing if FS9 disappears from the shelves. Has anyone found a way around this problem?Gerry

Mark,At major FS sites this suggestion is looked down upon so don't be shocked if it is gone.Thanks,

Mark,At major FS sites this suggestion is looked down upon so don't be shocked if it is gone.Thanks,

I appreciate what you are saying Jim , but what I am stating is an observation Not a suggestion .Mark

It is not the CD4 that I am worried about - it is all of them. What if Disc 1 fails after 5 years in the box?Gerry

It is not the CD4 that I am worried about - it is all of them. What if Disc 1 fails after 5 years in the box?Gerry

For That I have no Idea I am sorry to say , but how many times would you have to install for one of the first three discs to fail.I suppose the best suggestion would be to keep your eyes open for another copy of FS9 , and then put it away somewhere safe .Mark

Amazon.com still sells FS2k2, so I suspect the supply of FS9 discs is safe for some time to come.regards,Joe

HelloI have even seen the tin box version for sale recently

Well, I would suggest buying another copy if you can afford it, im thinking of that myself. I've seen FS2004 at Walmart and other places, very cheap, and online as someone already said.I use the above mentioned crack, because I dont like swapping disks.

I think that it is legal if you do not share it, but one nice solution is ripping all four discs to your hdd, and combining them in one folder. You then burn this whole folder to a DVD and store your original safely away. If no burning, you can create an image of it and virtually mount it. Thats what I did, and whaddya know, my Disc 3 went bad.

You are allowed by the EULA to make backup ISO images of your CDs. I made backup copies of all four CDs years ago and have them stored in a fire-proof document vault. :(

Don't think you will ever have trouble finding FS9. As others have mentioned, you can get it just about anywhere, I have thought about buying another copy. I have the tin version ad I've seen the tin at FRYS. Amazon has a bunch.

As long as you own a licence for FS2004 then you can back up your software until your hearts content. Just dont share it. Its the licence that costs money, the software itself is worthless.I've created images from my fs9 discs and made a few backups as the original discs were getting a bit scratched. You'll find instructions on google for how to rip a cd/dvd image.

How about just buying 2 copies and putting them away like I did. If you love it so much, why not? They are cheap!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Max-Flight-FS2000-Simu...=item4ceb158ce6Well here is a cheap back up for a special version of FS2000.NOT! :(EDIT: I'd hate to hit 'buy it now' by mistake... :(