Installing FS9 On Two Hard Drives, Same Computer...

[Guest Bob I]

Hi,Did this with FS2K2, by renaming the first install. This did not work with FS9, as the config file is on C:....... Installing the second sim on D:, wiped out both. Any ideas? Thanks.Layabout

[peppy197 165]

I would think you can do a full cpoy of the fs9 to the otrhrt drive, then make it have its own shortcut to the executable, checking that path uner properties

[Guest Bob I]

Hi,The problem is over on C:, The second install uses the existing cfg file. I tried to install a second cfg titled FS9 01, with its own shortcut, and all hell broke loose. Can't seem to convince the second install cfg file to stop co-mingling with the original. The second install will not recognize the renamed cfg. It worked so good in FS2K2. Wonder why MS changed things. Any ideas?Bob

[Guest UweR]

Hi, you could rename the folders that hold the config files prior to the use of the "second" sim installation. The "active" would be FS9, the "inactive" FS9.anythingOr you use another user account in WinXP for the second sim installation, then the files should be and stay separated.

[Guest]

BobMake as many copies of fs9.exe as you want, then rename the config files to match the exe file names. E.g., for configuration 1, make a copy of fs9.exe named fs9_1.exe and make a copy of fs9.cfg named fs9_1.cfg. When you run the exe, it will look for a configuration file named the same as the exe file basename. This works for FS2002 (it's one of the tips in the Hints & Tips page on the Visual Flight web site).NB. If you want to re-register the FS9 path in the registry for each separate copy of FS9 that you run, you could think about using FS2004_IS_HERE.exe from the Visual Flight FS2004 Toolkit, available free from Visual Flight. Drop it into the folder where you have the fs9 executable, run it, and it will register the exe path as the current EXE Path entry for FS9 in the registry. As well as this drop-and-run mode of operation, you can also use it in a batch file, which could be useful for complex set-ups/expert users.JohnVisual Flighthttp://www.visualflight.co.uk

[Guest UweR]

Hi John, I think with two different installations of FS2004 this won

[Guest]

If you want different scenery.cfg's, you need to install separately into different folders, which is what I assumed Bob had done. The problem he had then was that in FS9, both were looking at the same FS9.CFG, whereas using FS2002, they would each have had a separate fs2002.cfg in the same folder as the exe file.With the exe renaming trick, the two installations (or just different exes) can find their own FS9.CFG even though they're in the same folder. It works for me - I use it all the time.You can of course use a different user account to achieve the same effect, but it means logging off/on, and not every system is set up for multiple users. The folder renaming options would work also, but IMO is not such an elegant solution.JohnVisual Flighthttp://www.visualflight.co.uk

[Guest Bob I]

Hi John,I like both yours and uwe's ideas. I think I'll try yours first. I now have one install, which I'll remane to fs9_1.exe, and fs9_cfg. I will also remame the sim. This way, the second install should not see the original. After remaming the original, I'll remove it using the program uninstall in the manager. How do this sound???Bob ... across the BIG pond

[Guest]

BobNow I'm a little confused about what you're trying to achieve. I thought you wanted two separate working installations of FS9, presumably for different purposes and with different configurations of both scenery.cfg and FS9.cfg. Now with all this talk of installing a second time then uninstalling the original I'm not so sure. Forget the different techniques, what are you actually trying to achieve? (Or to put it another way, what problem are you trying to solve?) When we're clear about that, we can give you the best advice on how to achieve it.JohnVisual Flighthttp://www.visualflight.co.uk

[Guest Bob I]

Hi,Sorry about the confusion, It must be obvious why I'm having so much trouble. I have two 40 gig partitioned hard drives. I want to install a seperate FS9 on a partition on each drive, that are completely separate of each other, and will never use one anothers files. I found out several sims ago, that it is nice to have a test sim, or a virgin sim, so to speak, to try things on before one commits them to the master sim. FS2K2 was a snap to have as many sims as you could stand. But this bugger wants to co-mingle files. For example, the FS9 files on C: from two installs all get mixed up. After a dual system install for example, there is only one Aircraft Folder on C: for both installs. If you have the time and HD space, would you please try a dual seperate install, and see what you come up with. Thanks.Bob

[Guest Ron Freimuth]

>Bob>>Make as many copies of fs9.exe as you want, then rename the>config files to match the exe file names. E.g., for>configuration 1, make a copy of fs9.exe named fs9_1.exe and>make a copy of fs9.cfg named fs9_1.cfg. When you run the exe,>it will look for a configuration file named the same as the>exe file basename. This works for FS2002 (it's one of the tips>in the Hints & Tips page on the Visual Flight web site).>>John That accidently happened for me when I added the NoCd fs9.exe. To keep it separate I renamed it fs9_nocd.exe. When I ran it a new fs2004_nocd.cfg (I think) was generated in my "user documents" folder and a new local scenery cache was created. I ended up copying fs2004.cfg to fs2004_nocd.cfg to get my FS settings the same in each installation. However, I can change Display details, FPS, etc. independently for each setup. It does seem new scenery index files are regenerated if I start the other FS9 setup. Perhaps because I have FS4 DISK4 in my image drive, but it doesn't support the protection needed for the normal FS9.exe (just the scenery files). In this case, the real CD Drive with DISK 4 in it is used for enabling FS9 and also for the scenery I didn't install in the 'compact' installation. I expect I could create a .cmd file that would copy the appropriate scnery.cfg file to what FS9 sees, depending on which FS exe I run. Thus, saving the time required to re-index the scnery for a different CD drive. Or, adding /CFG:fs2004.cfg to my no_cd command line would probably use the normal fs2004.cfg file. Thought, I don't think that would avoid the re-indexing of the scenery. Ron

[Guest]

BobThat's what I thought you wanted to do, but I'm not sure what you're planning on uninstalling at the end. If you've got your two copies set up, why would you then want to uninstall one of them?As I see it, you can do a normal install into location 1. Don't add any scenery or anything yet, but copy the entire Flight Simulator 9 folder over to a new location (e.g. on your other drive). Rename fs9.exe in the new folder to fs9_2.exe, and make a copy of fs9.cfg and rename it to fs9_2.cfg. Voila.John

[Guest Bob I]

Hi,The uninstall thing was not explaned very well. I found out that if you try to install FS9, and there is already an install on your computer, the sim wil not install. So, if you change the name of the first install, then fool, thru program uninstall, the system into thinking that you have removed it, when you really havent, it will now install a second program any where you want it. That make sense to you? Now, you say just copy it from the first install to another drive folder, and don't try another install. That's interesting. How do you deal with the files on C:, or files in other places that we know nothing about. I have a funny feeling that you can't install two FS9's on the same computer, just because of the files in C:. Please prove me wrong.Bob