Will PMDG enable me to buy and install the FSX 737?

[Guest Moonraker]

3 solutions - 1. Buy a second NIC (only a few pounds) for your non-internet computer. 2. Plug a network cable in, activate it, pull the cable out, job done. 2 minute job, and you are set. 3. Dont buy the plane.Seriously, though if you a behind a router / hardware firewall that NAT's your IP address (simple explanation HERE, then nothing nasty can get in from the internet.

Wow, if this is the simple explanation, how many pages takes the "complete" explanation? :( My second PC HAS a Network Interface Card, but it is extremly tedious with my internet provider to activate the new card while deactivating the old one - which can take hours, if it works at all (and after a few minutes of using the new card I would have to reverse the whole process).

The only thing you would have to worry about is software (being cracked programs, keygens, viruses, whatever) talking out so the firewall would let the reply 'packet' back in.For the sake of a few pounds, just get a network card... Even a USB one if you are that worried about it. And yes, restoring a backup to a different will break PMDG, and also windows activation. Im assuming all your software is clean and legit, so you will not have a problem.

I don´t use any cracked software.

Unfortunately, due to cheap people pirating software, developers have to protect their software as we all know, and this is fair. So if someone doesnt like the fact that they have to plug a cable in, then it wouldnt be fair to assume that PMDG are gonna change the activation policy just for that. Refer to point 3 above! :-)

I can understand the need to protect software, unfortunately the way this is handled nowadays punishes the honest customer while at the same time favouring the dishonest user who gets some cracked software which does NOT need any activation and so gives less problems than the original software. That´s crazy!

I am not trying to sound sarcastic or harsh in any way at all - just trying to get a point across, and also reassure you that its not gonna hurt your computer. :-)

Don´t promise such things! :( My computer has once been hurt even by Windows-update itself (maybe in conjunction with my anti-virus-software), which ended in speaking to (and trying to reach) the Dell-support, which took a whole afternoon and ended up by restoring my PC from the external harddisk as all other attempts failed... :( Richard

[Guest Moonraker]

Hi Richard,Doesn't your FSX PC have a motherboard with a BUILT-IN network card on it? Many motherboards, in fact most of them, have this now, and they also have built in audio as an aside... I use Norton Internet Security 2010 and have used the newly designed Nortons since 2009. They have many options which you can turn off and also have full-screen program detection mode and I have found it to be highly effective in stopping malware and internet intrusions, even when surfing new websites that I've never been to. Norton, by the way, has the LOWEST performance impact of any security suite out there now, and has the best spyware and other malware detection percentage... Check PC Magazine reviews for proof if you like.

Yes, I use Norton Internet Security 2011. Regarding "best spyware and other malware detection percentage": well, that depends on the magazine you read. :( If you read just ONE review you think you know which anti-virus-programme is the best. If you read ten reviews you most probably will get ten different results! But I agree that the new Norton-versions have a much lower performance impact than the older versions which were terrible in this respect.Richard

[Sawydz 4]

As far as I know this would be illegal with my internet provider...Richard

OK, another "the last stupid sugestion", You can try software like THIS, to set MAC address on your second PC's network interface. It's harmless to your hardware and should legally "fool" your ISP, legally because only one PC at a time will be connected to the internet.

[Guest Moonraker]

OK, another "the last stupid sugestion", You can try software like THIS, to set MAC address on your second PC's network interface. It's harmless to your hardware and should legally "fool" your ISP, legally because only one PC at a time will be connected to the internet.

Ah...at least that SOUNDS good to me! Many thanks for this suggestion. I will download and try it and see if it works O.K. Might be the solution to my problem at last...PLUS I have lots of time to test it as we don´t know when the 737 will be released anyway yet.Richard

[Tabs 2,790]

ISPs that don't allow the use of a home router and motherboards without an integrated NIC? What is this, 1996 in this thread? It's been seriously 10+ years since I had a system that didn't have an integrated NIC on the mobo.Also - Norton Internet Security is going to massively slow your PC down - it's bloatware. (along with most of them like McAfee, Kaspersky etc) The Microsoft product I recommended is extremely lightweight and won't do that.

[Sawydz 4]

Also - Norton Internet Security is going to massively slow your PC down - it's bloatware. (along with most of them like McAfee, Kaspersky etc) The Microsoft product I recommended is extremely lightweight and won't do that.

Not anymore, they have optimized it some 2 years ago, now it installs in 45 seconds (Norton360 which I use), performs background scans when PC is "idle" etc, so I can hardly notice it's existence. Earlier it was nightmare I admit!!

[scandinavian13 5,192]

Coming from someone who teaches Security+, I'm going to support the comments of those above who say you have little to worry about in terms of being connected to the internet. First, it is extremely rare that someone is going to target you. They prefer high-value, high-bandwidth targets. Your home computer will not satisfy that. Second, as long as your computer is patched and up to date (normally requires being connected to the internet), you have even less to worry about. Third, utilizing best practices mentioned above (not opening attachments, using NAT, etc) will make you even more secure. It's all about being smart.To be honest, everyone thinks that the internet is some crazy, dangerous place where hackers are rampant, super smart and have massive computers to crack everything. That notion is wrong. Hackers very seldom go right at hacking into things with brute force. Generally, the first (and as far as most people are concerned: the easiest) thing they attack is the human element. It is the weakest link in the security chain. Social engineering is oft used, and the reason just about everything that requires a password has some notification that says "We will never ask for your password through email."Here's a short and simple list of things to lock your computer down to a reasonable level (note Step 3):http://www.vtnet.vt.edu/lockitdown/vtsecuritynew.html

[falcon999 24]

We use Norton at work and I agree with Ryan. Relative to other available solutions, it is bloatware. I like ESet as an alternative. Has grown a bit over the years but still is relatively lite. George

[Tabs 2,790]

Yeah I used Eset NOD32 for a long time but MSSE actually scored better in independent testing - no one knows the OS better than Microsoft themselves, plus it's free.

[Cras 6]

Norton is almost like a virus in itself due to the resources it hogs.I remember at work I fixed a computer and a few days later he came up to me saying how I got it run so fast, and then all of a sudden now it was slower than ever. My first question was "Did you install Norton perhaps?" "Yes I did", he replied.

[Sawydz 4]

Haha Windows has the same opinion But really, they have optimized the code some time ago, you can always try it with 30 day demo.

[Guest wims]

Yeah I used Eset NOD32 for a long time but MSSE actually scored better in independent testing - no one knows the OS better than Microsoft themselves, plus it's free.

Same, I have been using NOD32 for years, but recently I switched to Microsofts AV and it works very well so far

[TheDanger 182]

My FS PC is linked via ethernet to router. It is permanently connected. I run absolutely no anti-virus software, spyware/malware detector etc only ESET firewall.I have never, in 6yrs or so, had a single virus/crapware etc on my FS PC. I know that as every now and then I will enable the AV on ESET and install Malware detector etc run a scan then disable/uninstall.If your ISP checks your network card and won't allow you to use other network cards etc then I would change ISP. Get an ISP that gives you a wireless router free. Plug in your main PC to the router and get yourself a usb wireless dongle (£10) for your FS PC. Plug in/remove as required!

[Guest Moonraker]

ISPs that don't allow the use of a home router and motherboards without an integrated NIC? What is this, 1996 in this thread? It's been seriously 10+ years since I had a system that didn't have an integrated NIC on the mobo.

I don´t know where the idea comes from that my FSX-PC does not have a Network Interface Card :( Of course it has. See post #11 where I described some of my "problems". But yes, it is true that the ISP does not allow the use of a router...and we don´t want to do something illegal just to legally install the 737, do we? :( :( I really hope that Sawydz´s advice will work because otherwise I will have to ground the 737-fleet. Richard

[Tabs 2,790]

I don't know what you mean by "illegal"? An ISP can't even tell that you're using a router - that's the entire point of how it works. The router appears like a single computer as far as they can see. It's called Network Address Translation (NAT).