A thread like this does not make me and an FS9 user excited about upgrading for the latest and greatest add-ons. I have zero problems with FS9 and it looks very similar to FSX. For the last 5 years all I do is load up and fly... :p0504:

 

If FS9 makes you happy don't upgrade!

 

Sadly for me it has been impossible to go back after upgrading. The FSX graphics is such a huge leap forward that it has been impossible the find any kind of immersion in FS9.

I think most experienced or long time simmers can relate. However, it does seem to me that you have been going about things in a manner that results in painful experiences. For instance there have never been any orbx uninstall entries in the add/remove software control panel.

 

While I have had some tweaking issues that caused some loss of time...this sim is nothing like the racing games which are totally confined in space. This sim tries to recapture complex real world environments.

 

I always recommend:

 

* - have a dedicated FSX HD

 

1. do a base install of FSX and keep that on another drive in a safe place. This allows you do fix issues simply, compare new addons effects to base programs files and a slew of other helpful things.

2. maintain another install of FSX and use a registry utility to link it properly so that your computer doesn't know about the base copy I mention above.

3. Take your everyday FSX and make a complete clone or backup of it on a regular basis so that should anything happen to your everyday FSX you can easily restore all or parts of it from that backup.

4. Never be in a hurry to chase down the most recent tweaks and such unless you know what your doing. Always backup your terrain.cfg, scenery.cfg, fsx.cfg. I have about 10 saves of each, with each folder containing a txt file explaining what that particular backup was for.

5. Always, only install one bloody thing at at time, test it, be sure its working before moving on to another.

6. Use the forums, research, read old posts, learn the art of what works and doesn't work. Build up knowledge over time.

 

If my FSX blows up tomorrow, system "C" drive fails, I can be up and running again with everything working in a day. Which by the way it did last year. Never missed a beat.

 

I have over 500 scenery layers, 100s of aircraft, terabytes of data in my sim. It purrs.

 

Very impressive! Could you possibly write up a detailed, step-by-step FAQ showing people how to do this, please? It sounds great but, to be honest, I wouldn't have a clue how to do this with only the summary you gave above.

 

Where did you get this information from?

 

Not again....lol...the same questions were asked on Flight's forum when I was posting there....can't tell. :ph34r:

Definitely understand the OPs position. This program was made by greedy, wicked old Gnomes whose deceipt and treachery is unprecedented.

Ok, after having calmed down I reinstalled the ORBX scenery and it wasn't fixed, still the black squares within a short radius.

 

And of course, I initially took the correct steps: I'm a very experienced FSX user and I know what can break the game and what influcuences it in what way. Of course, there is always something that even the most experienced users can overlook.

Unfortunately, ORBX never provided us with any uninstall instructions. There scenery is great and so is their support, but their software regarding installing, uninstalling, and editing settings is absolutely dreadful.

 

Initially I was surprised that i didn't see the scenery in Add/Remove programs, and I don't see why they took the complicated route and developed their own uninstall "system". Of course then, before making any major changes I searched on Google for "FTX Orbx uninstall" and it didn't come up with any useful information. Then I tried opening FTX Central but unfortunately I got an error saying that the file /ORBX/Scripts/Work/FTX Configurator.exe wasn't found. So I manually created a folder called "Work" and copied the FTX Configurator.exe file, that by the way was actually present in the main ORBX folder, into that Work folder, and tried again. But yet again it came up with an error now saying that ORBX/Regions wasn't found.

As I only own two ORBX airports (YBCS and PAKT), I suspected the cause must be the fact I don't own any scenery packages of big areas such as PNW. But still, these airports should be easily uninstallable, or shouldn't they?

 

So then I took the only step I saw left, and deleted the whole ORBX folder, and then deleted any ORBX related files from FSX/Scenery/World/Scenery. I fired up FSX, and BAM! - despite the autogen still being present - the ground surface within a small radius of my location, was completely black shaped in a square-ish pattern. Looking further a way the ground is normal and autogen worked fine too.

 

Why I uninstalled ORBX in the first place? Just to test if it installs anything else apart from scenery for those airports, like textures for the ground surface, and I just wanted to test whether that influences my framerate at all.

 

The answer to that first question after seems to be yes, ORBX does install some kinda textures for the ground surface. Why else would they all become black?

 

On the other hand maybe not, considering the fact nothing changed when I reinstalled the scenery.

 

That brings me to the conclusion something got corrupted or something.

 

Anyhow, because I wanted to buy a secondary SSD anyway - which I by the way just did - made me uninstall FSX completely. I uninstalled all my add-ons first, then FSX, and then deleted any traces I could find in Program Files, Appdata, Local, etc. I even searched for any FSX or FSX add-on related files and deleted them too. After this I used a registry cleaner (RegClean Pro), did a malware and virus scan, which by the passed without any results.

 

So, in a few days, I will try again and this time think twice before installing - and uninstalling - any ORBX scenery.

 

And you guys are right, I belong into this hobby, I just can't live without it. You know what they say "Once you go FSX, you never go back!". :Big Grin:

 

Anyway, lesson learned from this.

Ok, after having calmed down I reinstalled the ORBX scenery and it wasn't fixed, still the black squares within a short radius.

 

And of course, I initially took the correct steps: I'm a very experienced FSX user and I know what can break the game and what influcuences it in what way. Of course, there is always something that even the most experienced users can overlook.

Unfortunately, ORBX never provided us with any uninstall instructions. There scenery is great and so is their support, but their software regarding installing, uninstalling, and editing settings is absolutely dreadful.

 

Initially I was surprised that i didn't see the scenery in Add/Remove programs, and I don't see why they took the complicated route and developed their own uninstall "system". Of course then, before making any major changes I searched on Google for "FTX Orbx uninstall" and it didn't come up with any useful information. Then I tried opening FTX Central but unfortunately I got an error saying that the file /ORBX/Scripts/Work/FTX Configurator.exe wasn't found. So I manually created a folder called "Work" and copied the FTX Configurator.exe file, that by the way was actually present in the main ORBX folder, into that Work folder, and tried again. But yet again it came up with an error now saying that ORBX/Regions wasn't found.

As I only own two ORBX airports (YBCS and PAKT), I suspected the cause must be the fact I don't own any scenery packages of big areas such as PNW. But still, these airports should be easily uninstallable, or shouldn't they?

 

So then I took the only step I saw left, and deleted the whole ORBX folder, and then deleted any ORBX related files from FSX/Scenery/World/Scenery. I fired up FSX, and BAM! - despite the autogen still being present - the ground surface within a small radius of my location, was completely black shaped in a square-ish pattern. Looking further a way the ground is normal and autogen worked fine too.

 

Why I uninstalled ORBX in the first place? Just to test if it installs anything else apart from scenery for those airports, like textures for the ground surface, and I just wanted to test whether that influences my framerate at all.

 

The answer to that first question after seems to be yes, ORBX does install some kinda textures for the ground surface. Why else would they all become black?

 

On the other hand maybe not, considering the fact nothing changed when I reinstalled the scenery.

 

That brings me to the conclusion something got corrupted or something.

 

Anyhow, because I wanted to buy a secondary SSD anyway - which I by the way just did - made me uninstall FSX completely. I uninstalled all my add-ons first, then FSX, and then deleted any traces I could find in Program Files, Appdata, Local, etc. I even searched for any FSX or FSX add-on related files and deleted them too. After this I used a registry cleaner (RegClean Pro), did a malware and virus scan, which by the passed without any results.

 

So, in a few days, I will try again and this time think twice before installing - and uninstalling - any ORBX scenery.

 

And you guys are right, I belong into this hobby, I just can't live without it. You know what they say "Once you go FSX, you never go back!". :Big Grin:

 

Anyway, lesson learned from this.

Arjen,

 

Don't blame it on ORBX. That's another lesson to be learned.

 

Welcome back!!!!

See KJAC, great example. I'd find that less interesting than, say, IFR in bad weather between KLGA and KJFK, setting up and flying different approaches, with different levels and types of traffic, and a variety if flight plans, VOR and GPS.

 

Have to set up FSX entirely differently from the challenge of flying into KJAC, and it's great you can do so! I really enjoy flight planning and PMDG is great for that, as you have to learn about charts, airways, navigation.... whole system right there to concentrate on.

 

And then you can learn/master your favorite flight and approach, and pick/customize add-ons that focus on that.

 

And go in an entirely different direction another month.

 

I switch off between flying the RealAir Turbo Duke, Carenado C208, and big iron like you described. It is indeed what makes FSX so great

Glad you're back Arjen!!!

Welcome back to the fold. Did you bring your sheepskin leggings? We are a cult, after all... :ph34r:

FSX is an unruly beast that refuses to be tamed. Sometimes when you loose the passion of the hunt, game over.

Arjen,

 

Don't blame it on ORBX. That's another lesson to be learned.

 

Welcome back!!!!

 

Actually, if they don't provide a standard uninstall module, nor instructions how to do it safely, then I think it is fair to to put some of the blame on them. This is a payware product, and it should be SOP to provide a method or instructions how to uninstall it.. That said the last thing I would do is just go deleting folders.

If I look in the Menu>All Programs>Orbx there's an option there to uninstall the product. I agree though that there should be an entry in the Add/Remove Programs and/or the Manual. For instance, users should be warned not to uninstall the product until opening up FTX Central and change the setting to Default. Problems will occur as entries will still be left in the Scenery.cfg and the terrain.cfg may become corrupted. So I think you should first set it to default, run fsx once, shutdown, then run the uninstall program.

 

Best regards,

Jim

Yeah, why on earth wouldn't he blame it at least partly on Orbx? I wasn't aware until recently that they don't offer uninstallers with their products but when I found out I was blown away. That's really not a good idea! As long as their products are perfect (which, to be fair, they often are) it doesn't matter but it's certainly became an issue with the ENG release.

Yeah, why on earth wouldn't he blame it at least partly on Orbx? I wasn't aware until recently that they don't offer uninstallers with their products but when I found out I was blown away. That's really not a good idea! As long as their products are perfect (which, to be fair, they often are) it doesn't matter but it's certainly became an issue with the ENG release.

There are plenty of software dev that offer uninstallers and FSX still goes out of wack. If there's an important lesson to be learned here is that we should all consider saving a full backup of FSX just in case we run into trouble. To try to blame it on a particular software is IMHO not the best approach.

 

The other lesson to be learned is that maybe we should think again before posting that we are done with FSX. :lol:

 

All in fun!

If you just read the Orbx manuals, or searched their forum, you'd get the proper uninstall method. Just thinking you can delete their folders in the fsx directory and everything will be fine is user error and not to blame on the developer. Frankly I'd rather manually uninstall as you can sometimes run into problems with uninstallers. A few times uninstallers decided to delete other folders unrelated to their program.