This is a very basic question, but I'm asking it anyway

 

I have a shiny new Windows 8 machine.  No software on it at all except a virus checker.

 

I also have the media for FSX Deluxe and FSX acceleration pack.   At the moment I don't have FSX SP1 or FSX SP2 (do you need SP1 if you install SP2 anyway?)

 

How do I install FSX so that it will work on Win8 ?   Is the following sequence correct?

1) Install Deluxe

2) Install Acceleration pack

3) Find and install SP1

4) Find and install SP2

 

On top of that what else, if anything should I be installing, (either freeware or payware),  or doing to get the best out of FSX ?

 

Many thanks

 

OK, i found this in the software guide:

 

"Installation:  If at all possible this should be done on any drive other than the C: drive, so that the drive is not handling requests from the OS and from FSX at the same time, and especially it should not be installed in the “Default” C:\Program Files(x86)\, as this folder is owned by “Trusted Installer” and you will have many frustrating arguments with FSX and your pc if this is the case

even with UAC turned off. 

 

FSX has a habit of growing, so allow a drive space of at least 200GB, with another drive on the system to store all of the downloads, tools, licensing and textures, such as those of HiFi ActiveSky or REX.  Once FSX is installed, the two Service Packs should go in, FSX being started and then shut down, with a reboot between each SP. You do not need either SP if you have Acceleration. Assuming all is good, set up the fsx settings to your preferences, make a test flight and then shut fsx down."

 

I assume this is still valid for Win8?

It was valid for XP, Vista, and Win7, so it should be valid for Win8.

 

Install Deluxe, test fly default, validate.

 

Install Acceleration, test fly default, validate.

Save your FSX.CFG as FSX_CFG_ORIG.

 

Go in settings and move slider from 20 to unlimited. In default flight, press CNTL+Z and check your FPS. Should be 130+ if computer is set-up right. This will be the last time you will see them this high. Use Word Not Allowed's Guide to set-ip FSX.

 

Have fun

Dave

Thank you !

Speaking from my own experiences, you do NOT need to install FSX anywhere other than C, its perfectly fine to install it in its default location, obviously so long as you have plenty of disk space, so you wouldnt do it if you only had a 128GB drive, but if you have 500GB upwards, then sure, why not...

 

If installing accelleration, do NOT install SP1 or SP2 at all..

 

I have installed FSX about 7 times now in the short time I have been using it (Less than a year) due to various addons totally screwing up my install, and every time, I have installed it in its default location with no problems at all... These were not the fault of the addons, but purely that they were rubbish, I am a newbie to FSX and they had no proper way to get rid of them, so I opted for a re-install, rather than it being a must-do...

 

I disabled UAC completely, but I have Avast antivirus, and I would NOT disable UAC if using something like norton or McAfee..

 

I do it like this:

1. Install FSX, activate it and fly a short 60 second flight just to let it all run..
2. I install SP1/SP2 and not acceleration (Seems to cause problems with shared cockpit in the Maddog)
3. I then install drivers for all hardware (Saitek/TrackIR/FSUIPC and other bits and bobs)
4. I then install all the UTX stuff, followed by GEX, then payware airports...
5. I then install Activesky 2012, and then configure everything (tweak the .cfg file, set AS2012 how i want it, setup Aivlasoft EFB, vroute, ipad guages etc, once done and I'm good to go :-)

Thanks.

 

One follow-on question though.  There appears to be a contradiction in the recommendations.  Either

1) you install SP1 and SP2 and avoid the acceleration pack because it causes problems  or

2) you just need to install the acceleration pack and ignore SP1 and SP2.

 

Anyone any comments on this ?  What exactly does the Acceleration Pack break other than shared cockpits?

Thats not a contradiction art all, you either go the "Acceleration" route which has its own SP1/2 built into it, or you dont... If you dont, then you install SP1/2..

 

I dont even know if the acceleration pack "breaks" shared cockpits" NOR did I say that... I just seem to have problems in shared cockpits that non-acceleration users dont, so I took the option of a re-install without acceleration.

 

There isnt actually anything to comment on, its your choice, which way you want your install to go, either the acceleration route, or non-acceleration route, depends on your flying..

You may well find that after a while you decide you want to fly jets and do carrier stuff, thus the acceleration would be needed it seems, but I'm not an FSXpert... Thats just my own experiences of FSX in the last 10 months of having more setup time than flying time by a factor of 10x

Nemeth Designs specifies that you need Acceleration installed for their stuff to work on it, for example.

 

I would highly avoid letting FSX install on C: and in Programs(x86) folder; the UAC mysteries you get as a result will kill you.

 

Also, it's critical, since Windows8 just ships with .NET Framework 4.5, to separately install earlier .NET Framework versions (3.5SP1, specifically).  Some add-on software will do that for you, others will assume it's already there when it isn't, best to handle this on your own.  It won't break anything in Windows8.

 

Finally, separately install, if none of your add-ons do this in the process of installation (all of A2A Simulations' add-ons do, which is a blessing!), DirectX9.0c from the web.  Do some hunting to make sure you understand how to do this.  Again, Win8 only comes with DirectX11, and will not itself allow you to upgrade/add DX9.0c via WIndows Updates.  For all of DX11 supposedly being backwardly compatible, one of the big fails of post DX9 is that Microsoft abandoned DirectSound3D for XACT, their sound API for the Xbox360, and to put it simply: XACT sucks rocks.

 

The few developers left who understand the distinction and actually use DX9 DirectSound3D will have fun with Windows 8 because of this devious path Microsoft has woven....

Thanks guys

 

 

I would highly avoid letting FSX install on C: and in Programs(x86) folder; the UAC mysteries you get as a result will kill you

Again, NOT something that is required nor has any affect on FSX. I disabled UAC on my PC, as I dont need it, but this endless tirade of "Dont install it in its default location", in my experiences so far, are all nonsense. Earlier versions of Windows, maybe, just maybe at a push, especially Vista, yeah, can totally see that being the case, but NOT Win7 onwards.

 

Maybe if you have pants security software on your PC that is more paranoid, and has more false positives than a HIV test clinic using recycled needles, sure...