Or do I have to install all my addons again and takeup double the space?

You need to reinstall your addons. And unless you are very proficient in computing and ready to fix any errors you will get from installers by changing stuff in your registry etc... I highly recommend you only have one version of FSX installed. A lot of add ons will not work with a dual install because FSX SE will then create unconventional config location and registry entries.

It's 2x the HD space. Best case the installer for your addons supports dual install and has entries for both in your add/remove programs in control panel or worst case it only lets you install for one so the last install is the only one you can /repair/reinstall/remove...

It's 2x the HD space. Best case the installer for your addons supports dual install and has entries for both in your add/remove programs in control panel or worst case it only lets you install for one so the last install is the only one you can /repair/reinstall/remove...

Unfortunately you also have a config directory in C:\Users\<your user>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX

If you have a dual install, FSX:SE will create a new folder called FSX-SE. Some addons require some change in this folder, like most Orbx products and DX10 fixer for e.g.

While I found a way to still install Orbx addon (after changing some FTXCentral config files), you will have no luck if this path is hardcoded into your addon installer/software.

The only way to be sure that everything will work properly (especially if you do not have a good understanding of FSX architecture) is to have only one version installed.

Your addon scenery can be linked..  just use complete address names in the scenery.cfg file.

I succeeded in using the FSX:MS AI aircraft in FSX:SE by adding a simobjects= line to the FSX:SE fs.cfg file pointing to the FSX:MS folder where I keep my AI. But my AI is in a different folder from my flyable aircraft. I did have to copy over the various traffic...bgl files from FSX:MS to SE. Most freeware scenery should work, because when you add scenery in the scenery folder you can point to anywhere on your computer. Payware scenery that uses installers will probably depend on the specific way each one installs. I also managed to use at least one addon texture (for the Level-D 767) by using the texture.cfg file in FSX:SE to point to the right texture in FSX.MS. But I doubt any complex aircraft in FSX:MS will work in SE unless they are also installed in SE.

 

Mike

Alright thanks everyone

 

My goal was to do some testing with more complex payware sceneries and acft.  Unforutnately I couldn't install the Carenado Phenom (I pointed the installer to correct spot and the installer worked but the files don't exist anywhere!)...  I've noticed a lot of people reporting vastly improved performance - I'm just not seeing it... but my compares were only between default scenery areas and default planes.

 

I did get the new Flightbeam installers and tried Denver though... about the same with default planes.

 

I'm starting to wonder if people who noticed an increase DID NOT use nvidia inspector for FSX normal edition.  I use it and it's already set up for FSX:SE

 

 

I'm starting to wonder if people who noticed an increase DID NOT use nvidia inspector for FSX normal edition. I use it and it's already set up for FSX:SE

 

I used it. For both.

I'm starting to wonder if people who noticed an increase DID NOT use nvidia inspector for FSX normal edition. I use it and it's already set up for FSX:SE

Hi, Ryan,

 

When I try to point NVidia Inspector to FSX:SE it says that that program already has a profile, because the two FSX.exe files have the same name. It doesn't recognize the two different locations (on two different drives in my case). How did you get it to distinguish between the two versions of FSX?

 

Thanks,

Mike

I didn't... I just meant that I was using inspector with the same settings shared between the one exe.

 

My coworker uses AMD card and he's seeing massive perf increases.  But I think he never optimized his install or something.... he says it's so smooth and great image clarity.  I also had that using my GTX 570 with inspector...  

I did merge SE into my old FSX, but it involves a lot of fiddling.

 

I started with an existing FSX installation, which has about 1500 Gig all in all (sceneries, planes and stuff).

- First I deleted the registry key(s) pointing to FSX,

- Then I renamed the three main FSX folders (Program Files, Program Data, AppData)

- Now I installed Steam, then FSX SE

- by doing it that way, SE thinks it is alone on the machine and uses the standard paths.

- Then I "mklink"ed the standard MS FSX program directory to the Steam installation, just in case

- After that it was moving all folders and files from the old to the new installation (AddonScenery, aerosoft, ORBX, Effects, Gauges, Simobjects etc.)

- Dropped in the new FSUIPC

- finally DLL.XML and EXE.XML, these may have to be modified for the new paths

 

The result is a FSX SE with all the stuff inside that I had in the old install. Not that all works, but a lot actually does.

 

Things that worked right away:

- EZDOK, Ultimate Traffic 2, Radar Contact, ActiveSky 2012

 

Things that cause trouble/CTD (those need to be deactivated for now):

- ActiveSkyNext, ORBX Object Flow

 

Things that didn't work:

- PMDG 737 NGX

 

Things that kind of worked

- Majestic Q400 (no clicksounds in the cockpit, everything else worked), Simstarter

 

Don't try this unless you have a 100% failsafe backup.

I was able to use megascenery earth ultra res cities by just adding to FSX-SE scenery library . FSX-SE is installed on separate drive (J) and FSX is located on C drive.  That saved a lot of HD space.

Hi, Ryan,

 

When I try to point NVidia Inspector to FSX:SE it says that that program already has a profile, because the two FSX.exe files have the same name. It doesn't recognize the two different locations (on two different drives in my case). How did you get it to distinguish between the two versions of FSX?

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

Simple solution...rename you boxed fsx.exe "fsx_box.exe" and rename your FSX.cfg "fsx_box.cfg"

and then point nVidea Inspector to that exe.  I have seversl"fsx_<some name>.exe files on my

system fir various configurations/environmenets as well as the appropriately named cfg files.

 

I also rely heavily on FSUIPC4 and have 'like named' FSUIPC4_<some name>.ini files plus the .key files.

 

I have not yet installed FSX-SE but from whatt I am reading it MAY be rather restrictive in configuration options. That alone puts me off on the version.

 

On sharing between the two sims, I do a lot of sharing between FSX and P3D V2.4 usin the Win7 "junction" capability as well as the ability to mount a drive in an empty folder. I use that for my Addon Scenery. That 'lives' in a separate partition on my system. My J: drive. In my FSX folder the Addon Scenery folder is empty but via Storage management I have mounted the J: drive into that empty folder. JYou can mount the same drive into many empty folders. I used to share Addon Scenery between my Win7 FSX and my WinXp FSX on a dual boot arrangement. Now I share that

]scenery drive between FSX and P3D. I am pretty sure FSX-SE should allow for this sharing technique.

 

Another option would be to remove the FSX-SE Addon Scenery folder and use the "junction" technique to create a symbolic link to the FSX Addon Scenery folder.

 

Paul.

I was able to use megascenery earth ultra res cities by just adding to FSX-SE scenery library . FSX-SE is installed on separate drive (J) and FSX is located on C drive.  That saved a lot of HD space.

 

I give you more "food for thought".

 

On the 'saving disk space' issue, I have a LOT of OrbX scenery. About 103 GB at the moment. My FSX is on a partition on my 240 GB SSD that also contains the Win7 partiton. As a result, I was running out of room on that SSD so I anned a 500 GB SSD and moved my OrbX folder contents to the root of a new partiton on the 500 GB SSD (O: drive.) Note that that partiton contains ALL the OrbX files/folders but they are NOT contained in a folder named "OrbX". That partiton is mounted into the empty FSX OrbX folder.

 

I recently added P3D V2.4 to my system on its' own partition (R:) on my 500 GB SSD and after some investigation I determined hopw to share the OrbX drive with the P3D install using "junctions" to link to all the FTX_<region> folders located in the O: drive to non-existant like-named folders in the P3D OrbX folder. I first did an install into P3D to get FTX Central set up with all the Script files and the others that are 'swapped' when changing regions. These remained in the P3D OrbX folder. The rest of the folders FTX_AU, FTX_EU, FTX_NA etc were deleted and the symbolis junctions created to share those with the folders on the O: drive.

 

For illustration purposes only, here are the mlink commands (entered via a Command Prompt with Administrator priviledges):

 

mklink /j d:\whatever c:\whatever

 

A list of all the junctions present in the current directory can be obtained from an

elevated Command Prompt as Admin by executing "dir /aL", and a list of all the junctions

present on a disk volume, by executing "dir /aL /s C:\", where "C:" is the volume to scan.

 

 

mklink /j R:\P3D\OrbX\Weather O:\Weather

 

mklink /j R:\P3D\OrbX\FTX_AU O:\FTX_AU

 

mklink /j R:\P3D\OrbX\FTX_EU O:\FTX_EU

 

mklink /j R:\P3D\OrbX\FTX_GLOBAL O:\FTX_GLOBAL

 

mklink /j R:\P3D\OrbX\FTX_NZ O:\FTX_NZ

 

mklink /j R:\P3D\OrbX\FTX_OLC O:\FTX_OLC

 

mklink /j R:\P3D\OrbX\Effects O:\Effects

 

mklink /j R:\P3D\OrbX\FTX_NA O:\FTX_NA

 

This saved me aroun 90 GB of SSD space by eliminating the 'duplication' of folders that do NOT change in OrbX when regions are chaged via FTX Central (only their presence in the Scenery.cfg file is used to enable/disable the folders as needed)

 

Again, I belive this should work with FSX-SE linked to the 'normal' FSX OrbX folder location.

 

My path above "O:\<Folder Name> would change to "X"\FSX\OrbX\FTX_NA for example as my FSX is on my X: Drive as X:\FSX should I have left my OrbX folder in my FSX folder.

 

Virtually nothing on my system remains 'stock' and certainly NO flight sim stuff EVER goes to the "Programs(X86)" route!

 

  Paul (read and fully understand before attempting any of the above!!!)

I have almost all of the orbx stuff including global located on C drive with FSX.  It sure would be nice to use all without reinstalling in FSX-SE. Of course at this time I am still experimenting with steam to see if the move will be worth it.