I have experienced a hard drive failure with much invested in FSX MS installation: Orbx scenery, North America and 6 regions, 20 airports, FS Global Ultimate, FS Global Vector, PMDG 737, A2A simulations supercup, Boeing 377, Ants T28, Aerosoft DHC2 Beaver, Bronco, Anchorage Airport, PBY Catalina, Lionheart Creatons Quest, Flight Replicas Supercub, Coranado 185, and more.  I am concerned with compatability issues with all I have invested.  However, from what I read FSX SE and secondary providers are solving compatablity issues particularly with clean installations.  Future improvements in FSX software by Dovetail Games does interest me.   My questions is: faced with reinstalling FSX is

it the time to switch to FSX SE?  Any help you can give me for this decision would be appreciated.

 

Some have stated they see better performance out of FSX:SE, but not sure how conclusive that is.

 

However, maybe to start with a good idea would be a list all of you're add-ons, then find out if they are FSX:SE compatible. By the end you'll have you're answer on if you can migrate or not

How happy were you with your prior FSX install?  I'd use that as my No. 1 determining factor on such a decision; consider that going the FSX:MS route will bring you back to that without any unwanted suprises (hopefully).  If you were plagued with OOM errors it may be better to use FSX:SE.

 

I guess your backup system didn't have a graceful way to recover your install :(

Based on the list above I think it will all work in FSX-SE.   I just wish ConcordeX was compatible and I would make the full switch as well.  Right now running both side by side.

I was very happy with my original install.  Never really had any problems out of memory or otherwise.  The failure was really a motherboard failure-the Sata connector failed (came loose from the board as I was booting- could have come loose  during installation of new CPU cooler-discovered after the fact).  It happened to be connected to the SSD drive with operating system and programs.  I thought it might have "fried my SSD drive" but it did not.  It did however corrupt my operating system to the extent that it could not identify drives.  I had a disk image but the Acronis recovery software could not find where to reinstall.   I now have new motherboard with new windows 7 on SSD drive.  I am not confident in the performance improvements with SE as there are so many different configurations for reported improvements.  I do read (In PC Pilot mag.) that Dovetail Games  will be bringing out updates to FSX SE this fall.  What  the updates might be is unknown.  As I look at the total list of programs I have I don't think checking compatibility for it all is possible.   

 

It is a daunting to consider reinstallation of FSX and all my software.  I am fortunate in that I bought CD's for all my software when possible.  One thing is certain I will have to make a decision on which way to go soon.  Am leaning toward FSX at this point.

 

Thanks for each of your thoughts!

WilliamB  

I had a disk image but the Acronis recovery software could not find where to reinstall.

That is really a massive concern I have: what good is a backup if it fails to recover.  I too use Acronis, True Image 2015.  I've been thinking about seeing how well it really works to recover from ground zero, i.e. boot from its CD and restore an OS image to a spare drive.  You've just given me considerably more incentive to try this out before it's too late.

 

BTW I've successfully done this in the past with a windows backup disc image.  I recently switched to Acronis because WIn7 backup won't write a disc image to an external drive bigger that 2T (though I still keep a system image on a 2T external just in case).

William, it may help to consider that - if you install only FSX:SE - then for all any installer will "know" you have just plain old regular FSX, because the Registry entries are precisely the same.

 

Hence, the only add-on that may not work without an update will be those that depend on exact memory 'hooks' for their operations. So, it may not be quite as much of a bother to switch at this juncture.

FamilyMan-I have another computer for investment tracking, email, internet searching,etc.  It has a one TB hard drive and a TB external hard drive for backup.  I have Acronis on it as well (version 2014).  I have used Acronis full disk image twice on this computer and it worked well. I used an Acronis CD recovery disk both times to completely recover hard drive.   I have created a disk image with windows 7 but have not yet recovered with it.  The Acronis recovery software worked well both times.  The documentation is a little confusing (so many options incremental backups, full backups, and such.  I have just used full disk images because it is easy to understand.   As for the failure of Acronis to work on my FSX computer, I don't think think it was a software problem.  I believe the software on the Acronis recovery disk could not read the drive to restore the disk image.  Any problem that requires complete recovery of you system is scary.  But as you know if it can happen it will happen.  I too worry that my image will for some reason not work.  For this reason I make two full disk images and check "validate" in the Acronis options.  Normally a recovery disk will work but in my case it did not. 

 

N4gix- Thanks for that bit of information.  I think I have seen you make this point in other discussions on the topic.  I don't know what memory hooks are or what software uses them.  I have done enough with computers to know they are not intuitive--you either know how to fix or you don't.  I do like the idea of a clean install and that may influence my decision.

 

WilliamB

Familyman, Sorry for my long winded response before.  I talked to Asrock about recovery.  Since my motherboard failed I was trying to recover using an image made from my old motherboard.  Asrock said disk images can only be recovered on the motherboard on which the image was made.  Your idea of booting from the recovery CD and putting the new image on different hard drive in the same computer might work.  Your recovered disk would be the boot disk. 

 

WilliamB

 

 

Thanks for each of your thoughts!
WilliamB  

 

William, before this happens to you again you should surely learn how to clone your hard disk. I make a new clone every 30 days, remove it from my system, and put it on a closet shelf next to two others. I rotate them in and out of my system. A true clone is an exact bootable copy.  

http://clonezilla.org/

 

Clone Zilla is a good piece of software for that

The time required to make a clone is (1) unattended after getting it started; and (2) a mere fraction of the time needed to reinstall FSX and all the add-ons. Talking here, for my system, about 75 minutes vs two to three weeks of fully attended time. 

I know its a pain in the butt-- But I have restored my HDD several times. There something satisfying and challenging about going at it with a CLEAN install, and you will improve each time you do it.

William, it may help to consider that - if you install only FSX:SE - then for all any installer will "know" you have just plain old regular FSX, because the Registry entries are precisely the same.

 

Unfortunately even some developers have not realised that yet.

 

This is called FSX-SE stand-alone installation.

 

Dirk.