new computer, FS2004 install help

[Guest Ahmad310]

hello, well i got a new system today, and im wanting to put FS2004 on here right away. Just like most of us, i have lots and lots of 3rd party add on's on my current system. and was curious as to how i should go about gettin everything back up on this new system, should i do a fresh install, then try and go back and re-download everything i had to it, or should i try and copy the entire Fs2004 to this system? or just copy like my aircraft, gauges, and scenery folders to the new computer. Either way i think its gonna be a major pain to install everything and get it back.

[Guest firehawk44]

The major problem you will have will be with the system registry. Therefore, your best bet is to reinstall everything. There is software out there to move programs to a new computer (PC Relocator is one) but I don't know how successful it will be in moving FS9 programs. All of your freeware scenery located in your AddOn Scenery folder can be moved with out problems and probably all of your freeware aircraft can be moved over. But commercial aircraft/scenery put entries into your registry and other places on your computer and it will be difficult to replicate those. Anyway, good luck and hope you enjoy your new system.Jim

[Guest Ozark Dogfighter]

I would make a backup of the entire FS9 folder, but only pick out and replace the stuff that you need, like the Aircraft, Gauges, Effects, Add-On Scenery and Scenery folders, then see what else is needed. After all that, either archive the backup or delete whats left.Myself, I compose most of my install files into an archive with WinRAR. For example, there are many nice repaints of the iFDG a320 series, so I have placed them all, carefully, into one folder in FS9. Since they're there, I gather all of them into a seperate Aircraft folder, with the panel and sound(s) I use in there, then gather the gauges, effects, FSsounds, etc into respective folders and archive them into one big A320.rar. It's big, but it's compact, easy to install, easy to backup and the like. So far I have my Airbus and Boeing collections archived this way. Any way that you do it is fine, so long as you know how it's done, how to reverse it if a problem comes up, and if you have the space and TIME to do it. Half of my FS time (at LEAST) has been sorting my collection, and I'm about to dive even deeper into it.Good luck!-Jeremy BurchThe Ozark Dogfighter http://forums.avsim.net/images/wedge.gifHappy Flying!Pilot-There is evidence of a leak on right main landing gear.Mechanic- Evidence removed.

[Paul J 349]

As a great deal of installation updates the Windows registry, you're going to have to reinstall most everything from scratch. If you plan it right - starting with some of the hardware recommendations found on this site - drivers, configurations, vga aperture, things like that, you'll have a much better system than before. For me - two of the best add-ons, if you can call them that - were the third-party defrag applications that are available. I believe one was called "O & O Defrag" or something like that (I'm doing this at work, sorry). One does the whole hard drive/s, and the other does the registry. Another second tip from this forum: I use "MegaScenery" products - which is very large - and that tip was to put an "A_" in front of Megascenery as you install it, and put it in the root directory of your drive, so that it becomes D:A_Megasceneryyadayada. The drive gets searched hierarchically, and so it gets loaded first - and quickly. Have fun!Now - someone else?pj

[Max Kraus 339]

I did a reinstall recently. I kept the entire OLD fs9 install and just link over to all the scenery from the new one. All your scenery is no problem. Aircraft like PMDG is a different story. Recommend reinstall those. Also stuff like ActiveSky etc need that too.

[Guest mtlmtl]

You may want to check out a program called Norton Ghost. The program creates a backup of the hard drive on a different drive or partition. It works great because you save a copy of your used drive once you have all the programs and FS2004 installed fresh, so you can go back to that setting at a later time. Last weekend I spent time doing a tuneup; reinstalled the vital FS2004 add ons and thus got rid of the 6 months of add on trial and error stuff that I started to notice had been slowing FS down and that I dont need. This approach works perfect for me, because if I add an FS add on or software that screws up my system I can just use the saved copy and go back. Norton Ghost works much better than the built in Microsoft restore feature which I have deactivated. My backup now has all the essential programs I use regularly, as well as FS2004 with the essential add ons.Matt

[Guest OneTinSoldier]

Hello,I would just install FS2004, run it once to initialize the installation, then either delete the 'Flight Simulator 9' folder or else rename it to 'Flight Simulator 9_no_addons'. Then copy over the entire 'Flight Simulator 9' folder from your old system to your new one. This will save you from having to re-download and re-install all those sceneries, sound packages, texture addons and all the updates for them and whatever else you may have done.Of course, there are programs that require registry entries and/or online activations. Those of course you will have to reinstall. If it's a payware aircraft and you have installed a lot of liveries(paints) to it then just make sure you back up the 'aircraft.cfg' file before you reinstall it. That way you can open up the backed up aircraft.cfg file and just copy and paste in the {flightsim.XX} sections, because the reinstall of aircrafts will overwrite your current aircraft.cfg file. Ditto for the 'panel.cfg' file if you have done any customization to those. If there is an addon that you are not sure whether or not you need to reinstall it for it to work, or if you forget to reinstall one that needed it, you will find out when you go to use it.Cheers,OneTinSoldier