Last night I was attempting to load a QW BAe146 aircraft and got the dreaded missing main landing gear deployed speed breaks problem.  I loaded a default Cessna 172 and switched to the 2D panel view from which to reload the QW BAe 146 to correct this problem.  To my shock most of the panel gauges along with most of the switches at the bottom of the panel (magneto, avionics, lights, etc) are no where to be seen.  I ran into the same loading the default 182 and default Mooney (except that even more gauges and switches are missing from both 2D panels.  The same gauges are missing from the VC panel of each as well.

 

I'm not sure if the missing gauges and switches have been deleted (I inspected the gauges folder in FS2004 but can't tell if anything is missing) or are simply  being suppressed by something else.  I have no idea they've been missing since its been quite some time since I've loaded a 172, 182 or Mooney.  The only new aircraft I've installed recently is FRE's ME109G, 108K and ME262 but doubt how installing them could be the culprit.  FSD's Piper Navajo/Panther are more likely to the the culprit (I installed it last May).

 

Regardless of how the missing gauges/switches went missing, what's the best (i.e., easiest, safest) way to restore them? 

Those gauges should all be in ...\Flight Simulator 9\Gauges. First make sure you still have that folder and that it has not been renamed or moved.

 

Your best bet would be to extract that folder from your FS9 discs and compare contents.

 

You can find great instructions on how to do that here- http://www.cat-tamer.com/flightsim/faq001.html

 

regards,

Joe

Thanks for the reply, Joe!  The Gauges folder is still right where it should be alright.  It has over 1,200 files in it including some 70 files named cessnaxxx.gau in it.  My  FS2002 install has the same files (they aren't missing in it) which is why I was thinking something might be suppressing them in FS2004.  So far as I can see none of the other default aircraft panel gauges are missing gauges.

 

I'll extract the gauges folder from the FS9 disks and compare contents as you suggest and reinstall anything that's missing (or I might just reinstall everything while I'm at it).  That ought to do the trick (hopefully)!

 

Scott

Hey, Joe, just wanted to let you know your suggestion worked!  Turns out some 40+ files were missing from my FS9\Gauges folder.  Reinstalling them from the FS9 Installation Disk 2 fixed the problem!

 

Thanks, again!

 

Scott