In 2003 I bought an FS2004 addon from a respectable flight sim vendor. Very recently I needed to get a new installation key so e-mailed the vendor for one. Two days later I am still waiting.So I went to my local computer store and bought the CD version which doesn't require a key. Time taken waiting - 2 minutes.Two days versus two minutes - no contest.This is why I am against anything which prohibits my use of software which I purchase.David

This is why I save all my keys and installation files on DVD :)

"This is why I am against anything which prohibits my use of software which I purchase."We don't own software we purchase. We purchase a license to use it. Without the use of installation keys, downloadable MSFS add-ons would be rare indeed, as pirates would run rampant trading these packages. Spend 60 seconds by backing up your installation keys, and you'll halve the two minutes' time spent paying for the CD version :)-John

Although John brings up a few good points, sadly Piracy is still rampant, despite these measures.Bottom line, backup your keys, for reinstalls.

well said. Without these measures there would be a lot more piracy though which would raise the prices a lot to compensate, so they do bring some benefit.Remember if you loose a key that it may take a while for the manufacturer to generate a new one.They're usually small operations (many are a single person, despite making themselves look larger in support forums and on their websites) and they may not be in the office awaiting your request for support 24/7...Especially if you're in another timezone this can lead to delays.In this case the purchase happened a long time ago, probably long ago that it takes time to search through paper records to find if the purchase really happened (I've heard reliable stories about pirates blatantly claiming replacement keys and then trying to blackmouth the manufacturer for not giving them out...).

since when did you need a key to install flight sim?

"In 2003 I bought an FS2004 addon from a respectable flight sim vendor."addonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddonaddon :-)

I need a CD key when installing FS 2004 ;). But in this case it was an add on.I save mine on 3 different harddrives lol you can