Need some advice before installing the NGX into a fresh P3Dv4

[WebMaximus 372]

I just bought P3Dv4 and will be doing a 100% fresh installation to make sure I get rid of any old traces of P3Dv3.

I already uninstalled the license for the NGX in P3Dv3 via the FMC but was wondering if there's anything else I should consider?

Also, do I need to re-download the NGX to make sure I get the version compatible with P3Dv4 or will that be done automatically using PMDG Operations Center?

[Olympic260 415]

There was no need to remove the license, both v3 and v4 share the same license. If you had the latest installers there is no need to download anything, during install you will be asked in which p3d you want it to be installed. After installation check the OC to make sure a microupdate is not needed

[WebMaximus 372]

Great, thanks for the info.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

1 hour ago, WebMaximus said:

I already uninstalled the license for the NGX in P3Dv3 via the FMC

As Chris mentioned, this was not necessary. I don't mean to pile on, but using the return function when you're not supposed to can end up getting your license cut off, which means you'd need to submit a ticket and wait for us to work on it before it works again.

Only in the following circumstances:

1. Changing hardware
2. Changing PCs
3. Reformatting

[WebMaximus 372]

Got it but fact is I'm restoring a more than one year old Windows 10 image and I'm not sure how your licensing module will see that so maybe it was a good thing after all.

Guess I'll find out soon enough when I start installing P3Dv4 plus my addons where the NGX is one of them.

Before that I have some Windows, AV etc updating to do...the number of updates over more than a year piles up to a serious bunch I just realized starting for the first time from this old image 

[scandinavian13 5,192]

4 minutes ago, WebMaximus said:

Got it but fact is I'm restoring a more than one year old Windows 10 image and I'm not sure how your licensing module will see that so maybe it was a good thing after all.

Didn't mention that fact earlier. In that case, better to release it (since an image is essentially an OS reinstall to a certain degree). All the same, please keep the situations in mind. There are a ton of people who end up in the queue repeatedly because they ignore the message explaining the function we send alongside the message of "we've returned your license."

Also: extra bit of info...
The system restore feature is there more to serve as a way to recover from some sort of catastrophic error. A lot of simmers use this and OS reinstalls as a way to get a "clean" config from which to build upon. The "clean" concept is pretty overrated, unless you've done a ton of awful things to your computer and it's bogged down with garbageware and viruses. You comp, and your time, so do with it as you please, but the assertion that it helps with performance gains is largely smoke and mirrors.

[WebMaximus 372]

Thanks for the advice but I've been doing these kind of things long enough to have learned I wouldn't want to be without a good backup software able to create reliable image backups both of my system drive as well as any other partitions.

In this case for example when I'm going from P3Dv3->4 being able to restore a system image with a complete Windows 10 installation including all my settings in Windows the way I like them plus all my other applications not related to FS will save me a tremendous amount of time.

[scandinavian13 5,192]

4 hours ago, WebMaximus said:

In this case for example when I'm going from P3Dv3->4 being able to restore a system image with a complete Windows 10 installation including all my settings in Windows the way I like them plus all my other applications not related to FS will save me a tremendous amount of time.

Right, but the sims don't share any common files or directories, so the practice of going back to a restore point is entirely useless in this case. Thus my earlier post. They're really not meant for the purpose you're using them for.

As I mentioned earlier, you're welcome to use them that way, just as I occasionally use a water bottle as a bottle opener, but...still...they're not really meant to be restore points to simply go back to a known 'stable' environment. They're not as detailed as you're going to want, and in reality, the restore point makes for a messier environment than an actual bit-for-bit, legitimate backup would give you. The end result is actually more instability than the stability and boosted performance that people claim it'll give you.

[WebMaximus 372]

I'm using a software called AOMEI Backupper and let me assure you it is very detailed (whatever that means) in the way it will allow you to go back to the exact state your computer was in at the time you made the image backup.

I've been using this software for many years by now and it saved me more times I can even remember. Sometimes because something went wrong but I've also use it heavily for the purpose you say the software isn't meant for...to allow me to try things such as installing new stuff and allow me to go back within a couple of minutes like nothing happened if I'm not happy for whatever reason.

Clearly you're not a fan of this approach but me...I wouldn't be without it as previously said and certainly not when in the flightsim arena where things tend to give you a headache more often than not.