Excluding the P3D folder from read/write realtime scans is just fine and will help prevent stutters and other problems on many systems. When doing a system scan, include everything.

The best approach is to thoroughly scan any new program after install. Prevent the problem BEFORE it gets installed rather than finding out after.

Although there are lots of hackers out there doing bad things, they really are not targeting individual systems. Depending on where you download from and the type of websites you visit, the chances of getting a virus or serious malware pushed to your system are very slim. 

Anyhow - let's keep this on topic for the OP.

Vic

50 minutes ago, Boeing or not going said:

If you get a virus called as_connect_64.dll that is a dedicated hacker

That is not even funny - that dll is required by ASP4 for weather and is not a virus.

Vic

You folks who have installed P3D on your system drive, what do you when Windows goes tits up, or the drive itself refuses to work properly, as mine did awhile ago?  Luckily, I had P3D installed on its own SSD, along with all the addon sceneries, and neither required reinstallation after my system drive was repaired.

24 minutes ago, vgbaron said:

That is not even funny - that dll is required by ASP4 for weather and is not a virus.

Vic

That was the joke...if a virus really spoofs a specific dll from ActiveSky then we are dealing with a very persistent hacker.

1 hour ago, StewartH said:

You folks who have installed P3D on your system drive, what do you when Windows goes tits up, or the drive itself refuses to work properly, as mine did awhile ago?  Luckily, I had P3D installed on its own SSD, along with all the addon sceneries, and neither required reinstallation after my system drive was repaired.

That's what drive imaging software is for.  I started doing semi-weekly full image backups after "upgrading" from Win 7 to Win 10.  I started this after my first experience with an auto-installed Win10 update that included a Microsoft bug that broke the sim and wasn't fixed for over two months.  The backup saved me later when Win 10 installed a buggy new nVidia driver that completely borked my SLI configuration.  Imaging a single combined Windows/P3D drive is actually simpler than doing what I have to do with three SSDs.

FWIW, I use O&O DriveImage and an external 10TB Seagate Barracuda Pro to keep the last 4 backups plus the current one.  Takes ~3 hrs to back up and verify the three SSDs on my flight sim server (OS is on a 256GB SSD, P3D and FSX are on separate 1TB SSDs, all Samsung 850 Pros).

Regards

 

Thank you, Bob, for your reply.  That makes sense and is what my computer tech suggested after my near disaster.  I still don't think it accomplishes much to have the flight sim and Windows on the same drive and never have thought so.  The chances of total loss don't make me comfortable.

It's a matter of personal preference. Properly installed, there is no benefit or problem having them both on the same ssd. Both on the same HDD could cause a slight performance hit.

 

Vic

2 hours ago, StewartH said:

Luckily, I had P3D installed on its own SSD, along with all the addon sceneries, and neither required reinstallation after my system drive was repaired.

How did you sort out the missing registry entries?

Everything that is download onto my PC is scanned by my AV, I do not disable my AV when downloading anything.   

Good question.  I should have clarified that.  Of course, there was some re-installation required, but it wasn't extensive, since non-Orbx scenery was in an addon folder and only needed to be reinstalled into the sim, and not reinstalled onto the computer.  P3D required a reinstall, but it was easy, since I had the original zip files.  And Orbx was easy, because FTX Central found all its stuff on the FSX drive.  So technically there was some re-installation necessary, but no re-downloads from the net.  But the system drive being hosed did not itself hose my FSX drive nor my P3D drive, I guess was the point.  My apologies for my own confusion on the point.

5 hours ago, vgbaron said:

It's a matter of personal preference. Properly installed, there is no benefit or problem having them both on the same ssd. Both on the same HDD could cause a slight performance hit.

 

Vic

However, Samsung's Magician software will only run RAPID mode on one drive.

If using Samsung, be mindful of that.

39 minutes ago, n99wb said:

However, Samsung's Magician software will only run RAPID mode on one drive.

If using Samsung, be mindful of that.

That's correct, and I am.

8 hours ago, StewartH said:

You folks who have installed P3D on your system drive, what do you when Windows goes tits up, or the drive itself refuses to work properly, as mine did awhile ago?  Luckily, I had P3D installed on its own SSD, along with all the addon sceneries, and neither required reinstallation after my system drive was repaired.

I can't believe that. Whether you want it or not P3D is putting items in your  C: drive. Specifically in ProgramData and Users directory , not to mention your registry. 

 

X-Plane will be fine on any drive or moving the folder where you want but P3D/FSX ...no

1 hour ago, Slayer said:

I can't believe that. Whether you want it or not P3D is putting items in your  C: drive. Specifically in ProgramData and Users directory , not to mention your registry. 

 

X-Plane will be fine on any drive or moving the folder where you want but P3D/FSX ...no

I'm aware that P3D puts stuff on the C: drive.  But SimStarter NG restored the airports installed by the addon-xml method  as soon as I ran the program, because it knew where they were located in the Documents/Prepar3dv4 folder.  When my computer tech restored my C: drive, he was able to save all the files in the Documents folder (and the ProgramData folder), so SimStarter's addon-xml manager easily found them and reinstalled them into the sim.  The registry entries were restored when P3D was reinstalled.   I have no plans to install X-Plane, so there's no need to get into a discussion about its merits vs. P3D.

Edited March 20, 20188 yr by StewartH

On 3/19/2018 at 8:03 PM, StewartH said:

I'm aware that P3D puts stuff on the C: drive.  But SimStarter NG restored the airports installed by the addon-xml method  as soon as I ran the program, because it knew where they were located in the Documents/Prepar3dv4 folder.  When my computer tech restored my C: drive, he was able to save all the files in the Documents folder (and the ProgramData folder), so SimStarter's addon-xml manager easily found them and reinstalled them into the sim.  The registry entries were restored when P3D was reinstalled.   I have no plans to install X-Plane, so there's no need to get into a discussion about its merits vs. P3D.

Good to know , I've reinstalled this sim every new version of windows and P3D so many times it makes me sick to my stomach. I'll check out simstarter when I get a chance , thanks for the tip.