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Hi,

I'm currently running a small network (with a router, not P2P) with FSX:SE loaded on the H: partition on my server PC (FSX CD version was originally on C:) plus loads of Orbx, with other software such as AS16, AH2, PFPX, Plan-G etc on the C: drive of my networked client PC. It's all been pretty stable, and SimConnect has been behaving itself for a few years now and I've been really enjoying AH2. I'm well into the planning stage of making the big leap forward to use P3Dv4 and would like some appraisal/criticism of what I'm planning.

My Plan A (for want of a better title, armageddon didn't seem right) is to attempt at keeping both sims separate so I have a fall back position, and if you don't have a plan you can't change it.

• to install P3Dv4 on my C: drive on the server and re-load all my Orbx files as P3Dv4.
• create a partition on my client and reload all the ancillary software as P3Dv4.
• re load all my add-ons as P3Dv4

My main concern are the files required in either MyName\Documents or MyName\AppData\Roaming especially those tricky ones required for SimConnect. I think I've seen somewhere I may need a P3Dv4 specific version of AS16 but as yet I haven't confirmed that.

I might add that all this has been prompted by Sean Moloney ex Real Air that created my favourite plane the Turbo Duke V2 is now at Vertx Sim and has released the DA62. It does seem that every 2 to 5 years something comes along that makes you re-configure your whole system, from Win 10, to motherboard meltdowns, networking etc, etc, and now to the Brave New World of 64 bit !

I would recommend putting P3D and all that goes with it into its own partition, because much of the add-on content is now installed outside the P3D directory (LM's specs say it's all supposed to be), and if you put P3D on your C drive, you're going to have a bunch of other directories cluttering up your C drive.   Also, I keep my C drive as clear as possible of any application content so that I can backup the boot drive quickly as a measure to guard against unhappy surprises when Win 10 updates start breaking things.

Simconnect won't be a problem--the various versions are loaded into the Windows side-by-side libraries ( they don't overwrite one another) and they all coexist just fine.  In fact the FSX versions of Simconnect (RTM, SP1, SP2/Acceleration) are all included with the P3D SDK because many P3D add-ons still use the FSX version(s) of Simconnect.

For Active Sky you will need to buy the separate P3Dv4 version (ActiveSky for P3Dv4, aka ASP4).  If you use ASCA, however, it works fine with both AS16 and ASP4.

Some peripheral add-ons will support both sims, and a few won't...with P3D having been around as long as it has now, most mainstream ancillary software supports both sims.  PFPX, for example, can write flight plans to FSX, P3D, or both as you desire.

Regards

 

Thanks for the response w6kd. All I have to do now is solve the problem of creating another partition/volume. I need to hack some storage space off my C: , plus another lump off my H: (by shrinking the partitions) to be able to create a volume big enough. Unfortunately the Disk Management facility within Win10 doesn't allow you to merge "unallocated space" from different positions on the disk. Having to do brain surgery on my hard disk fills me with dread but I think there is a piece of software out there (MiniTool Partition Wizard) that may be able to do it. But first I'll burn a disk image methinks …. or treat myself to a SSD ?

Why ain't nothing to do with our hobby is easy. And I haven't even bought the software yet !

Perhaps this is a totally silly suggestion but... instead of doing this complicated 'brain surgery', as you call it, wouldn't it be more straightforward to buy a new hard drive especially for P3Dv4? 1TB SSDs are not cheap, but also not nearly as expensive as they used to be a year ago.

Thanks for the suggestion Benjamin J but the MiniToolPartitionWizard worked fine.