I’ve got a plan for (unfashionably) reviving my FSX instal, and I’d be very grateful for your advice.

I stopped flying FSX a couple of years ago when a temporary house move meant I had to leave my cockpit behind. Last September I built a new PC in anticipation of MSFS 2020. I’ve followed its development closely on the forums, and I’m not sure it’s yet ready (stunning world-wide scenery apart) to offer me a better flight simulator than the FSX I had with A2A aircraft and add-on scenery. Maybe give it another 6 months. My aim is to re-learn VFR flying, properly, in GA aircraft, with gauges, paper maps, twiddly E6B-type ‘computer’ etc., especially as I’ve now got a Honeycomb Alpha yoke and am awaiting the Bravo throttle.

Re-installing FSX Gold to my new Win 10 Pro x64 PC is a right pain – the installer won’t run for starters.  So I thought I’d invest twenty quid in the Steam version, which I understand has some software improvements over the boxed version and runs OK under Win 10. I’ll install it to the D drive (an SSD).

The thought of re-installing all of the add-on scenery from the dozens of DVDs doesn’t bear thinking about, even if I could remember how to do it! However I kept an image of my old (Win 7) drives, so I have recovered the Scenery.cfg file and all my gigabytes of VFRGenX, Treescapes and UK 2000 airports in a folder called ‘FSX Add ons’. The entries in the scenery bit of the .cfg point to D:\FSX Add ons, so I figured that if I copy FSX Addons back into my new D drive (over-writing the Steam .cfg) it won’t know the difference.

Do you think that will work?

And of course I'd really appreciate any comments on my general plan, or if you took the plunge into MSFS 2020 and haven't looked back since.

Many thanks, Alan.

 

Edited January 14, 20215 yr by charliearon
Replaced Scenery for FSX

1 hour ago, Bigfish said:

And of course I'd really appreciate any comments on my general plan, or if you took the plunge into MSFS 2020 and haven't looked back since.

Just move ahead one step at a time.  And test after each step.  That way if something creates an issue you will be able to isolate it.  I just went through this in August after building a new system.  You will need your installations keys and/or licensing information, including the email address you used at the time for many purchased addons.  I have always stored mine in a password protected encrypted safe/vault app.

Frank, thankyou for your wise advice. I'll get the Steam version installed, get FSUIPC4 installed and get my Alpha yoke working (relying on TM Cougar throttle and pedals till my Bravo and Logitech pedals arrive, one day!), check out that I can fly, then copy my umpteen gigs of scenery into scenery.cfg, fly over it, then add REX4+soft clouds, fly, and finally instal my beloved A2A C172. And start flying properly.

And yes, to my amazement I discover I'd made a Word document with all my codes for installing software - in the case of A2A I just logged back in, did their simple procedure to recover my old orders, and re-downloaded my aircraft. What a great company.

All this sounds straightforward compared with what I read about installing and updating MSFS 2020!

Alan

 

Would running your FSX disc setup in XP compatibility mode help

Works for me with some legacy programs like Microsoft  Works and Quicken 2004

MSFS 2020 is however such a quantum leap that I have never contemplated going back

xxd09

Hi xxd09 and thanks for your reply. It's very helpful to know you're not looking back from MSFS 2020 - I'm sure I'll be there with you within the next 6 months or so.

I'm quite excited though as I've just downloaded and installed the Steam edition of FSX  - very straightforward. I'm hoping that copying in my old Scenery.cfg file (the long active one with all my add-on scenery references) and re-installing my A2A planes will enable me to get up and flying pretty quickly. I can then use it to sort out my new controls hardware.

Then all I need is an RTX 3080 and I'm good to go for  MSFS 2020,

Alan

Might be worth running the two sims -hard discs are cheap-because A2A planes not available MSFS 2020 yet -I miss my Milviz planes (and A2A)

but MSFS2020 scenery is breathtaking 

Pays your money and takes your choice!

xxd09

I might just do that - get FSX-SE up and running, sort out my hardware, then instal FS2020 but as you suggest keep FSX-SE going as well.

Thanks for that good advice.

Alan