I'm wondering if it will be better to apply the upcoming FSX patch over a clean un-altered install of FSX rather than my now very tweaked and altered setup. What do you all think? It might be better for the patch to interact with original MS files than many of the substitutions we have all made to sleek up the sim. We can certainly set our aircraft and our sceneries aside. After patching FSX we can then re-introduce some of our tweaks, if we need them, and re-install our planes and sceneries.We still have plenty of time to think on this and back up some key files. Any thoughts out there on the best procedure?Lee

I think it's an absolute necessity to install SP1 over a "clean" install of FSX. I'll really be surprised if ACES doesn't strongly recommend that it be done that way. There's just to much that can go wrong trying to patch a modified installation. As far as procedure, I'd just blow it away and start everything again from scratch.Doug

Go to the bottom of this thread and the Phil Taylor exchanges. http://forums.avsim.net/dcboard.php?az=sho...id=382819&page=Cliff Notes:You can try FSX with the patch and see how it performs. If it doesnt work then remove and followup with a clean install then the patch.I will do the latter. My FSX version is so "frankenstein'd" in the search for 1 more stinking FPS :) that I would BE EXTREMELY concerned if the patch installed without any errors. LOL.Bob...

I plan on reverting back to my original autogen.xml file and a few other files that control the types of autogen objects used and plan to backup my fsx.cfg file but i am not going to uninstall any planes or scenery packs. Phil has stated in a few other threads that the patch won't affect addons like landclass or other packages that don't rename original files. I use realsky and cloud9 landclass as well as many addon planes and the hawaii scenery and i don't plan on uninstalling them. I just won't install the patch if i have to go to all that trouble because honestly I will be surprised if the patch does anything for me anyway. some may call me a cynic, but I prefer to think of myself as a realist :)________________________________________________________________________________________________Intel D975XBX2 'Bad Axe 2' | Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3.20Ghz | 2 GB Super Talent DDR2 800 | Big Typhoon VX | eVGA 8800GTS @ 565/900 | Seagate 2x320GB SATA RAID-0 | OCZ GameXStream 700W | Creative X-Fi | Silverstone TJ-09BW | Matrox Triplehead Setup

Hi,Normally, you would have to backup your "changed/modified" files prior to installing a patch.The patch will over existing files to update your program (FX).Then, you could re-modify any file(s) as you originally did for whatever your reasons were at the time.

That is clearly the safest.Next safest is only add-ons.It could work, as long as no files were deleted, but that isnt a scenario we are going to test.

What I do, is maintain a file called "changes.txt" in which I document EXACTLY which files I change and how I change them.That way I can revert back to stock install easily.RhettAMD 3700+ (@2310 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-8 (1T), WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian case

>I plan on reverting back to my original autogen.xml file and>a few other files that control the types of autogen objects>used and plan to backup my fsx.cfg file but i am not going to>uninstall any planes or scenery packs. Phil has stated in a>few other threads that the patch won't affect addons like>landclass or other packages that don't rename original files.>I use realsky and cloud9 landclass as well as many addon>planes and the hawaii scenery and i don't plan on uninstalling>them. >I just won't install the patch if i have to go to all>that trouble because honestly I will be surprised if the patch>does anything for me anyway. some may call me a cynic, but I>prefer to think of myself as a realist :)>Sorry man - you would only be 10% of the cynic that I amBut even I am smart enough to realise that it is NOT Rocket Science to realise that they have to start with a KNOWN CONFIGURATION - there is No way that anyone could predict what changes you might/might not have madeWhen/if it appears - start clean OR dont complain

I guess the trade to be made is whether to go through the effort to return FSX to default install vs possibility of having to troubleshoot post-upgrade problems.scott s..

I guess the biggest problem is whether the SP1 patch automatically resets the number of installations meter back to zero - frankly, it would be a disgrace if we had to manually contact MS for permission to reinstall their product just because they've patched some of what is wrong with it out of the box, and in so doing used up the automatic installations.Obviously that would not apply to online revalidation, which is another thing that will probably throw a prissy fit on your install if it sees files it doesn't approve of. How dare we modify MS files for our own personal use. All MS products are perfect and don't need modifying! :)Clarification on this issue sooner rather than later from ACES would be beneficial all round, I'd say. I will not use telephone validation for a product which claims online verification, nor will I `waste` an install on SP1 if the later DX10 patch does not also zero the install. I'd rather just put FSX baack in its box and save the hard drive space for another year.Allcott

>I guess the biggest problem is whether the SP1 patch>automatically resets the number of installations meter back to>zero - frankly,How about this: Frankly, I think Microsoft should take Product Activation, and throw it in Lake Washington. How 'bout them apples?RhettAMD 3700+ (@2310 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-8 (1T), WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian case

I'll be clean-installing it... My hard drive image set consists of a CLEAN but activated operating system install, with no programs or things to cause problems, AND an activated but untouched FSX install - this way, I can revert back to a fully clean install without having to worry about activation issues. With FS2004, I had an image with the clean OS, but I didn't bother with the simulator because activation wasn't an issue. Now that is is (or rather, could be), I decided to activate it once, take a snapshot, and be done with it. -Greg

What he said. - Doug

I've done the same with a dual boot as the FSX/WinXP installation is on it's own drive. I don't know what I'd do without Acronis True Image...Doug

gregDo you use Acronis TrueImage for that? How big is your clean OS image?Do you store it on a 2nd hard drive or an external hard drive?RhettAMD 3700+ (@2310 mhz), eVGA 7800GT 256 (Guru3D 93.71), ASUS A8N-E, PC Power 510 SLI, 2 GB Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-8 (1T), WD 250 gig 7200 rpm SATA2, CoolerMaster Praetorian case