I don't have FSX (my PC's too old) but I understand from various threads here that revalidation can be a problem.I do have Adobe Creative Suite. This also sometimes requires revalidation after a System Restore. Revalidation in painless. A popup window appears explaining that it's necessary and then all that is needed to to keep pressing the Next button on a few popups until the last one which thanks the user for taking the time to revalidate, and finally press the Finish button. There's no need to enter serial numbers, product codes, keys, etc. The system generates and transmits everything itself.Why did Microsoft not offer such a user-friendly sytem? Adobe has shown it can be done.

If you have older versions of MSFS, then you should be familiar with Microsoft's previous method of product validation: you keep the disk in your computer. Many people found that to be a less appealing option, especially if you had third-party add-ons that also validated using the disc.We live in an amazing post-modern age, and better technology hopefully will generate better ways for the computer and the user to come to an interface. Unfortunately, software pirates also use advanced techniques to corrupt this system.This may be just my pie-in-the-sky opinion, but as I see it, if there was no software piracy, there would be no need for software validation. Jeff ShylukAvsim Product Reviewer

Well, to be fair, since you don't have the sim yet and thus haven't done the installation and validation, you might simply be under the wrong impression of it being user-friendly or not. Have you seen it on someone else's system? Frankly it was so simple for me that I don't even remember much detail....but there wasn't any "etc." involved. You may have the wrong impression based on some other reports about install/activation errors when it doesn't work according to hoyle....and that's a possibility with any activation scheme; what I mean to say is th scheme used by your Adobe product worked well for you, but might have also caused grief for someone else when it may have bombed or ran into an unexpected error. "Stuff" can, and does, happen...to anything.Same case here - when it works there's really nothing much to it, and it's easy to get the idea it's horribly problematic for everyone only because when it works, it works very smoothly, and noone bothers to rush over to AvSim to post how smooth it went....they go flying instead. You know how the 80/20 rule of life goes. :)

I've had to activate twice, once on initial install and then again when I reinstalled after upgrading to Vista.It was just a pop up saying that I had to install, I entered in the CD-key (I'm pretty sure, as said before, it wasn't something to memorable) and then it said "Activating" then "Thanks for Activating".That was pretty much it, both times. I'm not entirely sure where you are getting that it's any different than that.

Same here. Activated on my initial install on xp-had to reinstall when upgrading to Vista. No problem at all-other than typing the Cd-key in once again.http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/rxp-pilot.jpg

The only difference seems to be that Adobe doesn't require anything to be typed in. Presumably because the system already knows the product key or whatever it needs.

I agree, the "validation" when it works is totally painless. However it could be that what the OP is referring to is that dreaded error where FSX suddenly decides for no reason that it's no longer "validated" due to a "corrupt or incomplete install" and recommends a re-install to fix the problem. Followed of course by the dreaded 1722 error at the end of DVD #2. I've been bitten twice by that little bug since installing FSX on the release date. 1st time I had no choice but to wipe my drive, reinstall XP Pro then FSX. That taught me a lesson, I got an external USB drive and started making regular backups. 2nd time it happened (last weekend), I only lost a week's stuff ;)Seems to me that it would have been a simple matter for MS to add a "Validate FSX" option somewhere on the menu to avoid probs like this. But of course there is no such option once it's validated.MGH, is that what you were getting at?To Jeff: I have owned a legit copy of every version of FS going back to FS2. As soon as a no-cd crack is available, I've gotten it, so I can put my original purchased CD up and keep it safe. The only people harmed or inconvenienced by copy protection are the legitimate paying customers. Those who want to steal will find a way and there is no copy protection that can prevent that. Any security that can be created, can be broken.