Does "Repair" really work?

[FlyingsCool 3]

Ok, now I'm confused.It was my understanding that if I ran "Repair" from the installation disks, it would overwrite all files that had been changed and return FSX to it's original RTM configuration.Well, I had updated several of the default airliner aircraft.cfg files to add some real airliner paints.I had a problem with my system, so I ran repair on the installation and then installed the SP1 patch. I was about to go reapply the changes that I had made to these default airliners and found out that I didn't need to; the aircraft.cfg file had not been overwritten.So now I'm worried that perhaps not all of the SP1 changes have been made to my system. Both the repair and SP1 installations claimed they finished successfully.As I understand, the MD-83 had been updated for SP1. What files in the MD-83 file were changed by SP1?My MD_83modelMD_83.mdl file is 462 KB and is dated 5/1/2007. Could somebody please verify that this is as it should be?The only files in the default textures directories that have changed dates from RTM are the fresnel_ramp.dds files which are dated 5/1/2007. Interestingly, the fresnel_ramp.dds files in my new texture directories also have this date. But I don't remember changing them after installing SP1. Perhaps I did? Perhaps SP1 searches all directories for these files and changes them, not just default directories???Any thoughts on how to tell if all the changes have been applied would be appreciated.Thanks!Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)N15802 KASH '73 Piper Cherokee Challenger 180

[Guest allcott]

I concur on the mdl file. Repair does NOT replace ALL the files. It detects those that are non-standard or missing and replaces those. The ONLY way to ensure a `proper` RTM from the Repair option is to start from scratch - delete or rename any suspect folders that contain files your are trying to restore to RTM. SP1, by contrast, does replce all files or folders within its remit, so any aircraft .cfg files WOULD have been overwritten by SP1, but NOT be RTM Repair, but only providing SP1 was actually due to replace those files, and I don't think there's much going on there in SP1, except perhaps for the AI aircraft. SP1 is a performance patch, not a bugfix or feature patch.I had the same questions after SP1 first install - I installed right over the existing RTM, after a repair install which left a nasty combination of old and new files. ONLY a fresh install of RTM, defrag, then SP1 fixed it, even though SP1 claimed to have installed properly as on yours.There is simply no getting around Phils advice - A fresh, clean, install of FSX RTM, followed by SP1 is the ONLY guaranteed successful way if installing SP1.Allcott

[FlyingsCool 3]

"Repair does NOT replace ALL the files. It detects those that are non-standard or missing and replaces those." Well, the aircraft.cfg file was non-standard; I had added a bunch of new paints and renamed the old ones so the new ones show up in AI. So I'm wondering why it didn't get replaced?Oh well, I guess if I have any problems I'll remove it and reinstall. As far as I can remember, these were the only RTM files I modified.Thanks!Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)N15802 KASH '73 Piper Cherokee Challenger 180

[RFields5421 1]

It was my understanding that if I ran "Repair" from the installation disks, it would overwrite all files that had been changed and return FSX to it's original RTM configuration.No - that is not what the repair function of Windows using the Windows Installer database is designed to do.Each application can have some customized adjustments - but basically no application/program will replace/ return to default any files which have been modified (are owned) by a user on the computer.A few programs will offer the option to remove user files.Some files types will normally never be removed under any circumstances - file types which would be considered user data - such as the .PLN, .FLT, .WX, .FSSSave files in the My Documents folder.Repair is designed to restore a list of critical application files to the original configuration. To correct corruption caused by bad hard drives, viruses and inadvertent deletion.Repair will also normally restore files from the original install which are not present when the repair is run. Not critical application files like the aircraft.cfg and the textures. You can get the original's back by removing the modified files before running Repair.Remember Repair is a Windows Installer function - part of the Windows operating system. Not a FSX function, though some customization of the process is possible by the FSX developers.Provided they knew, or correctly guessed, which items would need to be overwritten once FSX was on the street.Building Windows Installer MSI files and MST transform files, Install Shield builds, etc - is an art form and a career field separate from developing a game/FS.

[FlyingsCool 3]

So at one time I read that somebody had seen a list of all the files that SP1 modified. Does anyone have a link to that list?Thomas[a href=http://www.flyingscool.com] http://www.flyingscool.com/images/Signature.jpg [/a]I like using VC's :-)N15802 KASH '73 Piper Cherokee Challenger 180

[RFields5421 1]

I've not seen anything like that. Though I understand it's almost all the .EXE and .DLL files and a few others. Some cvx*, apx*, obx*, brx* files for the scenery fixes.But it would be pretty simple to create such a list.Take a fresh out of the box install of FSX.Install SP1Search the FSX folder (Microsoft Flight Simulator X) for all files modified from 10/6/2006 to today.My modified verson of FSX shows 6,276 objects - thought it includes several add on aircraft. Ignore the folders - it's the file dates which are important.I could create a better list with a tool I have at work were we take before and after snapshots when we rebuild commercial application istalls - but don't want to buy another copy of FSX.