Can't copy some liveries to community folder

[Jarnie 22]

I have downloaded a few liveries from flightsim.TO and after unzipping and copy to the community folder I get the following error displayed-

Destination path too long.

The filenames would be too long for the destination folder. You can shorten the name and try again, or try a location which has a shorter path.

I tried renaming to a shorter name and then the livery does not work.

Yet online there is feedback from people who like the livery.

Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Alvega 2,124]

34 minutes ago, Jarnie said:

I have downloaded a few liveries from flightsim.TO and after unzipping and copy to the community folder I get the following error displayed-

Destination path too long.

The filenames would be too long for the destination folder. You can shorten the name and try again, or try a location which has a shorter path.

I tried renaming to a shorter name and then the livery does not work.

Yet online there is feedback from people who like the livery.

Am I doing something wrong?

 

Hi, you can enable Windows Long Path support in the registry.

https://www.howtogeek.com/266621/how-to-make-windows-10-accept-file-paths-over-260-characters/

Edited July 4, 2022 by Alvega

[johnnycaptain 165]

Try copying it to the desktop first, then take it from the desktop and put in your community folder.

[Jarnie 22]

Thanks for your replies. I am wondering if there is something strange with my Windows 10 installation OR MSFS.

4 hours ago, Alvega said:

Hi, you can enable Windows Long Path support in the registry.

I did that but EnableLongFilenames is already set to 1

2 hours ago, johnnycaptain said:

Try copying it to the desktop first, then take it from the desktop and put in your community folder.

I tried that and still got the error message (copied the folder to my desktop and then copy from there to the community folder.

 

[Alvega 2,124]

Try using MSFS Addon Linker. It will add a symbolic link to your community folder and I think you won't have that problem.

[Jarnie 22]

9 hours ago, Alvega said:

Try using MSFS Addon Linker.

Thanks for that advice. I find it strange that I can copy the folder to any other location on my PC but NOT to the (MSFS) community folder. So annoying. There must be some attribute of my community folder which is causing this.

Anyway I am downloading MSFS AddonLinker and also watching a youtube tutorial on it (my favourite way of learning new tools).

Lastly is there something I can do to get email notifications of replies as the only way I find out that I have a reply is to go to the web page and select the thread to find out if there have been replies which is a real nuisance. Yes I do have "notify me of replies" 'ticked (bottom left) and my email address is correct.

 

[added later]

Already I find something a little strange after watching a youtube tutorial which might explain why I have the "filename too long" problem.

In the tutorial the author sets the 'path' to his community folder at D:/FS2020/Community and I find that folder on my system HOWEVER the folder I have been copying to is located at -

D:/WpSystem/S-1-5-21-3005884429-703102537-2135364465-1001/Appdata/Local/Packages/Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe/LocalCache/Packages/Community

Which folder should I be copying addon aircraft scenery etc to anyway?

Edited July 4, 2022 by Jarnie

[Alvega 2,124]

45 minutes ago, Jarnie said:

Thanks for that advice. I find it strange that I can copy the folder to any other location on my PC but NOT to the (MSFS) community folder. So annoying. There must be some attribute of my community folder which is causing this.

Anyway I am downloading MSFS AddonLinker and also watching a youtube tutorial on it (my favourite way of learning new tools).

Lastly is there something I can do to get email notifications of replies as the only way I find out that I have a reply is to go to the web page and select the thread to find out if there have been replies which is a real nuisance. Yes I do have "notify me of replies" 'ticked (bottom left) and my email address is correct.

 

[added later]

Already I find something a little strange after watching a youtube tutorial which might explain why I have the "filename too long" problem.

In the tutorial the author sets the 'path' to his community folder at D:/FS2020/Community and I find that folder on my system HOWEVER the folder I have been copying to is located at -

D:/WpSystem/S-1-5-21-3005884429-703102537-2135364465-1001/Appdata/Local/Packages/Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe/LocalCache/Packages/Community

Which folder should I be copying addon aircraft scenery etc to anyway?

With Addon Linker you will create a folder anywhere you want (you may call it any name, I called mine MSFS Addons) and then tell Addon Linker where you have it. You are not going to place your addons in the real Community folder anymore. Addon Linker will put symbolic links there.

[Jarnie 22]

40 minutes ago, Alvega said:

With Addon Linker you will create a folder anywhere you want (you may call it any name, I called mine MSFS Addons) and then tell Addon Linker where you have it. You are not going to place your addons in the real Community folder anymore

Thanks Yes I realise that HOWEVER (forgetting about AddonLinker for the moment) I mean the real community folder where you set the path to that MSFS folder The author uses the community folder D:/FS2020/Community which also exists on my system (I also have my MSFS installed on the D drive) but there also is another community folder (mentioned above) so there seems to be TWO community folders and I am wondering when you copy addons MANUALLY (not using the addonlinker) which one should those addon folders be copied to.

[Alvega 2,124]

19 minutes ago, Jarnie said:

Thanks Yes I realise that HOWEVER (forgetting about AddonLinker for the moment) I mean the real community folder where you set the path to that MSFS folder The author uses the community folder D:/FS2020/Community which also exists on my system (I also have my MSFS installed on the D drive) but there also is another community folder (mentioned above) so there seems to be TWO community folders and I am wondering when you copy addons MANUALLY (not using the addonlinker) which one should those addon folders be copied to.

Look for a file called UserCfg.Opt on your PC. Open it using any text editor. At the bottom it points to the Packages folder path. Go to there and you will find your Community Folder.

[Jarnie 22]

14 minutes ago, Alvega said:

UserCfg.Opt

Thanks. Yes that shows the Packages folder path as

InstalledPackagesPath "C:\Users\Owner\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Packages"

Where the community folder I have always been using exists.

It just concerned me that in the video tutorial where the author shows how to set up the path to the community folder he navigates to D:/FS2020/Community not the one above and as such I wondered if I was using the wrong community folder (I assumed that the MSFS installation created the one at D:/FS2020).

I will carry on learning the Addon Linker. It sure keep files together.

 

[Alvega 2,124]

Ok, let us know if Addon Linker "fixes" your problem with the long paths.

[Jarnie 22]

Will do.

I watched another youtube video and it seems the other place where the authors find the community folder is for a steam version not the store download version which I have.

One thing I am finding with Addon LInker which is MOST annoying is that when I go to another application (with it running) when I try and get back to Addon Linker it is not there and also there is no icon on the task bar at the bottom of the screen so I assume it is not running and try to launch it again only to be told it is already running. I run Task Manager and find it in 'background processes' and so select it and delete the process so that I can launch it again.

This is very annoying.

Any ideas?

 

[Jarnie 22]

Success!   I added the livery folder which I could not manually copy to the community folder to my 'liveries' folder for Addon Linker and then 'linked' it using Addon Linker. I can see it and all the subfiolders and files inside the community folder and it is selectable in MSFS.

Fabulous, and thanks to yourself for bringing Addon Linker to me.

Mind you I already have some folders for aircraft and liveries and scenery in the community folder (not links created by Addon Linker) and I hope it doesn't matter that there is a mixture. I could remove them all and set them up as links using Addon Linker HOWEVER I recently purchased Aerosoft DHC-6 Twin Otter directly from Aerosoft via download which automatically downloaded it to the community folder and I cannot copy it from there as I get an error.

[Alvega 2,124]

2 hours ago, Jarnie said:

Success!   I added the livery folder which I could not manually copy to the community folder to my 'liveries' folder for Addon Linker and then 'linked' it using Addon Linker. I can see it and all the subfiolders and files inside the community folder and it is selectable in MSFS.

Fabulous, and thanks to yourself for bringing Addon Linker to me.

Mind you I already have some folders for aircraft and liveries and scenery in the community folder (not links created by Addon Linker) and I hope it doesn't matter that there is a mixture. I could remove them all and set them up as links using Addon Linker HOWEVER I recently purchased Aerosoft DHC-6 Twin Otter directly from Aerosoft via download which automatically downloaded it to the community folder and I cannot copy it from there as I get an error.

Hey Jarnie, good to see you worked it out. If you need more help, let me know.

Cheers.

[Bert Pieke 7,585]

2 hours ago, Jarnie said:

Mind you I already have some folders for aircraft and liveries and scenery in the community folder (not links created by Addon Linker) and I hope it doesn't matter that there is a mixture. I could remove them all and set them up as links using Addon Linker HOWEVER I recently purchased Aerosoft DHC-6 Twin Otter directly from Aerosoft via download which automatically downloaded it to the community folder and I cannot copy it from there as I get an error.

You can have any mixture you want.. Just leave the Twin Otter in the Community folder, no issue.

However, now that you have the Addons Linker set up, you can install future addons into your chosen folder.

You turn on the Linker when you add or disable an addon, and then you can shut down the Linker, you do not need to have it running!