I am thinking it must be me .... I have been simming (FSX,P3D, Xplane) since the 1990s and have just upgraded to MSFS 2024 Premium Delux.  I have never experienced as many installation issues as with this. I run Windows 10 64bit (latest version), intel processor, Gforce 4060TI card. system disk is 'C' and 'D' drive has Xplane only  with nearly 1TB of space.

Following installation 9via recommended XBox App) on D drive, the basic sim starts and runs enabing me to learn and config etc.  After about 4 loads of the sim I suddenly get error messages 'This App Will Not Run On this PC' or 'Windows Does Not Recognise/Find this App'.  There are many similar reports of this problem on the 2024 Comminity with various remedies none of which seem to work unless I re-install.  Similarly I tried installing a straightforward Add On (App to enable Saitek Panels).  This action has produced similar results.  The same occurs if I install on the 'C' Drive.

Am I missing something? if anybody has come across similar peoblems and has any advice I would be grateful.  Right now I am regretting buying it! TIA - Roger

 

The ideal, specially if you plan to join the "flighting" releases of FS 2024 (beta channel) is to place your Community folder away from the default install which, assuming the Store version of FS 2024 is what you have will be under:

C:\users\<youruser>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

So, in order to do it, you first install FS 2024 through the xBox windows app, letting it install into the default locations, and then create a new folder under the drive you want it to be stored in, say "F:\MSFS" and:

0) Execute FS 2024 one first time and on the cogwheel to the top right of the "Library" window set the path of the Community folder to your new location, and exit FS 2024;

1) Edit the "UserCfg.opt" file in the above path with Notepad and skip to the last two lines. On the first one you change the location from the default one to "F:\MSFS" (adapted to your choice) and make sure the next line which reads something like "...next boot..." has the destination path void - ""

2) Copy (or move) the Community, FS2020, FS 2024 and StreamedContent to "F:\MSFS" and 

3) Restart FS 2024...

I also moved the CACHE file to "F:\MSFS" in my case which is done through the "Online" section of the ingame "Settings" menu. There you can specifify where to store the CACHE file. You can also redimension it from the default 16 GB. I made mine 64 GB... Then delete the one under the default location - the original path in bold above...

Beware that some say that staying with default 16GB cache is probably a better choice, I had been using it at 32GB and lately increased to 64, and so far didn't notice any quirks.

Edited April 3, 20251 yr by jcomm

Hi Jcomm

Thank you for your quick response with detailed instructions, much appreciated. I will go through all of it on my return from a short holiday. I will certainly let you know how I get on.

I thought the product was mature enough to have addressed problems like this. Anyway, many thanks.

1 hour ago, jcomm said:

The ideal, specially if you plan to join the "flighting" releases of FS 2024 (beta channel) is to place your Community folder away from the default install which, assuming the Store version of FS 2024 is what you have will be under:

C:\users\<youruser>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

So, in order to do it, you first install FS 2024 through the xBox windows app, letting it install into the default locations, and then create a new folder under the drive you want it to be stored in, say "F:\MSFS" and:

0) Execute FS 2024 one first time and on the cogwheel to the top right of the "Library" window set the path of the Community folder to your new location, and exit FS 2024;

1) Edit the "UserCfg.opt" file in the above path with Notepad and skip to the last two lines. On the first one you change the location from the default one to "F:\MSFS" (adapted to your choice) and make sure the next line which reads something like "...next boot..." has the destination path void - ""

2) Copy (or move) the Community, FS2020, FS 2024 and StreamedContent to "F:\MSFS" and 

3) Restart FS 2024...

I also moved the CACHE file to "F:\MSFS" in my case which is done through the "Online" section of the ingame "Settings" menu. There you can specifify where to store the CACHE file. You can also redimension it from the default 16 GB. I made mine 64 GB... Then delete the one under the default location - the original path in bold above...

Beware that some say that staying with default 16GB cache is probably a better choice, I had been using it at 32GB and lately increased to 64, and so far didn't notice any quirks.

Amazing, have not done any of this and all has been fine with install, and one reinstall.  I always at least try the KISS method and in both sims, it's always panned out.

Thanks for responses. I discovered further problems over and above those reported which turned out to be Windows 10 and disk structure related. In hindsight I should not have immediately pointed the finger at MSFS 2024.

I updated to Windows 11, re-organised my D drive and all the issues were fixed. Note to self: don’t jump to conclusions without thinking it through!
Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts - Roger

On 4/3/2025 at 11:09 AM, jcomm said:

like "...next boot..." has the destination path void - ""

Hi, I need to do a fresh install. Your instructions are clear but I’m unsure what to do here. Can you please elaborate? Thanks.

My goal is to NOT have my Community folder locked with admin privileges nonsense.

3 hours ago, Jack_Sawyer said:

Hi, I need to do a fresh install. Your instructions are clear but I’m unsure what to do here. Can you please elaborate? Thanks.

My goal is to NOT have my Community folder locked with admin privileges nonsense.

It's simpler now, that post is from almost 1 yr ago-

So, suposing you have an F: partition (can be any letter for a valid disk partition) and you want to move your Community (ies) into it, you create a folder "MSFS", like:

F:\MSFS

you then:

1) Install MSFS 2024 and let it use the default install path, under your system partition "C :"

2) prior to installing any addons or move Community to it's new "house", run MSFS 2024 a first time;

3) Navigate to the deafult install path, mentioned in my post above, in a non Steam install it'll be :

C:\Users\<youruser>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Limitless_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

Under it you'll find a subfolder named "Packages". Move it (or copy first and then DELETE from original folder) into it's new location - F:\MSFS....

You will end with F:\MSFS\Packages

4) Edit UserCfg.opt under the standard install dir mentioned in 3) above, and at it's last entry (bottom of the file) you will have a directive setting the location of the "Packages" folder. Change it to:

"F\MSFS\Packages"

and that's all you need 🙂

Edited February 21Feb 21 by jcomm

16 minutes ago, jcomm said:

It's simpler now, that post is from almost 1 yr ago-

So, soposing you have an F: partition (can be any letter for a valid disk partition) and you want to move your Community (ies) into it, you create a folder "MSFS", like:

F:\MSFS

you then:

1) Install MSFS 2024 and let it use the default install path, under your system partition "C :"

2) prior to installing any addons or move Community to it's new "house", run MSFS 2024 a first time;

3) Navigate to the deafult install path, mentioned in my post above, in a non Steam install it'll be :

C:\users\<youruser>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

Under it you'll find a subfolder named "Packages". Move it (or copy first and then DELETE from original folder) into it's new location - F:\MSFS....

You will end with F:\MSFS\Packages

4) Edit UserCfg.opt under the standard install dir mentioned in 3) above, and at it's last entry (bottom of the file) you will have a directive setting the location of the "Packages" folder. Change it to:

"F\MSFS\Packages"

and that's all you need 🙂

Thanks but I don’t have this:

“Microsoft.FlightSimulator” in that location on C. But everything is working.

The above information is for MSFS2020, for MSFS2024 it is in:

C:\Users\<youruser>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Limitless_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

53 minutes ago, SierraDelta said:

The above information is for MSFS2020, for MSFS2024 it is in:

C:\Users\<youruser>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Limitless_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

🙏

Fixed ! Thank you for spotting it, I had cut&pasted from my April 2025 post ....

Edited February 21Feb 21 by jcomm

Last night, after months of not having the 2024 installed, I did a clean install of MSFS 2024 SU4 in order to get the free HondaJet V2 upgrade, and it took me about 20 minutes and 10 GIGS of HD space. I installed it into the XBox Games folder. When I did a clean install of MSFS 2020 over a year ago, it took me days to complete everything. What a difference!

MSFS 2024 loaded normally and my control and graphics settings were still in tact. All I did was enable some of my addons and created my Community folder in the MSFS 2024 folder. Easy to do in the content section.

The key for me is that I have a full back up of win 11 that I can restore and then re-install 2024 as a clean install anytime I want.

So it should not take too long for anyone else to install MSFS 2024. Open XBox ap. Find MSF 2024 and press install. Install into default path, or choose a different folder. After install, run the program.

Not hard at all.