Help with Cleaning Up FSX Files

[PilotPete99 915]

I am hoping someone can offer some input before I go ahead and competely remove all of my fsx files, addons, and everything in order to reinstall everything. I have messed around with alot of freeware files and I think I have cluttered my FSX files with a bunch of stuff that I have decided to scrap. What I want to do is go back to the way FSX was before i did anything and then reinstall each program one at a time. Should I just untinstall all of the programs and then reinstall, or will some of the files remain if I do this? What is the best way to go about this? Maybe there is a way to just clean it up?

[PilotPete99 915]

>I am hoping someone can offer some input before I go ahead>and competely remove all of my fsx files, addons, and>everything in order to reinstall everything. I have messed>around with alot of freeware files and I think I have>cluttered my FSX files with a bunch of stuff that I have>decided to scrap. What I want to do is go back to the way FSX>was before i did anything and then reinstall each program one>at a time. Should I just untinstall all of the programs and>then reinstall, or will some of the files remain if I do this?>What is the best way to go about this? Maybe there is a way to>just clean it up?One more thing...will I have to reinstall the fsx service packs 1 and 2 if I reinstall fsx?

[eldar2112 10]

Hi,I routinely reformat my computer and re-install Flight Sim. Usually about every 4-6 months. I'll just describe what I do and you can take from that what helps you. To start with if you are reinstalling Flight Sim you will not only have to reinstall the service packs, you will need to uninstall SP2 first. I reformat because I like a clean environment for Flight Sim to start out in.If you don't have a drive dedicated for FSX you might want to consider that. It's a great way to keep your FS install from getting cluttered. You can see from my Sig that I have two drives. The 1st one I have partitioned into C: for operating system and programs, the 2nd partition, D: is for storage of FS addons but also where I keep my active AFCADs and addon scenery. On my D: drive I created a folder called "Airport Facilities" and put all my AFCADs and scenery that only consists of 1 or 2 .bgl files in it. I renamed all of them to start with their ICAO identifier code to make it easier to avoid duplicate sceneries. I also created a folder called "Additional Scenery" and place all addon scenery package folders in this folder. Some of the scenery bgls in my Airport Facilities folder require object libraries. I put those library folders in the Additional Scenery folder. Then in Flight Sim I activate the Object Library folders and then the whole Airport Facilities folder. Then I add and activate the individual scenery folders within the Additional Scenery folder in the order that I wish.When I need to reformat and reinstall I just move those two folders via network to another computer and move them back when I'm done.I can go through those folders and delete stuff I don't like or use and can keep things cleaned up.If you uninstall Flight Sim some files will remain. You can delete the Flight Sim folder after the uninstall. But, if you can reformat you won't have to uninstall or delete anything! Just back-up everything you want to keep.Actually I'm in the process of upgrading from XP 32bit to XP 64bit. I'm reactivating all of my scenery and reinstalling addon aircraft at this time when I get home from work.Sorry for the long post, from reading your post I thought detailing my procedure for this might help you. I hope it does.Good Luck,KailFlightSimmer since 1987C2D E6850 3.0GHz 1333FSBXFX Nforce 680i LT SLI2x XFX 8800GT 512MB SLI'd4GB Crucial Ballistix PC6400 800MHzCreative SB Audigy2 ZSUltra Xfinity 600W SLI PSUSeagate 320GB SATA-3GB/S HD for O/SWD 160GB SATA 3GB/S HD for FSXWindows XP SP3 / FSX SP2 / FS9 SP1

[Guest jshyluk]

Here is more advice:Before you start deleting things, make sure you have all of the serial numbers, key codes, or whatever else your payware items need to be activated in a safe place that's not part of the format! That way, you won't be wasting a lot of time looking for codes or bothering customer service to re-activate lost numbers. You should also be aware that some third-party developers put a limit on how many re-installs you can do.Jeff ShylukAssistant Managing EditorSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

[eldar2112 10]

YES!!! Excellent point Jeff.That's very important. On that second partition of mine I also have a folder named "FSX Payware." I have folders for each publisher, i.e: Flight1, Aerosoft, etc. Then in those I have folders for the individual products with the executables and any updates or required additional files. I create a text file in each folder containing the serial number. I save the FSX Payware folder to hard drives on multiple computers. Reinstall is a snap!Thank you,KailFlightSimmer since 1987C2D E6850 3.0GHz 1333FSBXFX Nforce 680i LT SLI2x XFX 8800GT 512MB SLI'd4GB Crucial Ballistix PC6400 800MHzCreative SB Audigy2 ZSUltra Xfinity 600W SLI PSUSeagate 320GB SATA-3GB/S HD for O/SWD 160GB SATA 3GB/S HD for FSXWindows XP SP3 / FSX SP2 / FS9 SP1