A recent Windows 11 update force added Windows Store search results to Search Box - even on Windows 11 LTSC which was traditionally clean of all this. It's clear that this process of making it worse will continue, so today I bit the bullet and installed CachyOS on a separate partition to test it out. I don't think Windows 11 will get better. 

I had to rebuy MSFS from steam since I was using the Store version, but that's just how it goes. I didn't mind since I already knew that I would have to do this. Besides that, I have a lot of Linux experience so managing the OS, installing stuff, tinkering etc is easy enough for me (it will be harder if you have never used Linux, but a motivated user can learn everything you need for this goal within a few days). I just didn't know anything about gaming on Linux since I never had to do it. Still it's 2026 and it's super easy  to game on Linux now. (one hears..)

I chose CachyOS cause it's supposed to be superfast. Won't go into details of the OS install, but it's easy enough and all my hardware worked perfectly right out the box. 

Impressively, I had MSFS 2024 running as per normal within just a few minutes. Had to make ONE tweak to the launcher (changed a Proton version), but after that, it all runs just fine! And in fact, it's smoother than on Windows (same PC, same everything). My joystick and Bravo throttle both detected and working fine once I setup the key binds. 

I am now going to test various addons and so on, and see if this can be a full replacement for Windows. So far, so great. It will be interesting to both learn from others if you're doing this, and also I can answer your questions while I'm doing this.. can test out things for you guys. 

 

Edited February 26Feb 26 by JonathanC

7 minutes ago, JonathanC said:

A recent Windows 11 update force added Windows Store search results to Search Box - even on Windows 11 LTSC which was traditionally clean of all this. It's clear that this process of making it worse will continue, so today I bit the bullet and installed CachyOS on a separate partition to test it out. I don't think Windows 11 will get better. 

I had to rebuy MSFS from steam since I was using the Store version, but that's just how it goes. I didn't mind since I already knew that I would have to do this. Besides that, I have a lot of Linux experience so managing the OS, installing stuff, tinkering etc is easy enough for me (it will be harder if you have never used Linux, but a motivated user can learn everything you need for this goal within a few days). I just didn't know anything about gaming on Linux since I never had to do it. Still it's 2026 and it's super easy  to game on Linux now. (one hears..)

I chose CachyOS cause it's supposed to be superfast. Won't go into details of the OS install, but it's easy enough and all my hardware worked perfectly right out the box. 

Impressively, I had MSFS 2024 running as per normal within just a few minutes. Had to make ONE tweak to the launcher (changed a Proton version), but after that, it all runs just fine! And in fact, it's smoother than on Windows (same PC, same everything). My joystick and Bravo throttle both detected and working fine once I setup the key binds. 

I am now going to test various addons and so on, and see if this can be a full replacement for Windows. So far, so great. It will be interesting to both learn from others if you're doing this, and also I can answer your questions while I'm doing this.. can test out things for you guys. 

 

I have no questions as yet but i definitely will be following your progress in hope that when i do decide to drop my windows 10 install i have an option to NOT go with windows 11.

Congrats on getting it running and i hope this goes smoothly without too many issues. 

13 minutes ago, JonathanC said:

I bit the bullet and installed CachyOS on a separate partition to test it out.

How did the dual boot option work out?  Did the Cachy install detect Windows and auto-create a dual boot scenario?

Hmm....as they say in Upper Sandusky...

I messed around with Linux in the 90's.  I've always been a Windows skeptic, or a GUI skeptic in general, so yeah, this interests me.

I'm a Solus OS user and installed MSFS 2024 a month or so ago.  Have to admit, its runs well but of course you're limited to market place.  The intro animations was all static for some reason, but once the program finished loading the assets, it was all fine.

Edited February 26Feb 26 by Sticky

1 hour ago, Greggy_D said:

How did the dual boot option work out?  Did the Cachy install detect Windows and auto-create a dual boot scenario?

I am not dual-booting yet. Just on a separate NVME, and I pick in the BIOS. 

But yes, Cachy did want to set up dual-boot and I know it works from reading and seeing videos,  but I chose to do it this way. 

13 minutes ago, Sticky said:

 The intro animations was all static for some reason, but once the program finished loading the assets, it was all fine.

Intro animation has an easy fix. From Claude (and verified working on my system). That was the one  tweak I mentioned. 

-----------

Install ProtonGE

The easiest way on CachyOS is with ProtonPlus or ProtonUp-Qt:
sudo pacman -S protonup-qt

Launch it, make sure it's set to add versions for Steam, then click Add Version → select GE-Proton → pick GE-Proton10-32 → Install.
Set MSFS 2024 to Use It

Open Steam
Right-click MSFS 2024 → Properties
Go to Compatibility tab
Check "Force the use of a specific Steam Play compatibility tool"
Select GE-Proton10-32 from the dropdown

That's it. Launch the game normally after that.

Why GE-Proton?
GE (GloriousEggroll) Proton is a community fork of Valve's Proton with extra patches, codec support, and fixes that haven't made it upstream yet — it often works better for games with launchers or DRM like MSFS 2024.

-------

 

17 minutes ago, Sticky said:

Have to admit, its runs well but of course you're limited to market place.

Nope! I simply mounted my Windows drive, then set the community folder location inside MSFS (the usual way, nothing fancy, just using the menus inside MSFS), and loaded up.. and basically all the addons that don't need an executable running just loaded right up. All my sceneries, the PMDG .. everything. 

 

Sitting in PMDG 777 at Ini EGLL right now - 

Now, I need to get the following addons working

 

1. Fenix

2. GSX

3. TDS GTNxi

4. vRAAS

5. fsLTL

6. ? (got some others that I forget right now). 

Obviously no idea if there are breaking bugs or whatever, but everything seems normal so far. 

28 minutes ago, JonathanC said:

.. and basically all the addons that don't need an executable running

Won't this stop the Fenix from working?

Fenix does work but I’m running into a Wayland /x11 issue. Ah the joys of bleeding edge stuff. Other people have it working on other distros, so I may try that tomorrow. 
 

MSFS itself works just fine, just like on Xbox and PS5. On Linux is IS possible to get third party programming running and communicating with MSFS, but it’s fiddly. I’ll keep trying to see what possible and what’s not. 
 

But at the very least I’m very happy to see that I can run it and use basically any addon that doesn’t have a separate exe. Those are on a case by case basis. 

You install third party add-ons through Lutris or Heroic or Faugus game launchers. Works well.

My only problem is I simply cannot get my Thrustmaster TPR pedals to be recognised. Used devrules etc. Will have to continue searching for a solution.

But yes, the sim runs exceptionally smooth using the latest GE-Proton.

3 minutes ago, Vlooi said:

You install third party add-ons through Lutris or Heroic or Faugus game launchers. Works well.

Hey got a guide on this? Do you have Fenix working? 

3 hours ago, JonathanC said:

Fenix does work but I’m running into a Wayland /x11 issue. Ah the joys of bleeding edge stuff. Other people have it working on other distros, so I may try that tomorrow. 
 

The external process that Fenix developed was for Windows. Let us know how the testing goes with the Fenix. I would assume you may run into further problems down the road when you use the Fenix more, because that external process is primarily compatible with Windows?

Edited February 27Feb 27 by abrams_tank

5 hours ago, abrams_tank said:

The external process that Fenix developed was for Windows. Let us know how the testing goes with the Fenix. I would assume you may run into further problems down the road when you use the Fenix more, because that external process is primarily compatible with Windows?

Nah, the process runs fine. Pretty much all windows stuff runs fine in Linux these days. The issue is interprocess stuff - running both Fenix and MSFs in the same namespace is causing issues. 
 

but it is a solved thing - many people do have it working. It’s just a case of me figuring out the right combination of settings.  

Have you got or someone VR to test SteamVR?, Monado and other Linux software can make run even the depreciated WMR HMDs.

I just read a pair of days ago that Nvidia is planning to support more also Linux or so, even maybe with their own Linux OS, for the SteamOS success and based also in SteamOS I understood.

And I just installed also a fresh W10 in other partition for FS24-20/games, I have some months still of Microsoft support, but I am watching to SteamOS in PC since years ago.

Edited February 27Feb 27 by peloto

8 hours ago, peloto said:

Have you got or someone VR to test SteamVR?, Monado and other Linux software can make run even the depreciated WMR HMDs.

I just read a pair of days ago that Nvidia is planning to support more also Linux or so, even maybe with their own Linux OS, for the SteamOS success and based also in SteamOS I understood.

And I just installed also a fresh W10 in other partition for FS24-20/games, I have some months still of Microsoft support, but I am watching to SteamOS in PC since years ago.

No VR sorry. Still configuring stuff, I have all the addons working except for Fenix and GSX.. Fenix is something silly - it loads up and everything, but I'm missing one setting somewhere. I'll hunt it down. GSX I haven't tried yet. 

It is much smoother in LInux than on Windows for me. Quite surprised to see that, and it's nice.