FU3 is not installed on my PC

[Christopher Low 5,353]

I had more problems with FU3 recently after using FLED. After a system freeze (nothing unusual about that), I restarted Windows. ScanDisk checked the files on the hard disk......and then messed around with some of the files that I had been tweaking. When I started FU3, the airport icon for Arlington Municipal was in exactly the same location as SeaTac, and all of the airport buildings and local city buildings at Arlington had vanished.Needless to say, this "annoyed" me :-) I was so fed up with this, that I decided to reformat the hard disk yet again, and attempt another complete reinstall. Windows XP installed normally (as always), but the FU3 install failed for the ninth time in eleven attempts. This was before I had installed any Detonator drivers, so that theory has disappeared down the Swanee :-)To be honest, I have now reached the point where I just cannot be bothered to install FU3 at all. It seems that the FU3 install file (and FLED) both have a problem with my system as it now stands, and I have yet to work out why. The system crash during FU3 install under Windows ME is the thing that worries me most of all, because it suggests that something has changed that has nothing to do with the OS or other software.I am now going to let my XP system run without FU3 installed, just to see if everything runs fine. I am pretty sure that it will, because almost all of my problems have been associated with either the FU3 install executable file, or FLED.exe. There now seems to be no point in wasting any more of my time with FU3 using this PC. I will certainly be attempting to install it when I upgrade to a new system (which is something that I am seriously considering at the moment), so I haven't abandoned it completely. That would be unthinkable :-eek Anyway, I just thought that I would let you all know. Unfortunately, this also means that my plans for upgrading the "bush" airfields in the Seattle 2003 pack have been put on hold for the moment. I would still like to do this, but only when I have a more stable XP/FU3 compatible system.Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Christopher Low 5,353]

Can anyone answer me the following questions ?1. If you have FU3 working properly with Windows XP, do you also have Service Pack 1 installed ?2. Is it possible that unexpected system shutdowns during the FU3 install procedure could be caused by errors in the FU3 install software ? There have been a total of NINE failures in ELEVEN attempts over the past two weeks, and each one has occurred at a different point during the install process (including twice with a SanFran CD in the drive).If the latter is possible, then I may make another attempt with my second copy of FU3.Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Naji 5]

Hi, Chris. What a headache you must have had with all these failed installs! I really sympathize here; it is unthinkable for me to have my computer without FU3 running properly and with the best quality. For your first question, FU3 is run here on WinXP plus SP1. I had a perfect setup for FU3 till just a few days back when I upgraded my GF4 Ti4600 to ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. After the upgrade, a few white lines are now visible in the water that were not there before :(. I've tried several settings, still the lines won't go! I'm now thinking of returning the ATI 9800 and getting an nVidia FX 5800. Still undecided.Cheers.

[Lars Peter 0]

Chris.I have XP-pro with servicepack included as default.During my install I was promped for not having the "Intel-videocode".If yo don't have it,-get it.The FU3 install software was also thinking I was installing under win.2000.I ignored that message, and no more problems.May be there is some settings in your XP installation that will notinstall FU3.Look for programfiles and make sure there is no Write protection enable.In my XP mashine there was a lot of this.Good luck.Lars Peter.

[Christopher Low 5,353]

Lars,On the two occasions that I have managed to install FU3 under Windows XP, the game has performed flawlessly. The problems are the install program itself, and FLED.Like I said, my system has unexpectedly shut down NINE times during the attempted installation of FU3. This means that the screen goes blank, and the machine automatically reboots (a bit like pressing the RESET button). When the Windows desktop appears, a window opens indicating that "Windows has recovered from a serious error".As far as FLED is concerned, the latest freeze resulted in parts of Arlington Municipal airport being messed up. Frankly, I can do without this kind of ridiculous situation. If I am to use FLED with confidence in the future, I cannot work with the possibility that it will shut down abnormally AND cause mayhem with my existing files.I would LOVE to hear from someone who is experiencing EXACTLY the same problems. At least then I might be able to reduce the number of possible explanations. At the moment, I am bouncing from one theory to the next (sound card, CD-RW drive, memory problems, graphics drivers, next door's cat..........).Why isn't life simple ? :-)Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Hans_Petter 1]

I know that this has been suggested before--could it be that your FU3 CDs have grown a bit long in the tooth? It might be an idea to try another set of disks, hopefully in pristine condition.Hans Petter

[Christopher Low 5,353]

Hans,I always do a FULL install of FU3, so wear and tear on the CD's shouldn't be a problem. However, another attempt using the second set of CD's is probably a good idea, so I will try it.To be honest, I am just fed up of formatting the hard disk and reinstalling Windows every time that my FU3 installation gets ****** up ! :-) Reinstalling never used to bother me, but that has all changed over the past two weeks :-)Chris Low,ENGLAND.PS. If I ever do find out that the CD's in my first copy of FU3 are failing, then they will be binned........and I will be bidding on eBay for a replacement.

[Guest cornclose]

Chris,Copy your FU3 (and whatever other CDs') to folders on your hard drive (if you have space) named CD1, CD2 etc.Then install from those locations without using the CD's at all. Usually it asks you to insert the next CD or browse to a different location.Re your problem of XP rebooting and saying it has recovered from a serious error, well, I've seen it on a number of systems from Dell, Compaq, Sony, HP, aswell as some custom built systems. They have had widely varying configurations and none of them were running any 'legacy' software. My conclusion is that XP sucks like a hoover.CheersChris E, ENGLANDhttp://www.circle-software.co.ukAvoid AGP texturing = Better Performance ;)

[Guest jonpoint]

Chris,It's a dog. Sorry. No way around it. It CAN work but, as I have mentioned before, maybe for this version - who knows? Very soon, you will be unable to run anything but NT/XP apps. This is deliberate according to Micro$oft because they want to 'open up' the architecture to allow more new features (as if we needed half the ones we have). This means, in future, some code will hang or just not run as the associated commands have been replaced with something else.So, do your XP install but install it as 'multi-boot' and partition 5-10GB for a Win98 install. Install Win98 and run FU3 in the same Win98 partition. Avoid DX9, use Detonator 43.51 drivers (with the fix I posted here somewhere) and you can safely return to FU3 land. It feels cold and desolate with no Chris Low here ;)Jon Point*************************(effyouthree@hotmail.com)*************************

[Guest Allan_D]

Hi Gang,JonWhy is the reason to avoid DX9? I've been using that since it came out, I have 98SE and whatever else you see herehttp://forums.avsim.com/user_files/12436.jpgI fly alot with that other game, A couple of times a week on line through Bushnet, It really adds to the fun when you fly with your buddys, DX9 gained me some frame rates in both games, In fact in FU3 I can max the sliders now and never drop below the dreaded 10 :-lolDirect X9? why is it bad?http://forums.avsim.com/user_files/12437.jpgHave Fun :-newburnAllan and Puppyhttp://avsim.com/hangar/air/bfu/logo70.gif

[Guest jonpoint]

Allan,Dunno, it certainly has problems with my home PC, although this one here is OK with it. I actually think my real problem comes from my soundcard setup on the other PC. Two sound cards? Yes. I do musical composition and recording (multitrack) with it. Whenever I try DX9 (well, twice only), my DirectSound falls over :-(I can still use games but with no sound (and I had issues with video drivers but that's fixed now - see the forum). Funnily enough, if I just leave one card installed, DX9 still gives me no sound. It's not a new card (goes back to pre '98 days) and probably just isn't compatible with DX9 (I have to run them both in 'SoundBlaster compatibility mode' to work at all in '98). With DX8.1, I can have both installed and they work fine.My reason for suggesting this to Chris was just to avoid a potential conflict. I'm not saying it doesn't work at all. When I get enough money for a decent multitrack card (as opposed to 2-channel inputs and multitrack software...) to replace it I will, I promise! Unfortunately, nothing beats REAL studio quality and, whilst SB and other cards promise you 24-bit fidelity, the lack of proper AA filtering, separate balanced inputs (at least 4) and outputs and +24dbm overload levels means they are but toys :-(I run DX9 here with an old SB16 'Value' card and a TNTM64 in XP. It's as slow as an XT but it works :-lolJon Point*************************(effyouthree@hotmail.com)*************************