brucewtb

Just an update on this. It turns out that there was some type of incompatibility between the MD11 installer and my three year old 747 installer. Switching to the latest 747 installer from PMDG fixed the problem.Bruceb

Looks that way. Now the MD11 load manager is displaying the same error that the 747 load manager did before the reinstall - APPCRASH with the fault module being KERNELBASE.dll. Didn't do this yesterday before the 747 reinstall. On the face of things a new PMDG install (or reinstall) is corrupting existing PMDG installs. Suspected dll.xml but that hasn't been updated for some months well before these problems and its syntax looks fine to me.Bruceb

Well things are just getting worse and worse as well as the appcrash with the new 747 install now my MD11 install is corrupted in the same way that my original 747 install was, ie blank display on all gauges and no PMDG menu items under addons. Futhermore the JS41 is showing visual artifacts. All this has happened after reinstalling the 747 thirty minutes ago there have been no other changes. Other complex aircraft eg LDS 767, F1 Mustang load normally.So what the hec is going on?? Clues anyone?ThanksBruceb

Well I have done a reinstall and now when I load the 747 I get an appcrash with fault module being PMDG_747400_Main.DLL. So what do I do now!!Thanks

For some unknown reason my FSX install is locking to the taskbar on load into windowed mode. While this can be readily fixed (shift plus right mouse click then select maximise) it is kinda annoying and never used to do this. On the other hand it doesn't lock to the taskbar on load if the sim is shut down in fullscreen mode (which I don't usually use). I suspect some Windows 7 quirk but this has only recently happened and I have had windows 7 for over nine months. Any suggestions appreciated.Bruceb

Out of the blue I seem to have a problem with my PMDG 747-400 install that has worked without a hitch for three years. When I attempt to load the load manager I get an appcrash with the offending module being KERNELBASE.dll. Then when I attempt to load the 747 in FSX the VC panel loads but all the display screens are black. Then, just to cap things off, the normal PMDG menu items that should appear under Add-ons are not there. By the way this is a properly licensed install. My other PMDG aircraft, the JS41 and the MD11 work fine. Any suggestions appreciated.Bruceb

Since installing Ezdok I have stopped using TrackIR never was a fan despite using it regularly for a number of years. But now with Ezdok I find it is not needed.Bruceb

The difference of course is the euphemistically titled "addon manager". When I install Orbx airports I don't get software that has at least the flavour of malware installed as well (at least that's the way it seems to me) and there is no one more hostile to pirates than John Venema! Furthermore with Orbx I also have the option of buyimg a DVD for most airports that has no activation requirements. Look I accept that Umberto is a straight forward guy who seems to know his stuff and he is entitled to run his business in the way he sees fit the down side of which is that he loses sales to the likes of me but thats his choice and I respect it.Bruceb

I can well understand this viewpoint if you are already in the system, have used products with heavy handed copy protection and had no issues. But if you are not then it is a different matter you have to way up philosophical objections to this whole DRM nonsense, and of course more importantly possible harm to your FSX install as happened to Tom (and if to him considering his place in the FS scheme of things what hope for the rest of us?). I have been through this thread once but will do so again just to make sure I am not over reacting but my current position is to spend the money I was going to spend on FSDT airports and Flightbeam's KSFO elsewhere - there is no shortage of high quality stuff where the concerns of this tread are not an issue.Bruceb

Well I do have an issue with heavy handed activation/DRM, particularly when it is dressed up as something else. But what can you do apart from refusing to buy products from vendors who indulge in these practices and support those who don't?Bruceb

Well goodness me I just did a search for FSDreamteam to find out what the experience posters on Avsim have about this company that I knew very little about until I started looking for some more payware airports. After perusing their forum I was a bit concerned about the tone of some of the exchanges between the developer and aggrieved customers - had an edginess about them that rang a couple of alarm bells then I come across this thread. Boy oh boy where to now as their airports do look great but it seems I may be opening one big can of worms if purchase any of FSDT's stuff and not just them but others who are tied up in the same DRM Gordian Knot. Why don't all companies simply use the Flight1 wrapper system - it works a treat every time and there are no hassles. So there you have it - I was a potential customer for several FSDT airports but not anymore at least not until I have got my head around the more technical exchanges in this thread.Bruceb

Yes, I guess that does answer the question - the way to do things when you spend as much development time as PMDG has on the 737 NGX - but in my view the original observation regarding Wilco's HUD implementation is still valid ie that if you want to fly using the HUD it not being available in the VC is not such a big deal.Bruceb

Yes I must agree with this sentiment amid all the fuss over the HUD not working in the VC - it will be interesting to see how the HUD is implemented in the upcoming PMDG 737 NGX release.Bruceb

Thanks, in the absence of other A340s in the FSX world I will probably go for it.Bruceb

Considering Wilco's chequered past history no surprises on how this thread has gone - only all too predictable unfortunately. However, I always understood this was a systems upgrade nothing more nothing less and as the A340 is my favorite aircraft what choice do I have? (Any suggestions appreciated). Leaving aside whether this should have been a free upgrade to previous users, have Wilco at least delivered on the systems upgrade?Bruceb

Hence why it is not well known/commonly used.Bruceb

I understand that ASE was a free upgrade for ASA users so what I have is the purchase information for my ASA purchase (order # 234614) made on June 18 2009 is this what you need and what email address should I use? Thanks.Bruceb

After a hard drive crash I have lost the original upgrade install file for ASE. Is it possible to get a replacement?ThanksBruceb

ThanksDoes IF work with Radar Contact?I think one thing that might better aid in evaluating IF is changing the demo mode to a fully functioning version that is time limited either on a session length basis as FSC does or 2 - 3 weeks before a licence needs to be purchased if you want to continue using the program as is common practice with other programs.Bruceb

Not sure that ATC is "useless" without waypoints that are in FSX what about Radar Contact? Anyhow I tend not to use ATC these days got tired of having canned American accents when 90% of my flying is in Australia (with Orbx scenery). Even Radar Contact has some annoying hassles. A few other questions.To what extent does IF take into account terrain when preparing flightplans? One of the attractions of using Plan-G is that you can easily prepare a flightplan that takes you safely into airports surrounded by high terrain.With complex aircraft such as the PMDG 747/LDS 767 to what extent does IF program the FMC so that you can just "click and fly"?In calculating fuel burn does IF take into account wind at altitude (also part of programing the FMC in some aircraft).ThanksBruceb

No. The RXP Garmin is based on the Garmin trainer - the applet Garmin supplies for real world pilots for training and it is hard coded with its own nav database. FSX flightplans can't be imported and flightplans have to be prepared using the Garmin's own (somewhat tedious) procedure although having done that flightplans can then be saved in the Garmin for future use. There is a similar issue with FSC in that you can't import FSX flightplans into that either although I would imagine IF wouldn't appeal to FSC users in the first place as they seem to be particular about using current nav databases as supplied by navigraph. The FSX database is now quite old and even the RXP Garmin has a (relatively) recent nav update. I will say this, not being able to import FSX flightplans into the RXP Garmins is a major hassle but the upside is that you get 99.9% of real world functionality.Bruceb

Thanks for this and other replies having looked at the demo I just wanted to be clear on exactly what IF did and why it obviously has such an appeal to many simmers and to make sure there wasn't something about it that I had missed. One thing though, how does IF integrate with aircraft that have RXP Garmins as most of my GA aircraft do? The problem being that the RXP Garmins can't import FSX flightplans. I suppose you would just have to re-enter your IF flightplan into the RXP Garmin but that would take away the click and fly aspect and then there would be the problem of different navigation databases which you can get around but it is rather tedious.Bruceb

Thanks. Well I guess each to his own it would be a boring world if we all used FSX in the same way but I prefer to choose my own destination and with GA plan a flight to pass points of scenic interest which is very easy to do with G-Plan and Google maps. Then, with the heavy iron, I like to fly using the routes the airlines fly (eg North Atlantic Tracks, the southern polar route between Sydney and Buenos Aires) and a dedicated flight planner such as FSC is pretty essential for that so I don't quite see how IF adds anything. I also like to add custom waypoints to flightplans that mimic GPS approaches Further more, as noted in my previous post, some high end aircraft require you to start FSX with a "Safe Flight" but IF (as far as I can see) doesn't allow this.BruceBruceb

Perhaps someone could explain to me where the added value of IF is. I have loaded the demo and, as far as I can tell, it is an auto flight planner and a weather generator both of which I can do with other addons. It also has a mission type function where you get scores for doing stuff right - not the sort of thing I'm into really. With flight planning I prefer to use a program like PlanG or FSC where I can use the mouse to click on intersections on a map to build up a plan and add custom waypoints (in Australia there aren't all that many radiio navaids and auto flight planners usually come up with some very bizarre routes). Also, with some complex aircraft it is recommended that you first load FSX with a "safe flight" eg as supplied by flight1 before switching to the more complex aircraft such as the F1 Mustang, RealAir Duke etc. Now as I said I only have the demo version so maybe the full version has capabilities that I have missed but so far IF doesn't do it for me.Bruceb

A jarring note is that they have spelled "QANTAS" as "QUANTAS in the gates assignment!!! When are people are going to learn that QANTAS is an acronym - Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services. It started in outback Queensland in 1920.Bruceb