kbowler

Hi In the process of installing add-on aircraft into my FSX-SE, I managed to get a "C:\Users\Owner\Documents\Flight Simulator X Files" folder and a "C:\Users\Owner\Documents\Flight Simulator X - Steam Edition Files" folder as well. My installation is single and I have not installed FSX before on this computer, only FSX-SE. Most of the files from other add-ons have gone into the first folder. When I try to get the B777 wx.pln file using the Route request, etc, it generates the file and puts it into the second folder. However, Active Sky Next, insists on trying to read it from the first folder. I realise I can manually input the file into ASN, but it would be nice to get it all done automatically as intended by PMDG. Is there any way to alter the folder that PMDG uses to store wx.pln so that I can get it to install into the first folder. I have asked the converse question on the ASN forum, i.e. can ASN be forced to load wx.pln from the second folder. As of now, I have had no reply. Perhaps PMDG users can offer a solution. Regards Keith

Hi Dieter I too have never really found a definitive explanation of what this means, as the same issue occurred with the B777, where it also says you can save multiple definitions for the same tail number by "manually altering" the configuration file and saving it with a new name. The only conclusion I reached is that you copy the configuration file in question (location is <P3D root>\PMDG\PMDG 747 QOTSII\Aircraft folder), load it into Notepad (or other suitable text program), and the manually adjust each line as appropriate. Then save this with a new name, e.g N744PM tail number could be saved as N744PM2.ini. If anyone has a way of doing this from the FMC directly, I would also be glad to know how. You obviously cannot just alter the AIRCRAFT configurations from the FMC as these would automatically be saved to the existing N744PM.ini file, so you would lose the previous version of that file! Regards Keith Bowler Hi Dieter One thing occurred to me after posting the above. I suppose you could go to the configuration folder, copy the original configuration file, say N744PM.ini to a separate location. Now use the FMC to alter that aircraft's configuration (it obviously must be loaded into P3D). Now go into the folder location again; rename the changed N744PM.ini file from N744PM.ini to N744PM2.ini, then copy the original N744PM.ini file from wherever you save it back into the folder. You now have the original and the one with the changes available. This allows you to use the FMC to make the changes without having to interpret what each entry in the file means if you do it manually with Notepad. Regards Keith Bowler

Hi Scot Thanks again for the helpful info. This recent version of Linda seems to work perfectly with P3D v3.3 on my new rig. Regards Keith

Hi Scot Thanks for your quick reply. I must own up to missing the release notes part of the zip download in my enthusiasm to get Linda running on my new FS rig. However, your description was perfect and just what I wanted to know. I have also now found the release notes and read those as well, so hopefully I am in a position to define my Shift keys and start using Linda again. Incidentally, do the Shifted 1 and Shifted 2 modes only work with the mentioned devices, or can they be adapted to work with other joysticks by using a separate button for each shift? Regards Keith

Hi I have not kept up to date with the defining and using of 'shift' keys as in the latest version of Linda (v2.8.3), and the manual is now too old to be helpful. My last experience was mainly with earlier Linda v1.13 when only LOCAL SHIFT and GLOBAL SHIFT was defined. Would someone kindly give me a detailed explanation of what all the 'modes' (LOCAL, GLOBAL, UNSHIFTED, SHIFTED ONE, SHIFTED TWO, SHIFT CYCLE) are for in the shifted modes definitions section, what their differencs are, and how you use these to set up a suitable shift key (or keys). Also, I notice that the Joysticks page now has a tick box "Apply shift globally to all devices" - what is this used for and how does it relate to defining a GLOBAL SHIFT key, which I thought did the same thing? Thanks Keith

Hi Thank you for your reply. I am surprised you think I have a yoke problem. I use Linda v1.13 with my FSX setup on the C drive without any problems at all from the CH yoke. I also tried Linda v2.5.7 (patched) yesterday without any problems with the CH yoke. The problem I had with the 2.5.7 installation was that the buttons on my other devices were not responding to the definitions I had set up, so I removed 2.5.7 and decided to persevere with 2.6.7 instead. At least the defined buttons in the 2.6.7 version do seem to work. By the way, I am using the A36 Bonanza in P3D. The other fact that makes me suspicious about what you say is that the joystick always fails exactly at the moment the small LUA Display window appears on the screen telling me that "Linda has started! Ready to Go". I would have thought the joystick might have worked for a short while and perhaps failed at different times after the main FS screen appears, rather than always just as the LUA window appears! Regards Keith

Hi I have just setup a parallel installation of P3D v3.1 on my D drive with FSX on my main C drive. I installed the latest version of FSUIPC 4 on my D drive, and as per instructions installed Linda 2.6.7 in my Modules folder. Once set up it shows all the main hardware of Insight TT switch panel, CH yoke, CH Throttle, and Sidewinder Joystick are configured. I also have CH pedals, but these do not seem to appear in the latest version of Linda. I also have EZDOK installed and working OK. When I run P3D, the CH yoke works for a second or so, then as the window announcing "Linda is working" appears, the CH yoke stops responding. I checked the Properties section of Control Panel/ Devices & Printers for the Yoke, and it shows the buttons and axes are not responding. However, the Sidewinder, Insight panel, and CH throttle quadrant are still OK, so only the CH Yoke is affected. The strange thing is that once I run Linda.exe, the Yoke springs back into life. I have not used it extensively, so I cannot tell if it will stop responding again while using Linda. As a test, I have defined a button on each device, and they all seem to work, but I do not want to do more until I get the problem resolved. Since I do not always use Linda, it would be nice if this apparent error was resolved, otherwise I currently have to run Linda (even if I do not want to use it), in order to get my CH Yoke working again. I use Linda v1.13 with FSX without any such problems. The Linda2.log has quite a lot of lines like "FSX2D_EnumandRestore RangeCheck 0000000" and the last few lines say "HID Unplug detected". If I remove all trace of Linda from my Modules folder, the problem does not occur. Hope you can help. Regards Keith Edit: After adding a few extra random button definitions, by way of a further test, to the devices, I found the CH yoke stopped working again, while I was running Linda. I had to stop Linda and re-run to get The CH Yoke to respond. So something is definitely odd!

Hi Kyle Thanks for your reply. As it happens, after I posted the above, I realised that the PMDG B777 had also been updated. In the process of installing the update for that, the DirectX update ran again. In fact, DirectX was up to date already, though I did not know it when I posted the request. I vaguely remember seeing this happen when I installed the A2A Cessna 182T a few weeks ago! Incidentally, your advice on how to install the B737 and B777 updates on the web-site was spot on and everything went smoothly as far as the updating process was concerned. Thanks again, Keith Bowler

Hi Unfortunately in my haste to complete the install of the new B737NGX 1d, I failed to click OK when asked to update DX9 at the end of the install. Although the aircraft seems to work correctly at first glance, I wonder if something might be affected if I do not have the latest correct DX9. Unfortunately, I cannot find a way of just running that part of the program again, despite trying a repair. How can I get to install the DX9 version supplied with the install? Hope someone can help. Thanks Keith Bowler

Hi Thanks for the prompt reply. I was interested to see how many more commands had been added since version 1.0. Overall the Linda program had made my flight simming so much more interesting. Thanks for all your hard work. Regards, Keith.

Hi Can anyone let me know where to get the MD-11 module version 1.2. The version available in Linda 1.13 is 1.0 and there does not seem to be a working link to v1.2 anywhere in this section Keith

Hi Kyle I think your suggestion is likely to be the most effective. The rest of the aircraft seems to function OK, but it only has to be one small thing to cause the key command software to malfunction. Thanks

Hi Yes the landing lights are set in Realism settings and already work fine with other aircraft e.g. PMDG B737 NGX. It is such a long while since I used the B747 and MD-11 that I cannot remember whether the keyboard command menus items are all filled in with default items or completely empty, which they seem to be on my aircraft. I suspect that unless defined, the aircraft uses the button definitions from FSX's own control menus, and leaves the key command menus items blank, but I am not certain. Certainly my attempt to use the keystrokes Ctrl+Shift+< for taxi lights is not working on either B747 or MD-11. The B737 NGX and B777 both use menus from the FMC CDU so they work differently, and I have successfully set up this key string in them, and subsequently defined a joystick button via FSUIPC to carry that string out.

I have recently wanted to set up a B747 taxi lights on/off switch on my CH Yoke using FSUIPC to define a suitable set of keystrokes. So for the first time ever, I tried to define a keyboard definition using the PMDG menu on the menu bar. I defined taxi lights on/off using Ctrl+Shift +< keyboard key defintion. It seemed to accept my definition OK, but Ctrl+Shift+< still did not switch on the taxi lights. I checked the B747_keyboard.ini file inside the PMDG folder in FSX, and the definition has been saved there, but does not seem to function. I have rebooted FSX with the same aircraft, but the keystrokes still do not work. I then decided to try to define keystrokes on the PMDG MD-11 which uses the same type of entry procedure in the menu bar. It, too, accepts definitions but they do not work!. I am now at a loss; am I missing a procedure of some kind. It looks as if all keyboard definitions I try to set up do not work properly on either aircraft. Having not tried to define special keystrokes on the B747 or MD-11 before, I cannot tell how long, if ever, the keyboard commands menu has not worked. For information, I am using FSX on a windows 7 64 bit system. I have FSX in the root folder of my main C drive, rather than in the default location. All relevant files and folders have full permission rights, and I am working in administrator mode, with UAC disabled. Any ideas anyone has would be appreciated. Thanks