zero-lash valve lifter,
What spec. is your current PC? Pentium with MMX is (IIRC) probably a PII, perhaps up to 300 MHz?
The MS site for FS 2002 has the following MINIMUM system requirements:
Microsoft® Windows® 98/Me/2000/XP
300 MHz equivalent or higher processor
64 MB of system RAM
650 MB of available hard disk space; additional 100MB for swap file
4x speed or faster CD-ROM drive
8 MB 3D graphics card
plus sound card etc.
That is to just barely run it (which is where you are at!)
For decent performance, I would suggest that you multiply all these figures by 8!
i.e. 2.4 GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 32 x CD-ROM and 64MB AGP8 graphics.
That may seem a lot, but it is pretty standard stuff now. If buying a new PC, choose a budget and stick to it, but try and get the most bang for your buck. I have seen some really good offers on the Dell outlet store (I don't work for Dell, honest BRL!)
Dell Outlet store
Get hold of a few PC mags - e.g. Personal Computer World (I don't work for them, I just read it, BRL!) - and read the reviews and group tests to give you some basis for comparison, not to speak of loads of manufacturers websites to visit!
The higher the spec. you can get now, the longer it will be before you have to replace it - as well as running FS 2002 pretty well!
Don't even think about upgrading - the only thing you might keep would be the case - and only then if you can get a new mobo in the right form factor. You will pay far more upgrading than just buying new.
You may find that your current monitor won't support the resolution, colour depth and refresh rate that a good graphics card can provide - 1280 x 1024, 32 bit colour @ 85Hz is my favorite for a CRT. For the smoothest display of fast moving objects, CRT is still better than flat screen, as the screen updates faster. If you have a decent monitor, stick with it. If not, good 17" CRT displays are very cheap now - but 19" is better!
As long as your printer can handle the output from your current apps, stick with it - I have found that versions of Office from about 97 on were just too much for my venerable Epson Laser Printer with only 1 MB RAM - 4MB is probably the minimum to support Windows printing now. I've not come across a printer yet that I couldn't find a Windows driver for, so that shouldn't be a problem.
If you can get the card for your scanner (I assume at that vintage it's SCSI, not USB or Parallel) to work in a new PC (not a chance if it's an ISA card) and you can get the drivers for the card and the scanner then stick with it - or maybe you can get a replacment SCSI card.
HTH
SD