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If you want to close down individual items at start up for trouble shooting rathar than ctrl alt del. Go to start > run > type msconfig go to the start up tab and untick anyprograms you don't want to run at startup.

[This message has been edited by spannersatcx (edited 17 February 2000).]

Thanks, Spanners

Each time I open this thread I am amazed that there are, apparently, still a lot of 'problems' with FS2k. I have never had a probelm with it, from the day I installed it - but there are a few things you should do first before you load it.

1. Go to Start | Programmes | Accessories | System Tools | Disc Cleanup. Click on it and get it to work. If you go on the internet you pickup quite a lot of crap and you must get rid of it on regular basis. You'll get a lot of cookies too. Then you must a de-frag, and a FULL scandisk wouldn't harm anything either. I do all the above every week.

2. I am convinced that 'dirty' puters are the cause of a lot of problems and I come across them a lot.

3. Load FS2K and de-frag after. This sorts out the files better than anything can.

4. Now that it's out get the appropriate patch for your version. Pro to Pro and Standard to Standard. Vital that the right one is used. Pro is over 10mb, the other is over 8mb. Go to Microsoft.com | games | FS2000 for them.

5. Now DirectX. This is the meat and gravy of Microsoft games. You must use them and update them, and FS2K benefits greatly from DX7a, it will not cause any problems, unless you ALREADY have one.

6. Get to your manufacturer sites. Modems, Graphics cards, sound cards etc., and download driver updates. There are many more than you imagine and I make a habit of visiting each relevant site once a week.

7. Have you got the guts to make FS2K sing? 64mb of RAM is not good enough. 200mhz CPU won't cut it. 8mb of graphics card will struggle and if the sell by date of your motherboard has expired you are in trouble. And have you checked the BIOS settings.

8. Do you visit forums? Some concerning the manufacturer's you use, and some concerning FS2K. You should, there is an amount of information at these sites that will often answer any questions you have. Some have an archive of previous questions. So, for example try www.avsim.com - go to the forums and look for MS Simulator, Project Freeware and you will find like minded people who have problems.

Finally, FS2K is great. Add-ons are coming thick and fast, for greater enjoyment. Don't be put off. There is nothing wrong with it. I am afraid it's your puter and you must find the answer within.

If I can be of any help e-mail me.

So what are the best BIOS settings?
P11 350 128mb ram Creative Geforce annihilator 32mb (using Nvidia drivers) SB PCI64 Abit BE6-2
all with latest drivers

[This message has been edited by spannersatcx (edited 19 February 2000).]

Hmmmmmm, for those reading this thread and not yet embroiled in creating machinery with the computing power of an entire university just to run FS 2000 how about plan B?

1)Get an old 386 or 486 now being used as a door stop by one of the hotshots.

2)Install IFT Pro or one of the other DOS based sims. Don't worry, you can run it within a nice friendly Windows environment.

3)Quietly get on with enjoying velvety smooth, colour graphics while the others download patches 33% of the size of the entire PPRuNe site and all its archives.

4)Occasionally hang you head in shame for improving your flying skills rather than becoming a systems diagnostician.

------------------
Regards from the Towers

[email protected]

CP. Ain't no substitute for quality - although I like the idea of the doorstop. But I think I might get one of the mainframes I saw yesterday when I 'flew' an old Trident 3 working sim. Make a great wardrobe if you don't mind dark blue!

Spanner. The BIOS should be checked to see that ALL the correct settings are OK, especially that the AGP Aperture is exactly half of the total RAM i.e. 128mb = 64 AGPA.
Surprising how many are set at equal to.

Thanks for all the help. Im waiting now for a reply from the bloke at Microsoft Support!
My system is:
PIII 500Mhz
128Mb RAM, 32mb Graphics
All worked fine until one day it went Pear shaped.
Got the Patch..no luck. Uninstalled and reinstalled as it says...NO LUCK!!
NE1 wanna trade this in for half an hour of real flying??!!