Me? A humbug?

[Hagar]

some downloads even require you to make a folder to put that stuff in, before moving it into FS9/Aircraft. The "ReadMe" that comes with most downloads is always worth reading...

One more comment & then I'll stop interfering. There must be as many ways of configuring downloads as there are for extracting the zipfiles. Unfortunately there is no standard template for configuring them so the various freeware authors use their own pet methods. These are not always the best as not all of them know the best way of installing files themselves.

Please try the Right-click mouse options for extracting zipfiles. Find the zipfile you wish to extract & right-click on it. If you're using  WinZip use the "Extract to Folder .." option. For the WinXP default unzipper use the "Extract All" option & follow the Wizard without changing any settings. Both methods will automatically extract the files into a new folder with the same name as the zipfile into the same folder as the zipfile itself. This is the quickest & easiest method I know & I've extracted a very large number of zipfiles over the years. In all this time I've never had a single problem & never had to create a folder to paste or extract the files to yet.

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

Hi guys:

Well here is another couple of questions.

Why do they not use an automatic downloader to download aircraft to say FS2004 so that everything is done the same?

I think the Tri-Pacer was like that.  It was so easy.

I guess my second question is why is there not something that will make all the aircraft lets say from FS98 up compatible with FS2004 automatically?
I would think that would be a simple thing for a computer to do.
Computers can do almost anything so why not that?

Well I have learned a lot from this post so thanks everyone for your contributions.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[beaky]

A troublemaker, eh?

I think there are programs available that will do a lot of those tasks for you... but that's all I know. I've learned a lot about how it all works by doing it the hard way, so that works for me.

[Hagar]

[quote]Hi guys:

Well here is another couple of questions.

Why do they not use an automatic downloader to download aircraft to say FS2004 so that everything is done the same?

I think the Tri-Pacer was like that.

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

So now I know...boy are you guys smart...

You fella's are probably related to the "old girl" somehow LOL

Hope I got some browny points there

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[Hagar]

So now I know...boy are you guys smart...

You fella's are probably related to the "old girl" somehow LOL

I'm no smarter than anyone else & probably make more stupid mistakes than most but you learn from experience & I've been doing this for a long time now. When I was having these problems almost 7 years ago there was no Simviation forum or Grumpy's Lair to help me so I had to figure it all out myself. A few of the old FS gurus like the one & only Chuck Dome were a great help but for the most part I was on my own like everyone else. By doing this I found out how to help others & I was soon showng them how to fix the same problems I'd experienced only a short time beforehand.

PS. I still try to help where I can but most people know far more about this than me nowadays.

[beaky]

So now I know...boy are you guys smart...

You fella's are probably related to the "old girl" somehow LOL

Hope I got some browny points there

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

You really should put a bell on her so she can't sneak up and look over your shoulder while you're online...

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

A bell and a muzzle LOL

OW..OOH OOH..  :-X

Now I know she is part AWACS and HARRIER

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug
P.S. Back down to the barn to stand in the corner again...Thanks Sean

[beaky]

A bell and a muzzle LOL

OW..OOH OOH..  

Now I know she is part AWACS and HARRIER

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug
P.S. Back down to the barn to stand in the corner again...Thanks Sean

Pffft... didn't say anything about a muzzle...
You hardly need my help to get in trouble with her...

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

LOL

Well I am going to try and download the BFU package for the Maule and see what happens.

The Globe Swift package Sean is a two seat low wing retractable is it not?  I looked at it and did not download it as I can't see it being on skis.  Perhaps I am wrong, but I did find it in the FS2004 Downloads.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[BFMF]

Just take some time to get to know the file and directory layout of the flight simulator. When I first started downloading addons for the flight simulator, I had to print out the detailed tutorial and carefully go over each step every time I installed an addon aircraft. For a while, I struggled with it.

As Doug said, Once you've got the hang of it, it's much easier and quicker to manually install/unistall an aircraft than to use an auto-install.

Personally, I hate auto-installers. Whenever I download an addon with an auto installer that I want to keep, I'll install it to a dummy directory, 'zip' it for backup, and install it manually.

I've even ran acrossed auto-installers that were confusing, especially when given different options in foreign languages. If they hadn't made it an auto-installer in the first place it would have been MUCH more convenient.

Get to know the structure and layout of the FS directory. Once you know it well, you could download an aircraft with all of the files in one folder, and you could have it sorted, and installed in the correct directories within a couple minutes

[Hagar]

Get to know the structure and layout of the FS directory. Once you know it well, you could download an aircraft with all of the files in one folder, and you could have it sorted, and installed in the correct directories within a couple minutes

Indeed Andrew & back in the days of FS98/CFS1 it would not be unusual to have to do just that. Unfortunately there was never a standard template for configuring files before being zipped & uploaded for general distribution & no single method or utility for zipping them up or extracting zipfiles by the end-user. There is simply too much choice which causes all the confusion. Almost every download is different in some way which makes it very difficult to explain it all to a beginner. Everyone has their own way of doing things & no two computers will be the same even if they were identical models assembled alongside each other by the same person. This will change as soon as the new owner gets it home & starts using it. If I could sit beside someone like Doug & show him how easy it actually is he would be an old hand in no time.

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

When you say everyone doesn't do it the same way I have seen what you mean Doug.

If I want to do a download and I open the downloaded file and extract the information to got into the FS2004 directory.
Once there I see guages but on the file I just extracted it doesn't show guages it says panels...that is the same thing is it not?  So I stick the panels into the guage file.

I think the other one had something to do with textures as well.  I think it was called something else.

Like I have no problem when it says sound as it just goes into the sound file.

Now if it says model then that would be the aircraft file I would place it in.

I think I have the idea am I right is assuming that everyone does not use the same words like panel is the same as guages?

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[Hagar]

When you say everyone doesn't do it the same way I have seen what you mean Doug.

I think I have the idea am I right is assuming that everyone does not use the same words like panel is the same as guages?

I would have to check the specific file out myself to know exactly how it's configured. Panels & gauges are completely different & should not be confused with each other. The panel is the 2D image you see from Cockpit View & the Gauges are the functional instruments displayed on it. The Panel folder is part of the aircraft & the Gauges live in the FS9\Gauges folder.

It obviously helps to be familiar with common terms so we can understand each other. Files & folders are commonly confused & it helps to know the difference. I often see people saying they have problems downloading an aircraft when they actually mean installing it. Downloading refers to actually downloading the zipfile from a website like Simviation to the hard drive on your computer. Once this is done you can extract (unzip) the files & install them.

Whenever in doubt refer to the default aircraft & use them for comparison.

PS. Whichever method the author used to sort the files & zip them up most aircraft these days are configured ready to go. Installing them should be a simple matter of extracting the zipfile, identifying the 'Aircraft Container' folder directly containing the familiar Model, Panel, Sound & Texture subfolders & pasting it into the FS9\Aircraft folder. Any included gauges are pasted into the FS9\Gauges folder.

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

Okay got that.  Will try a couple again.

Thanks

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug