HELP~!!!! I NEED AS MUCH ADVICE AS I CAN GET, PLEASE!!!

I've been using FS9 for years, ever since the days of XP. It's been running just fine, if a little rough, since I began my FS adventure. Recently, I constructed my own cockpit enclosure, and I decided to switch to Windows 8.1 to see if I could improve the frame rate to smooth out the motions. Worked fine for weeks, even using a three-screen setup for cockpit surround. Then it picked up an update that screwed everything up royally. The system refused to let me log on. I went across all the forums that I could access for advice, and finally a solution presented itself: Go back to Windows 7 and do away with the need for a CD in the drive to support the program. Worked great, till another update from Microsoft undid everything I was trying to achieve. My friendly computer guru sold me a gaming PC, worked it up so that it would run FS9, and everything appeared hunky-dory. EXCEPT: I discovered I couldn't add extra planes or scenery, except to us the basic program, with my newest versions of the latest drivers and software. So, there I am trying to build my program into something worth while, and it won't let me add any planes or scenery. The stuff I used to have on with FS9 on XP won't take under Windows 7, even with the newest drivers. The stuff is there in the file, but not when you look for it in the program. It just won't recognize it. WHAT CAN I DO, AND HOW DOES THIS WORK SO THAT I CAN ENJOY THE PROGRAM THE WAY I USED TO ENJOY IT WITH ONE SCREEN AND THE OLD WINDOWS XP??????? PLEASE, IF YOU CAN HELP ME, I HAVE ALL THE LATEST STUFF TO MAKE THIS PROGRAM ZZZIINNNG!!!! DON'T TELL ME TO GO TO FSX - I HATE THE WAY MICROSOFT SCREWED THAT UP. I WISH BRUCE ARTWICK WERE STILL AROUND, THAT'S WHERE I FIRST GOT INTERESTED IN THIS SIMULATOR PROGRAM. PLEASE HELP A DEDICATED FLIER!!!!