is there software out there that helps to automatically install planes that you downlaod as freeware, I am new to FS's and always screw things up and get error messages, i bought the fligh 1 cessna152 and it was great that it self installed....is this a future option for FS2004, for microsoft to make freewhare easy to add?
Trust me on this now but later you'll be glad you learned to do it manually. Not all installers work exactly right and sometimes they can really foul things up.
Once you install an airplane with an automatic installer and spend two or three days trying to ge ACOF to work right again and finally end up reinstalling the whole sim plus your add on scenery and airplanes, you'll be glad to install them manually after that.
Whenever I get a plane with an .exe installer I usually point it to another folder "Temp Install" and then copy the files manually into the sim. That way I know what's being overwritten and where everything goes in case it messes things up.
I've also seen guages from one plane that are older versions of the same guage I have in my "Guages" folder. I usully check the modified date and only overwrite the least recent guage. This has saved me from guages that used to work and later end up crashing the sim.