Installation utility-which one? (or none)

[noob]

I am about to start installing all my Simviation downloads into my new FS2004 program. I have previously used the instructions from this site to perform manual installation of approximately 15 aircraft into FS2002, about 12 of those were successful. Should I use one of the installation utilities or just perform the installations manually? Anyone with any experience using these utilities (found on the Simviation Utilities page) is encouraged to respond with any/all comments. Thanks in advance!    

[commoner]

Hiya Noob...I never use installers as they have given me grief in the past....I prefer to do it all from the Readme files then at least I know where the files have gone. Installers in my experience OFTEN put stuff in the wrong places. There are also some excellent Tutes on the subject too, and by using these you will very quickly get the hang of it..........

...Here's a place to go for a tute...by one of our resident experts, Hagar I believe.......... http://www.simviation.com/acinstall.htm

[Hagar]

I agree with Commoner. I must have installed several 1,000 aircraft to the various M$ sims over the years. In all this time I recall just 2 examples I was asked to check out that I could never get to work & as a result these were removed from the site. There was obviously a corrupt file somewhere. I never found it necessary to use one of those installer gizmos yet. Going by a couple I checked out in the past, it took me longer to figure out how to use the installer than it ever did to install the files manually. Once I have the zipfile I can manually install the average aircraft in less than 2 minutes & like to know exactly where all those files are in case of problems.

...Here's a place to go for a tute...by one of our resident experts, Hagar I believe..........

Credit where it's due. Pete wrote that tute, not me.

PS. This is my own opinion & others might well disagree. I have no right to tell anyone how to do anything. Use whichever method you find easiest. If you decide on using an installer please don't ask me to help if anything goes wrong. I would have no idea where to look.

[commoner]

"Oops"...so sorry Pete.....don't know why I thought Hagar wrote that tutorial...I got it originally from Grumpy's Lair....just didn't notice the "by Pete Daly" bit...commoner

PS..it's still a top class tute though..

[Hagar]

PS..it's still a top class tute though..

Indeed. Saved me the job too. Thanks Pete.

These installer utilities might well come in useful for managing your addons once they're properly installed. I would never recommend using them to install the addons, especially when you're first starting out. It's worth spending a few minutes learning how to do it properly. This is not difficult & you will know exactly where to look if anything goes wrong cos you put the files there yourself.

[rmac]

I have installed addit pro and find it is the the most simple and time saving program to install aircraft, gauges, sound and scenery if you can click a mouse you can install with ease and still see where you files are located.
Rmac

[commoner]

I have installed addit pro and find it is the the most simple and time saving program to install aircraft, gauges, sound and scenery if you can click a mouse you can install with ease and still see where you files are located.
Rmac

..mmm....don't really see the need to pay 20 bucks to install freeware....rather spoils the whole concept....still as the man said....whatever suits you is the RIGHT way...commoner

[WebbPA]

I go along with commoner and Hagar.  If you read the tute your first manual installation will take about a half hour.  Your second one will take about 5 minutes.

Installers are notorious for overwriting and screwing up default gauges and other files.  Any time I read a post from someone who suddenly can't see gauges it's a pretty good bet that an installer overwrote something.

Sometimes I want to try out a new aircraft without fully installing it.  If I don't fully install it (don't copy the gauges, sound, etc.) I can get a vague idea of what the model and panel will look like and decide whether I want to keep it.  If an installer fully installs it I have to trust it to uninstall it.

[commoner]

[quote]

Sometimes I want to try out a new aircraft without fully installing it.

[Hagar]

You can check out the panel by pasting the gauges into the Panel folder. If you decide to keep the aircraft transfer them to FS9\Gauges. Saves clogging up the Gauges folder with unused gauges. This only works in FS9.

Installers are notorious for overwriting and screwing up default gauges and other files.  Any time I read a post from someone who suddenly can't see gauges it's a pretty good bet that an installer overwrote something.

Very good point Webb. I forgot about that. Same goes for extracting zipfiles direct to the sim. Don't do it.

[commoner]

You can check out the panel by pasting the gauges into the Panel folder. If you decide to keep the aircraft transfer them to FS9\Gauges. Saves clogging up the Gauges folder with unused gauges. This only works in FS9.

Very good point Webb. I forgot about that. Same goes for extracting zipfiles direct to the sim. Don't do it.

....WOW..all this knowledge in one evening is just TOOOO much...maybe I'll have to lie down a while and absorb it all.....thanks guys..commoner

[WebbPA]

Sometimes I forget whether I'm in the 02 or the 04 forum.  This works in 04 but not in 02.

[commoner]

[quote]Sometimes I forget whether I'm in the 02 or the 04 forum.