overwriting panels

[guest]

can someone please explain in very detailed steps i mean each step how to overwrite panels in fs2002 p edition i have downloaded different planes from the net,but they use the wrong panels.
An example  i have a 737 300 plane that i got from the net but it uses the standard 737 400 panel that is standard in fs2002,i have downloaded a very detailed 737 300 cockpit from flightsim.com but i am puzzled on how to get rid of the standard panel and put the 737 300 panel in its place.
Ps what i need to know is what i need to where to copy and paste and what folders to open,the 737 300 plane is already in fs2002 that went in fine but using the 737 400 panel.

[packercolinl]

I'd be interested too, because I can follow all the instructions under the sun and variations of said instructions and end up with the default or no panel at all. This is a problem when my two major 'look fors' are panels and flight dynamics.

[JohnP]

Some planes that are downloaded from the net, use the "standard" FS2002 panels, because that is way the author intended. If you look at the files of a particular aircraft you will see sub-folders. One of them is labeled panel. In this folder you will see a file called panel.cfg. It can be easily opened with a file editor, such as notepad.
In the case of your 737 you woul probably see an alias. this means that this olane uses another planes panel.
 When you download a panel you should read the readme file that the author usually includes. This will explain the install process. Basically it will have another panel.cfg file which can be copied and pasted over the other panel.cfg file. If ther are gauges that are unique to that panel, you shoul move them into the main gauge folder of Fs 2002 unless otherwise stated.
 Hope this helps a little.

[Hagar]

Basically, a panel comprises a Panel.cfg file + one or more BMPs. There are various methods for installing a new one. The easiest would be to open the existing Panel folder of the particular aircraft & paste the new files in, overwriting the existing Panel.cfg in the process.

My favourite method for testing new panels is to rename the existing Panel folder to Panel.0 or similar. Then create a new Panel folder containing all the files for the new panel. I can then revert to the original panel whenever I wish by simply renaming the folders or editing Aircraft.cfg. Using the latter method it's  possible to have several different versions of the same aircraft all using different panels.

Don't forget to paste any gauges included with a new panel into the FS2002\GAUGES folder. This is best done by pasting in the individual GAU or CAB files. I would suggest you DON'T overwrite existing gauges.

[packercolinl]

Thanks for that. I do look to see if the panels are aliased and work from there. I'll try again when the frustration ratio reduces tho I think it may be my system. I hope the guest has also benefitted. Thanks again!

[Hagar]

Thanks for that. I do look to see if the panels are aliased and work from there. I'll try again when the frustration ratio reduces tho I think it may be my system. I hope the guest has also benefitted. Thanks again!

By "system" do you mean your computer or your installation methods? I can almost guarantee it's not your computer.
Installing panels is quite straightforward. Unzip the downloaded file to a Temp folder. If in doubt, paste all the extracted files into a folder named Panel & paste it into any aircraft. Move all included GAU or CAB files to the FS2002\GAUGES folder.
If you haven't already done so, configure your Windows Explorer folder options to display known file types. http://www.simviation.com/lair/windows.htm
This will make messing around with this stuff so much easier.

[packercolinl]

Thanks Hagar. When I say system I mean not how I do it. I've tried different ways but panels will not take. I've had some success with sound but gauges don't take and have to be copied individually. Imagine that with the AC520 recently released and 500 plus files to get the panel to work. Yeah,I know your saying the guy is doing something stupid but this happens all the time with 99% downloads and I've got used to it. I would dearly love a couple of panels but it just don't work!!

[Hagar]

Thanks Hagar. When I say system I mean not how I do it. I've tried different ways but panels will not take. I've had some success with sound but gauges don't take and have to be copied individually. Imagine that with the AC520 recently released and 500 plus files to get the panel to work. Yeah,I know your saying the guy is doing something stupid but this happens all the time with 99% downloads and I've got used to it. I would dearly love a couple of panels but it just don't work!!

OK, I think you must be missing something. Panels should be one of the simplest of all addons to install. Is the problem with all panels or one in particular? Tell me exactly where to download this AC520 you mention. If it's not too big a file I'll check it out myself.

PS. When I say install gauges individually, I don't mean paste them in one by one. Open the folder containing all the gauge files & click Edit/Select All. Then simply paste them all into the FS2002\GAUGES folder in one go. Click No if prompted to overwrite existing files.

[packercolinl]

Right! The 520 is from AVSIM,ac520vc.zip but its 16m.
I'd like to find a solution here but to tell the truth I think we've kidnapped the original question,on top of which I've just had a time with RealAir's 172 .I've been here, between posting and flying, for nearly 12hrs so I,ll take a break. Thanks and I'll catch you next post.
Can we please have a smiley for people falling to sleep?

[Hagar]

Right! The 520 is from AVSIM,ac520vc.zip but its 16m.
I'd like to find a solution here but to tell the truth I think we've kidnapped the original question,on top of which I've just had a time with RealAir's 172 .I've been here, between posting and flying, for nearly 12hrs so I,ll take a break. Thanks and I'll catch you next post.
Can we please have a smiley for people falling to sleep?

Well, I like to think this will help our guest as well as others with the same problem.  ;D

I don't usually investigate files from other sites. I'm sure Avsim  have their own support guys. That must be some panel at 16 Mb with 500 files.  ::)
I prefer something a tad smaller & limit my downloads to 10 Mb max these days. Can you suggest something a little easier on my 56k modem.

I included 3 smileys for you.  :)

[Hagar]

OK packercolinl. My curiosity got the better of me so I checked out that file.  I thought your problem was with installing new panels but discovered it's a complete aircraft. As I needed an Aero Commander for my collection I broke my golden rule & downloaded it.

Like most aircraft, it comes configured with the panel already installed so I think your problem is with the gauges. These particular ones are the new XML gauges introduced with FS2002. The gauges themselves are in CAB format. These look like zipfiles but don't extract them. Paste the 2 CAB files shown in my shot into the FS2002\GAUGES folder. That should fix it.

[packercolinl]

Thanks again! Fatigue was definitely setting in! I didn't mean to send you off on a quest but hey its a nice plane that 520. It seems you didn't have any problems with installation. I did have problems with it but perservered and finally got it. This is indicative of the problems I'm having so at the moment I think I'm going to give up on it all and go and fly somewhere easy like VNLK.  And yes panels are a problem and sound and paint so I'm going flying instead!!

[Hagar]

[quote]Thanks again! Fatigue was definitely setting in! I didn't mean to send you off on a quest but hey its a nice plane that 520. It seems you didn't have any problems with installation. I did have problems with it but perservered and finally got it. This is indicative of the problems I'm having so at the moment I think I'm going to give up on it all and go and fly somewhere easy like VNLK.

[packercolinl]

All duly noted and I'll take a good look. As you suggest there could be a compounded problem. I'll go away and do my homework! Cheers

[Hagar]

packercolinl. I've just spent a couple of hours writing a little article explaining some of the standard Windows functions. You can read the proof version here. http://www.simviation.com/lair/Windows%20Basics.htm

I hope this will be of some help to you & others having problems installing this stuff.