how to use a download?

[rootbeer]

I'm so cornfoozled! I have downloaded the C5 Galaxy in .zip form from somewhere (I don't know from where...). Now, how do I make something of it? How do I get it to the point that I can actually fly the darned thing? I asked a question similar to this about CrashBak3a a few weeks ago, but that answer left me no more enlightened than before. Once I know how to get and implement a new airplane, this will be much more fun! Remember: I am a noob, and slinging lots of technical jargon at me as if I were supposed to already know all of this is pointless. Thanks for your patient help.

[WebbPA]

How to install aircraft

http://www.simviation.com/acinstall.htm

[rootbeer]

I'll reply before I go there and give it a shot. I hope it works and that I can actually do it. I don't know why it is, but everytime (well, most times) I try to do something that seems so easy for you other hackers, I get screwed-up and get nowhere.

Trying it now...

[rootbeer]

I am not familiar with creating folders and moving files...

[Saitek]

It is very easy. The tutes there are very good. However, it can appear daunting. Just try, mess around and practise. Take screenies of your progress (press Print/Scrn it's above delete and Insert and then paste into paint) and let us see where you are.

We have all messed up the sim and all of us have had to reinstall at some point due to mucking it up. It's life and one way of learning.

[WebbPA]

For help on creating folders and moving files try this page.  You can jump in at whatever level you're comfortable with.

http://www.helpwithpcs.com/courses/Course.htm

[rootbeer]

Thanks, Webb. Gotta go to bed now; I have to be standing tall at work tomorrow at 0400. I can fool with this later in the week.

I ordered FSDSv2, Panel Designer and Extreme Warbirds from abacus during the Labor Day Holiday Sale they ran-- 40% off if you ordered three or more. Any volunteers to help me figure them out?

[Hagar]

[quote]For help on creating folders and moving files try this page.

[rootbeer]

I... I don't know what to say... You guys are so helpful to nooooobs like me.

I'm sure you've all done it, but I just fooled around in the Grand Canyon in the Cessna 182RG for awhile, flying below the rim and all that groovy stuff. The secenery is eye-popping with the abacus USA Extreme Landscapes scenery add-on; worth the $36 it cost just for that. I then wanted to fly around the Italian Alps near the Matterhorn at Zermatt, Switzerland and had to use the MS default scenery. What a letdown!! I felt like I was playing a video game from the early 1980s. If anyone is considering getting the abacus add-on for the USA, I say go ahead and do it. You'll love it!

[rootbeer]

I was advised to install WinRAR in another Forum and did so. I was fooling around with it had a concise, specific description of what I was seeing in WinRAR and what I was doing, but I must have hit a wrong key because my post is gone and I don't have the heart to retype it again. Maybe tomorrow...

[rootbeer]

I now have WinZip installed and all my downloads in my FS Downloads folder show the little C-clamp by them whereas before they showed the WinRAR stack of three books. I assume I have made progress?

What do I do now?

[WebbPA]

Now you need to unzip the files to a temporary location before cutting and pasting them into FS as explained in the tutorials.

For convenience (and a matter or personal preference) I download all files to C:\My Download Files and I unzip them to the temporary location C:\My Download Files\Unzipped.

The Winzip C clamp icon means that .zip files are associated with Winzip and you just need to click or double click on the file to open it.  You will then see a Winzip box with several files in it.

Click on "Extract" and set a location to Extract to (in my case it's always C:\My Download Files\Unzipped.

Files - check All files

Use folder names - always check this so the unzipped files will retain ther structure as described in the installation tutorial.

Click Extract in the little popup box and the files will be extracted to the temporary folder.

Follow the tutorial instructions to cut and paste the extracted files into the FS2002/aircraft/name of your new aircraft folder.  If there are special instructions follow them (commonly used for effects and the like).

AVOID THIS LIKE THE PLAGUE!  When cutting and pasting gauges (.gau or .cab files or even folders - and note that these usually need to go into the FS2002/gauges folder and not in the new aircraft folder) from your temporary folder to your FS folder DO NOT overwrite files.  If Windows tells you that "Gps.gau already exists.  Do you want to replace it?", say NO.  If you overwrite a "good" file with an unknown one you risk losing the "good" one forever - or at least until someone tells you how to restore it.

[rootbeer]

I now have several airplanes in an Unzipped folder. If I click on one inside it, I see multiple items, like model, sounds, etc. If I click and keep clicking on just one of those sub-items, I eventually get back to the page that says Windows can't open this file until it knows what program created it. Is this wrong to keep clicking until my finger hurts?

[WebbPA]

I now have several airplanes in an Unzipped folder.

Don't do that.  Unzip one airplane at a time or it will create a raft of confusion.

[Hagar]

Try this. Right-click on one of those zipfiles & select the "Extract to folder ......" option. This will automatically extract the zipfile into a new folder right alongside the zipfile. The folder will have the same name as the zipfile. Quick, simple & saves all that messing around.