how to use a download?

[rootbeer]

I've been away for a wild flight of no particular construction. Sorry...

I have downloaded quite a few airplanes and have them in the FS Downloads folder. FS seems to be working fine now; maybe I was just overloading my chip and being impatient with it.

So... I have a folder of an airplane and it has all the files: sound, texture, et cetera along with a few extra ones in which we seem to have no interest yet, like .air and .cfg.  The page on which all these files show will have a name; the same name as the airplane, yes? Do I just right-click somewhere out in the white, see Cut, click on Cut, then open aircraft under FS2002 and click Paste? We did something like this this morning and it worked, but I have tried it since and must be missing a step because it ain't showing up in the availables.

My eyes are bad and reading alot of text is an exercise in futility. It is also nearly 0100 here and I should get to bed. What I need to do is get a printer and print the instructions so I can refer to them. I can't rememebr what it says from one second to the next...

What would you prefer: a simple download for us to wrestle with or a difficult one? I have them from just a few hundred KB up to several tens of thousands.

[Hagar]

Choose one, any one except that Tomcat. The smaller file it is the better as I'm still on dial-up.

[rootbeer]

The guilty Tomcat is history. I'll pick one now; be right back...

[Hagar]

Right. Then I suggest you go to bed & start on this when you feel refreshed. You're bound to make mistakes if you're tired. This will give me time to install it & write something sensible. Read the motto my sig. "The only thing you make in a hurry is a mistake".

[rootbeer]

FS 2002 Military, Newest Files, Page 53: FS 2002 Boeing 747-400 Airborne Laser YAL-1A. Just 1.2 Mb; took just 25 seconds to download. It is in My Documents in .zip form; I'll just leave it that way until further notice.

[Hagar]

Good choice. I downloaded the file & installed it to FS2002. This should be the proverbial piece of cake.

First find 2k2yal1a.zip in your downloads folder. This will be the My Documents folder in your case.

[WebbPA]

Looking good, guys.  I remember printing the tutorial (a couple of years ago) and thinking, "WTF! This is waaaay too complicated".

[rootbeer]

Hagar, do I "Open the 2k2yal1a folder..." with Open or do I just open it with two quick left-clicks?

I used Open twice to get to the four magic files. I guess this is right?

[rootbeer]

Not there...

I downloaded 2k2yal1a, renamed it 747-Laser-Plane and .zipped it into My Documents. I followed your instructions and I don't see it. I'm lost...

NO-- wait!! There it is! Excuse me for having head firmly and deeply inserted into rectum.

[Hagar]

Does this mean it worked? You've lost me so no wonder you're confusing yourself. Slow down a little & follow my instructions to the letter. I've made it as easy to understand as I know how.

To extract a zipfile. Hagar said

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.

To install the aircraft. Hagar said

Open the 2k2yal1a folder to see what you've got. You're looking for the folder containing the aircraft or "Aircraft Container folder". You should see another folder inside the 2k2yal1a folder named 2k2yal1a. This second folder is the "Aircraft Container" containing the familiar Model, Panel, Sound & Texture subfolders.

To install the aircraft to FS2002, right-click on this second folder (not the first one but the one inside it) & select Cut. Now navigate to your FS2002\Aircraft folder, right-click in a clear space & select Paste. You should now have a folder named 2k2yal1a in with all the default aircraft. Basically that's all there is to it.

Please tell me what you don't understand about

[rootbeer]

It worked; see above. I am tasting a small bit of victory, here. I am emboldened to try another...

Tried the Firefox (my brother digs this pane); got to where I select it to fly and "Can't find this aircraft in the library" yet it is in the list of availables.

NO-- wait!! There it is, setting on the runway at Reno/Tahoe. I must be going to the runway before my chip gets eveything in its place. I saw MIG MIG in the Current Aircraft list, click OK and then the 747 freighter pops up. I assumed it didn't work. I tried it again and there it is.

[Hagar]

It worked; see above. I am tasting a small bit of victory, here. I am emboldened to try another...

Tried the Firefox (my brother digs this pane); got to where I select it to fly and "Can't find this aircraft in the library" yet it is in the list of availables.

Good. Please try another & another until you get the hang of it. Forget any missing gauges for now. We can deal with that once you convince me that you know what you're doing.

PS. I see you edited your post while I was replying. Forget the Firefox for now. Please let's cover one thing at a time. This is starting to make my head hurt.

[rootbeer]

OK; let's take a break for the day. It's a warm, sunny day here and the Reno Air Races are going on just 35 miles away. I arrived here last year, missing them by two weeks. I'd like to go; I may be back in Virginia a year from now and never get another chance to see it.

Thanks for all your help. I am going to transfer a passel of them from FS Downloads into the sim. I think I know what I'm almost doing.

Until later tonight, but don't wait up on me. I usually get totally s-faced and go out with my "deadly assault weapons" on Saturday afternoons. Booze and bullets do mix in northern Nevada...

[Hagar]

OK. I have to go now anyway. Please install them one at at time & check each one out in FS2002 before trying another. If one doesn't show up or you have problems with it make a note of it & try another one. We can sort out these little snags later.

[rootbeer]

Thanks for your help, Hagar. I have put a few from the folder into the sim. I find that after I do so, I have to kind of jump in and out of the sim once or twice before the airplane shows up.  I have an XB-70 and a B-1 that didn't show up at first, I clicked out, then back in and they were in the availables under Any.

I shall not bother you any further. You have been of great assistance. It is up to me to do this now. Thank you again for your time and effort.