Windows 8.1 64 bit

[Cees Donker]

Hello gentlemen,

Is CFS2 compatible with Windows 8.1 64 bit? Or: is anyone here playing CFS2 on a machine with this version of windows? Can it be done?


Thanks for your help!

Cees

[Oglivie]

Hi Cees,

I would say yes and no depending on what CFS2 is going to be running. I have two PCs with Win XP and a new laptop I purchased a couple months ago with Win 8.1 64-bit, and my Win XP rigs run CFS2 the best. Some issues that I am running into with 8.1 are that the aircraft selection window is blank. Someone posted that the window will work by hitting Alt+Enter using Win 8, this does not work on my 8.1 laptop. Another display issue I have is that older bgl and mdl files written with FSDS v.1.## do not seem capatable with the Intel(R) HD Graphics Family. Newer bgl and mdl files written with FSDS v.2.## and Stock CFS2 files appear to run fine as long as I have the following CFS2 Display Settings on: Trilinear Filtering, MIP Mapping, Anti-alias, and T and L.

Also some CFS2 help files may be an issue as help macros are by default set to off in the registry. They can be turned on, but for safety sake probably best left off.
http://www.faultwire.com/solutions-Windows_Vista/Windows-Help-*1394.html

Something though I have not tried and do not know much about is Hyper-V that appears to be included with the Win 8.1 Pro version OS. I do not have the 8.1 Pro version OS as yet so I cannot document that Hyper-V will run CFS2 okay or not.

A bit more info about Hyper-V:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh857623.aspx

[Shadow Wolf 07]

I have found that CFS2 will run on Win8 with many limitations. There is a fix for the aircraft not showing in the selection preview window. Running CFS2 in the windowed mode fixes that. :applause:

While test flying Rami's "20th Fighter Group campaign missions, I found that in the advanced info window, waypoints often do not show. In fact, the info there does not show anything under mission goals, loadout, # of wingmen, hit percentages etc. The Map will sometimes show you as being in the Solomons at takeoff. After take off the map will often not display waypoints, so if you are within contact range of enemy planes, you don't know which direction to go to the next (often a warp) waypoint. :dizzy:

In one of his N. African campaigns, the German escorts kept attacking my Italian bombers, even when I used Rami's country.cfg file! :banghead: These problems do not arise with Win7 just with 8 and 8.1.

Note: I was not flying CFS2 installed in the default location but on its own, seperate partition/volume on the computer.

[Cees Donker]

Thank you guys. That sheds some light on the matter. I'll try all suggestions!


Cees

[Devildog73]

Even though M$ stopped their support for XP, I, like many here, am not giving up my XP hard drive.

I run in WIN 7, either 32 or 64 most of the time.

When I go to XP, I shut down my internet connection to reduce any vulnerabilities. I may even look into shutting down everything in the background that is not needed and run simply XP OS and CFS2 and see how it performs.

It is just easier to work and fly for fun in XP than in any other OS, though I do work MB in WIN 7X32 with no real problems now that I am used to its nits and noids.

Hopefully, HOPEFULLY, somebody will come out with a combat flight sim that is compatible with the newest version of Windows once 8 and 8.1 go by way of WIN2K. I have heard rumors that M$ is going to "fix" WIN8* by bringing out a better version soon. (Think WIN 2k/ME and WIN XP, or WIN Vista and 7).

[miamieagle]

You can also read this post http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforums/showthread.php?87033-Black-aircraft-menu-window-in-Windows-8

I hope it helps you:jump:

[Devildog73]

For those of you who have not gone to Cees' webpage, you really should go and watch and listen to his band.

The Cees can play a guitar, REALLY!:applause::applause:

[kelticheart]

This topic of how CFS2 can be run on a Win7/8 platform keeps being discussed, but then threa pages move forward and priceless information from direct experience is lost.

My idea is: why don't we find a way to consolidate all threads into a downloadable "Running CFS2 under the latest OS. User's manual." tutorial issue?

I work with Win8 every day, I think MS should be tarred and feathered for it..............

Cheers!
KH :ernaehrung004:

[Ettico]

For those of you who have not gone to Cees' webpage, you really should go and watch and listen to his band.


The Cees can play a guitar, REALLY!


Old time rock and roll, played well, with Fender guitars, looks like.


Having recently decided to try to recover my ancient guitar skills and hopefully add more, I've aquired a Stratocaster, Telecaster, and Jazz Bass. Thanks to modern technology, I play these through a solid-state digital modeling amplifier which has on-board pre-recorded drum loops with adjustable tempo, and an on-board overdubbing recorder, which can be used to simulate an entire band of me's.


That's what's been keeping me away from my flying duties lately. After struggling with the tech, I've finally reached a point where, today, I completed an instrumental rendition of Journey's "Lovin, touchin, squeezin", featuring a virtual battery of harmonizing Stratocasters with Telecaster and Jazz Bass backup and a punchy blues drum loop done by a studio pro. It smokes. Maybe smokes too much. I should probably mellow it down some. It's got 4 layers of overdriven Stratocasters. Got a bit carried away.


While trying to decide what kind of guitars to buy, I did some research on the Fender brand. Some interesting stories behind them. Leo Fender is credited with perfecting the electric guitar and also produced the first ever electric bass. All modern electric guitars are basically knock-offs of the original Telecaster, the 1952 version of which is still in production and still popular, even though it's been superceded by the Stratocaster, which debuted in 1954, hasn't changed essentially, and still outsells all other brands combined. The Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Precision Bass are also credited with touching off 3 new genres of music: Country-Western, Blues, and Rock, which in turn are credited with having changed the world. No Fender, no Elvis, no Beatles, etc, etc. A Los Angeles Times article even credited these Fender-equipped music styles with having contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union by getting young Russians interested in learning more about the West.

and now, for your listening (and viewing) pleasure:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHD5nd3QLTg&feature=kp (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHD5nd3QLTg&feature=kp)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrkwgTBrW78


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxTahS46yrs

Frankly, these damned girl guitarists are beginning to get on my nerves with their quick little fingers and other attributes I can never touch...

Anyhow, to get back on topic, I've got CFS2 running normally in Windows 8/64, at unprecedented frame rates with all the sliders maxed out. The key for me was windowed mode. I hit ALT+ENTER once to get into windowed mode, and now it defaults to windowed mode.

Note: Windows 8 has a lockdown mode which it defaults to after an allotted amount of idle time has passed. This will be invoked if you exceed the user-specified time limit while flying in spot plane view. Then you have to sign back in. If this bothers you, you can increase the idle-time-to-lockdown. Other than that, I'm not aware of any problems with windowed mode.