The same installation running in both XP and W7?

[greycap.raf]

I don't know if anybody has tried this but I haven't - because I'm afraid of screwing something up in such a scale that my CFS3 career is over.

But the question is simply, is it possible to run the same installation CFS3 under Windows XP and Windows 7 in a dual boot machine? As the support for XP ended I switched to W7 for daily use but retained XP for playing as it has the proper specular support that W7 is lacking. But it's a great pain in where the sun doesn't shine to reboot the computer every time I want to test something, not to mention that if I need to download something I'm out of luck, even looking at SOH for something I've forgotten means I'll have to resort to my phone or laptop as my XP installation isn't online anymore. I'd gladly accept the slightly worse looks in W7 for testing and fiddling, and then use XP when I know I'll be doing some proper flying.

But I'm scared stiff that if I set CFS3 up to work in W7 it goes completely haywire in XP thanks to looking for things in different folders (Application Data and AppData, you get the idea) and I'm not exactly sure what running CFS3Config actually does in that regard. And losing functionality in XP simply isn't an option.

Anybody with confirmed knowledge?

[Dumonceau]

HI,

You can run two seperate installs on a dual boot machine without any problems. I have no Win7-WinXP experience, but I have done so for a friend who is a Mac user. Dual boot through bootcamp.

But, there is no copy-paste sollution. You'll have to go full clean install again.

Dumonceau

[hairyspin]

Sounds unlikely Rene, W7 and XP have their document and appdata folders in different places. These locations can be changed but trying to run both OSes to use the one CFS3 installation would screw up lots of other things besides.

But if anyone wants to try this and can still access these forums afterwards, please detail the resulting carnage!

[Bravo/4]

[greycap.raf]

But if anyone wants to try this and can still access these forums afterwards, please detail the resulting carnage!

Consider that done!

As stupid as it sounds, no CFS3Config run, nothing, I just jumped in head first because nobody else seems to have tried it and surely enough it worked on the very first try. Of course I can't have the same pilot statistics in both and configurations are OS-specific but I don't care, I'm able to use all my "own" aircraft, all my missions, everything.

I don't know if anyone else has ever done the same but if not, I managed to do something perhaps valuable. And with no negative side effects!

[italflyer]

Haven't tried it, but should be safe. Except with a RisingSun-install, as it has to change some entries within the appdata folders when changing theater.

[hairyspin]

So both OSes use the same program folder but their own document and appdata folders?

[gecko]

I may be jumping in here a little late, but have you tried the new shaders by Ankor, Rene? They add self shadowing, improved specular effects and a lot more and are designed for use in Win7 (though it has been tested successfully inXP). It not only restores the proper specular functions lost when switching from XP, but makes it look way better than CFS3 ever looked in any operating system. As your main purpose for all this was to be able use the better graphics support in XP, you might want to look into this as you ought to be able to ditch XP completely.

[greycap.raf]

So both OSes use the same program folder but their own document and appdata folders?

Exactly. I was afraid of them wrecking each other somehow but nothing happened, they seem to live happily on their own.

I may be jumping in here a little late, but have you tried the new shaders by Ankor, Rene?

I have, not the latest versions though but I took a look at some point during the summer and wasn't thoroughly impressed - but it has to be said that there has been further development since then and now might be a good time to check the situation again. Because if I can get rid of XP for good, I will as its only use nowadays is CFS3 and having everything in one place would be great.

[Bravo/4]

Glad it worked Rene, interesting!

[hairyspin]

I've been looking up how to change the appdata and document folders so XP and W7 use the same ones but what I see are large red warning signs and lots of them. Reckon I'll leave it.