New CFS2 Install...

[ViperPilot2]

Hello!

A question, if I may... I'm thinking about a new Install of CFS2. Win7 Pro 64 w/ SP1, 4Gb RAM, loads of HD space.

Given the current situation with FS9 Installs and Windows Updates, are the Install options and SOP the same as FS9? (CD # 2)

Suggestions are welcome, but best if done outside SOH; please Reply to: cleekmaker00ATgmailDOTcom

Thanks!

Alan

[Rami]

ViperPilot2,

I can send you some suggestions outside SOH, but with regard to your question in the forums, let me emphasize a couple of things.

1) Your specs are fine, no issues there.

2) Your installations will go a lot more smoothly if you go into your control panel, and in the "Users" section, turn the UAC (User account control) settings off. This will allow you to edit things like cfg files without telling you that you don't have permission to do so.

I have not had any major issues with CFS2 on Windows 7. The only other thing I would like to know is which theatre(s) you plan on focusing on, if you have decided yet.

[gaucho_59]

I would like to have a European TO... How do I proceed to install it? Do I need to do a separate installation from the regular CFS 2 Pacific...
or can I somehow incorporate an ETO into it?...
Have downloaded some of those super-duper campaings you've done... keeping them in reserve for such an installation... but don't know
how to go about it... Furthermore... where do I find an ETO program for CFS 2???

Please advise...

G.

[Rami]

Gaucho_59,

I have to get to bed; 5:00am comes very early. But I will answer your question tomorrow morning.

[Allen]

When I did my European install I made a copy or my current Combat Flight Simulator 2 folder and named it Combat Flight Simulator 2 ETO. After that I removed all of add-on I didn't want from my new European install. After that I followed Rami's ETO installation guide.zip http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...49&linkid=2931 to load the basic scenery (ground).

[dasuto247]

When I did my European install I made a copy or my current Combat Flight Simulator 2 folder and named it Combat Flight Simulator 2 ETO. After that I removed all of add-on I didn't want from my new European install. After that I followed Rami's ETO installation guide.zip http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...49&linkid=2931 to load the basic scenery (ground).

How did you make a copy ? Just curious.I was looking at "easy multi install" not so easy lol. I need a clean install to run some ETO missions such as Rami's new auto install for Ploesti but really dont want to lose my current PTO install, finally got it just right again.

[Allen]

You CFS2 folder should be at one of 2 places depending on windows operating system.

ME, 2000, XP, Vista?
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\

Win 7 (I’m going to guess Win 8 and 10)
C:\Program files (x86)\Microsoft Games\

You can find your way there by going to My Computer than click on the C: drive icon and folow the list tell you find a folder called Combat Flight Simulator 2.

Right Click on the Combat Flight Simulator 2 folder and on the pop up menu click Copy. Now Right click on an open space and click Paste. Your PC will now make a complete copy of your current CFS2 install. This could take some time to do. When done you should see a folder that say

ME, 2000, XP, Vista?
Copy of Combat Flight Simulator 2

Win 7 (I’m going to guess Win 8 and 10)
Combat Flight Simulator 2 - Copy

Now you can re-name that folder to any thing your like. I would use something like Combat Flight Simulator 2 ETO or Combat Flight Simulator 2 Euro so you know that this folder is for a European Theater.

Please remember that you’re Desktop and Start Menu shortcut start your Pacific Theater CFS2 so you will need to start your European Theater from the European Theater folder by going into it and launching from the cfs2.exe.

[dasuto247]

That simple eh? Thanks, will give this a try.

[Rami]

Allen,

Actually, you can right-click on the .exe file and make a shortcut for each install. Actually, you make two per sim...one for the game side and one for the Mission Builder side.

Kelticheart and I have our separate views on this, but I like the freedom of having a theatre-specific install that I can theme and include just what I need for that specific area or location. (He tried to teach me how to do batch files, but I couldn't process it)

You can also do some pretty tricky stuff sharing scenery folders so you don't use oodles of hard drive space. For instance, I have one set of Rhumbaflappy's LOD mesh sets that I can use for all eight of my installs. They all run out of a common folder.

[Area.013]
Title=DEM mesh LOD 8
Local=C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\CFS2 Scenery\Scenedb\DEM mesh LOD 8
Active=TRUE
Layer=13
Required=TRUE
Remote=

Here's what my shortcuts look like...

[kelticheart]

Hi Dasuto247,

please, allow me to correct slightly Allen's quote: "Your CFS2 folder should be at one of 2 places depending on windows operating system."

Since I have always been suspicious about automated installs and default directories, I never installed CFS2 under "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\etc...."

Starting from my very first CFS2 stock install, I always indicated during the install process a directory/folder of my preference and not the default one. It worked fine each time with no problems, so the CFS2 folder can be anywhere on the HDD.

As Rami mentioned, him and I choose a different method for multiple theatres of ops. When HDD capacity was not as monstrous as today's Tb unit of measure, Jean "bomber" Cornichon's single install, multiple folders method was the way to go.
I am still using it, but I am considering the single, dedicated theatre approach for my future update projects like Vietnam and WWI.
CFS2 can be installed any number of times, providing the executable CFS2.exe is sitting in each dedicated folder named differently.
The only limit to this choice is the HDD capacity, because all of the legacy files/folders get duplicated with each new install.

Ex.: C:\CFS2_PTO, or C:\CFS2_EUROPE, or C:\Combat_FS\CFS2_MED, and so on.

I am talking about XP, I can't say anything about later platforms.

Cheers!
KH

[ViperPilot2]

Rami,

I was planning on a vanilla Install of CFS2... nothing fancy. I really wasn't aware that other Theaters were actually made for CFS2!

Just looking to take a stroll down Memory Lane, and missed the fireworks whenever the Trigger was depressed!

Alan

[ViperPilot2]

Thanks to all who replied...

I found the Resource I was originally looking for, and hopefully, it'll work! The different Theaters idea really interests me, though!

Alan

[Rami]

ViperPilot,

Best to start with the Pacific, Yeager. Or should I say Sam Shepard?

[Allen]

Rami
With all of the probs dasuto247 seem to have best to give him things in small bites and when he get that done I was going to tell him how to make the needed short cuts.

kelticheart
I gave default location. If you changed CFS2 from its default location than it vary likely you know where your CFS2 folder is located.

I do recall on some of the new OS like Win7 installing to the default location has probs related to premissions. I never had this with my Win7. If you had the probs with the default location it was to just best to install to C:.

[ViperPilot2]

Rami,

My thoughts, exactly. Once I get back into the 'swing' of things using CFS2, then I'll start playing around with Scenery and Mission Packs.

Thanks for noticing who's the Avatar... right on both counts!

Alan

[Rami]

Rami,

With all of the probs dasuto247 seem to have best to give him things in small bites and when he get that done I was going to tell him how to make the needed short cuts.

Allen,

That's a fair point, and perhaps I'm putting too much of a positive spin on this, but in a lot of ways I see Dasuto247's postings and don't see them as "problems," but rather someone with a lot of knowledge in specific areas, and someone who is intellectually curious, on the verge of putting it all together. He's kind of where I was six or seven years ago.

For example, many of his mission builder questions are related to things he wants to have happen in the sim, and doesn't understand why they don't. He then wants to know how to fix it. His MB skills are already advanced; I've never dared to build missions without waypoints, for example. I didn't learn from Cody Coyote's handbook, because I somehow wasn't aware of its existence until well into my MB "career."

I learned from looking at the works of others, especially those missions on the Groundcrew site. Not something I'd recommend for someone else, but it was the long and winding road that I took in CFS2.

[Rami]

I would like to have a European TO... How do I proceed to install it? Do I need to do a separate installation from the regular CFS 2 Pacific...
or can I somehow incorporate an ETO into it?...

Have downloaded some of those super-duper campaings you've done... keeping them in reserve for such an installation... but don't know how to go about it... Furthermore... where do I find an ETO program for CFS 2???

Please advise...

G.

Gaucho_59,

Well, first, the best thing to do is create a separate install of CFS2 for each theatre you want to do. (Europe, Eastern Front, Med, CBI, etc.) I wouldn't try to incorporate the ETO into it; you'll run into too many problems that way.

After that, you'll need to get rid of the CFS2 runways for the Pacific, and empty out the GSL file, and then you can build from the ground up and completely customize it.

Hell, it might be easier to make a "how to" guide similar to the scenery guides than try to explain it in a thread. But I need to wait to even attempt that until AFTER October 30th, when I take my skills certification test for Middle School Humanities. That is priority. #1.

[dasuto247]

Allen,

That's a fair point, and perhaps I'm putting too much of a positive spin on this, but in a lot of ways I see Dasuto247's postings and don't see them as "problems," but rather someone with a lot of knowledge in specific areas, and someone who is intellectually curious, on the verge of putting it all together. He's kind of where I was six or seven years ago.

For example, many of his mission builder questions are related to things he wants to have happen in the sim, and doesn't understand why they don't. He then wants to know how to fix it. His MB skills are already advanced; I've never dared to build missions without waypoints, for example. I didn't learn from Cody Coyote's handbook, because I somehow wasn't aware of its existence until well into my MB "career."

I learned from looking at the works of others, especially those missions on the Groundcrew site. Not something I'd recommend for someone else, but it was the long and winding road that I took in CFS2.

Rami, you described things rather accurately. Building missions is mostly not a problem for me (although I learn a few new tricks here and there) but am constantly learning things to do with how the sim works etc. I hope I don't annoy people with my questions, always felt I did not. I do try to search out answers via here or google etc often in vain, but then a member here clarifies and things fall together. Time constraints play a factor as well. My major contribution I feel to this community is building missions and campaigns so often my questions are related on how to solve them to make things work properly and many times solutions are found. I've been on SOH and back into CFS 2 just over a year and have learned a lot, come a long, long way.

[gaucho_59]

I look forward to your passing with flying colors and can maybe give some more help...
Especially, in terms of what files to secure for the eventual installation and where from...

G.

[Blood_Hawk23]

Viper,
Is that a SE5 in your sig?

[Allen]

Allen,

That's a fair point, and perhaps I'm putting too much of a positive spin on this, but in a lot of ways I see Dasuto247's postings and don't see them as "problems," but rather someone with a lot of knowledge in specific areas, and someone who is intellectually curious, on the verge of putting it all together. He's kind of where I was six or seven years ago.

For example, many of his mission builder questions are related to things he wants to have happen in the sim, and doesn't understand why they don't. He then wants to know how to fix it. His MB skills are already advanced; I've never dared to build missions without waypoints, for example. I didn't learn from Cody Coyote's handbook, because I somehow wasn't aware of its existence until well into my MB "career."

I learned from looking at the works of others, especially those missions on the Groundcrew site. Not something I'd recommend for someone else, but it was the long and winding road that I took in CFS2.

Dasuto247 seem do fine with MB but stumbling when it comes to other things. I don't want to over load some one with too much info at one time.

[kelticheart]

kelticheart
I gave default location. If you changed CFS2 from its default location than it vary likely you know where your CFS2 folder is located.

I do recall on some of the new OS like Win7 installing to the default location has probs related to premissions. I never had this with my Win7. If you had the probs with the default location it was to just best to install to C:...

It's perfectly ok, Allen.

I only wanted to correct the impression I had from your reply that installing to the default folder was made mandatory by MS. Just because I read this in the past in other threads on this subject and MS had the habit of indicating default HDD locations for their products as a "must comply with".

It's not the case with CFS1, 2, FS98, FS2000 and 2002, all the MS flight simulators I used over the years. In fact, the icon to allow choosing a different folder from the default one for one of those simulators, is available during the install process.

Dasuto247 is a young member of this forum and he started working right away with CFS2 with intense dedication. We are all grateful to him for this, but I wanted to keep him from against the same wrong concepts we all tripped over when we started the wonderful adventure of CFS2 tweaking.

Cheers!
KH

[ViperPilot2]

Viper,
Is that a SE5 in your sig?

Blood_Hawk,

Actually, I don't know; one of the guys from our FS club made the Banner. Although I don't know the Model of the airplane, it's flying over Castle Rock, which is located about 30 miles South of Denver.

Alan