Missing File

[andersel]

A little help, please.

I fired up (at least I tried to fire up) FS9 tonight and I got an error message telling me that a file called "gps_export.DLL" is either corrupted or missing and advising me to re-install FS9. Can anyone tell me where on the load disks that particular file resides? I'd rather hunt down the file than do a re-install.

BTW; exactly what does this file do?

Thanks, all.

LA

[Maarten -]

Hiya,

This is what the 'Read Me' file included with the Flight Simulator 9.1 Update says:

Issue with various module .dlls and the Update setup --
Some third-party providers might have updated various files located in the “Modules” folder (for example, C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\Modules) of your Flight Simulator installation directory. In certain cases, these updated .dll files will cause the Update to terminate before completing installation. A message will be displayed: “The original file (gps_export.dll) is either missing or has been changed from its original state. The update cannot continue and will now exit”. You need to re-install the any .dll file that came with the original Flight Simulator 2004 setup files before attempting the update installation.

To install the default gps_export.dll file:

1. Insert the “Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight” CD-ROM number 2 in your CD-ROM drive.

2. Click the Windows Start button and choose “My Computer.”

3. Highlight and right-click the icon for the CD-ROM drive containing the number 2 CD-ROM. From the right-click menu, choose Open.

4. Select MSGAME3.CAB and open it using Windows Explorer.

5. Copy the affected .dll (for example gps_export.dll to the Modules subdirectory of your Flight Simulator installation directory. (For example, C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\Modules.)

6. Remove the CD-ROM from the drive and restart the Update setup.

NOTE: Previously installed the 3rd party add-on software for Flight Simulator may not work. If any action (such as re-installing the 3rd party add-on software) causes an overwrite of the updated module .dll file, you will lose significant fixes included in the Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight (update).

Good luck.

Cheers,
Maarten

[andersel]

Thanks, Maarten. As soon as I get back to my FS computer I will take care of this.

LA

[Tom Clayton]

I keep copies of all of the CD cab files on my hard drive, along with the attached pdf. If you have an aftermarket archive program like 7zip or WinRAR, you can use that to open the cab file while retaining the folder structure - which is a big help when you're looking for something that has a common name like "aircraft.cfg" or something like that.

[andersel]

Thank you, Maarten and Tom for your input and advice. Everything seems to be up and running normally now.

What I did was:

1. I checked my FS9 "Modules" folder and the gps_export.DLL seems to have been completely deleted, probably when I recently removed a number of aircraft from the sim.

2. As per your instruction, Maarten, I found my way in to the file structure (of MSFS2004 Disc 2) and located the gps_export.DLL file and saved it to a separate folder.

3. Copied the file and pasted it in to the "Modules" folder.

4. Successfully fired up FS9 and made a couple of short flights in several different planes and...

5. Everything seems to be up and running normally now.

Thanks again for your help!

LA

[Maarten -]

No worries, mate! Glad I could help. :)

Cheers,
Maarten