I've just started down this path having finally retired my old XP64 machine. A few things that I've picked up so far while they are fresh on my mind as 8.1 is sure different from XP.
Keep in mind that I have a 500g portable HD that I use to keep copies of important stuff like FS on. And I filled it up with stuff from my old rig that I wanted on the new one.
Up to now, I've always been able to change the default flight to whatever aircraft I want and what airport I want. For some reason, now it appears that unless it's the default running Cessna at Seattle flight, FS9 just won't start. Okay, I can live with that. The first time I flew FS9 in 8.1, I'd just swapped in some aircraft, the whole gauges and effects folder from my backups. Worked fine if default ugly. So the next morning I started tossing stuff onto the new comp. I copied over my "Flight Simulator Files" over from the old one into the new Documents folder. And the FS9.cfg. At this point, FS said it was on strike. After much hair pulling and considering using the new comp as a boat anchor, I got a suggest from BB17 (thanks again!) about deleting the saved flights and the FS9.cfg and trying it again. It worked. Still not sure what that was all about, but at that point I was just glad it was working again.
8.1 doesn't like full screen on start up. So, I've been starting in the windowed mode and going full screen after I start the flight. When I'm done flying, I go back windowed and exit.
Fortunately my old Microsoft Sidewinder Precision Pro joystick that I bought on clearance in in '00 when the Precision Pro 2 came out still works just fine (really not many moving parts to wear out on it). I'm using the the gameport to USB adapter that came with it with no issues at all. I was a bit worried about this as after 15 years, I'd hate to have to replace it. (Tried that once years ago and was back to the Sidewinder in less than a week). So don't necessarily count older hardware out. Try it and see what happens.
Software: My old Snapper screenshot program didn't want to play nice, after 3 screenshots, it would take it's ball and go home. And some of it's features (FS location on the shot) just didn't work. So I went hunting for a new screenshot program and found that there's a newer version 2.1 of Snapper. Doesn't have the location feature, but looks promising compared to the old vers 1.0
FS Panel Studio: I've got an older version and being the cheap bastard that I am, I sure didn't want to have to buy it again when it was working just fine on the old machine (I use the heck out of FSPS). But when I switched to the XP 64 bit machine, I discovered that the OS was missing a needed .dll file that FSPS requires. So after some searching around, I found a copy of the Cabarc.dll. Before I shut down the old machine for the last time, I copied that file and it's a good thing. I was searching for a new one, but no luck. Even MS no longer has it which is where I got it last time. So, I installed the file into the same locations it was for XP64 and FS Panel Studio is working fine.
Add On scenery. Fortunately I ran across a note over at California Classics on adding scenery with Win 7 that I tried and it works with 8.1 as well.
Took me a couple of minutes to sort out which white box, but I've been a scenery adding fool since, although I'm still trying to sort out the problem with one of my aircraft carriers.Quote:
Note: System 7 users when adding new scenery layers in the Scenery Library will need to right click the empty white box after clicking OK for the box to close and the scenery to be actually added to the library.
RL Clarks Radio/CD4 gauge that allows you to listen to music in flight seems to be working still although I've only listened to a CD and haven't tried to program it to my Music folder yet.
I think that's about it so far. I was a late adopter of XP having stayed with Win98 for a few years after XP's release (I never willing go with the latest and greatest anything. Let someone else have the headache of bugs with new stuff, I'll wait for the bugs to be worked out). But so far, I'm liking 8.1. I just have to learn how to get FS9 to like it as well.
I'll add to this as the journey continues. If anyone else wants to share their experiences with FS9 & Win 8.1 feel free to add a reply to this.
