Flight Simulator 2000 Instrument Panels Issue

[RichNagel]

I'm running Windows 10 and Flight Simulator 2000 (Professional Edition, if that matters).

A problem that I'm having is that the top edge of the instrument panel is BEHIND the main 3D view window. I can resize the instrument panel, or the main 3D view window, but of course that looks really bad. (See attached screenshots)

Several days ago I read SOMEWHERE on the Internet about someone who found a fix for this, but to save my #$%^&*& LIFE and I can't find it <aarrgghh>! Does anyone have ANY idea how to overcome this problem? IT'S DRIVING ME NUTZ!

[Sbob]

Have you tried hitting <alt> <enter> a couple of times?

This key combo will toggle your display from full-screen to windowed view.

It will also reset your full screen view so everything fits.

[RichNagel]

Yes I have, but still no luck in fullscreen. I did notice that the problem wasn't there in windowed mode though.

That being said, I did a really quick test with a DirectDraw wrapper, "DDrawCompat" -> https://github.com/narzoul/DDrawCompat/releases . It LOOKS like that might provide a fix

[huub vink]

Just a silly thought and most one of the first things you checked. But have you entered the correct type of monitor and resolution in you setting?

Cheers,
Huub

[RichNagel]

Just a silly thought and most one of the first things you checked. But have you entered the correct type of monitor and resolution in you setting?

Yes, but it didn't help. I even tried various screen resolutions in the game, but that didn't help either.

I think that the DDrawCompat wrapper that I mentioned previously might be a good fix though.

[Bunkiester]

I ran into that problem a few times when using FS9. Try grabbing the corner of the "outside view" as if it's a text box or suchlike, you should be able to re-size it to fit the window. Also, you can check out the numbers at the bottom of the panel.cfg. Compare the numbers displayed there to those contained in the panel.cfg of an aircraft that works properly. Just copy/paste the numbers from the working model into the one that doesn't. That's after making a backup copy of the original panel.cfg of course.

Hope this helps.

Mark

[RichNagel]

It appears that DDrawCompat is working GREAT for FS2000... no more 3D view window problems like I mentioned above. I ALSO think that it's boosting the framerate a wee bit. For me FS2000 gets a bit choppy on my old clunker with all of the detail settings maxed out.

BTW, you can change DDrawCompat's ingame overlay that hotkey if you wish. In FS2000 I have several custom modules that use SHIFT+F11 (as well as SHIFT+F12) for their hotkeys. A simple fix: I added "ConfigHotkey = CONTROL+F11" to DDrawCompat's INI file, so now i can use that hotkey

[RichNagel]

FWIW, I posted this in another message thread elsewhere on the Internet:

The problem is due to running FS2000 fullscreen under Windows 10. If you switch to a fullscreen window, the problem disappears, but of course you're left with the windowed titlebar <uugghh>.

Anyhow, I had previously experimented with a Direct3D wrapper called "DDrawCompat", but after a lot of twiddling around with it found that it really affected my framerate a LOT... LOTS of stutters and such. That being said, I HAVE finally found a workaround, all without suffering from the framerate problems when using DDrawCompat.

Download the utility "AutoHotkey" from https://www.autohotkey.com . After installing AutoHotkey, create a plain text file with the file extension of ".AHK" with the following contents:

LWIN & LButton::
WinSet, Style, -0xC00000, A
return

LWIN & RButton::
WinSet, Style, +0xC00000, A
return

...and save it to the filename "Windows_Titlebar_Remover.ahk". After loading the AHK script into AutoHotkey you can press the left Windows key and the left mouse button simultaneously to remove the Windows titlebar. Press the left Windows key and the right mouse button simultaneously to display the Windows titlebar.

Note that if you run FS2000 as an administrator, or have any of the various Windows compatibility modes enabled, you will need to execute the AutoHotkey script as an administrator for it to function when running the program.

You can also go a step further and compile the AHK script into a standalone EXE I went ahead and attached a ZIP to this reply with the standalone EXE all ready to roll

Anyways, this fix works PERFECTLY... you can run FS2000 in windowed mode, all without the titlebar, and without any of the performance issues that DDrawCompat (or any other Direct3D wrapper) may introduce

Windows_Titlebar_Remover.zip

[RichNagel]

Just a heads-up, I also uploaded the utility to the Warbirds Library here at Sim-Outhouse -> http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...9524&catid=121 .

[huub vink]

Thanks

Huub

[RichNagel]

You're quite welcome It works GREAT for FS2000, as well as CFS2 Quite a few of my buddies (and myself included) found that CFS2 had a MASSIVE hit to framerate when running it fullscreen. On my PC it wasn't that bad, but on my buddies' PCs it was horrible. This is a sure fire fix for that, and even I myself am now running CFS2 in a fullscreen window with the titlebar remover for a boost in framerate.

Anyhow, FS2000 doesn't seem to have better framerates in fullscreen mode verses a fullscreen window like CFS2 does. But, of course, you will have the instrument panel issue that I described previously. And this little gem fixes that