Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler

Delta Virtual Airlines Water Cooler | PC Support | Upgrading to Win7

DVA9677
Captain, B737-800
OLP

Joined on April 11 2011
50 State Club
Online Double Century Club
Quincentenary Club

"American 1482, your APU is leaking baggage."
Kissimmee, FL USA

543 legs, 735.9 hours
247 legs, 299.2 hours online
538 legs, 725.6 hours ACARS
2 legs, 2.8 hours event

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 10:20 ET by John Anderson

So I'm thinking about buying Win7 64bit for myself for christmas wink

Can anyone tell me what kind of issues I should expect from FS9 or FSX.

Of course, my biggest concern is to get the better memory management of the 64bit system, and XP Pro is missing some drivers for some of my newer hardware.

Also, do you think my system will handle 7 well?

Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H Motherboard
AMD Athlon II X2
2gb DDR3 1066mhz Memory Sticks (X2, 4gb total)
EVGA NVidia Geforce 210 Graphics card with 1gb DDR3 on board memory.

Any insights would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks.

John Anderson (DVA9677)

DVA4215
Senior Captain, MD-11
OLP

Joined on March 12 2007
Everett 250 Club
Six Century Club
Online Quadruple Century Club
DVA Fifteen-Year Anniversary

Pleasant Grove, UT USA

636 legs, 1,647.2 hours
410 legs, 746.5 hours online
589 legs, 1,563.2 hours ACARS
7 legs, 10.3 hours event

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 11:00 ET by Kyle Hatch

Upgrading to W7 64 bit was one of the best things I've done for FS! And I have not experienced any issues at all with FS9 and W7. You will have to turn off whats called "UAC" but thats not a big deal. Your system is good enough to run it with no problems. You'll enjoy it wink

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 11:08 ET by John Anderson

Beautiful, Kyle. Thanks.

Besides turning off the Administrative Control, any other tips?

John Anderson (DVA9677)

DVA9262
Senior Captain, B737-800

Joined on December 09 2010
Everett 250 Club
Nine Century Club

Canton, MI USA

920 legs, 1,411.7 hours
13 legs, 12.0 hours online
918 legs, 1,409.5 hours ACARS

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 11:08 ET by Jeffrey Putz

While I'm lacking in technical sophistication and can't really comment intelligently on the subtle differences between the two operating systems, I can say that based on my personal experiences, as well as insights gleaned through observation, that any incarnation of XP is vastly preferable to Windows 7 for purposes of fsx. Generally speaking, and I'm sure you're aware of this John, XP is a much more stable, reliable and thoroughly vetted platform. I know I was able to run fsx with minimal issues prior to my turning to the dark side ("upgrading" to W7), after which point, the issues didn't take long to manifest and subsequently annoy me greatly. My brother has been using Vista on a rig comparable to mine and has probably played close to as much fsx as I have over the years, yet has never encountered any problems/faults/errors, etc. I'm actually in the process of partitioning my hard drive so that I can boot up with XP just for purposes of running fsx. In sum, expect a much higher probability of issues arising when running fsx on a W7 system as opposed to an xp based one.

Jeffrey Putz (DVA9262)

DVA8752
Captain, B767-300

Joined on January 01 2010
50 State Club
Triple Century Club

Sedalia, CO

338 legs, 1,236.8 hours
31 legs, 181.3 hours online
37 legs, 232.7 hours ACARS
2 legs, 8.4 hours event

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 11:11 ET by Brandon Howell

You'll have to install the UIautomationcore.dll fix or FSX will crash (http://forum.avsim.net/topic/273341-heres-the-apparent-fix-to-fsx-crashing-win-7-x64/)

Brandon Howell (DVA8752)

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 11:18 ET by John Anderson

Jeff, did you try the fix that Brandon has mentioned?

I just wanna know what I'm in for.

John Anderson (DVA9677)

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 11:36 ET by Brandon Howell

Brandon Howell wrote:

You'll have to install the UIautomationcore.dll fix or FSX will crash (http://forum.avsim.net/topic/273341-heres-the-apparent-fix-to-fsx-crashing-win-7-x64/)

John - my post was meant for you.

Overall, Windows 7 has been very stable for me. I'd say it's their best OS so far, with XP being a close second.

Brandon Howell (DVA8752)

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 11:41 ET by John Anderson

And I thank you for that, Brandon. Anytime someone can be as specific as your post, I have a hard time ignoring it. I just wanted to see if maybe that was the fix that Jeff needed, or if there's another problem I needed to look for in addition.

The truth is, I love XP, and would love to stay. I'm about to have the same kind of learning curve going from a C172 to a B737, but 7 offers the best 64bt package with the drivers I need.

John Anderson (DVA9677)

DVA1690
Senior Captain, MD-88
OLP

Joined on May 05 2004
50 State Club
Quatercentenary Club
Online Quadruple Century Club
Stage 1 Jet Double Century Club
DVA Twenty-Year Anniversary

"Life begins at Vr"
Longmont, CO USA

477 legs, 700.4 hours
468 legs, 686.6 hours online
254 legs, 389.4 hours ACARS
3 legs, 3.9 hours event

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 12:15 ET by Trevor Bair

If you do upgrade, be SURE to start from scratch using Nick Needham's guide. Read it through before you even plug your new OS CD in and format your old drive as there are Windows setup selections that have a bearing on FS9/FSX setup. http://www.simforums.com/forums/topic34141_post198187.html#198187

I have Win7 64 (and used Nick N's guide above) and have had zero issues since day one.

John Anderson wrote:

Also, do you think my system will handle 7 well?
Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H Motherboard
AMD Athlon II X2
2gb DDR3 1066mhz Memory Sticks (X2, 4gb total)
EVGA NVidia Geforce 210 Graphics card with 1gb DDR3 on board memory.

Please don't take this as being critical, but I would say though that your OS is not going to be the limiting factor for FSX/FS9. CPU, RAM and graphics cards will all likely hold you back more than the OS would in this case. I would, however, recommend taking a look at concentrating on running FS9 at higher settings with that system, but FSX is likely not going to be worth chasing. To do that with FS9, you may want to get in touch with Michael Greenblatt at http://www.fs-gs.com . I've use his "System Unification" process on my old FS9 computer about 4-5 years ago and it worked wonders. But, in full disclosure, I did not use him for my recent upgrade and FSX install and am nevertheless pleased with the performance.

Trevor Bair

Senior Captain, MD-88

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 12:21 ET by John Anderson

Thanks, Trevor. I will def check those links out before install.

The thing about the OS is that it actually is holding me back. The 32bt XP is not utilizing much of the memory that I have. It's only registring 3gb of my 5gb installed. Speaking with a Microsoft tech, it apparently isn't even using the full graphics memory. I need to step up to be able to use all of my memory.

BTW, critisism is exactly what I was expecting. wink

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 12:27 ET by Kyle Hatch

John Anderson wrote:

Thanks, Trevor. I will def check those links out before install.
Speaking with a Microsoft tech, it apparently isn't even using the full graphics memory

He is right. When they talk about memory limitations with 32 bit, that includes the total memory from RAM and video card memory. Something I just learned recently!

Kyle Hatch (DVA4215)

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 12:30 ET by John Anderson

I actually do have plans to step up to maybe a quad core and a few more gig of memory, but I first need to know that it's going to be used efficiently and completely.

John Anderson (DVA9677)

DVA9401
Captain, B747-400
OLP

Joined on January 22 2011
50 State Club
Globetrotter
Six Century Club

Stevenage, Hertfordshire UK

687 legs, 1,191.1 hours
73 legs, 107.6 hours online
685 legs, 1,189.1 hours ACARS
7,919 legs, 14,092.8 hours total

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 12:40 ET by Paul Hale

John, just to follow on from what the other guys said, i upgraded from xp to windows 7 a few months back and everything that could go wrong with fs9 did, however after a bit of research and 2 complete reinstalls later everything is running absolutely perfect and has been for about 3 months now.
My error was installing FS9 on the main "c" drive with all the other windows operating system stuff which for some reason seems to have extra security features. I had a second 500GB drive "d" which was completely empty, installed everything onto that drive and it's been absolutely perfect ever since and to this day the only things on that "d" drive is my flightsim and it runs like a dream.

Paul Hale (DVA9401)

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 12:43 ET by John Anderson

Do you think, Paul, installing on a seperate partition of the same drive would suffice?
I have a 500gb Sata cut into 400/100 gb partitions with the operationg system going onto the 400gb.

John Anderson (DVA9677)

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 12:51 ET by Paul Hale

John, i actually couldn't answer this as i haven't got a clue and i wouldn't want to give you wrong information. I am sure some of our "tech" experts will chirp in soon and advise you.

Paul Hale (DVA9401)

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 13:03 ET by Kyle Hatch

John Anderson wrote:

Do you think, Paul, installing on a seperate partition of the same drive would suffice?
I have a 500gb Sata cut into 400/100 gb partitions with the operationg system going onto the 400gb.

From what I understand with partitions, that *should* work. But like Paul said, lets hear some other tech guys chime in about it. Also, I would suggest that the OS go on the smaller partition. The OS doesn't need that much HD space. The partition that you install all your other programs on should be the bigger one.

When I first installed my FS9 on W7, I had everything on the same drive (C) and never had a problem. Thats the funny thing about PC's, they all act differently. I now run FS on its own HD and windows on its own (just for better performance and to get FS away from the OS stuff)

Kyle Hatch (DVA4215)

Posted onPost created on November 18 2011 13:44 ET by Jeffrey Putz

John Anderson wrote:

Jeff, did you try the fix that Brandon has mentioned?

I just wanna know what I'm in for.

You're in for a rough ride my friend. Take it from someone who's been there....and still is unfortunately. Placing that file was one of the first things I tried, as it was the easiest and least labor intensive. I've literally run the ambit of remedies and yet am suffering regular, recurrent crashes and/or freezes of fsx. I should however add that the vast majority of my current issues still outstanding, are a direct consequence of a virus incursion I experienced way back on September 7. Somehow, a Windows program file was subsequently corrupted (probably a .dll) and as a consequence, fsx has been very uncooperative since then. That notwithstanding, Windows 7 has never been as reliable and consistently dependable as xp was for me, at least in terms of fsx. Other programs generally run very well with Windows 7, so if you are a gaming enthusiast, such as myself, Windows 7 may very well serve your general gaming needs. Just don't expect as fluid and altogether functional interface as you may have experienced with xp for purposes of fsx.

Jeffrey Putz (DVA9262)

Posted onPost created on November 19 2011 15:39 ET by John Anderson

OK, so with the advice I've gotten, and taking all into consideration, I'm going to pickup my new copy of Win7 this afternoon.

Any more advice?

Thanks everyone.

John Anderson (DVA9677)

Posted onPost created on November 20 2011 04:58 ET by John Anderson

That was much easier than I'd anticipated. I started the install; answered a couple of questions; got tired of waiting; went to bed. This morning when I wole (0430, like a kid on Christmas morning) I answered a few more questions . . . BOOM it was done.

I thought I'd have trouble with my Linksys wireless card. Even Linksys told me that they do not offer Windows 7 support, part of "you're product limitation." But hey . . . Win7 is smarter than I thought. No issues.

UAC off . . . No overclocking . . . Lets get some airplanes on this boy.

John Anderson (DVA9677)

Posted onPost created on November 20 2011 05:37 ET by Kyle Hatch

Glad to hear its a smooth start! Keep us posted on how it handles your flights!

Kyle Hatch (DVA4215)

Posted onPost created on November 20 2011 06:56 ET by John Anderson

Once again . . . DVA, WOW. It seems like this is the only site that will load in a fair amount of time.

I've spent the last two hours searching for (about three websites was all I was able to get to) a solution to the SLOW IE8.

Gonna try IE9, I think.

Didn't help. Upgraded the firmware on my router and changed to a different cannel. No difference.

This system is running well, but mine is horrible.

Any suggestions?

John Anderson (DVA9677)

Posted onPost created on November 20 2011 13:48 ET by Kyle Hatch

By IE9 Im assuming you mean Internet explorer 9. I'm not good with network setup and router stuff so hopefully someone else will chime in on that. I can suggest you try google chrome, it works fast, smooth, great features, and I haven't had a problem with it on W7 yet.

Kyle Hatch (DVA4215)

Posted onPost created on November 20 2011 16:17 ET by John Anderson

OK, so did some flights with my PMDG, and since I'm not able to log my flights, I did some playing around. Missed approaches, Single engine operation approaches, Single engine missed approach (of course I didn't really wanna do THAT one, but my first single engine approach was horrible, lol), and some hand flying under strong quartering cross winds. I have to say that although I'm ashamed to tell you that I do use automation alot (the worse the weather, the better the bonus in FSPax), I've not lost much with hands on flight.

Got FsPax to actually run this morning, so I'm good there.
Put my iFly 37 back into FS9, and flew her out this morning. Once I got her airborne and heading to point one, I turned on the AP and hit LvlChng, I felt like I should have been wearing a NASA Mission patch. She maintained about 5900fpm climb all the way up to about 280, with IAS staying around 195-210. I was only at M.64 at change over. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm . . . Even with that though, I was getting between 78 to 100 fps with the iFly. PMDG touches 80, but stays lower than that.

I just have to figure out the Internet thing now.

Thinking about doing a complete Re-Install, but first, I'm going to try a different adapter. I think I'm bottle-necking on my WMP54GS card. I'm just hoping someone out there may have another solution.

Update:
Can you belive thar makin' these things the size of a thumb drive now? eek

Anyway . . . A new super portable USB Wireless adpater and I'm SMOKIN . . .

Thanks everyone for your advice and thoughts.

John Anderson (DVA9677)

Posted onPost created on November 22 2011 09:48 ET by John Anderson

So how do you get rid of the instability in Full Screen mode?

John Anderson (DVA9677)

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