Flight Sim X will not work on Windows 8.1

THANK YOU!  These settings within FSX appear to have stabilized the app for me.  I still got an error, but far less frequent than what I was getting. 

do you seriously accept that having crashes less frequently than before is acceptable? I think it's a pathetic situation. Similarly, I don't think it's at all realistic to expect end users to spend hours sorting out problems? Would you accept that with a new car? or a TV or any other item? I don't think so.

If the two products were from different companies - they could blame each other for the incompatibility but not this time.   

Or.... for those of us that love the sim, and are TRUE PC gamers, we can work to make the software work well on our rigs and be happy. Not just complain and point a finger. For me , I like to solve problems and get a good result, and then share those results with other who might benefit.

I don't write software for thousands of different pieces of hardware, nor am I a programmer, I am just a garage mechanic that likes to make things work. Do some tweaking, a bit of research, some trial and error, and R&D. And because of that, I have made FSX work and wanted to share. It just might help someone else enjoy it. (and it appears it did)

I don't just complain. To each his own however, that is what makes the world go around.

As a note, there has almost never been a software title from any manufacturer or publisher that I did not edit in one way or another.  A true PC game enthusiasts does not count on the manufacturer to find every problem for every situation.  You learn to dig in, and fix it on your own. I make it work how I want it to work.

BullGod

THANK YOU!  These settings within FSX appear to have stabilized the app for me.  I still got an error, but far less frequent than what I was getting. 

do you seriously accept that having crashes less frequently than before is acceptable? I think it's a pathetic situation. Similarly, I don't think it's at all realistic to expect end users to spend hours sorting out problems? Would you accept that with a new car? or a TV or any other item? I don't think so.

If the two products were from different companies - they could blame each other for the incompatibility but not this time.   

Or.... for those of us that love the sim, and are TRUE PC gamers, we can work to make the software work well on our rigs and be happy. Not just complain and point a finger. For me , I like to solve problems and get a good result, and then share those results with other who might benefit.

I don't write software for thousands of different pieces of hardware, nor am I a programmer, I am just a garage mechanic that likes to make things work. Do some tweaking, a bit of research, some trial and error, and R&D. And because of that, I have made FSX work and wanted to share. It just might help someone else enjoy it. (and it appears it did)

I don't just complain. To each his own however, that is what makes the world go around.

As a note, there has almost never been a software title from any manufacturer or publisher that I did not edit in one way or another.  A true PC game enthusiasts does not count on the manufacturer to find every problem for every situation.  You learn to dig in, and fix it on your own. I make it work how I want it to work.

BullGod

OK so I'm not a "true PC gamer"; I'm an individual who expects products to work without expecting ME to spend hours stopping it from crashing (though I have done so in this case - trying everything the MS engineers have suggested). If this had been a beta version - that would be different I'd expect to find a few bugs that need sorting. It wasn't - it was (reputedly) an application that was fit for purpose - and it clearly isn't fit for purpose out of the box. If it was an occasional crash because of an unusual combination of factors that had not been anticipated, I'd accept that but not a system that is as unstable as Win 8.1 with FSX. 

I'm actually quite experienced with computers - I've been using them for nearly 35 years (since before Windows 1!); I've built my own PCs in the past, provided IT support for others, managed service desks and worked in workshops. But I acknowledge that I still don't know 99% of what there is to know about PCs - and I have absolutely no desire to spend any more of my free time learning how to use them - any more than I want to be able to dismantle and repair my car - or television! 

I'm glad you enjoy fixing the flaws you encountered. I don't and I don't see why I should be expected to do so. I use computers as a tool to perform a task. In this case it's to simulate flying - not to simulate being a PC Software engineer.

Have you considered, by the way, that you are actually colluding with poor product development by sorting out the problems yourself instead of insisting on the manufacturer taking reasonable steps to provide products that are fit for purpose first time round?

Helen

THANK YOU!  These settings within FSX appear to have stabilized the app for me.  I still got an error, but far less frequent than what I was getting. 

do you seriously accept that having crashes less frequently than before is acceptable? I think it's a pathetic situation. Similarly, I don't think it's at all realistic to expect end users to spend hours sorting out problems? Would you accept that with a new car? or a TV or any other item? I don't think so.

If the two products were from different companies - they could blame each other for the incompatibility but not this time.   

Or.... for those of us that love the sim, and are TRUE PC gamers, we can work to make the software work well on our rigs and be happy. Not just complain and point a finger. For me , I like to solve problems and get a good result, and then share those results with other who might benefit.

I don't write software for thousands of different pieces of hardware, nor am I a programmer, I am just a garage mechanic that likes to make things work. Do some tweaking, a bit of research, some trial and error, and R&D. And because of that, I have made FSX work and wanted to share. It just might help someone else enjoy it. (and it appears it did)

I don't just complain. To each his own however, that is what makes the world go around.

As a note, there has almost never been a software title from any manufacturer or publisher that I did not edit in one way or another.  A true PC game enthusiasts does not count on the manufacturer to find every problem for every situation.  You learn to dig in, and fix it on your own. I make it work how I want it to work.

BullGod

OK so I'm not a "true PC gamer"; I'm an individual who expects products to work without expecting ME to spend hours stopping it from crashing (though I have done so in this case - trying everything the MS engineers have suggested). If this had been a beta version - that would be different I'd expect to find a few bugs that need sorting. It wasn't - it was (reputedly) an application that was fit for purpose - and it clearly isn't fit for purpose out of the box. If it was an occasional crash because of an unusual combination of factors that had not been anticipated, I'd accept that but not a system that is as unstable as Win 8.1 with FSX. 

I'm actually quite experienced with computers - I've been using them for nearly 35 years (since before Windows 1!); I've built my own PCs in the past, provided IT support for others, managed service desks and worked in workshops. But I acknowledge that I still don't know 99% of what there is to know about PCs - and I have absolutely no desire to spend any more of my free time learning how to use them - any more than I want to be able to dismantle and repair my car - or television! 

I'm glad you enjoy fixing the flaws you encountered. I don't and I don't see why I should be expected to do so. I use computers as a tool to perform a task. In this case it's to simulate flying - not to simulate being a PC Software engineer.

Have you considered, by the way, that you are actually colluding with poor product development by sorting out the problems yourself instead of insisting on the manufacturer taking reasonable steps to provide products that are fit for purpose first time round?

Helen

Helen,

I do respect and understand your point of view. I did not mean to offend you with my opinion.  I was stating that for ME, I almost always expect that I will need to edit something because of my computer configuration.  In this case, we are talking about a piece of software that is no longer supported, on an operating system it was not intended to be run on. In this case, edits will need to be made to make it work as I expect it to.

I do agree that installing software and having it work correctly is the intent, but it is not a reality when it is out of the realm of the stated specifications.

(I agree that working with a software engineer is not always the solution, sometimes they just do not understand the problem, so they can not provide a solution).

Respectfully,

BullGod - (Pete)

(If you have the time, try the 'fix' above including the file I provided. It will make you a very happy Flight Simmer, with little investment time).  Hopefully you can then enjoy the software you paid for.

I agree with you that it should work as a consumer product out of the box, but hopefully with a few small tweaks, you are able to enjoy some flying.

again, respectfully,

Hi Helen! I am also a deeply frustrated FliteSimmer with little or no knowledge of computing. I was very annoyed with some of the tips that were being offered up. I tried some but felt so helpless getting mired in the detail involved and soon lost my way. HOWEVER...... I recently had an auto update to windows 8.1 and lo and behold flite Sim X loaded and is working. There are some minor glitches that I can cope with but I am terrified to ever uninstall and re-install!!!  Of course I totally agree with your sentiments that we should not,after purchasing this product,have to embark on a highly technical process to keep the system working. As I have said before " shame on you Microsoft" for such poor Customer Aftercare. Surely someone of importance in MS can read these messages.

       I regret I can not give you any tech data as to why my Sim has decided to work but wish you well with your endeavours.

Hi Bullgod

you say:

In this case, we are talking about a piece of software that is no longer supported, on an operating system it was not intended to be run on. In this case, edits will need to be made to make it work as I expect it to.

I do agree that installing software and having it work correctly is the intent, but it is not a reality when it is out of the realm of the stated specifications.

The point is that I am trying to use Microsoft Flight Simulator X Gold Edition with Windows 8.1 on a machine that matches the published requirements (it's about a year old). In fact, with Intel Core i5-3330 CPU 3GHz; 8GB RAM;  AMD Radeon HD6670 display adaptor; and 90% of the 2TB hard drive free I think it massively exceeds the requirements quoted. It has had all of the upgrades to Windows 8.1 To the best of my knowledge, far from being outdated, I believe these are the very latest versions!

I'm not sure, therefore, where the idea that the software is no longer supported or that I'm trying to run it on an operating system that it was not intended to be run on. 

Microsoft's compatibility site claims that FSX *IS* compatible with Windows 8.1. 

best wishes

Helen