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Related Links
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Supported Operating Systems
Prepar3D v2 is currently supported on Windows 7 and Windows 8.
The following are the default installation directories for Prepar3D and the location of their registry key entries:
32 Bit Operating Systems:- Install Location: C:\Program Files\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v2\
- Registry Location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v2
- Install Location:C:\Program Files (x86)\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v2\
- Registry Location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Lockheed Martin\Prepar3D v2
Computer System Requirements
In addition to requiring a computer with a supported operating system,Prepar3D Has the Following Recommended Minimum System Requirements:
| Computer Processor | 2.8 GHz or higher |
| Computer Memory | 2.0 GB or more |
| Hard Drive Space | 15 GB or more |
| Graphics Card |
256MB video RAM or higher
Support for vertex and pixel shader model 3.0 or higher DirectX 9 or higher hardware compatibility |
| Other |
Administrator Rights MSXML 6 DirectX 9.0c |
Where to Receive the Latest Information
Prepar3D Website
On the Prepar3D website (http://www.prepar3d.com/), you can find out about the latest information related to Prepar3D.- You can Read the latest news
- You can Read Release Notes
- You can Receive Software Updates
- You can Download Free Software
Where to Ask Your Question
Prepar3D Support Forum
In the forum, your question will be posted in public, allowing community experts to help you solve your problem.
- You can Ask a new question in the forum (http://www.prepar3d.com/forum-5/)
- You can also Look through already posted questions (http://www.prepar3d.com/forum-5/)
What to Do on Your Own
Update Drivers
Drivers are small software programs that allow your operating system to communicate with the hardware in your computer. Beyond acting as a translator, a driver can also enhance the operation of a particular piece of hardware, such as a video card or a sound card. A damaged or outdated video or audio driver can cause program errors. The manufacturer of your video or audio devices may offer free driver updates on their Web site.Disable Program Conflicts
When starting Microsoft Windows by using a normal startup, several applications and services start automatically, and then run in the background. These programs include basic system processes, antivirus software, system utility applications, and other software that has been previously installed. These applications and services can cause interference when you install or run a program, such as Lockheed Martin Prepar3D. Consequently, you may receive an error message, or Prepar3D may stop responding.Performing a Clean Boot
A computer can be set up to perform a clean boot, which prevents other programs from starting automatically.Note: To complete this procedure, you must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the Administrators group.
To perform a clean boot on Windows 7:
Step 1: Start the System Configuration Utility- Click Start, type msconfig in the Start Search box, and then
press ENTER
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
- In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click the General tab, and then click Selective Startup.
- Click to clear the Load Startup Items check box.
- Click the Services tab.
- Click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box.
- Click Disable All, and then click OK.
- When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.
- Click Start in the Start Search box.
- Type msconfig, and then press ENTER.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
- On the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services, and then click OK.
- When you are prompted, click Restart.
Troubleshooting Video Card Support
As of version 2.1, Prepar3D includes limited down-level DirectX 11 support for DirectX 10 and DirectX 10.1 level hardware provided the video card has DirectX 11 drivers. When rendering on down-level hardware, some features will not work:- Tessellation is not supported. The terrain will not render on a down-level device if Tessellation is enabled in the UI. Tessellation should be disabled unless Prepar3D is running on more than one video card and at least one video card supports DirectX 11. For example a DirectX 11 card can render the terrain in one view while the DirectX 10 card renders a virtual cockpit view. The virtual cockpit view will not show the terrain out the window of the cockpit.
- Shadows are supported but will not perform as well or look as good.
- Only run 2d panel views on down-level devices
- If the problem persists, don’t place any Prepar3D application windows on the down-level device
- If problem still persist, Un-install the down-level device.
- There may be an issue with the device drivers. Try installing the latest graphics drivers.
- If the problem persists, the Prepar3D installation may have been corrupted. Try uninstalling and reinstalling Prepar3D with any virus scanners disabled.
- There may be a driver or power-profile setting that is forcing Prepar3D to run on integrated graphics rather than a high-performance graphics processor. Most laptops and many desktops have integrated graphics support provided by the motherboard or processor. Changing the graphics profile settings or disabling the embedded video device should clear up this issue.
- The primary graphics driver may be overridden by drivers for USB monitors such as DisplayLink. These displays generally do not support DirectX 11 and may not work with Prepar3D. Try unplugging and uninstalling the monitor drivers if this problem continues.
Current Workarounds for Known Issues
Configuring Multiple Windows Using Multiplayer ModeUsers using Prepar3D Multiplayer modes with multiple displays, windows, or monitors utilizing the "Main Panel" will need to configure the "panel.cfg" file for aircraft they wish to use in the simulation. Other panels and gauges will load and configure correctly from a flight file, but users wishing to specially place the "Main Panel" will need to create a copy of the Main Panel window with a different identity due to the Multiplayer loading process. Simply create a new [WindowXX] attribute in the panel.cfg file, where XX is the next number in the panel sequence, and copy over all attributes for the main panel for use in the Multiplayer mode view flight file.
For instance, the Mooney Bravo G1000 panel.cfg file entry for:
[Window00]
file_1024=mooney_g1000_background.bmp
file_1024_night=mooney_g1000_background_night.bmp
size_mm=1024
position=7
visible=1
no_luminous=1
ident=MAIN_PANEL
[...]
window_size=1.000,1.000
Gets copied following the last [Window09] attribute entry and becomes (setting visible=0
as to not be displayed by default):
[Window10]
file_1024=mooney_g1000_background.bmp
file_1024_night=mooney_g1000_background_night.bmp
size_mm=1024
position=7
visible=0
no_luminous=1
ident=COPY_OF_MAIN_PANEL
[...]
window_size=1.000,1.000
In addition, a new line for the [Window titles] attribute should be added to read
something like:
Window10=Copy of Main Panel
New views should then be created using the new [Window] instead of the Main Panel directly. Users wishing to have windowed Main Panel functionality in a non-default location while in Multiplayer Mode should use this process in all flight files from that point on.
Uninstall and Reinstall
If the guidance above has not resolved the problem, it could be that files have been inadvertently corrupted after the Prepar3D installation process. Uninstalling Prepar3D, performing a clean boot of your computer and then reinstall Prepar3D may correct the issue.