I have just today released a backwards compatibility tool for Prepar3D, which adds better support for FSX addons, especially those with installers - see FSX support for Prepar3D.

It's quite simple. After you install it, you can easily create a virtual FSX installation pointing to Prepar3D. Installers are fooled into believing that they are seeing a valid FSX installation instead of Prepar3D. Almost all addons install themselves with no issues at all. For example, we got PMDG's 747 and Aerosoft's Mega Airport series airports installed just fine with absolutely no hand tweaking needed. Even my old favourite, Digital Aviation's Fokker 70 / 100 (released in 2008!) installed properly and its complex automated flight system still works like charm in Prepar3D.

Here it is at FlyLogic's Bern Belp:

And of course, lets not forget Lockheed Martin.
Here's Captain Sim's Lockheed C-130 over Edwards AFB:

For more information and images, visit http://www.flightsim.ee/products/fsx-support-for-prepar3d

Quote from FSMP on May 4, 2012, 09:13
VERY COOL !! A P3D App waiting to happen, and you jumped in and made it. Congratulations. WIsh you every success.

Thank you for your kind words.

Quote from FSMP on May 4, 2012, 09:13
What happens if you also already have FSX installed ? How does it tell the REAL from the Virtual FSX ?

The initial goal was to allow side-by-side presence of FSX, virtual FSX and Prepar3D. Unfortunately, it was not possible because many addons place files outside of simulator's folder.

For example, if I recall correctly, Reality XP Flight Line instruments have their own settings folders in standard system folders. If you make two installations of instruments, one for FSX and the other for Prepar3D (using virtual FSX folder), then you'll actually have only one set of settings. And should you uninstall one installation, the other will lose it's settings too.

Since I can't predict where files may be placed, I can't protect against deletion of them. Having a real FSX installed on the system would make the chance of corrupting it quite high.

If you wish to have both FSX and Prepar3D installed and have a spare license of Windows (of an older version, for example), you can always install two versions of Windows and run FSX from the older one.

Quote from FSMP on May 4, 2012, 09:13
Is it also needed, and does it work, to UNINSTALL ?

You don't need FSX to create virtual FSX folder.
My tool works for uninstallations also and in addition you can browse the virtual folder on your own, if you wish to add a repaint to aircraft.cfg or make other common changes.

Here's the interface:

Its manual is publicly available from:

http://www.flightsim.ee/download/manuals/FSX2Prepar3D.pdf

From the maual :

Prepar3D must be installed under Program Files, otherwise it
is impossible to create virtual FSX installation. This is due to
very core architecture of Windows operation systems.

Does thsi mean that one cannot install P3D on a windows 7 system under "Program Files (x86)".

Also, many have found it a "Windows Secuity Over-ride advanatage" to install FSX /P3D outside ofthe Windows "Program Files" structure, to help avoid some of the Secirity and permissions issues, when modiying files in that structure.

ie Install in C:/FSX or D:/P3D

Is this permissable with your system ?

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It is not permitted. Prepar3D must be on the same drive as Program Files. If Program Files is C:\Program Files, then Prepar3D must be installed somewhere in C:\ tree, because Windows does not support "virtual folders" across different drives. Having all your programs in Program Files is also a recommended practice by Microsoft.

-----

Many users have their P3D installation in a dedicated drive, with more capacity and performance than their Windows drive. Not a very good solution for them, including dedicated RAID drives.

Excelent!!

Good support and thanks for solving that evident limitation.

Regards,
Dump

Please use http://tracker.flightsim.ee/ for support.

I suggest you try version 1.1 first, available from http://www.flightsim.ee/products/fsx-to-prepar3d-migration-tool (scroll to bottom).

Version 1.1 was released just today, and now features limited support for side-by-side installations of FSX and Prepar3D, and full support for Prepar3D installations on drives other than Windows drive. Details are at http://www.flightsim.ee/news/2012/fsx-to-prepar3d-migration-tool-updated

Congratulations Paavo, good work!

I've just bought your utility and am hoping that it will come in useful as I continue my migration to P3D.

I am glad that you found a way to allow a side-by-side installation with FSX as I had to "leave" my FSX installation alone but "out of commission" in order for some of my other add-ons to be re-installed into P3D correctly. In other words there is still an amount of "other stuff" that FSX leaves behind that needs to be present that I could not risk fully uninstalling FSX.

Perhaps in my next build I will be able to use your utility with P3D only.

Nice work- now when will you be releasing TrackIR support? (Sorry, I couldn't help it! - it seems to be the question of the day on many forums of late...)

Kind regards,

James Gillies

Quote from JimboG on May 7, 2012, 04:55
I am glad that you found a way to allow a side-by-side installation with FSX as I had to "leave" my FSX installation alone but "out of commission" in order for some of my other add-ons to be re-installed into P3D correctly. In other words there is still an amount of "other stuff" that FSX leaves behind that needs to be present that I could not risk fully uninstalling FSX.

With my tool, there is actually nothing from FSX that has to be present. A computer that doesn't have and has never even had FSX will work perfectly fine with the tool, and it is in fact suggested that FSX is not installed. All necessary "leftovers" of FSX to guarantee proper functioning of legacy installers are automatically created.

Quote from JimboG on May 7, 2012, 04:55
Nice work- now when will you be releasing TrackIR support? (Sorry, I couldn't help it! - it seems to be the question of the day on many forums of late...)

I do not have TrackIR and I cannot confirm the status of TrackIR at the moment. However, I am working on version 1.2, which is going to support EZdok Camera Addon and perhaps TrackIR is going to work in combination with EZCA. I will at this to test list and let someone with TrackIR try it out.