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My first FSX vs Windows7 casualty gets the boot.

FAC257

SOH-CM-2025
Been slowly but surely checking out all my FSX flightsim goodies in Windows7 and just ran into the first no-go.

Chris Wright's AutostarX. :frown: It's one of my favorite little FSX utilities and usually one of the very first files I install just after the FSX core stuff.

During execution it's looking for an old WindowsXP era Microsoft Visual Basic virtual machine file. W7 knows which one is missing.

When I did a search on that file, it turns out to be one that folks were missing when trying to use some programs with Vista. The routine answer was to copy that file over from XP.

Even though I swore I wouldn't go this route, I decided to see how the Windows7 XP Compatibility Mode functioned. It tried but in the end, it said the Autostar.exe was a no-go.

So.....
1. First W7 incompatible FS related file I've run into so far.
2. Learned a bit about the XP Compatibility feature in W7.
3. First W7 victim gets the boot.

PS. I could go copy that old WVB file into W7...... naaaaaah. That would be too much like botching up a perfectly good install of FSX with an old FS9 port. :d

Only kidding there, but I do really like that little utility and wouldn't mind seeing it updated one day.

FAC
 
Spotlope

AutostarX was a graphics enhancment type utility for FSX.

It used the realworld SAO star field data to accuratly depict the night sky to a higher degree than in default FSX. It made far more stars visible and the amount of visible stars was controllable.

It also had accurate planet and moon placement as well.

It could also do custom night sky objects if you wanted.

FAC
 
Oops, my bad. I confused it with FSAutostart -- dropping a "t" made a big difference. Ignore me and carry on. :monkies:
 
Oops, my bad. I confused it with FSAutostart -- dropping a "t" made a big difference. Ignore me and carry on. :monkies:




Now you sound like me.....I am dislecik (sp) badly and read stuff wrong all the time..Its gets difficult too trying to get things that are written done at times...LOL Like ordering parts and such..I have to be very carefull...



Hope you fine a fix for autostar....
 
During execution it's looking for an old WindowsXP era Microsoft Visual Basic virtual machine file. W7 knows which one is missing.

When I did a search on that file, it turns out to be one that folks were missing when trying to use some programs with Vista. The routine answer was to copy that file over from XP.

Even though I swore I wouldn't go this route, I decided to see how the Windows7 XP Compatibility Mode functioned. It tried but in the end, it said the Autostar.exe was a no-go.

Why not? Many older programs for FS series (like FS metar or RadarContact) don't work with Vista/7 out of the box because these systems are missing some Activex / COM modules from '90s. Just install the missing files and everything will be ok.
 
I might try that later on. Right now, in the process of seeing W7 for what it really is, I'm trying to keep everything installed as vanilla as possible.

When I get to the tail end of my list of flightsim related files that I'm double checking and see just how many need outside/non-W7 files, then I'll make that decision.

I'd like to make as clean a break from XP as possible, the same way I went from FS9 to FSX.

FAC
 
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