Critical Error on Installing UTX

I have installed FSX in a second (dedicated) hard drive on my Vista 32 PC.

On installing Ultimate Terrain X - Europe, it adds the scenery files to the x:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X folder, but then reports a critical error saying "The FSX Scenery.CFG or FSX.CFG could not be located at the expected location below
C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX\Scenery.cfg.
This is a critical problem. Please visit the Ultimate Terrain support forum at www.simforums.co./forum.

On inspection, the only file in C:\Users\Chris\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX\ is dll.xml. The scenery.cfg file is in the x:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X folder.

The screen validating the FSX installation has a large red cross, which turns to a green arrow when I direct it to my FSX folders. This then repeats the earlier critical error.

It can't be unusual to install FSX into a second hard drive surely, so how do I overcome this critical error please?

Chris

Hi Jeff,

I first installed FSX yesterday into the same second drive, but as a X:\Microsoft Flight Simulator X folder. I then tried to install Just Flight's VFR scenery which reported that it couldn't find the scenery library & I'd have to load the scenery manually. So today, I uninstalled the VFR scenery, FSX and its patches leaving the X drive empty. I then reinstalled FSX SP1 & SP2, defragged the drive and tried to install ITX Europe (leaving Just Flight's VFR scenery uninstalled at present).

The FSX scenery library only seems to contain the standard MS scenery folders, and not UTX or any other 3rd party scenery folders.

Do you have to run FSX in its "virgin" state to create the scenery.cfg file perhaps?

Chris

Sorry, but I'm confused as to it when, where and how you have installed FSX from the very first time you did i.e. was it first installed under x:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X, then subsequently uninstalled and reinstalled under X:\Microsoft Flight Simulator X, the other way around, or something else completely? Did you always use the provided FSX uninstaller via the Vista Programs and Features Control Panel uninstall choice or did you manually delete things?

As UTX, and I suspect the Just Flight product, looks at the FSX installation location listed in the Windows Vista Registry, it sounds like it may be incorrect and pointing somewhere else. Flight1 provide an FSX Registry Repair Tool on their Free File Library page, and the UTX Setup Tool has a facility to repair this as well (but it of course needs to be installed properly before it can be used afterwards). Try that out to see if it is pointing to the current location you have FSX installed into.

Also, have you been running the UTX installers as an Administrator? With the User Access Control (UAC) in Vista to prevent malware from overwriting system files and programs, you may need right-click on the installer, and select "Run as Administrator".

As for when the scenery.cfg used by FSX is created, I cannot guarantee this, but I believe it happens the first time you run it.

Jeff

I first installed FSX (using the FSX installer) in my second X: hard drive, but shortening the folder name to Microsoft Flight Simulator. I then added SP1 & SP2. However I then had problems installing Just Flight's VFR scenery on top and so removed all programs leaving the X: drive empty.

I have been installing all programs as the administrator.

I started again, using the FSX installer to put FSX in its expected Program Files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X folder on my X: drive, added SP1 & SP2, then tried to add UTX Europe. This failed with a critical error because the scenery.cfg and fxs.cfg files were not present (as confirmed on inspection).

Running FSX (to inspect the scenery library and take a quick flight) however resulted in all the expected files being added in my App Data folders (fsx.cfg etc being loaded in mine and the scenery.cfg being loaded in all users).

FSX and UTX is now running perfectly, so my problem has been resolved. The learning point is that you need to install FSX AND RUN IT before loading any extra scenery products to create the expected App Data files. I suggest that customers are warned to NOT install UTX on top of a virgin FSX installation, and should run FSX with its standard scenery first!

Hope this clarifies the problem I encountered.

Chris