FAQ: Installation or Re-installing FEX

Many people from time to time have to face the onerous task of re-installing their operating system and therefore have to reinstall FEX. This FAQ summarizes the most common problems people have experienced either installing FEX for the first time or when reinstalling.

Common installation problems:

1. FEX appears to hang during installation: FEX carries out some pre-processing of texture files during the install process, at the time FEX was built a limitation of the installer package was that we could not update the progress bar whilst this was occuring. Therefore it can give the impression that the install has frozen or hung. The solution is to simply wait till the final dialog appears telling you FEX has installed succesfully.

2. Errors during installation: This is usually the result of either not having the .Net 2.0 runtime installed or the install is in-correctly working. The installer in many cases can detect whether you have .Net 2.0 installed however the detection code is not fall-proof for every computer. The solution is to download and install .Net 2.0 runtime from: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&DisplayLang=en and then run the FEX installer again following the required reboot.

3. FEX is installed but will not launch: This problem is again related to .Net 2.0 runtime. Please follow the steps in (2) and reinstall FEX after the runtime is installed.

(NOTES FOR RE-INSTALLING FEX:)

4. FEX is asking me to register again: When re-installing FEX it will clear out your old settings and thereby show the registration screen once more. You do not have to enter your information again, simply click "Close" on the registration screen and you will see the normal "Login" screen, where you can enter your Username and password you originally registered with. If these have been forgotten you can recover these details from: http://www.flightenvironment.com/support.aspx

5. I have re-installed FEX from the FEX_Installer.exe however it is reporting I do not have a valid Flight1 key: When completely reinstalling your operating system, you will need to install FEX from the original Flight1 Wrapper. There is a "Re-install" button on the Flight1 wrapper which will create the required license on your installation.

I have the same question with an error message saying I don't have a valid key after re-installing FEX after switching over from Vista 32-bit -> Vista 64-bit.

I do have the lic file, is there some way I can point that file out to FEX or do I need to do another re-install using the wrapper and if I do so what will then happen to the updates I've already applied (FEX_Patch_1042 & FEX_SHD) - do I need to re-install those too after using the wrapper?

TIA,

OK, thanks I'll try that but as I said in my first post I have already installed everything - both the main program (FEX) + the patch + the SHD update and again...after pointing out the lic file after pressing the Reinstall button will that be enough or do I need to proceed once again with the installation and if I do...will I then have to install the patch + the SHD update once again?

Sorry if I'm stupid, just want to make sure how I should proceed to have a 100% good installation once I'm done.

Got everything to install and work just great by re-installing everything from scratch incl the patch and all seems good now, thanks for your help!

Hi chris, maybe you can help me to solve this mess........i have installed FEX with SHD but after i installed also patch 1.0.4.2 which was previously issued.....

Now every time I try to install a theme the reply is"the path specified in XMl file..data does not exist...."and i cannot neither exit FEX

Now my question is do i Have to download again and reinstall Fex and SHD patch????How can i reactivate it?????

If so can you link me correct site to do it?????

 MAny Thanks for your help, is very urgent ..........

Well, my FEX install, which was only a few weeks old stopped functioning. If I try to open the program from the shortcut I get a Windows that states:

Flight Environment X has stopped working

Close the program, or

Debug the program

Neither of which does anything. I am on Vista64, no problems with any other program but this. I see the note at the top of this thread about installing (or reinstalling)the .nets. Are there different ones for 32 versus 64 bit windows? I uninstalled FEX and reinstalled from the F1 website and the setup went through without a hitch but it refuses to open for me. I've read every thread I could find using search but I'm not getting anywhere. I can't imagine why my .net would be screwed up. Other than install 1 addon plane recently there have been no other changes to my computer which is used for FSX only. And everything else sems to work fine: UTX, GEX included.

Yes, but the only way was a complete reformat and reinstall of the OS, FSX and all addons. I left FEX for last, have turned System Restore back on temporarily before reinstalling so if FEX fails again I can roll back and go with XGraphics which I had on my old rig and never had any issues with. Close to 30 hours sitting at the computer. The .net reinstalls were not the solution as Vista would not allow it claiming they were already installed. My C++ was up to date as well.

So far FEX is working but I don't know why it failed the first time after working for a few weeks. 

The reason for the reinstall of everything was that in the FEX uninstall process the first time I hosed something big time in the registry and lost files, I couldn't relocate them, and so had to start over from scratch.

Agreed!

Hi Seadog

 Your diagnosis,corrective action was brilliant. I sincerely thank you for a full screen with normal fuctioning controls.  Well Done!