Piper Dakota + Windows 7 | Solution foreseeable?

[AlexG]

Hello!

I am new to this forum. My name ist Alex an I am from Germany. I would like to apologise for my English in advance.

I think it is more then a year ago that I bought Dreamfleets Piper Dakota. I used this gread add-on under Windows XP (32-bit) in combination with FS9. Everything has worked perfectly and I was proud to have a such complete und incredable aircraft on my hard disk.

Last week I decided to change the operating system from the above mentioned WinXP (32-bit) to Windows 7, 64-bit Version. The main reason for the switch was to work with a more powerful operation system. At this point I have to mention that I use my computer not only for flight simulation but for my academic studies, too.

I've installed the software, including RealityXP package, properly. Then, when I launched FS9 und chose Dreamfleet's Dakota, one first problem came up. As many user have already reported I had the Error message as well as they had. In this forum I read that there were two posibilities to use the Dakota anyway: 1) Buying „Reality XP 430 & 530 WAAS“ or 2) Replacing the GPS units in the Dakota by the standard GPS. I decided to try item no. 2. The result was unsatisfactory. Many gauges disappeared and the standard GPS did not work. I have no more idea how to solve this problem. For me, item no. 1 is out of the question. I will not pay further money for software I have already purchased. Is there another possibility I do not know yet?

I would like to put a concret question to Dreamfleet: Will Dreamfleet solve the „64-bit-Problem“ since more and more user are switching to powerful 64-bit version of Microsoft? I think a suitable patch is not only in users' interest.

Thank you very much for reading. I am looking forward for an established respond.

Kind regards
Alex

[alastairmonk]

Hi Alex,

Whilst most users would appreciate seeing further updates to the Dreamfleet fleet so that they can properly run on a new Windows 7 PC I think that sadly the reality is that the prime force behind Dreamfleet, Lou Betti, has by all evidence left the industry, and no further work or new aircraft will be forthcoming.

Thus, at present, the only solution for the 64-bit environment is to substitute all necessary gauges with their RealityXP alternatives.

Whether the top-grade Windows 7 versions (Professional and Ultimate,) that allow a "virtual" WinXP environment to be run, will allow the original Trainer to work is the only other likely solution, but I've not heard anything on this subject to date.

Cheers,

Alastair

[AlexG]

Hi Alastair,

thank you very much for your respond to my question. Sad news, anyway.

Kind regards
Alex

[yair1956]

...so, would the Dakota FSX will operate properly under XP mode ????
(I'm running FSX on Win7 Ultimate RTC R7.1)

Yair

[alastairmonk]

Hi,

Until someone confirms that the Garmin Trainer works in XP Mode I am assuming not, so the Dakota will probably work but only if the GNS430 is disabled or removed or replaced with the GNS430W. Even then more work would be needed to get communication with other panel gauges, as mentioned above.

Alastair

[3-2-1-Now]

Hi,

I tried it here - it does run!

The question is: how to fix the number of available ports error and to tell FS where to find the GNS430 trainer?

Best regards,
Robin.

[alastairmonk]

Hi Robin,

As installed the Dakota GPS relies on the Garmin GNS430 Trainer. This is a 16-bit application so won't work in Windows 7, which is a 64-bit application. You would need to replace the GNS430 with the RealityXP GNS430W as well as the other gauges that would cease communicating with the GPS when you do this.

The "lack of ports" problem may well relate to other wireless/bluetooth devices taking up COM ports 1-10 required by the GPS to be available, but given the above, this is, at this point, academic.

Cheers,

Alastair

[mr3856a]

What if I don't care about the GPS and am willing to have it not function? Can I fly the plane in Win7x64 without the GPS functioning?

I love the airplane and had it in Vistax32, but obviously no solution is forthcoming for Win7x64.

Also, for anyone who has gotten it functioning with an alternate GPS, can you point me to a tutorial? I have no idea how you would go about changing it.

[alastairmonk]

Hi Mike,

As mentioned above, there is an alternate GPS that will work under Win7 64-bit - the current RealityXP GNS430W (WAAS) unit. Once you have it all you need to do is replace references to the original GNS430 with those for the WAAS unit.

Cheers,

Alastair

[mr3856a]

Hey Alastair,

Thanks so much for your reply! I just got the RealityXP GPS unit, could you explain to me how/what to replace, or is there a tutorial you could point me to? Pardon my ignorance on the subject, I just frankly don't know.

This is wonderful, I put in a ton of hours in the Dakota on my Vista machine and am really looking forward to flying it again!

Best,
Mike

AOPA #06967841