There is nothing wrong with FSX or with Windows updates.

 

What you did it seems is:

-Install FSX (a long time ago)

-Install SP1 and SP2

 

You then recently "uninstalled" it, but incorrectly, by 'deleting'.

FSX should be uninstalled properly, from "Windows--Control Panel--Add/Remove Programs". In Add remove programs you would have seen it listed as "FSX-SP2".

If you had done that you would have seen that you remove FSX once, but that that only uninstalls FSX-SP2.

If you had looked in Add/Remove programs again you would have seen that FSX was still listed after the first uninstal step. Now listed as simply "Microsoft Flight Simulator X". Clicking uninstall Would have completed the uninstall.

 

You deleted FSX instead. That leaves the entries for FSX and for SP2 in the registry.

 

And reinstalling the registry entries cause a problem.

 

You seem to have come past that problem and were able to install FSX again and activate. Ok. Nothing new there.

 

But then you say you installed SP1 and could not activate.

That is not surprising.

Why? because SP1 does not need any activation. Neither does SP2.

 

The only things that do need activating are:

Microsoft Flight Simulator X. (the base install.)

And: Microsoft Flight SImulator X- Acceleration. A payware update that used to be sold seperately. And was also sold as included with FSX Deluxe in a 3CD pack called FSX Gold.

 

The reason you couldn't install SP2 at first can only be because you didn't uninstall FSX properly.

It has nothing to do with Windows updates.

The reason you couldn't activate SP1 is because SP1 does not need activating or ask for activating.

 

The PartMgr 'trick' is only needed for "Microsoft Flight Simulator X - Acceleration" activation. And even then only for a small percentage of people.

if only i read this before posting , clearly when it comes to computers i am not that clever,#

perhaps thats why after owning a pc for manys and plug and play in the late 90s , that i went over to console , maybe its where i should stay lol,

kind regards from an oldie .