Intel Coffee Lake build with Windows 7

[JamesDenton]

All,

 

Is it possible to setup Windows 7 on the new Intel Coffee Lake processors (i5 Socket 1151)?

 

The reason I ask is because I have the original FSX and many paid for addons (aircraft, scenery etc), which I've been unable to use in Windows 10 due to compatibility issues.

 

At present, I have an i7 920 processor with the following 3 drives set up as:

 

• 1 x 256Gb SSD = Windows 7, with FSX & the scenery files installed (the drive is only used for these)
  
• 1 x 256Gb SSD = Windows 10, general PC use
  
• 1 x 1Tb SSD = FSX aircraft files sit in this folder
  

 

I'm long overdue a PC upgrade and (ideally) would like to use the much faster i5 8600k processor... but it appears doing so will mean having to ditch Windows 7 entirely and therefore give up on many of my addons.

 

I should be grateful for any advice or suggestions for getting round this issue.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

James

[mallcott]

All,

 

Is it possible to setup Windows 7 on the new Intel Coffee Lake processors (i5 Socket 1151)?

 

The reason I ask is because I have the original FSX and many paid for addons (aircraft, scenery etc), which I've been unable to use in Windows 10 due to compatibility issues.

 

At present, I have an i7 920 processor with the following 3 drives set up as:

 

• 1 x 256Gb SSD = Windows 7, with FSX & the scenery files installed (the drive is only used for these)
  
• 1 x 256Gb SSD = Windows 10, general PC use
  
• 1 x 1Tb SSD = FSX aircraft files sit in this folder
  

 

I'm long overdue a PC upgrade and (ideally) would like to use the much faster i5 8600k processor... but it appears doing so will mean having to ditch Windows 7 entirely and therefore give up on many of my addons.

 

I should be grateful for any advice or suggestions for getting round this issue.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

James

 

There are no compatibility issues with FSX and Win 10. What you didn't do is ask in the right place - here.

 

The addons will work perfectly well with the Win 10 installation AND will benefit greatly from the CPU upgrade...

[longbreak754]

Hi James,

 

My understanding from the limited amount of reading I have done on the subject of 8th generation processors, which include the 'Coffee Lake' editions, is that they are purely designed for use on Win 10 systems only.

 

That said, I have read several threads on various websites that do contain info on the problems found and some fixes for them but most seem to have issues that can't be resolved. I got most of my info by googling the phrase 'can win 7 be run on a pc with a intel coffee lake processor'.

 

To keep Win 7 a possible solution is to go for a 7th Gen processor instead. Another option is to take another stab at getting FSX to work in Win 10.

 

I, like many others, run FSX in Win 10 with no issues whatsoever - I am actually running it on two differently configured rigs. IME most, if not all, of the problems encountered by others are solvable and, in most cases, are normally down to missing essential libraries that Win 10 does not come with as standard.

 

For example, a vanilla install of Win 10 will only come with Direct X (DX) versions 10, 11 and, depending on how upto date the installation source file is, 12. FSX requires DX version 9 but the version that ships the FSX disk is woefully out of date and incompatible with Win 10. Downloading the DX Redistributable package from the MS website and installing using Admin rights it will normally fix the issue - the package covers all versions of DX from V9 to the current V12 and will only install or replace missing, outdated or corrupted files.

 

Other such essential libraries are: Visual C++ 2005 Runtime, .NET Frame V3.5 and V4.

 

All of these libraries have multiple versions which are 'standalone' so you can have (and probably already do have) a number of versions installed. There is a general misconception about these libraries, especially DX, that a 'current' later version is 'backward compatible' with older versions and that they will allow apps to work without the earlier version. The reality is that DX10 will not run a DX9 dependant app correctly, or indeed at all, as not all of the files will be compatible with the app itself.

 

Another common resolution is to ensure that you run FSX with Admin rights and in one of the compatibility modes available - this is something that I haven't had to do on either of my rigs but it does make a difference to those who have experienced problems.

[JamesDenton]

Hi Brian,

 

That's a super response, thank you.

 

It has also given me renewed faith that I might, or can, get FSX (with all its additional scenery files & addons) working on a Windows 10 build.

 

Given upgrading my system is becoming ever more essential, I'll have a look around for parts I want and will use the packages & suggestions you have given.

 

Thank you again.

[Rupert]

Jim,

 

I just saw what I consider a pretty good deal on Newegg. They're combining a i7 8700K CPU, a AORUS7 Mother Board, and 16GB of DDR4 3000 Ram for $695.

 

If you haven't bought yet that's an offer you might want to consider. ;)

 

Rupert

[JamesDenton]

Rup,

 

I appreciate that, but I am in the UK.

 

Thanks anyway :).

[JamesDenton]

Sorry mallcott, I didn't see your reply until now.

 

Yes, I can see that now. Thanks :)