anyone still using fs98?

[djtnm]

Hello everyone, I actually use fs 2002, but I recently bought fs98 on ebay for a very cheap price, product from xplosiv and installed the patch shop converter and FS Navigator 4.7 and to my surprise everything works wonderfully, except the 3D graphics due to I be using a virtual machine with Windows XP.

 

I must confess that I am very satisfied and I manage to make a normal flight planner with this software, I was surprised because I configured the joystick and I am quite happy. I know there are lots of addons on archive.org but I like having the cd and physical stuff. My fs 2002 and addons plus fsx I bought everything cheap on CD.

Does anyone else use fs98? Of course, what counts here is nostalgia and fun, honestly without graphic pretensions.

[CTarana45]

I've have two versions of Fs98 installed on the Vista computer! :pilot: The original one and Golden Wings!

 

Christopher Tarana

[djtnm]

I've have two versions of Fs98 installed on the Vista computer! :pilot: The original one and Golden Wings!

 

Christopher Tarana

 

seems like people are very interested in super graphics and stuff. I have the original 2002 and three more original addons and I'm very happy with them. I decided to buy the 98 and emulate it in a virtual machine with Windows XP (also original). Best of all, we don't need machines from the last age of galaxies to have fun.

[jgf]

A friend has a full install of FS98 along with extra aircraft, scenery, and a flight planner, on a flashdrive. As work keeps him on the road quite a bit he pops this into his laptop for recreation.

[djtnm]

A friend has a full install of FS98 along with extra aircraft, scenery, and a flight planner, on a flashdrive. As work keeps him on the road quite a bit he pops this into his laptop for recreation.

 

I bought it cheap on ebay, now I have fsnavigator 4.7 for flight plans and two planes that I downloaded from flightsim, the only thing I can't do (due to lack of knowledge) is to install scenarios. still, i'm happy with it and my fs2002. I don't need a computer from the galaxies and it runs fs 98 in a virtual machine with windows xp running happily and beautifully.

[Null.hagen]

I am tried to start up Flight Simulator 98, and 5.1, after installation but that does not work well; therefore, do anyone know schematic floppy disc drawings to having small addons in floppies? And to run FS98 instructions converted into CPU architecture from Norsk Data (ND), northbridge chipset Silicon integrated System with integrated graphics (SiS), Z80.000-based architecture in Texture Processing Unit (TPU), and ATI and Radeon-based graphics (GPU). I having one, and only one, official profile account in FaceBook.

[jgf]

Generically, do not install to any "Program Files" folder;  run the install as admin; make sure your account has full access to the install folder;  use XP compatibility.

[Null.hagen]

18 hours ago, jgf said:

Generically, do not install to any "Program Files" folder;  run the install as admin; make sure your account has full access to the install folder;  use XP compatibility.

OK, thank for clue. I will trying.

[jacilore]

On 9/2/2023 at 8:11 PM, jgf said:

Generically, do not install to any "Program Files" folder;  run the install as admin; make sure your account has full access to the install folder;  use XP compatibility.

Hi. do you mean install FS98 in a Windows 10 enviroment folllowing that procedure and it works?

[jgf]

Yes.  Starting with Vista windows enforces stricter security measures on file access in the Program Files folders, this can cause issues with any software not specifically written for that;  Win10 and 11 are even more problematic with this.  Install older programs to the root of a drive (i.e. C:\FS98) or to any other folder you designate (such as C:\Games\FS98).

[jacilore]

On 9/18/2023 at 12:39 AM, jgf said:

Yes.  Starting with Vista windows enforces stricter security measures on file access in the Program Files folders, this can cause issues with any software not specifically written for that;  Win10 and 11 are even more problematic with this.  Install older programs to the root of a drive (i.e. C:\FS98) or to any other folder you designate (such as C:\Games\FS98).

The thing is couldn't start it that way. Could you tell me which system do you have that it works with it?

[jgf]

Is it not running at all or is there an exe shown in Task manager?

 

The last time I had FS98 installed was in the early days of Vista;  I had UAC and DEP disabled, but don't know if that made any difference, the sim worked fine.

 

Do you have DX9 installed?  (Look in "Programs and Features" for "Microsoft Visual C++ .... Redistributable ...", there may be one or several;  the first couple of digits of the last number on each line is the version - 9.0, 10, 11, etc.)

If not, download and install it (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109);  when you start it, it will ask for a place to put the files, this is just to extract the setup files so can be any temp folder (make one on the desktop if you like, it can be deleted after install is finished).  Go to that folder and run the setup there.  This will not interfere with any other DX installs, each is independent, when requested windows will start with the newest and work back til finding the file it wants.

[jacilore]

Hi. I have W10 and DirectX12. I have managed FS98 to run following your "approach" (out of the standard folder "c:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator"). 

In my case it just starts but then it can't recognize any aircraft. It just shows Learjet but it even doesn't let me fly it. (Aircraft menu shows only Learjet and so short that I couldn' even capture it)

Then, when I try to load the Learjet, it just crashes.

Those are the captures of the path and what I can get.

 

(There are a couple of intermediate screens like the 1st one that don't change much; the program just doesn't find the aircrafts he tries to use in the default flights).

Regards.

[jgf]

Try installing DX9;  later DX are backwards compatible but not all software is forward compatible.  DX9 was the last with all functions in more, smaller files;  starting with DX10 MS used fewer, larger files;  even though all the functions are still there some older software requests those functions by path so newer windows need the DX9 install for the correct path.

 

Also, are you trying to run in a window?  I don't recall if FS98 likes doing that.

[jacilore]

Ok. But have you actually tried FS98 in W10 with Direct9?. Because it seems Noone has got to work it yet in W10 with whatever approach.

 

I could try to install DX9, but the thing is I have FS2000 working perfectly with 3d Acceleration in W10 with DirectX12 (Only in Window mode, but that's alright for me, and the first time I've got to do so. So I'll try better in another computer when I have time).

[jgf]

I do not have Win10.  Installing DX9 will have no effect at all on existing DX installs, each is separate and independent of the others.  The only difference is that DX9 has its functions sorted differently, many programs from that era will look for them that way thus will not find them in later versions of DX.  When windows receives a DX call it will start looking in the most recent DX it finds and work its way back through older versions til it finds it, so your existing programs will not be affected.

[jacilore]

Hi (sorry for the nightmare of questions.)

But so you mean that if I install DX9, FS98 will look for DX9 if it fits better to it, while the other programs which worked well in DX12, will remain working the same?

 

(Because for instance, FS2000 works in DX12, but only in windowed screen, I really don't know what it will do when I install DX12.. As an example, I had installed in a Windows 7 PC, which I know suits FS2000 quite well, but one day, FS2000 stopped working in 3D Hardware Acceleration mode, without me being aware of any change. So I'm afraid any change could spoil my FS2000 working in my new i7 W10 GTX-3070 system, which was a surprise for me.)

 

Regards and thanks for the replies

 

[jgf]

Basically, yes.

 

DX12 contains all the DX functions of all previous versions.  Newer software calls those functions by name only, so windows finds them in DX12;  but some older programs call by path, so instead of just looking for "ThisFunction" windows is now looking for "d3d9_42.dll/ThisFunction", which only exists in a DX9 install.  When windows receives a call for a DX function it will go to the newest DX first (in your case DX12), if it doesn't find what it seeks it will go to DX11, then DX10, then DX9.

 

Note that this may not help with your FS98, but it won't hurt anything.  Installing DX9 is one of the first remedies when trying to get older software, especially games, to run on any OS since Vista.  Also, make sure you get the proper version - x86 or x64 - for your system.

 

FWIW, this is what I have on an old Win7 system-

 

 

[ACuriousSimmer]

On 10/13/2023 at 5:32 PM, jacilore said:

Hi. I have W10 and DirectX12. I have managed FS98 to run following your "approach" (out of the standard folder "c:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator"). 

In my case it just starts but then it can't recognize any aircraft. It just shows Learjet but it even doesn't let me fly it. (Aircraft menu shows only Learjet and so short that I couldn' even capture it)

Then, when I try to load the Learjet, it just crashes.

Those are the captures of the path and what I can get.

 

(There are a couple of intermediate screens like the 1st one that don't change much; the program just doesn't find the aircrafts he tries to use in the default flights).

Regards.

I’ve found out from another person elsewhere that the reason panels being deleted fixes the crash is due to how FS98 calculates the sizes of panels (it apparently divides by 0 at some point which now crashes on win8+ x64). The only way FS98 would work again on modern Windows is if someone reverse engineers it and fixes the bugs that cause crashing.

FS2000 can work on Win8+ however, I’ve had it working after disabling GeForce Experience and using a NOCD exe. In Windowed mode it has 0 issue

[jacilore]

Thanks very much both.

Yes it seems there's a kind of issue with aircraft and panels.

Let's see if a miracleous update happens for FS98.

Regards.

[JSkorna]

Support for 98, 2004, and FSX ended years ago. Microsoft doesn't even know what these programs are.

[jgf]

There's always the option of running XP in a VM within W11, FS98 should run easily there (it will still need the DX9 install, but if I remember well XP installs that by default).

[jacilore]

4 hours ago, jgf said:

There's always the option of running XP in a VM within W11, FS98 should run easily there (it will still need the DX9 install, but if I remember well XP installs that by default).

 

Yes I'm using that. The only problem is I have too many sparkling textures in the distance. But some for most things, FS98 works better there than in Windows 7. (I will maybe ask about that some day).

 

9 hours ago, JSkorna said:

Support for 98, 2004, and FSX ended years ago. Microsoft doesn't even know what these programs are.

Talking about support, maybe here some of you could help me?

I have just installed Twrview.zip, from the libraries here for FS98, but it doesn't work. It just does nothing. (It's supposed to be launched within FS98, typing "Alt+T" or externally). 

If I start it within FS98, it does nothing, and if I launch it externally without having loaded FS98, it seems to have been correctly installed, although I can't make use of it, because I haven't started FS98.

But If I start FS98 and then start TwrView, it just tells me "Runtime 429 error. ActiveX component can't create object". Do any of you know what 

(I have the VB 5.0 and Mfc40 Runtime libraries installed, as the program requires).

 

Thanks and regards

[jgf]

1 hour ago, jacilore said:

too many sparkling textures in the distance

 

This is usually either a terrain setting or a vid driver setting (often anisotrophic filter).  No set values for any of this, seems to be quite system dependent, so play around all pertinent adjustments.

[jgf]

1 hour ago, jacilore said:

Runtime 429 error. ActiveX component can't create object

 

This may help-

 

https://thegeekpage.com/resolve-runtime-error-429-activex-component-cant-create-object-in-windows-11-10/