Thanks guys for all of the info , i tried to download some planes last night and i followed your guide lines and so far it's working . But when i'm choosing a plane to download is it okay when it reads FS 2002/2004 or can i only download the ones that read FS 2004 , someone told me that not all files are compatible with FS 2004 and that it has to say FS 2004 and nothing els .
The person that did'nt believe that i have a AMD Athlon 3.2 ghz processor must check with his dealer , i've had this computer for almost a month now and i just called my dealer and he confirmed that it's a 3.2 ghz processor and that they have been availeble for about 40 days now . But anyways thanks for your help guys and if you have anymore info i would be glad to hear it .

I just talked to my dealer again and he says that it's posible that AMD calculates it's speed like you say , i'm not trying to have the beter processor it's just when i had him put my computer together i told him i wanted the best stuff availeble (i paid 5400 $ CDN for this sucker ) . Sorry for upsetting you thats not what the forums are for .

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???  I SELL computers (as well as repair them).  I would never have made such an outrageous claim about an Athlon (I do prefer AMD for gaming machines).  I hope your dealer didn't cheat you...

You sound like you may be a bit new to computers.  Don't get discouraged...File navigation takes some time to get used to.  My mother has used a computer at work for over 10 years, and she STILL needs me to install a program, etc.

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Putting things in different folders is what file navigation is all about.  Sometimes Mods come with their own .exe and install automatically to where they should go, but many times, you have to put several different things in several different places.  I have yet to find something that I couldn't figure out from the readme included with most downloads.

Take other exaples:

I also play Jagged Alliance: Urban Chaos (if you go to the bearpit forum, you'll see some posts from me in the UC General discussions there).  Urban Chaos is a fun turn-based strategy (think Silent Storm).  However, installing it involved moving several different files from different directories.  Then you had to be sure to start the program from the correct .exe (there was the original and the new one).  Starting from the original caused all kinds of wierd problems.  I found out my problem from writing on the forums, and reading the responses (most everybody likes to help).

2 other examples are Morrowind and Neverwinter Nights.  Installing mods for these also involves moving files.  The Monty Python module was worth the effort alone.

The point is that installing downloadable stuff to get that much more out of your games involves file transfer.  It is a great skill to have with regards to computing (even if you don't repair or build them).  Just keep at it. It's a bit like flying!  Practice make perfect.  After you've been at it a while, it's as easy as breathing!

I also teach computer classes at this business and we're working on an into to computers classes.  I'm thinking of incorporating games into how we'll teach file navigation.  What do you think?

As for your question regarding Pentium vs. AMD, the answer depends on who you ask...

Here is my take on the issue:  The Pentium is faster, no question about that.  However, the speed difference is slight and a comparable AMD processor tends to be a LOT less.  You also need to take the cost of the Motherboard into account.  Again Pentium systems tend to be more costly than an AMD system.

Mind you I'm talking gaming machines here.  For business machines (or most non-gaming system for that matter) I usually recommend a Pentium Celeron processor.  For a user who uses their system for Word Processing, Internet surfing, and e-mail, anything more would be overkill...

Sorry about the long winded answer, I like to be thorough.

Putting me off!?  Not at all, it gives me something to do while that machine I'm working on is going through the motions!

I haven't added textures to planes (yet) but I assume that you put them in the c:\program files\microsoft games\flight simulator 9\aircraft\aircraft they are for and in the textures folder.  Do the download .zip files have readme.txt files in them.  Those usually tell you where to put them, or to unzip them.

I don't have CFS, but I would think that add-on stuff is addes the same way.

I recently added the Mackinac bridge (maybe I can find the nearby Old Mission lighthouse) by simply adding it to a folder (I think it said add-on scenery) and VOLIA!

Anyway, I say Go for it on installing CFS!  Playing around is how you learn.  Make changes gradually, testing them as you go (an excersise in patience, but it's the best method as I can attest).

When it comes to combat airtime, I prefer Lock-On Modern Air Combat, or IL-2 Sturmovik.  I also play Enemy Engaged (a Helicoper sim).  I'm usually playing Flight simulator when I fly (I've been known to play Painkiller when my brain needs some R&R).

Try one and see what it does...

I installed a plane (the Vinka) which was for FS2002, but it works, unless I try to manually tune the radio (the game crashes when I change the channel).

Try and see if it works...

Just remember what I said about making changes gradually...

I did'nt know that . how's your day been ?I downloaded
several planes and they all work properly now . I think i will install my CFS 3 tomorrow on my computer and check if their are any planes to download . Again thanks for your help , it has been very educational . Hope to hear from you again tomorrow to hear more of your computer knowledge !!!
Thanks jordanj

Another thing is the heat issue.  Heat is a computer's by-product and one of its 3 worst enemies (along with moisture and static electricity or ESD).  Pentiums automatically shut themselves off if they get too hot.  Athlons, on the other hand, cook.  The smell of an Athlon that overheated has a smell you'll never forget.

Once, when I was rebuilding my machine, I got the heat sink on backwards (why they built it so it was possible to do so, I'll never know).  It took out the processor and Graphics card at the same time (fortunately, both were under warranty).