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Q314225: FS2002: How to Optimize Game Performance

Article: Q314225
Product(s): Microsoft Home Games
Version(s): 
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbimu
Last Modified: 06-AUG-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Professional Edition 
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SUMMARY
=======

This article tells you how to configure Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 and your
computer for optimal game performance.

MORE INFORMATION
================

To configure Flight Simulator 2002 and your computer for optimal game
performance, use the following methods in the order in which they are
presented.

Check Your Hard Drive for Errors
--------------------------------

To check your hard drive for errors, use one of the following tools.

ScanDisk:

ScanDisk for Windows (Scandskw.exe) is a disk-checking and repair tool. ScanDisk
works with Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, and Microsoft Windows
Millennium. ScanDisk checks the integrity of your media (including hard disks
and floppy disks), and ScanDisk repairs most problems.

If you want ScanDisk to repair most errors without prompting you, click to select
the Automatically Fix Errors check box.

To run ScanDisk, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools,
  and then click ScanDisk.

2. Select the options and features that you want to use, and then click Start.

Chkdsk:

Chkdsk is a command-line tool for Microsoft Windows NT, Microsoft Windows 2000,
and Microsoft Windows XP. Chkdsk scans volumes on the hard disk and repairs
physical problems, such as bad blocks. Chkdsk also repairs logical structure
errors, such as lost clusters, cross-linked files, or directory errors.

NOTE: Run Chkdsk from a command prompt rather than from Windows Explorer. When
you run Chkdsk from a command prompt, Chkdsk is displayed correctly.

To run Chkdsk from a command prompt, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type "cmd" (without the quotation marks), and then press the
  Enter key.

3. To display the status of the disk in the current drive or volume, type the
  following at the command prompt

  chkdsk <drive>

  where <drive> is the letter of the drive or volume that you want to
  check.

4. Press ENTER.

NOTE: For more information about how to run Chkdsk, consult the online Help in
Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP.

Defragment Your Hard Drive
--------------------------

When a program is installed on your computer, the program's files may be stored
in multiple, noncontiguous locations on your hard disk. This is called
fragmentation. If your hard disk is fragmented, programs on your computer
perform slowly.

The Disk Defragmenter tool optimizes the performance of your computer by
reorganizing the files on your hard disk into contiguous blocks. When the Disk
Defragmenter tool completes the defragmentation of files on your hard disk, the
performance of your programs is faster because the files are arranged close
together.

NOTE: You can use your computer while Disk Defragmenter is running. However, your
computer operates slowly, and the defragmentation process restarts if the
contents of the drive that you are defragmenting change.

To run the Disk Defragmenter tool, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools,
  and then click Disk Defragmenter.

2. Click the drive that you want to defragment, click OK, and then click Yes.

Disable the Weather Options
---------------------------

During a flight, you can also disable the weather options to increase frame-rate
performance. To do this:

1. While in a flight, click World on the menu bar, and then click Weather.

2. Click "Clear all weather".

3. Click Yes, and then click OK.

Quit Unnecessary Programs
-------------------------

To increase the amount of available system resources, quit all unnecessary
programs before you start Flight Simulator 2002.

To quit all unnecessary programs, use the appropriate method for your version of
Microsoft Windows.

Microsoft Windows 98:

1. Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.

2. In the Close Program dialog box, click any program except Explorer or Systray
  (which are components of Microsoft Windows), and then click End Task.

  If you receive a message that states that the program is busy or not
  responding, click End Task again.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to quit all unnecessary programs that are running on
  your computer.

Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows XP:

1. Press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC.

2. On the Applications tab, click any program, and then click End Task.

  Repeat this step to quit all unnecessary programs that are running on your
  computer.

3. Quit Windows Task Manager.

NOTE: Some programs start automatically every time that you restart your
computer. For information about how to quit these programs, see the printed or
online documentation for the program.

For additional information about how to quit programs by using clean-boot
methods, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q192926 How to Perform Clean-Boot Troubleshooting for Windows 98

  Q267288 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows Millennium Edition

  Q281770 How to Perform Clean-Boot Troubleshooting for Windows 2000

  Q310353 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP

Optimize Your Hardware Configuration
------------------------------------

NOTE: Before you attempt to configure your video hardware, please read the
following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

  Q309638 Flight Simulator 2002: Known Video-Related Issues

Update Your Video or Sound Card Drivers:

1. Contact your video hardware manufacturer to inquire about how to obtain and
  install the latest version of the video driver for your video adapter.

2. Contact your audio hardware manufacturer to inquire about how to obtain and
  install the latest version of the sound driver for your sound card.

For information about how to contact your video or sound card manufacturer, click
the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q65416 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, A-K

  Q60781 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, L-P

  Q60782 Hardware and Software Third-Party Vendor Contact List, Q-Z

Configure Your Display Adapter:

If updating the video drivers does not help, change the display settings. Set the
display color palette to the lowest setting that is supported by the game. To do
this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Display.

3. Click the Settings tab.

4. In the Colors box or the Color Palette box, click High Color (16-bit).

5. Click OK.

6. If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.

Change Installation Options
---------------------------

There are three types of installation: Complete, Compact, and Custom. All of
these installations use cabinet files (.cab files). A .cab file is a single file
that stores compressed files in a file library. "Cabbed" files are compressed
files; they are stored inside .cab files.

Complete Installation:

The Complete installation is the default installation. It is a full installation
of all files. All compressed scenery files are decompressed after they are
copied to the drive. This option requires approximately 2.1 gigabytes (GB) of
free space and an additional 400 to 500 megabytes (MB) of space in which to
decompress the compressed files.

Compact Installation:

A Compact installation requires approximately 700 MB of free space. It should
only be chosen if there are no other options available to you, including the
smallest possible Custom installation. All Scenery is left in a compressed
format (in a .cab file) on the CDs. There is an impact on performance, due to
the necessity of decompressing and copying those scenery files to the hard
drive.

Custom Installation:

When you do a Custom installation, some scenery files remain compressed. You can
choose how many scenery files you want to decompress. The more scenery files
that are copied to the drive and decompressed, the better the performance is in
those areas of the game. Scenery remains compressed on the CD or the hard drive
performs slowly, exhibits stuttering, and may require disk-swapping when you
move from region to region in the game.

If you want to increase or decrease the size of your Custom installation, or if
you want to change between compressed and uncompressed scenery, you need to
uninstall and reinstall the game.

Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical
support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not
guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.

REFERENCES
==========

For additional information about how to optimize video performance in Flight
Simulator, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q314652 Flight Simulator: How to Optimize Video Performance

Additional query words: msgame

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbimu 
Technology        : kbGamesSearch kbFlightSimSearch kbFlightSim2002 kbFlightSim2002Pro kbSimSearch
Version           : :
Issue type        : kbhowto

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