Author Topic: Installation stucks near finish on new PC  (Read 1027 times)

4XMNZ

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Installation stucks near finish on new PC
« on: December 21, 2022, 09:27:01 am »
Hello,
As stated in subject, when trying to install gsx on my new pc, it gets stuck on "configuring support software in prepar3D v5".
My suspicion is that this is the first time my Prepar3D v5 Add-ons fodler is not on the default location, but is at D:\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons, and I edited the add-ons.cfg file in %programdata% and added:
[DiscoveryPath.1]
Path=D:\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons
Title=Prepar3D Add-ons
Active=TRUE

So far I had no issue with all my other addons, so I'm not sure it is the source of the problem.
If I close the installation via task manager, it appears the gsx is already installed, but in the simulator it appears to be missing.

Also I would like to add that I run everything as administrator, always.

Thank you in advance,
Gal
« Last Edit: December 21, 2022, 09:31:15 am by 4XMNZ »

virtuali

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Re: Installation stucks near finish on new PC
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2022, 03:39:22 pm »
My suspicion is that this is the first time my Prepar3D v5 Add-ons fodler is not on the default location, but is at D:\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons, and I edited the add-ons.cfg file in %programdata% and added:

[DiscoveryPath.1]
Path=D:\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons
Title=Prepar3D Add-ons
Active=TRUE

If you added just that, it doesn't seem correct, because you have added a DiscoveryPath.1 without having a DiscoveryPath.0. Skipping the 0, other than being usually considered an error in any of the .CFG files ( although I'm not sure it will be on the add-ons.cfg ), by doing this, you are set the one and only location for the add-on.xml files to be in your new folder, and this will likely confuse installers that expect the default path to be available. Fact you only found the GSX one so far, doesn't mean you won't find another one.

I guess the reason why you wanted to set a different path, was due to inflexible installers that, to make it easier for them, place all the files of the product in a sub-folder of the Documents\Prepar3d v5 addons, instead of placing JUST the add-on.xml, which would point to the locations where the products files are found. The reason many 3rd party products use this inflexible method, is that will make the installer easier to write, because they can just supply a pre-made add-on.xml, which is always the same, because it assumes the product files are installed *there*, where the add-on.xml is.

Instead, the FSDT installers are giving you the most flexible and efficient way, since they install their files in a folder you select ( the Addon Manager folder ), and the add-on.xml is generated with the correct paths, which means NOTHING goes in the Documents folder EXCEPT the tiny add-on.xml so, when using the FSDT installer, you have no reason not to use the Documents folder, since we are not placing the whole product there, just to make it easier for us to write the installer.

This means, if you want to have a separate auto-discovery location for all those inefficient add-ons that force themselves with all their stuff in the Documents folder ( instead of placing just the add-on.xml ), it's ok to ADD ONE, which can be used by those add-ons but, it would be best to ADD IT to the default location, where the efficient installers like the FSDT one will be, since they will only take a tiny amount of space, since only the add-on.xml is there.

So, the best solution should be something like this:

[DiscoveryPath.0]
PATH=X:\Users\<username>\Documents\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons
TITLE=Prepar3D Add-ons
Active=TRUE
REQUIRED=false

[DiscoveryPath.1]
Path=D:\Prepar3D v5 Add-ons
Title=Prepar3D Add-ons Extra
Active=TRUE
REQUIRED=false

This way, you won't lose the default location, you just added a new one. And, you are not creating a .cfg file with a skipped section, which might cause issues.