Deputy

If you're getting a blue screen while installing XP, then you might have a bad CD. ALL of my bios were/are out of date when I did my install and it still worked fine. If you are using a machine that already had XP installed previously, I doubt it's a bios issue.

Okay Jabo...we are gonna need detailed reports

Your welcome Mad. I will need an upgrade on the HD on my comp. I'd like to go with either the 10K SATA or a SCSI. But the SCSI may be out of my price range.

Sounds good Jabo!!! Let us know how it works out. I'm pacing back and forth waiting for the hardware for my comp

Hmmmmm....I see no info about the hard drive. All those fancy video cards and processors won't do squat if you have a slow-spinning hard drive. What hard drive are you getting and what speed does it spin at? Absolute minimum is 7500RPM. And to get the full benefit of all that other hardware, a 10,000 RPM hard drive would be ideal.

iThere seems to be a lot of disagreement about how to make your comp (and IL-2) run faster and better. From the looks of things it boils down to having a "balanced comp" where there are no bottlenecks slowing things up. The common suggestions are faster (or multiple) video cards with overclocking and gobs of onboard RAM, a faster processor, and more computer RAM. Those are all good suggestions, BUT, one thing people often overlook is their hard drive. If you are running an IDE hard drive that is spinning at 5400 RPM, then this can be a major bottleneck that can slow down your whole comp. At the very LEAST, you should be running a hard drive that spins at 7200 RPM. IDE and SATA hard drives are available that spin at that speed and they aren't very expensive. Next step up are the new ultra high speed SATA drives that run at 10,000 RPM. These are a bit pricey, so you'll have to shop around. But the difference they make from the slower 7200RPM drives is very impressive. First thing you'll notice is bootup times for WinXp will drop dramatically. And sims like IL-2 will perform MUCH better. I would suggest, if you buy a hard drive of this type, that you get the boxed non-OEM version. It costs a little more, but the OEM drives all seem to be arriving with bad sectors. And the boxed version will include all the cables and software to set the drive up. If you are running an older comp that doesn't have SATA connections, you may have to buy an adapter card to run a SATA drive. So check first before plunking down the cash. Also, some of these hard drives are not compatible with computers that use an enclosed box (or bay) to mount the hard drive. So be careful about what you buy. Finally, we have the SCSI drives. These are the kings of speed. Some of them spin at 15,000RPM!!! Unfortunately, they are pretty pricey, and in the less expensive versions, don't hold a lot of data. But if you want the ultimate in speed and data accees, SCSI is the way to go. Again, you may need to buy an adapter card and do some configuring to make it work. If you have all the "right stuff" put together in your comp, you should see some spectacular performance. But don't overlook the hard drive.

Update: Got my CH Pro pedals for Christmas. My wife is a sweetheart!!!

Update...I was mistaken in one of my posts about about lack of 64 bit drivers. That is no longer the case. I had to order an adapter for the video card on the Xeon comp, as it's got the newer DVI connection (nVidia Quadro 290 NVS video card) and I still use a VGA connection monitor. Should arrive this week some time.

Already got one up and running. Here's the current specs: HP XW4200 MID-TOWER PC P4 HT 3.8GHz Processor 512MB Memory 160GB Hard Drive Combo Drive - CDRW / DVD Crappy 32 meg Matrox video card Win XP Pro 64 bit And here is what I plan for upgrades: nVidia GeForce 9800 GT 1GB PCIe w/Dual Link DVI 4 GB PC2-4200 DDR2-533 240-Pin DIMM ECC RAM Ultra X3 ULT40064 1000-Watt Power Supply I had to search around a bit to find a driver for my Linksys USB remote modem, but I found it today. I sure hope IL-2 runs either in 64 bit or 32 bit mode. The specs on the other comp are : HP XW8200 Workstation 8200 Case Dual Xeon Motherboard (HP Part #350446-001; 347241-004) Dual Intel Xeon 3.4GHz - 1MB/800MHz FSB Processors 250GB IDE Hard Drive nVidia Quadro 290 NVS Video, PCI-E x16, 256MB 600 Watt Power Supply

I have the CH 568 USB Combatstick and according to the CH website it works on XP 64 bit. I will know soon.

Jabo: You could very well be right about VISTA. I have both VISTA Ultimate 64 bit and Win XP Pro 64 bit so I can use either one. From what I hear VISTA is a RAM hog, so most likely I'll go with XP Pro. I'm not real happy about Microsoft soon to be dropping support for XP products, though.

Well I will know soon. I bought one

Yes, they are dual Xenon processors. It's a used tower/workstation comp. That's why it's equipped like it is. I just wondered if it would be compatible with regular applictions and games and offer a dramatic gain over a single processor? I've found out that Windows XP Pro 64 bit is a big pain in the neck to get working. Not many companies offer drivers for the 64 bit operating system and 32 bit drivers won't work. So the idea of gobs of RAM is shot down. Only real benefit would be the dual processors.

I was wondering if anyone has any input on a Pentium Xenon Dual processor computer? I am looking at one with this equipment: HP XW8200 Dual 3.4GHz|4GB RAM|250GB HD|nVidia NVS 285 video card. I know the hard drive is too small (and it's an IDE), and what's interesting is this comp can take the Windows XP Pro 64bit operating system. So I can install unreal amounts of RAM (up to 16 gig and it IS recognized in Win XP Pro 64bit). Not sure how IL-2 and other games will run in a 64bit system. The video card also needs to be tossed. I just wondered if you guys had heard anything for or against this kind of system.

While my processor upgrade wasn't a success (defective processor sent to me), I was able to do an upgrade on my cooling fan on my Pent 4. I had an all-aluminum fan installed and it was doing an okay job, but just acceptable. Since I had a brand new fan I bought for the new processor,

WOW!!! Great info Sid!!! I'll check those settings when I get mine together. Is that a solo card that only uses up one or two slots when installed? Is your motherboard using 1.1 or 2.0 specs to run under? Mine will be 1.1. I hope that isn't a major handicap. Still gotta be better than the AGP I'm using now.

Thanks Quazi!!!! I need to find out one more thing before ordering a video card. The power supply on the comp is 500 watt. I may need to upgrade to a more powerful supply when I install the video card. Here's the one that gives me a woodie right now: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2700093&CatId=2535 It's an Ultra X3 1000 watt unit. I just need to get the comp first to find out if it will fit in the tower okay. The X3 dimensions are Length 7.50, Width 5.75, and Height 3.25 inches. I'm pretty sure that unless it's some super-powered supply like a 1200 watt version, the sizes are pretty much universal. But I want to measure the old one and make sure before ordering. It's a PITA to send that stuff back for a refund.

Think I'll pass on that. I've been reading other posts on here about the problems with ATI cards.

I've had ATI Radeon AGP cards in the past and wasn't that impressed with the performance. Also, the driver updates seem to be few and far between. I know nVidia is falling on tough times financially right now, but I've got an nVidia in my laptop and tower right now and the performance has been excellent. Plus they always seem to be on the cutting edge of technology. Just my opinion, of course

Well my attempt to upgrade my processor on my tower comp was a dismal failure. The Pent 4 3.2 gig processor arrived Saturday and one pin was broken off and a bunch were bent. Fortunately, I used Pay Pal, so I got a full and immediate refund. But that still left me with a Pent 4 2 ghz processor and the "need for speed".

Jabo: I always try and get the fastest video card with the most RAM I can lay my hands on. The AGP slot handicaps me, though. I play more than just IL-2 and some games really put pressure on the video cards. I have a feeling the processor upgrade is gonna produce more dramatic effects than the RAM upgrade. It'll be hard to tell because I'm not gonna yank out the 2 gig of RAM and put back the 512meg just to test the processor upgrade. But I can compare performance of the 2 Ghz processor with the 3.2 Ghz processor. Still waiting for delivery though.

Landing? That's why they have the "Control E" keys!!! I just go swimming.

Well I already have a boatload of excellent ground campaign sims, so that feature is lost to me. And I don't see how control of ground units in a game called Battle of Britain would make any difference. What are you gonna do, move around fire trucks in London? There were no ground combat units involved in BoB. I also question the increase in "eye candy" for an aircraft sim. Other than Stukas dive-bombing targets, the only time the Germans got a close look at ground objects was when they were dangling from parachutes or playing lawn dart with their planes. Above 2000 feet most of the ground vegetation looks like it does in IL-2. Plus who the heck has the time to admire the scenery when you are trying to evade enemy aircrafft?? If BoB is released any time soon and is a video card/processor/system hog, it will languish on the shelves. Especially with the way the world economy is heading. I don't think there are a lot of people who can afford to dump their current computer and spend a small fortune on a super-hot new one just to play one or two games. And having to disable features that the sim is hyping will just put it back at the same level as IL-2. Just my opinions

Just saw this. No problemo pal. It was just too much fiddling around to get in the air in that short a time frame. I have the keys mapped now and am willing to give it a try next time you do carrier flights.