FSDreamTeam forum
Products Support => GSX Support MSFS => Topic started by: virtuali on August 24, 2022, 11:40:55 am
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Some users reported a failure of the FSDT Installer to Link the GSX packages correctly, even if the installation seems to have been completed, resulting in the install button always indicating "Relink", with no reaction when clicked.
In all reported cases, user had their Community folder on an external USB drive formatted as exFat. Most external drives ships pre-formatted this way, so they can be used immediately on Windows, Mac or Linux, but on Windows, some features might be missing. In our case, when need to create a "Symbolic Link", which is the most modern kind of link, supported by Windows 10 and above, but it's no available on the exFat filesystem, they require NTFS.
The only possible solution is:
- Reformat the drive in NTFS.
This is the best solution long term, because NTFS it's a more reliable filesystem, which handles better file corruption or bad sectors, and it supports 100% of the Windows filesystem functions, so it's compatible with more Windows applications. Since on external drives, the chance of losing data due to a power loss ( cable disconnected, for example ) are even higher than on an internal drive, not using NTFS it's even more dangerous.
The issue is, most external drives come pre-formatted on factory in ExFat, so you can use them right away on PC, Mac and Linux without reformatting, but it means they are using the lowest common denominator system, which doesn't offer any of the reliability features of each OS.
There are some ways to change to NTFS without losing data, some have been explained here:
https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/convert-exfat-to-ntfs.html
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How do I do the first method with the free Add-on linker as I am confused how to do it?
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Please could you give me step by step instructions for the free Adon linker method
Thanks tom
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Details and methods for symbolic links and junctions...
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/16226/complete-guide-to-symbolic-links-symlinks-on-windows-or-linux/
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Is it a problem and what should I do if I don't have the "\Addon Manager\MSFS\fsdreamteam-gsx-world-of-jetways" folder
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Is it a problem and what should I do if I don't have the "\Addon Manager\MSFS\fsdreamteam-gsx-world-of-jetways" folder
This doesn't have anything to do with this thread, and instead it's caused by an incomplete install due to a bad downlead caused by server under stress during the first days of release.
The solution:
http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/index.php/topic,26933.0.html
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I had it installed on C drive (which is NTFS type) while MSFS is in E drive (which is Exfat). After installation the installer would say "Not linked" rather than "installed". Even when you click to link it nothing happens. I uninstalled GSX and installed the addon manager on the E drive and still same issue. Also tried to manually symlink using command prompt as the link you provided but to no avail.
Another issue is the constant updating over and over again. But would appreciate more help on what else to do as nothing is working to get GSX linked to the community folder.
Please help in solving this issue.
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I had it installed on C drive (which is NTFS type) while MSFS is in E drive (which is Exfat).
That's exactly what is supposed to happen: Symbolic links are not supported on exFat drivers. The top post of this same thread shows all possible solutions.
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Okay so say that the addon manager and both GSX files are on the C drive. Where do I create the simlink ? If I choose a junction or symlink to connect each folder to the community folder then it says that file already exists. Unless i want to create a linked file, then where do I place the linked file ?
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Okay so say that the addon manager and both GSX files are on the C drive.
The Addon Manager is not the problem, the problem is your MSFS is on an exFat drive, and Symbolic links simply cannot be created there. I strongly suggest reformatting as NTFS, in addition to support all Windows features, it's a more robust filesystem, more resilient against file corruption.
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Thanks for the help ! Ill probably just format the drive. Any chance theres a way to change a ssd to NTFS without losing the data ?
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Thanks for the help ! Ill probably just format the drive. Any chance theres a way to change a ssd to NTFS without losing the data ?
There might be utilities that allow to do this, but I can't say I tested it. Most of them convert from Fat32 to NTFS without losing data, those that convert from exFat to NTFS are harder to come by.
Don't you have something you can backup the whole thing on ? If you have, just copy the whole MSFS content ( the folder that contains Official and Community ) there, reformat the drive and copy it from the backup.
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What link should I use such as soft or hard or symbolic or junction. And I assume I leave the folders in he same place just link them in the community folder?
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What link should I use such as soft or hard or symbolic or junction. And I assume I leave the folders in he same place just link them in the community folder?
Hard links don't work for directories, only single files, so they can't be used.
Symbolic links and Junctions work only on NTFS.
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So or a hard drive thats exfat I should use symbolic or junction?
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So or a hard drive thats exfat I should use symbolic or junction?
None of them. Maybe this whole thread is not clear enough: you can't use that drive at all, unless you reformat it in NTFS
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I cant use the addon linker because There is no relink button there now but I cannot reformat the drive.
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I cant use the addon linker because There is no relink button there now but I cannot reformat the drive.
There's no link in the Addon Linker because also the Addon Linker can't do miracles and allow a feature that is not supported on your drive. You must format the drive, there no other choices.
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Thanks for the help ! Ill probably just format the drive. Any chance theres a way to change a ssd to NTFS without losing the data ?
There might be utilities that allow to do this, but I can't say I tested it. Most of them convert from Fat32 to NTFS without losing data, those that convert from exFat to NTFS are harder to come by.
Don't you have something you can backup the whole thing on ? If you have, just copy the whole MSFS content ( the folder that contains Official and Community ) there, reformat the drive and copy it from the backup.
I got a new HDD with NTFS and moved my entire MSFS to it using steam. Now when I go into the installer, its still reading that the game is on my E drive which it isnt anymore. Uninstalled FSDT installer and addon manager and re installed and its still reading that MSFS is in E drive when its in D drive. Whats the solution ?
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I got a new HDD with NTFS and moved my entire MSFS to it using steam
Steam will only move the MSFS executable files, not the Content. If you had the content in a custom location, you must manually edit the last line of your UserCfg.OPT with the new path.
%APPDATA%\Microsoft Flight Simulator\USERCFG.OPT
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I have just moved my community folder with a link to a new drive as it was full. I have not moved Addon manager, but now GSX will not work. The couatll engine is still working. Any help anyone ?
That's the wrong way to move the Community folder. I don't know why there are users and tutorials that keep suggesting to do that, when there's an OFFICIAL method that is supported by the sim and it's 100% safe.
First, you should NOT move out just the Community folder and make a link to it. This is an hack, which will of course cause problems to any proper program, like GSX, which assume you used the correct procedure.
MSFS supports having its CONTENT to a different drive, and it's Content it's not just the Community folder, it's the parent folder that contains it and the Official folder too. MSFS assumes ONE single location for all the content, and its path should be updated in the lastline of the UserCfg.OPT file, this is what the simulator uses as standard, and this is of course what GSX uses to know where *both* your Community and Official folders are located.
So, as an example, if you have an external drive ( formatted in NTFS!! ), called E: and you want to move the MSFS Content to an "MSFS" folder in E: in the proper way, you must do as follows:
- Create an empty folder named E:\MSFS
- Move the Community folder there (the real folder, not the link), which will result with it staying here:
E:\MSFS\Community
- Move the Official folder there (the real folder, not the link), which will result with it staying here:
E:\MSFS\Official ( this one will contain either OneStore or Steam folders depending on the version, but if you moved the complete Official folder, you don't have to worry about it )
- Edit the UserCfg.OPT file located here:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.FlightSimulator_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\USERCFG.OPT ( MS Store version )
%APPDATA%\Microsoft Flight Simulator\USERCFG.OPT ( Steam version )
- Edit the last line which contains the InstalledPackagesPath text, to be like this:
InstalledPackagesPath "E:\MSFS"
Don't forget the quotes around the path.
Remove any Symbolic links you created, which are useless and will cause issues now. THIS is the proper, official and supported way to move the whole MSFS Content to another drive, which STILL must be formatted as NTFS for GSX ( and any other add-on that uses Symbolic links ) and, not only it's the best way because is the official way, but it's the one that will save you THE MOST SPACE, because the Official folder is about 160GB, so you want to move that one too.
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I understand how problematic it is to have a drive formatted in exFAT rather than NTFS, but is there any way to provide at least an option for those who use exFAT and would rather not reformat? I would suggest the option to directly install in the Community folder without having to worry about links at all (other addons do it this way), though I have no idea how tightly GSX is coded to rely on the addon being physically present in the Addon Manager folder.
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I have no idea how tightly GSX is coded to rely on the addon being physically present in the Addon Manager folder.
It's not tightly coded at all.
The two GSX packages can very well reside in the Community folder as real copies instead of Symlink, that would still work, precisely because if a folder it's a real folder or a Simlink, it doesn't matter to GSX while running, because GSX doesn't know or care or expects the packages in the Community folder to be links or real folders, it's completely transparent to it, that's the point of using Simlinks in the first place.
So, if you rather not reformat the drive, you can just copy the two main GSX packages in the Community folder manually, and it will work.
Your problems will be the installer/updater because:
- you'll have to keep a 2nd copy of the GSX packages in the Addon Manager folder anyway, because THIS will the the one being updated when needed. This means you'll consume double the space normally required to install GSX.
- you'll have to setup a way to synchronize ( not just copy!! it must be a one way sync, because files might be removed or change location from an update to the next ) the "updated" copy in the Addon Manager to the "installed" copy in the Community folder, and this process should be run each time we have an update.
Without using extra software, a batch file containing the following lines:
ROBOCOPY "c:\Program Files (x86)\Addon Manager\MSFS\fsdreamteam-gsx-pro" "D:\MSFS\Community\fsdreamteam-gsx-pro" /MIR
ROBOCOPY "c:\Program Files (x86)\Addon Manager\MSFS\fsdreamteam-gsx-world-of-jetways" "D:\MSFS\Community\fsdreamteam-gsx-world-of-jetways" /MIR
This is an example, assuming you installed the Addon Manager in the default folder, and your MSFS content is on an D: external drive in an MSFS folder, and should be able to sync the Addon Manager copy with the Community copy. You would have to launch this batch file after every GSX update.
In my opinion, having to go through all this hassle, every time, and not being able to use other add-ons that take advantage of Simlinks, like the Addon Linker, is not worth a one-time only reformat, which would only require having some space on another external drive to make a backup of it, to reformat, and you'll have more reliability against data corruption, because ExFat doesn't support Journaling and Redundant File tables, which can prevent lots of issues due to data corruption, which are even more common on external drives, for example if the cable is disconnected during data transfer, with ExFat you'll like have corrupted data, while NTFS can usually recover from that.
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It says it's installed and it should work but it doesn't create the link to the community folder. Please help me i've tried everything for 6 months. Pleeeease.
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It says it's installed and it should work but it doesn't create the link to the community folder. Please help me i've tried everything for 6 months. Pleeeease.
It's no possible it could say "Installed" without a link in the Community folder, because in order to say "Installed", but button checks for both links to be in the Community folder, even if only one was missing, it would say "Relink".