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Okay, update.
I have my internet conection sorted out and working now.
I have CFS1 installed (virgin - with no setting tweaks and not set up for me) and working now.
I have no joystick.
Vista doesn't recognise the drivers / software to run my old M$ FFB2.

So I'm still unable to fly at the moment.

Have two possible solutions for this:-

1) Buy a new joystick. Just for CFS1? I don't think so.

2) Install XP as well and run a dual boot system. I have prepared for this and have a spare partition ready to load it away from anything else. However, I still haven't decided to do it yet. It would be just to run this joystick to fly CFS1 and again, I'm not sure it's worth doing with all the maintenance XP itself needs and crap it accumulates.

Will have to think about it this week, but there is a chance that I may have already flown my last sortie.

Vista seems to be a bit premature for the games we do, so I think I'll stick with XP for a while, but...

1) Consider the X52 joystick. While I don't like the 'feel' as well as my FF2 stick, it's quite nice and has a lot of rotary and static buttons to use. I'm thinking it should work with Vista too, but haven't checked it out yet.

2) I've been running dual and up 4 OS boot systems for years and see no problem with running those. One big advantage is if one partition gets hosed for some reason, the other OS' will let you in the file system to save your data. At the moment I'm running XP and LinuxMint on two separate SATA drives. SATA's a bit tricker than IDE drives to do this, but it can be done.

Last sortie? Did your arse finally start to heal after flying Shadow?...lol

sob!
lol
Thanx for the suggest but I like my old FFB2.
It 'feels' right.
I've tried others which don't and I don't think I could get used to another just for the sake of flying CFS1 now.

Sadly I missed flying Shadows as I only arrived in CFS1 in 2001 after you'd all pretty much left. Proud to say I managed to enjoy a good few games with Draken in teams and 1v1's for the first couple of years though.
Oh, and Banshee of course but weeeelllll ya try an avoid Banshee as much as possible. Can take the 'beauty' level of a game down, havin Ban' in yer room. Stops the girls from comin' by as well.

There is no softwae to run between MS-FF2 and Vista; I too gave up on trying to find any.
I've been running mt trusty MS-FF2 simply plugged to a USB stick and I get a certain amount of forces there...Nothing compared to how it was in FS2002,4...Already in Fs9 the problem started when one couldn't feel ground bumps; Depending on the addon,Jets have virtually no feel; Propeller aircraft,specially small plane feel ok...But just ok

Cheers berlopez.
I can get the stick and the game to run.
My problem is that I had flaps, trim, prop., mix, etc. all running from programmed buttons on my FFB-2.
Just setting the game up and primary control functions ran off one button as soon as I entered the game and then various different operations from other buttons during it.
It's the macro software to sync. the stick I need.
Vista (and W&) seems to be allergic to it.
It's been a few years since I've played it anyway now.
I suppose I have to be realistic anyway; It would take too long to get back into it now and I don't have that kind of time any more.
Thanks for the input though.

Shades: This would be ideal for you and your FF2 stick,whn youhave the time.It's payware,but worth it. I had it in Fs9 and couldn't fly without it; here's part of the description file...You have to find the download site. You could also download a trial version which allows you to fly in certain areas for a period of time.Here's the link:http://www.fs-force.com/

FS Force is an add-on module for Microsoft* Flight Simulator that provides dynamic force feedback effects in response to your current operating conditions. On the ground, you'll feel bumps, dips, pavement grooves, braking forces, hard landings and more. In the air, you'll feel realistic trim forces, and centering forces that vary with airspeed. You can also add friction and damping to the flight controls to further enhance realism. Each airplane can have it's own force feedback profile, and all forces are optional and fully customizable. Your force feedback experience can be as subtle or intensive as you like.

Version 2.0 has been completely reprogrammed to take advantage of SimConnect, a new feature of FSX. Version 1.0 is still available for those using FS8 / FS9.

Thanks berlopez.
Actually I still have force feedback on the stick.
It's just the programmable feature I needed.
I only used it in CFS1, everything after that was (while becoming more realistic) too much hard work to still be 'fun'.
Thanks anyway.

Shades: What programmable features. Do you mean the buttom features assignments?
Sorry to sound so ignorant.

Not sounding ignorant at all my friend.
We all fly different ways.

The FFB2 buttons have feature assignments built in (as you're aware).

But the stick comes with driver software which allows you to programme macros (where one button can fire several features, in a certain sequence, simultaneously).
It's this software I need and haven't had access to since XP.
There is other macro software available but the FFB app. doesn't interfere with the operating system, which the others I tried did.

For example, I had one button on my stick which I would only use once in a game:-
As soon as I entered any game, the first thing I would do would be to hit this button.
That would re-size my view window; Open a new smaller view window (know as the "Britwindow", after EURO's C.O.) in the corner; Set this window to rear-view (which I could use as a rear-view mirror); Set my Prop-pitch angle; Fuel-mix; and a few other things I can't even remember now.

You could also programme a specific time delay (in ms) between each command firing off, in the chain.

Each button on the stick would have these various macro's assigned to it so, instead of hitting several; commands on the keyboard (or stick) I need only hit one and everything happened at once.
In some maneouvers I had to sacrifice some performance for this strategy to work but this was compensated for by the overall gain.

It's not an easy cop-out to fly this way.
It took me two years to learn to fly like this and the advantages it gave me could only be applied to the Hawker; P51-D; and a little to Spit's.
I was never able to fly German aircraft anyway so I didn't really feel I lost out any more than I would have otherwise.

Early on, I was privileged to 'meet' and have several VERY enjoyable 1 v 1 dogfights with Redwulf1.*
Klaus and I had a private agreement that I would teach him how to fly Hawker and he would teach me how to fly a Focke.
Unfortunately he and his great squad moved on to CFS2 and IL2 before we saw it through.

*A benefit of meeting, and flying with, the EW and EURO squads almost as soon as I started was getting introduced to the best-of-the-best pilots, and squads, early on and picking up tips and tricks in CFS1 it might take others much longer to discover.
Not to mention the sheer pleasure of flying with, and against, these players.
The second ever online game of CFS1 I had was a 1-vs-1 EW_Gorilla.
A rather humbling outing.

- Shades

But the stick comes with driver software which allows you to programme macros (where one button can fire several features, in a certain sequence, simultaneously).

Such as the "OH CRAP SHADOW IS ON MY SIX-Canopy open and bail out" Button... (snickering).

And then you realize you're looking at yourself, hugh Shadow? And all you see is the undercarriage of your own plane,Ha,Ha..

Shades I suspected it was something like this; Honestly is out of my leag.
But I did a small search in the web and there are plenty of popsts and sites where you might(?) be able to get them or at least be guided to how?

...Sorry I didn't record any of them.

Scaredy rats will always find an excuse why not to fly anymore...

you had AceBrit1 in your rear view mirror?..EeeWwwww...lol

oh and let me guess..you saw him first too..LMAO

Hey Shades..try this programe.. pinnacle game profiler..I installed it and set up my FFB2 joystick, you can then use the built in game profiler to edit the buttons or axis with macros etc.. see below pic (my IL2FB profile set up) which is not completed yet. There are a whole lot of settings for every axis and button. You can assign a different profile for any game or flight sim etc...



You can get the trial version here good for 30 days and to buy it is 20 bucks. click here

I will set mine up with IL2 and let you know how it works. Hope this helps ya out bud. Oh yeah, I am running windows 7 so it should also work with Vista.

Thanks Hitty.
I hadn't heard of that one, maybe new since I last searched(?).
If ever I wanna spend two years of my life learning how to fly CFS again, I'll look it up.
That may have to wait until retirement though.
I'm Win 7 as well now (Home Prem).
Yes, when you're in a room with EURO_ACBrit1 you tend to often find him in your rear-view.
And then it's too late.
First you know about it is often the dull 'Splat!' of a cold Bacon-Buttie hitting yer windshield.

Berlopez,
Thanks bud', done a lot of searching meself when I first mistakenly went to Vista. Probably too rusty now to go back without investing a lot of time again.

Kit'...
SOB!


Bush',
SOB2!
Only Shadow I remember ever lookin' up skwirrell ass was Drak'.., an' he wuzn't in uniform*!
(One of my major CFS regrets is only getting to fly with him twice. He was one of the folks who helped me learn a great deal, just in a couple of games. Years later I took to teaching others because of people like Draken helping me. Always assumed he was EW too, but I never got to find out as I didn't join until much later. And you never can tell with nana-munchers. They's sneaky sobs!)

*Yer lucky, I seem to have mistakenly deleted my copy of the Shadow Pink-Tutu.