My experience with the last update (or if you have trouble updating maybe this will help)

Flight Sims Microsoft Flight Simulator
1

My love hate relationship continues with this bizarre sim. Here’s my latest escapade. Keep in mind I started this early so I could spend some time actually flying:
The following was my experience for update 8 (PC):

  1. Read about update 8 being available (it’s fixing stuff? cool, can’t wait)
  2. Knowing it could take a few hours I boot up MSFS early to get the update started
  3. After the usual long startup I’m in the main menu
  4. No update prompt (like there usually is with an update), maybe it updated during the long boot up? checked the version and nope.
  5. Re-start the sim thinking I possibly missed the update prompt
  6. No update prompt
  7. Get online, Google a few articles all of which are for older updates, and point me to the XBox app for the update
  8. Start the XBox app, locate MSFS, click the three buttons one of which is settings, click on that where a pop-up opens with the tabs General and Files, General has nothing so I click on Files which says ‘check for updates’, yes! Win. Click in that and nothing happens at all.
  9. So I let it do nothing for a while thinking something must be happening in the background. (Turns out nothing is happening in the background because later I start up the sim and it’s the same version 7)
  10. Back online I go and a kind person on the MSFS forum tells me I need to update through the Windows Store
  11. So I open the Windows Store, find MSFS 2020, assume it’s the Deluxe version I need to update (again no indication to which of the three versions I need to update), press the update version and I get taken back to the XBox App. None the wiser I go through step 8. above - again. And nothing happens.
  12. Back on the forum I report my latest finding and am told I need to update all the apps in the Windows store, reboot the PC and then I should be able to update.
  13. I updated my Apps in Windows store (ok? srsly) , reboot the machine, re-open the Store and update through the store, which take me the XBox app, where I finally get somewhere after it asks me to check for update. I click yes and voila! I begin to get somewhere.
  14. Start up MSFS 2020 and get prompted for update 8.
    Wait. It’s not over. I finally get into the main menu, ready to fly (even though I’ve ran out of flying time for the day at this point) when I see a couple of messages: “Updates are ready in the download manager”! What the actual?
  15. Navigate to the download manager where I begin to download further GIGs of updates I assume because I have the “Deluxe” version.

And there you have it. Hours spend trying to do something that isn’t obvious, that online resources advise all sorts of things most of which are outdated and are about previous convoluted updates.

Guess they didn’t plan for this either.

3 Likes
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MS really needs to simplify the update process. It should be as simple as an update app that knows where your MSFS install is located and having the user click on a single Update button. Instead we have a three step process…. Go to the MS Store, get the first part of the update…launch the sim, which then installs the main part of the update…and then go to the content manager to update any aircraft and scenery that are part of the update. No wonder people are having a hard time remembering the steps. Get it wrong and you are looking at a complete reinstall :face_with_diagonal_mouth: .

3 Likes
3

I guessed to open the Xbox app and luckily there was an update button. Lost count of the many ways I have run these updates. It has been a simple - start up / one click on occasions as well, so pass.

1 Like
4

Add to the list a random ‘Joker’ item:

  • Entire installation wiped out, need for a full fresh reinstall.

Happened to me twice.

Jack Nicholson Lol GIF

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5

I never use the XBox app or the MS Store and seem to be doing fine. Steam version user so YMMV.

I let the sim tell me when it needs an update, use add-on linker to remover links in the Community folder, and let the update finish. Then go into the Content Manager to see if there are any updates needed there.

I’ll reboot to make sure all is well, then enable Community folder links.

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6

For me it went flawlessly again.

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7

Yep, for me also no problems as usual, but it does seem overly complicated. I noticed in their Q&A a few hours ago that they are aware and intend to improve it but may be a while because needs some fundamental architecture changes. Cheers.

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