When I open Programs & Features in Control Panel, I see three different versions of SimConnect installed.

Is this normal?

Should I uninstall all but the highest version number?

Thanks in advance.

5 hours ago, Gpan099 said:

When I open Programs & Features in Control Panel, I see three different versions of SimConnect installed.

Is this normal?

Should I uninstall all but the highest version number?

Thanks in advance.

I don't see any version installed; I wonder if this is because I have  PC that purchased new and never had aby other sim installed. I installed MSFS from scratcck.

Regards,

Thanks for the replies!

 

My understanding is that the three versions are from the 1) Default FSX,  2)FSX Acceleration,  and 3)FSX DX10 Update releases.     There is also a FS2020 version,  as far as I'm aware.

Mods written by different authors at different stages of the sim's life may have used one of the different libraries.   They are supposedly backwards compatible,  If I remember what I read correctly.  But that doesn't always seem to be true.

I use simConnect in two programs Axis and Ohs, and Spad.next.

But I don't have any listing for SimConnect listed in All Programs list in the Windows Start window. And it doesn't show any SimConnect in Programs and Features area of Windows Control Panel. And SimConnect never shows up in Windows task manager when either program is using simConnect to connect my controllers with MSFS.

EDIT: So I suspect SimConnect is located in the cloud online when I use either of these two progams.

Edited August 27, 20214 yr by Fielder

54 minutes ago, Fielder said:

 

EDIT: So I suspect SimConnect is located in the cloud online when I use either of these two progams.

No. SimConnect is a fixed part of the simulator itself, the built-in programmatic API. Call that the "server" part if you want.

What you see in the installed apps are SimConnect clients of previous (FSX) generations. With good old FSX, having this client was mandatory. The client could even be installed on a different computer, and with a small text config file you can direct it to talk to the server across the network.

With modern versions of the SDK (=P3D) the client itself became obsolete. All necessary logic has been moved into the library that is used to build the addon program that wants to use the SimConnect API. So a current addon that has been built with current libraries doesn't need that extra client. But an old addon, that has been built with an obsolete version of SimConnect, does. 

Bottom line: don't remove them. You are obviously using an addon based on the old legacy technology, and it would stop working when you remove the client. You cannot know which one it needs, unless you ask the programmer who made it. Curiously enough I often read recommendations to just install all legacy SimConnect clients - while your addon really only requires one specific version. But as I said, current, up-to-date builds don't need any of that.

Edited August 27, 20214 yr by Lorby_SI

Thanks so much.

I have removed all prior versions of FSX,P3D, etc. and are just using MSFS with a few of add-ons, (FSUIPC, SLC, Axis & Ohs, Little Navmap, Pushback Express & FBW FS2Crew.

If I am reading correctly, I should be able to uninstall the 3 versions of SimConnect, and if any of the add-ons stop working, I could re-install them?

I know this is not what has been recommended, but a part of me can't help wanting the most streamlined MSFS installation possible!

Really appreciate all of your input.

 

1 hour ago, Gpan099 said:

if any of the add-ons stop working, I could re-install them?

Tough choice. Maybe, maybe not. Or reinstalling them will screw up something else. 

I would just leave them alone.