Computers & Computing
There is one other totally wild way to do download the programming into your hardware. It is filled with paradoxes and potential gotchas, but when set correctly, you won't have to reboot your computer to download your programming.
This alternative method is to run Windows 98 (or its version of DOS) inside a VMWare virtual machine running inside Windows XP. (Vista untested. Sorry.)
Don't even ask me how this manages to work, but it does. Somehow, even though Windows XP won't allow for the direct control of the keyboard port by the Thrustmaster programming software, that very same software running inside Windows 98 or DOS inside a virtual machine running inside XP can. I just did a whole bunch of testing this morning, and it definately works with the FLCS + WCS. It probably works for the other classic Thrustmaster hardware too.
Amazingly the VMWare software you need is totally free. Windows 98 SE, however, is not, but you probably have access to an old Windows 98 SE installation CD if you look around / ask around / Google around hard enough. You may even have one sitting in a box of stuff that came with your old PC.
Here's the procedure:
First, download and install VMWare Server, which is a totally free software package for emulating computers within Windows. I myself use VMWare Workstation, which is a commercial product I reviewed earlier this year for CPU Magazine. Everything I've read says that VMWare Server and VMWare Workstation should work the same way for this.
As of late 2006, there are still many, many websites that deal with Thrustmaster's "classic" high-end hardware, which is a testament to the quality of the hardware and the devotion of its users. Not bad for a 10+ year old product set.
There are also plenty of sites that, though they may not directly deal with Thrustmaster products, are still useful for anyone trying to keep using their old hardware.
As such, here is a list of websites that you'll probably want to know about, broken down into Hardware, Software, and Miscelaneous.
Hardware
Thrustmaster
No surprise here. Thrustmaster is still in business, and they still have a "downloads" page that has the classic DOS software. You can also buy a snazzy Cougar HOTAS or a bunch of other weird, pointless hardware. They may also sell spare parts.
CH Products' Replacement Parts Store
While CH Products may have seemed like "the enemy" to Thrustmaster users in the mid 1990's, the fact is that they're the best source of certain spare parts today. For example, the $10 "Potentiometer - HP100, 100K" is basically the same "pot" as the one used for the FLCS and the WCS, and it fits perfectly, and its probably of higher quality than the original. The various springs there may be just the ticket as well.
All: I am actively seeking a set of Bob Church's digital StickWorks chips of my own, mostly so that I can add some useful information to this page, but also to see if the setup is significantly better than what I use every day right now (currently, a FLCS and WCS Mk II, along with CH Pedals). I already have several F22 sticks and many TQS units all cleaned up and ready to go should I ever locate some StickWorks chips. If you have some StickWorks chips (or Thrustmaster hardware that already has them) you are no longer use them, please consider contacting me. Thanks in advance.
Here's a third-party review of the digital stickworks product. It is probably the last, best description of all that this upgrade.
Booting Into DOS page.
This is the big picture.
This is more straightforward. All you really need is the DOS Thrustmaster software, installed in a manner that lets you run DOS somehow. If you'd like to make programming your Thrustmaster gear easier, then you'll also want the Windows software that makes creating and editing the Thrustmaster files easier. If you go this second route, then it works like this:
1. Run the Windows Editing Software
2. Save the files to your DOS bootable drive
3. Reboot into DOS
4. Run the DOS Thrustmaster Software to download the programming.
5. Reboot into Windows and play your game.
You're probably wondering "How the hell am I going to boot to DOS on my modern Core 2 Duo PC? And where are all these files?" No problem. Keep reading.
On the hardware side, you need a working Thrustmaster joystick (and optionally, throttle and rudder pedals). I assume you already have this.
You'll also need the following:
A Gameport, or...
You also need a gameport to plug the controls into. If you use Windows XP, then this is very easy: buy a sound card that has a well-supported gameport. I use a Creative Labs Audigy LS, which is an older card that works beautifully, (check Ebay other other online retailers), and I've used a Sound Blaster Live! that works fine too, but Creative Labs sells current cards that have gameports as well.
If you have Windows Vista, this option won't work (apparently), since Microsoft has decided to drop gameport support for its newest OS. Only time will tell if drivers or patches re-enable it. I'm guessing someone is going to make this happen eventually.
A USB-to-Gameport Adapter, plus...
You can also get a USB-to-Gameport converter, and these work in Windows Vista. I've already tested one.
Radio Shack used to sell catalog number 26-164 "Game Port USB Adapter" that works pretty well (check Ebay or check your local store shelves, where it might still be found). It has a 4-position switch to make it compatible with different controllers. You want to set it for position number 2, labeled "Joystick A" on mine.
Once you have a bootable DOS disk, you need to put the DOS Thrustmaster files on it. Ideally, these files should all go in a \TM directory off of the root. For example, if your thumbdrive is E:, then you should put the Thrustmaster files into E:\TM. If you unzip the files directly onto your drive with WinZip (or similar), you'll find that they expand into the correct folders automatically.
Thrustmaster released several versions of their software. I myself have the F-16 FLCS software all zipped up and downloadable for you here. It will work with the FLCS by itself, and when hooked up to a WCS Mk II or a TQS throttle. I think it will also work the the F22-Pro, but I need to do more research.
To start the software, just change directories into the TM folder (that is, type "CD \TM" without the quotes) and then type "tm" (also without the quotes) to run the main Thrustmaster DOS front end.
There's no getting around the need to use DOS to download your controller's programming into the sticks.
In the olden days, I would have said something like, "Just make a DOS boot floppy, copy these files to it, and then reboot." Funny thing is, of course, that the floppy drive is getting just as rare as the gameport. There needs to be another option.
(As an aside, if you do have a floppy drive, you can still make a DOS Bootable floppy, and copy the various files you need to them, but a bootable USB thumbdrive or Memory Card will make your life easier down the road. You can also make a small bootable DOS partition on your hard drive, which is what I typically do.)
Fortunately, you can use a spare USB Thumbdrive (also called flash drives, key drives, and so forth), or if you have a built-in memory card reader, a spare Compact Flash, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, or similar memory card, to boot from.
The overall process is:
- Format the USB Drive or Memory Card to be bootable
- Copy over the necessary DOS files to make it boot to DOS
- Copy over the necessary Thrustmaster files
- Reboot from it and cross your fingers.
Let's go through it step by step.
(Warren Here. I don't have time at the moment to go over this very important step, but let me link to a site that has everything you need to make a bootable Flash Drive. I myself generally use "HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool Version 2.0.6," which you'll find on this page.)
