Thanks to SAS~CirX
This is written for owners of the IL2 DVD, but the same should apply to users of the Direct2Drive versions.
To make a copy of your game folder, do just that, copy the whole folder and paste it somewhere else. You can do this as many times as you like.
If you want to uninstal IL2 for whatever reason, but keep you modded games, this is how.
IL2 1946 uses SecuROM, which in my book qualifies as malware, but the result is that it's installers are incredibly stupid, and very easy to fool.
Here is what you do:
Cut the entire contents of your Ubisoft folder in your Program files on your C drive (if that is where you installed it to) and copy it to somewhere else. Anywhere else. I simply created another folder in program files called "IL2 copies" and moved everything there. So the Ubisoft folder is now empty.
Now, insert the DVD and click on Uninstall. It will, throughout the uninstal, give your error messages (whining like a little girl) "Cannot find this file" ," unable to recreate path to that file" and so on. Everythime, just say OK so the message goes away. It will sometimes pause for a while , trying to figure out if you are f%^&n with it (which of course, you are), but it is stupid, so it will "show" how it is uninstalling everything (it will even tell you which files it is uninstalling, shows you what a crock SecuROM is) but you know of course it is going through the motions of uninstalling nothing, except the spyware SecuROM put on your hardrive when you first installed IL2 1946.
When it is all finished, you will be able to re-install IL2. You will still have your copies you made before too, and be able to play them as well, if they are modded versions.
After your reinstall, , make a copy of your entire IL2 Sturmovik 1946 folder and put it in your "IL2 Copies" folder, for if your ever need to start over. Remember to rename it to something you will recognise, like "IL2 fresh install 407". Do the same with the upgrade and so on, as you think you will need.
When all that is finished, you can again make copies and uninstall IL2 in the way I described. You wont be able to play your "Fresh installs" unless you change their executives, but you will be able to play your modded versions, and you will have all the SecuROM crap off your computerm, which will do your PC a world of good.
At any given moment I have at least 6 versions of IL2 on my computer, with various copies of my last stable modded versions on an external drive.
TIP: you dont need the dvd to run the modded games.
TIP: to get a little more performance from your IL2 modded game, put it on an internal drive other than your system drive. In other words, if you have 2 hard drives in your PC, put it on the one that does not have windows on. This is a common tip used for all high end software, and is true for IL2 as well. I am now speaking of the IL2 modded version you play, not the initial Ubi installation
TIP: Users of Vista are strongly advised to NOT install IL2 to the default location at C:/Program Files.
Aywhere else is good, but in the program folder is BAD.
And also, check out this utility by Radar:
RFC is a tool to switch between multiple parallel copies of IL2 on your computer
http://il2sim.isgreat.org/j/index.php/d ... e-qui.html
S!
CirX
