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asked by (12 points)
My daughter purchased a DVD copy of X-Plane for me as a gift. I installed it on the only PC I have with a DVD drive, but there's not enough horsepower there to run X-Plane. My next alternative is a PC without a DVD drive. Can I copy the DVDs to folders on an external hard drive to install on the alternative PC, and if so, what's the best way?

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answered by (5.3k points)
edited by

Hi NvdB,

I am not with Laminar Research; just a flight simmer.

You were lucky in getting X-Plane as a gift.

Firstly have a look at the following link found at https://www.x-plane.com/kb/x-plane-11-system-requirements/  Many X-Plane users purchase a system with the recommended requirements for best impact.  What you build will depend on finances.  If you do purchase a new PC, for a better performance use an Intel CPU and a NVidia GPU.  If you purchase an off-the-shelf system from your local PC shop make sure it is a gaming machine.  The specifications don't make mention you need good cooling in the casing.  X-Plane 11 is resource hungry and generates heat from the CPU and the GPU.  This heat has to be removed otherwise your system will crash.

Although X-Plane is developed on an "Apple" or "Mac" system by Laminar Research, they recommend a Windows based system for best performance. 

Because you have a DVD set you will have to have Disc 1 installed in the disc drive at all times.  It substitutes for the  password key which is supplied with the digital download version.  So if you purchase a new PC you will need a DVD drive as part of the machine or attached as a portable drive via a USB connection.

Provided you have installed the disc version in total as a stand-alone directory ie not mixed up with other operating system files etc on your old machine, all you need to do is copy to a suitable capacity portable storage device.  It should run from this device.  A USB stick can cause a problem.   If you purchase a new PC  then copy from that portable device onto your new machine.  But you will still need a DVD drive to run the software.  If you don't have a dvd drive you will be restricted to the "demo" mode which has a time limit and a location restriction.  

As a side issue many of the boxed DVD sets have a password key enclosed with the package.  This key will not allow you to run X-Plane.  It is a "scam",  "conn" or "ploy" to get you to purchase more of their products at a reduced rate. 

Good luck and welcome to X-Plane.

Glenn

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