Installer Versions

This is a partial version history of the X-Plane installers and updaters. You can also download the latest DVD Installers. The web updater and web demo installer can be found on the main website.

=Latest Versions=

The latest versions are: DVD Installer   Web Demo Installer    Web Updater Mac     2.05             2.05                  2.05 Linux   2.05             2.05                  2.05 Windows 2.05             2.05                  2.05

=Pre-815 Installers=

Before X-Plane 815 there were no updaters; updates from X-Plane 8 to 815 were accomplished by downloading an archive of individual files that required replacing. There were two sets of installers:


 * A set of very minimal, very ugly dialog box installers were on the Laminar Research multi-OS DVDs.


 * The GraphSim DVDs had their own OS-native installers.

These pre-815 DVDs are not compatible with any of the new X-Plane installers (1xx or 2xx versions). However if you are unable to use the installer on the DVD, you can probably install the sim manually; for these DVDs the sim and scenery are stored as a small number of large zip files that can be unzipped by the operating system.

=Installer 100-123=

This is the first generation of installers. One installer installs the sim off DVD, and one updates a sim off the web or downloads the latest demo.

The installer was modified several times to address bug fixes, etc. Some versions are buggy, so users should always use the latest (123) version if the version on DVD does not work.

The DVD installers are compatible with X-Plane 8 DVDs from versions 815-860. (The latest X-Plane 8 version is 864, but 860 is the last DVD - the minor update is only available as a web patch.)

Note: the X-Plane beta DVDs contain the version 123 installer.

These installers can be identified by their large size (1024x768) and sky blue background.

=Installer 124=

Installer 124 is a temporary installer, using first generation technology to update and install X-Plane 9. The 124 installer will be discontinued when the 200 installer is released. The 124 installer is found on DVD for the very first (X-Plane 900RC2) GraphSim DVDs.

This installer can be identified by its size (1024x768, big) and the orange background image with a Piagio P180.

=Installer 200=

The 200 series of installers are the next-generation installers. The format of the installers has been changed:
 * There are separate installers for installing the web demo vs updating the sim.
 * Fetching betas is a preference rather than a separate application.
 * The installer has a strict "wizard" format.
 * The sim and installers track install locations and allow you to pick from a short list of existing installs.

The 200 series of installers also has a number of new features:
 * One install for an entire 6-disk DVD set. The installer prompts you to change disks.
 * Faster installation, particularly on multi-core machines.
 * A map to select which scenery you want to install in 10x10 groups.
 * An option to add and remove scenery from an existing installation.

The 200 series of installers can be identified by their small size (800x600) and blue sky background.

Note that while there is one version (e.g. 200, 201, etc.) sometimes only some of the applications are published, depending on what is needed.

Installer 200
The original next-gen installer on the first set of final X-Plane DVDs (X-Plane 9.0) from LR. This version was only published as a DVD installer.

Installer 201
The original next-gen installer with updaters and demo installers, and a few changes in wording.

Installer 202
This is a bug fix that lets the updater install even if it can't find a copy of the sim. This version is released only as an updater.

Installer 203
This is a bug fix for the "Find It!" selection dialog box on Linux. This version is released only as an updater for Linux.

Installer 204
This installer is localized for German and French, and features a new unicode text implementation. This installer is capable of showing non-ASCII code locations and can support install locations that are not in the current ANSI code page on Windows. Other bug fixes:
 * Demo installer names the demo X-Plane 9 and registers it.
 * DVD installer will locate the DVD even if an iPod with a non-ASCII file name is plugged in.
 * Crash bug fixed in Windows Installers

The 204 installers is released in all formats (updater, DVD installer, web demo installer) for all operating systems.

The 204 installer has enhanced detection for the case when a newer installer is available. This is a non-issue now but will improve the "your installer is out of date" message in the future.

Installer 205
The 205 installer is available in all formats (3 operating systmes, demo installer, DVD installer, updater). The 205 installer adds six-language support (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian) as well as some bug fixes and usability improvements:


 * Add/remove scenery is much faster on the DVD installer.
 * The scenery map colors have been changed to make the feature more clear.
 * The DVD installer defaults to installing no scenery to prevent confusion.
 * Fix to non-ASCII characters in open-save dialog box on Mac.
 * Go-to-URL fixed on Linux.

The 2.05 installers are still available for users who need them here.

Installer 206
The 206 installer is available in all formats (3 operating systmes, demo installer, DVD installer, updater).
 * The 206 web demo installer and updater improve web download times by downloading from multiple servers simultaneously.
 * The 206 DVD installer corrects problems with Linux DVD installation on some distributions.

Known Bug: the 206 installer has slightly higher system requirements than X-Plane itself. If you have one of the very oldest video cards that X-Plane can run, and the 206 installer will not load due to hardware requirements, you may want to download the 205 installers (see the above section for download).