Combat Flight Simulator 3: Error Message: The Configuration Override File is Out of Date

When you try to start Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe (CFS3), you may receive the following error message:

This problem is known to occur if any of the following conditions are true:

• You have an LCD monitor
• Your video adapter does not meet the minimum system requirements for Combat Flight Simulator 3
• Your video adapter drivers are out of date
• You have duplicate video adapters installed
• The CFS3 configuration file is damaged

To resolve this problem, use one of the following methods, as appropriate for your situation.

Method 1: Do You Have an LCD Monitor?

If you have a LCD monitor, switch to Analog Mode, and then update your video card drivers to the latest version. For more information about how to switch to Analog Mode, see your video card documentation. For more information about how to obtain and install the latest version of the driver for your video adapter, see the "Method 3: Are There Known Issues with Your Video Adapter?" section of this article.

Method 2: Does Your Video Card Meet the Minimum System Requirements for Combat Flight Simulator 3?

To verify that your video adapter meets the minimum system requirements for Combat Flight Simulator 3, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type dxdiag, and then click OK.
3. In the DirectX Diagnostic Tool dialog box, click the Display tab.
4. In the Device section, note the value for Approx. Total Memory, and then click Exit.

If you have less than 16 megabytes (MB) of video memory installed on your video adapter, do one of the following:

• Install additional video memory on your video adapter to increase the video memory to at least 16 MB.
  
  -or-
• Install a new video adapter that has a minimum of 16 MB of video memory.

Method 3: Are There Known Issues with Your Video Adapter?

Verify that there are no known issues with your video adapter. If there are known issues with your video adapter, you may have to update or replace your video adapter driver.

For additional information about known graphics issues that you may experience when you play Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Method 4: Do You Have an Outdated Video Adapter Driver?

To determine if there is an update to your video driver, do one or both of the following:

Note: If you install a new or updated video driver, you will have to run the Cfs3Config utility so that the new video driver information is updated in your CFS3 profile.

• Contact the manufacturer of your video adapter for information about how to obtain and install the latest version of the driver for your video adapter.
  
  For information about how to contact your video adapter manufacturer, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://support.microsoft.com/gp/vendors (http://support.microsoft.com/gp/vendors)
  To determine the name and manufacturer of your video adapter, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type dxdiag and then click OK.
  3. In the DirectX Diagnostic Tool dialog box, click the Display tab.
  4. In the Device section, note the value for Name and Manufacturer, and then click Exit.
• Check the Microsoft Windows Update Web site to see if an update video driver that is appropriate for your video adapter is available. To do so, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)

Method 5: Are There Multiple Adapters Listed in the DirectX Diagnostic Tool?

To remove multiple video adapters detected on your computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type dxdiag -ghost, and then click OK.
3. On the More Help tab, click Inactive.
   
   Note: If there is not an Inactive button on the More Help tab, multiple video adapters were not detected on your computer.
4. Click an item in the left pane and then click Backup.
5. Repeat step 4 until all the items in the left pane are removed from the Inactive window.
6. Click Exit to quit the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.

For additional information about troubleshooting video adapter problems, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Method 6: Is the Combat Flight Simulator 3 Profile Damaged?

Rename the Combat Flight Simulator 3 profile. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the My Documents folder.
2. Right-click the Combat Flight Simulator 3 folder, and then click Rename.
3. Type Cfs3.old, and then press ENTER.
4. Restart Combat Flight Simulator 3. The CFS3 profile will be recreated automatically when you start Combat Flight Simulator 3.