Unfortunately I only backed up the campaigns folder, I didn't realise it was possible to just drop the whole program folder back in after re-installing. I'm tempted to uninstall IL2 1946 and try again. I just don't understand why my old config won't work.

The fastest way would be:

run il2setup, select correct video card and sound card/hardware . select OpenGL and 56k netspeed.
Make sure Catalyst AI is disabled/off in the catalyst control center/graphics driver.

run game and play a track to see if it works.

If it does work edit conf.ini for wide screen and tweaks like water=2 forest= etc.

try the game again.
Once you have everything working, make a backup copy of the main game folder. Always make a copy after a major update/tweak that works.

HD space is cheap. A lot cheaper than the time you need to invest to restore the game to a working condition.


You can run all the games you back up from their backup locations.
You can have as many backups as you want. They can serve as different versions and as backups for your main game.

Thanks for the advice, I finally got it working by setting IL2 resolution to 1920/1080, the same as the monitor's resolution. I've also uninstalled ATI hydravision and Catalyst Control Centre though it worked with them installed. I've taken your advice and have made a full back-up of IL2 1946 so hopefully I won't struggle next time. I'm still puzzled as to why the old setting didn't work though.

Good job!
I don't know Hydravision, but if you need a superb replacement for CCC, try Ray adam's ATI Tray Tools You can set all ATI features with it, and it also has a lot more to offer like FPS display, capability to take screenshots (much better than IL-2), Keyboard shortcuts, profiles, overclocking tools and a lot more.