As with freeware scenery and aircraft, most freeware panels come packaged into zip files.

Read the scenery installation page to see how to open zip files, and extract their content. For this subject we will assume you are already happy with that side of things.

In the zip file for your panel will be AT LEAST the following types of file:

1. panel.cfg

This file Tells FS where to put the gauges, how many windows the panel has, and where the graphic for each window is (etc).

2. One, or a number of ".bmp" files

These files are the graphics for the actual panel, and any additional views the designer has provided.

There MAY be:

3. Any number of files ending in ".gau"

These are the gauges for the panel. If the panel only uses FS's default gauges, then no .gau files will be present in the zip file.

 

The "panel.cfg and ".bmp" files are extracted into your aircraft's "Panel" folder

The ".gau" files are extracted into your main FS "Gauges" folder.

CAUTION Most FS2002,FS2000 and FS98 panels will work to some degree in FS2004. However, when installing the gauges into FS2004's "Gauges" folder, DO NOT allow the original FS2004 gauges to be over-written. This may (and probably will) cause FS2004 to crash. And quite probably you will have to re-install it. 

When your panel has been correctly installed, the panel folder will look like this:

(There may be one or more .bmp files. It depends how many windows the panel has been designed with.)