Have you made actual disks?

Go to W98 DOS prompt:

C:\...> CD \
C:\> MD FS3
C:\> CD FS3
- Inser 1st disk -
C:\FS3> COPY A:\*.*
C:\FS3>
- Insert 2nd disk -
C:\FS3> copy A:\*.*
C:\FS3> FS3

And let us know EXACTLY what happens.

In trying it, I never got a message that the program was "too big".
As I was trying to NOT to put it on my hard drive, I was trying to run it directly from the
floppies, and did have some problem swapping to the second disk, but at one point it
told me to copy all the files to one place (which I did)

Even at times it wasn't "all there" it started and would play the
prop sound ... so I think there's still something wrong with your setup,
but at least you know now that the copy you are trying to run (as long
as it's from the first link you posted and is the one with two images
"Program.img" and "Scenery.img") does work on Win98!

Btw, while I had it on my RAMdisk, I did compare the content from the FS3
directory I had made by copying in the conteny of both disks in the download
to the FLTSIM directory on my original MS FS3 diskette:

1Compare: R:\FS3\*
2   with: A:\FLTSIM\*
3Not: A:\FLTSIM\AUTOEXEC.FS3
4Not: A:\FLTSIM\CMIEFPP.MOD
5133 File(s) 2 difference(s).

As you can see there are two extra files:
AUTOEXEC.FS3 contains a single line:

1lbcyn

I don't know what this does, presumably it causes something to happen when you
launch FS3.

I don't know what CMIEFPP.MOD is ... perhaps a modification of some kind,
maybe loaded by the above?

Anyway, if you DELETE both of these files, you will have exactly the content
of the \FLTSIM directory of the original MS diskette.
This is all the files I need to run it. (The root level only contains a README
and a .BAT to go into \FLTSIM and run it from there)

When I tested it, I hadn't removed these files and it still ran -- but
perhaps they cause it to need more memory - worth trying without them.

DaveDDS wrote on Yesterday, 14:00:

[AUTOEXEC.FS3] causes something to happen when you launch FS3.

You can launch the sim either through "FS", and get to go through a bunch of config options (pick a graphics mode etc.) before starting; or use "FS3" instead and get straight into the program (it's in the documentation and/or mentioned at startup). That file's contents look exactly like the keys you'd press when going the former route, to I guess that's how they store those settings.

Might be worth a try to delete/rename it to get a clean slate, config-wise.

elszgensa wrote on Today, 03:31:

You can launch the sim either through "FS", and get to go through a bunch of config options (pick a graphics mode etc.) before starting; or use "FS3" instead and get straight into the program (it's in the documentation and/or mentioned at startup). That file's contents look exactly like the keys you'd press when going the former route, to I guess that's how they store those settings.

Ahh.. that explains it - I did originally go straight into FS when running from a copy of the floppy, and then got the prompts after
I had copied the FTLSIM directory elsewhere ... I guess the 720k edition I have put the two 360k floppy content into \FLTSIM, but
the 360k edition kept them in the two roots - I was wondering why FS.BAT had: FS3 x

I expect the problem in this case might be the .MOD file which does not exist at all in my original copy!

hi just a quick question I'm wanting to copy the flight simulator 3 folder from 3 and a half disk to the c hard drive through dos
would you know what to type to do this

I gave pretty much the DOS commands you need here:

Re: cant get flight simulator version 3 dos copy to work