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The Sims 2 Windows 7-10 Fixes

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  • purpleangel54409purpleangel54409 Posts: 1 New Member
    i have the digital copy of the ultimate collection and i have windows 8 i have got the game to load just fine i can pick a neighborhood but if i pick a family the game crashes and if i try to create one i can get to step 2-3 and then it crashes will this help my problem
  • JULES1111JULES1111 Posts: 4,489 Member
    i have the digital copy of the ultimate collection and i have windows 8 i have got the game to load just fine i can pick a neighborhood but if i pick a family the game crashes and if i try to create one i can get to step 2-3 and then it crashes will this help my problem

    The game is probably not recognizing your graphics card. Download and install the graphics rules maker. It is a common problem with the game.

    http://www.simsnetwork.com/simpedia/the-sims-2/editions/the-sims-2/specials/graphics-rules-maker-improve-compatibility-with
  • EvermoreRocksEvermoreRocks Posts: 83 Member
    edited January 2017
    Okay so I've had sims 2 for ages never had a problem with it, I run my series too on youtube so I can't afford to lose everything.
    but just today it won't even load neighbourhood, It just keeps saying not responding, i even deleted all the cc's ive downloaded in past month and it still saying not responding, I dunno what to do I can't reset it because like I said I run my youtube series with this game.

    HELP! i'm suppose to be making episodes now but can't even load it :(


    I use Windows 7, I have 2TB PC, top of the class Graphic card. and sims 3 and 4 works fine so 🐸🐸🐸🐸 is sims 2 problem, all my life I've never had issues with it..please help.
  • OteliaWOteliaW Posts: 11 New Member
    I have been playing my Sims2 on my Windows 10 computer. After not having played for quite a few months, I now find that my computer will not read the disk at all. There is nothing wrong with the disk or the drive as I have tested other disks and my Sims 2 disk on my laptop. Installing the game was a long drawn out mission as I have all the EP's and stuff packs, so hope there is a solution other than re-installing, which may not even be possible if the disk does not read. Could a Windows update have changed something that causes this problem?
    Any suggestions?
  • TragicClownTragicClown Posts: 58 Member
    OteliaW wrote: »
    I have been playing my Sims2 on my Windows 10 computer. After not having played for quite a few months, I now find that my computer will not read the disk at all. There is nothing wrong with the disk or the drive as I have tested other disks and my Sims 2 disk on my laptop. Installing the game was a long drawn out mission as I have all the EP's and stuff packs, so hope there is a solution other than re-installing, which may not even be possible if the disk does not read. Could a Windows update have changed something that causes this problem?
    Any suggestions?

    I've had this problem when I had sims 2 I'm actually going to re buy it but do you have it running on administrator and if so something else I had to do was run capability with Windows XP Vista this works for me I don't know if it will for you but hope this helps
  • JULES1111JULES1111 Posts: 4,489 Member
    OteliaW wrote: »
    I have been playing my Sims2 on my Windows 10 computer. After not having played for quite a few months, I now find that my computer will not read the disk at all. There is nothing wrong with the disk or the drive as I have tested other disks and my Sims 2 disk on my laptop. Installing the game was a long drawn out mission as I have all the EP's and stuff packs, so hope there is a solution other than re-installing, which may not even be possible if the disk does not read. Could a Windows update have changed something that causes this problem?
    Any suggestions?
    OteliaW wrote: »
    I have been playing my Sims2 on my Windows 10 computer. After not having played for quite a few months, I now find that my computer will not read the disk at all. There is nothing wrong with the disk or the drive as I have tested other disks and my Sims 2 disk on my laptop. Installing the game was a long drawn out mission as I have all the EP's and stuff packs, so hope there is a solution other than re-installing, which may not even be possible if the disk does not read. Could a Windows update have changed something that causes this problem?
    Any suggestions?

    I've had this problem when I had sims 2 I'm actually going to re buy it but do you have it running on administrator and if so something else I had to do was run capability with Windows XP Vista this works for me I don't know if it will for you but hope this helps

    You should both contact EA and ask for the Ultimate Collection. Sims 2 has issues for a lot of people on Windows 10, especially the disk version. Instructions for contacting them in the first post of this thread. http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/814708/how-to-get-ts2-ultimate-collection-windows/p1

    Yes a update could have stopped it from working, even if it was before. I wouldn't advise re-buying the disks, you will have the same issue.
  • TragicClownTragicClown Posts: 58 Member
    @JULES1111 thank you I shall contact them cause I really don't want to re buy it anyway
  • SpongebobreneeSpongebobrenee Posts: 1 New Member
    Hello!

    So I was playing the sims 2 earlier today, and it was working fine. A few hour later I went to play again, and I ran into some problems.
    The launcher comes up as usual. After I click the play it acts like it wants to start, it comes up on the screen and flashes off before anything pops up on the screen. It is on my task bar and I can hear the music from the game but every time I click on it, it flashes black and closes back into the taskbar. I cannot seem to get it to work no matter what I do. Any help is appreciated! TS2 is a really big coping mechanism for me.
    I'm running on Windows 10.

    Thank you!
  • Scribal_GoddessScribal_Goddess Posts: 748 Member
    edited February 2017
    Hey @Spongebobrenee. Couple things off the top of my head that could be the problem.

    1. Disable Cortana and close all other windows when launching. Change your screen saver and automatic sleep mode to "never turn off," while you're testing this, in case that's the cause of the flickering. (I've had launch issues with it trying to run a screensaver before on Windows 8.) Also, if you've lately added a lot of CC, there might be lag, so make sure nothing else is going to be updating or background running itself when the game is launching, and go make yourself a sandwich.
    2. Make sure all auxillary drives and screens are disconnected. (In case it's doing a weird thing where it's opening the game window somewhere you can't see.)
    2. Go into your documents > EA Games > The Sims 2. Delete groups.cache and Accessory.cache. These files can prevent the game from loading properly. (I think they're supposed to clear themselves / regenerate whenever you boot, but they don't always do it properly.)
    3. If the problem persists and you're running this off Origin, try the repair option. (back up neighborhoods by copy and pasting the whole neighborhood to your desktop first.) If you're not running Origin, try removing all neighborhoods to your desktop but one, and see if you can successfully open the game with that. You may have something timing out, preventing it from launching, because you have so much stuff in the game. It may also be an issue with just one of the neighborhoods.
    4. If you still can't launch, try putting in only one original, unedited maxis neighborhood and pulling all CC out of the game to check if it can load without CC. If this is the problem, do the half and half rule: put half of your CC back in, launch the game with it's maxis neighborhood. If that half causes a problem, divide it in half, etc, until you get to the problem. Put everything that you confirm isn't causing a problem in a massive folder on your desktop.
    5. If it's not any of the above, try browsing Leefish for instructions. Your graphics card may have updated and could be throwing a fit. I know I got an unannounced Windows 10 update recently, despite having my computer set to never update without my permission. Last time I had issues due to an update I had to setup the Graphics Rules Maker again.
    Patron Goddess of Newbs and Ninnyhammers.
    TS2 Graphics Fix Tutorial]
  • BoergeAarg61BoergeAarg61 Posts: 949 Member
    Some manual changes may be needed in two SGR-files which are also changed by the Graphic Rules Maker.
    In "Graphic Rules" you might change the max solutions for Low and Medium to the higest values as modern graphic cards might not be recognized as High.
    "option ScreenModeResolution
    setting $Low
    uintProp maxResWidth 1920
    uintProp maxResHeight 1080
    uintProp defaultResWidth 800
    uintProp defaultResHeight 600

    setting $MediumButDefaultLow
    uintProp maxResWidth 1920
    uintProp maxResHeight 1080
    uintProp defaultResWidth 800
    uintProp defaultResHeight 600

    setting $Medium
    uintProp maxResWidth 1920
    uintProp maxResHeight 1080
    uintProp defaultResWidth 1024
    uintProp defaultResHeight 768
    "

    In "Video Cards", you might add details found for the graphic card on your pc. In fact, the Graphic Rules Maker might destroy that file.
  • ClaimingTheFifthClaimingTheFifth Posts: 417 Member
    I d/l S2 Ultimate a year ago but only pulled it up once and realized I would be constantly confused as I'm currently playing S4. Yesterday my 10 yr old granddaughter was here and asked if she could play it. I told her she was welcome to do anything with S2 she wanted as I wasn't likely to ever play it again. She played for over 3 hr. I asked her if she was saving every 20 or 30 minutes....I'm not sure she was. At any rate the game eventually locked up/crashed. Can anybody in here understand the following exception?


    Exception code: 0xC0000005 (-1073741819) ACCESS_VIOLATION.
    Current thread ID: 8700 (0x000021fc).
    Version information:
    Application/module path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSBin\Sims2EP9.exe
    Application/module version name: The Sims 2 EP9
    Application/module version: 1.17.0.66
    System version: Windows NT 6.0
    System memory: 2048 Megabytes total, 2048 Megabytes free.
    Application/module configuration: ReleaseSRT


    Extra Exception Data:

    Shutdown: 0
    HostName: DESKTOP-LFNTINR
    MemoryUsage: 1061960K
    Neighborhood Name: Belladonna Cove
    Neighborhood Prefix: E001
    Lot Name: Deco Domicile – 3BR 2.5BA
    Family Name: Picaso
    Extra Exception Data End:

    Exception module: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSBin\Sims2EP9.exe.
    Exception address: 0x0062600c. Section:Offset: 0x01:0x0022500c.

    Registers
    EAX: 00000148
    EBX: 391e4ff0
    ECX: 4e5288e8
    EDX: 00000075
    ESI: 00000000
    EDI: 3868f8fc
    CS:EIP: 0023:0062600c
    SS:ESP: 002b:025ff548 EBP:025ff574
    DS:002b ES:002b FS:0053 GS:002b
    Flags: 00010202

    I note that it says the system version is Windows NT 6.0. Well....it's not. I'm running Windows 10 on a new gaming computer. When I originally d/l I remembered just how terrible the wallpapers were so I picked up some cc - mostly build items. I recognize from the article that there are programs out there I need to use...but is there anything "telling" about the above exception? She never complained about lag and anything else - but she might not have for fear I'd get upset and not let her play lol I wouldn't have but you never know how kids think :neutral:
    That light at the end of the tunnel? It's a train.
    The five-second rule does not apply when you have a two-second dog.
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Tried installing Sims2 onto my new computer, Windows 10, to take advantage of a video card that is actually powerful enough to handle the game. Installed base game, launched it, and it actually ran. Sims had black rectangles under them, so bailed out, got and installed the graphics rule, and tried again to test. Game tried to launch, but all I got was an error message box with a red circle with a white X and a message that said 'unspecified error'. Thinking that maybe the rules messed something up, uninstalled it and rebooted the PC. Still getting the error message when trying to launch the game. Any ideas on where to go from here?
  • Seera1024Seera1024 Posts: 3,629 Member
    Tried installing Sims2 onto my new computer, Windows 10, to take advantage of a video card that is actually powerful enough to handle the game. Installed base game, launched it, and it actually ran. Sims had black rectangles under them, so bailed out, got and installed the graphics rule, and tried again to test. Game tried to launch, but all I got was an error message box with a red circle with a white X and a message that said 'unspecified error'. Thinking that maybe the rules messed something up, uninstalled it and rebooted the PC. Still getting the error message when trying to launch the game. Any ideas on where to go from here?

    Try repairing the game files in Origin.
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Can I do that since the installation was from a disk? The DVD version to be precise.
  • Rflong7Rflong7 Posts: 36,584 Member
    Can I do that since the installation was from a disk? The DVD version to be precise.

    No, you can't.

    If you think the Graphics Rules messed up your game, you should be able to go to where it changed the files, delete the edited two files (it should list them), and put the original 2 back. They should have a .bak on the end. Graphics Rules leaves the orginal files, just adds .bak so you can put them .back. XD

    *Video Cards.sgr
    *Graphics Rules.sgr
    are the 2 it changes. Good luck
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Thanks for your answer, will check it out. Where do said files live? The other thing that has come to mind is that the securom (or whatever you call it) is responsible. Have seen several posts on how nasty it is, even with the digital version.
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    I have the whole 'shootin match' but installed only the base game to test whether it will work on Windows 10. No point in investing the several hours for a full installation if the thing won't run. Will try your suggestion when I have a bit more time/it's less late. Odd thing is that it fired up just fine after the installation, other than the black boxes under sims and the resolution so low it reminded of DOS days. Game definitely not recognizing my sizzling (for me, anyway) brandy-new came with the machine video card.
  • SPARKY1922SPARKY1922 Posts: 5,965 Member
    edited March 2017
    Hi All,

    I am playing Sims 2 UC Windows 10 so am not certain what all the problems are in relation to disc installation however a while back when I thought I was going to have to use discs after a PC upgrade (including a new install windows 10) I saved some links concerning this issue as follows: not sure it will be of any help but maybe something to take a look at

    How to Install The Sims 2 + Expansions on Windows 10 (TS2upd.exe Error)

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/games_windows_10/how-to-install-the-sims-2-expansions-on-windows-10/9c7ceaea-ac53-46b7-abaa-d90f00dc0da9?auth=1


    Sims2 UC and Windows 10 CAS Crash

    http://www.🐸🐸🐸🐸/mybb/showthread.php?tid=6886

    Sims 2, Graphics and Windows 10

    http://www.🐸🐸🐸🐸/mybb/showthread.php?tid=6569

    Some players have also enabled increased resolution following the instructions in the link below in both windows 7&10 for Sims 2 but again I stress this was for the UC version so I am not sure if it would help with the disc version but it may provide some further ideas.

    https://simsvip.com/2014/07/20/the-sims-2-ultimate-collection-increase-resolution-guide/

    I tried the methods above then had to change the Graphic rules files in the config folder for mine to work in the end but I would not be comfortable outlining how to do that as the help I was given was specifically related to my Graphics card and if all else fails you would require help from one of the techie Gurus on this site to help you more with that.

    Remove Black Squares in Graphic/performance options (in game) this did not work for me so I used a mod detailed further down.

    https://simsvip.com/2014/07/20/the-sims-2-ultimate-collection-remove-black-squares/

    I use the following mod to remove black triangles from under sims feet

    http://modthesims.info/download.php?t=569585

    Last (for me) I removed Securom as players with Windows 10 are experiencing issues with The Sims 2 (and expansions) as it was confirmed by Microsoft that Windows 10 is not compatible with Securom which I am led to believe is a big problem for Sims 2 disc users.

    http://🐸🐸🐸🐸

    I hope that something in that list may help players resolve their issues and be able to get back to playing the game :)
    Post edited by SPARKY1922 on
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    Thanks for your answer, will check it out. Where do said files live? The other thing that has come to mind is that the securom (or whatever you call it) is responsible. Have seen several posts on how nasty it is, even with the digital version.


    Uhm, you've only got the base game? So, it'd be in your computer files under EA Games/The Sims 2... TSData\Res\Config -I think. :)

    SecuRom didn't arrive until ... Bon Voyage, I believe. If you're only installing the base game, it should be fine. Any new combinded packs will have it, though.

    The files were right where you said they would be, followed your suggestion, rebooted for good measure. Tried to launch, and got the same unhelpful error message with white x in red disk. Something else is the culprit, so this may be a weekend project when there is hopefully more time. Maybe the old uninstall reinstall...

  • Scribal_GoddessScribal_Goddess Posts: 748 Member
    Rflong7 wrote: »
    Thanks for your answer, will check it out. Where do said files live? The other thing that has come to mind is that the securom (or whatever you call it) is responsible. Have seen several posts on how nasty it is, even with the digital version.


    Uhm, you've only got the base game? So, it'd be in your computer files under EA Games/The Sims 2... TSData\Res\Config -I think. :)

    SecuRom didn't arrive until ... Bon Voyage, I believe. If you're only installing the base game, it should be fine. Any new combinded packs will have it, though.

    The files were right where you said they would be, followed your suggestion, rebooted for good measure. Tried to launch, and got the same unhelpful error message with white x in red disk. Something else is the culprit, so this may be a weekend project when there is hopefully more time. Maybe the old uninstall reinstall...

    Check and see if something is forcing it to time out? It's also possible you've fudged up and it can't find any graphics card. :) (In which case I would re-do the graphics rules maker setup and check that you've done all the steps - I've had to do that myself a few times because Win 10 updated without my say-so.)
    Patron Goddess of Newbs and Ninnyhammers.
    TS2 Graphics Fix Tutorial]
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Did the uninstall-reinstall thing, from the disk, DVD edition ($49.99 from a retailer that is actually still with us...). Launched directly from installation completion, graphics resolution 800x600 - the only option. Played a while, saved, and exited. Tried to launch it again, and the same 'unspecified error' message. What's the first thing to attack?
  • Scribal_GoddessScribal_Goddess Posts: 748 Member
    edited April 2017
    Did the uninstall-reinstall thing, from the disk, DVD edition ($49.99 from a retailer that is actually still with us...). Launched directly from installation completion, graphics resolution 800x600 - the only option. Played a while, saved, and exited. Tried to launch it again, and the same 'unspecified error' message. What's the first thing to attack?

    First: Kill these files:

    Accessory.cache
    Groups.cache

    On a new install, these are the most common thing (other than graphics card issues) that will give you a failure to launch. Just delete them - they were supposed to clear themselves periodically, but it doesn't work right, so you have to delete them manually. (I do it pretty much every time I play - on two separate setups it's worked like a charm.)

    Second: I'd run the graphics rules maker. Instructions are included - make sure that when you open the game you fiddle with the graphics settings under options, this will NOT make your sim automatically run the higher resolution.

    http://www.simsnetwork.com/simpedia/the-sims-2/editions/the-sims-2/specials/graphics-rules-maker-improve-compatibility-with

    If for some reason that doesn't work, the answer may be somewhere in here:
    http://www.🐸🐸🐸🐸/mybb/showthread.php?tid=5446

    (This is the old way, involves some editing of game files. Should be a decently easy copy, unless you're terrified of folders. But since you've got it on disc and nothing much to loose, consider this: this is the perfect time to noodle with those files.)

    Third: Always turn off your antivirus scanner and all background programs (like defragging, etc.) before launching the game, sometimes they conflict. Basically you want nothing accessing your game files while you play other than the game itself.

    Good luck! I'm sure someone else around here has more to add, I'm relatively new to windows 10 wrangling.

    (Edited to add: did you install off multiple discs? I once had an install where I fudged up the order of EP's and ended up overwriting University with OFB. That resulted in a REALLY borked game and a total reinstall. It's possible that if you installed base game and then a separate disc for an EP, you could have done this. Doesn't sound like it though, sounds like you've still got the same problem you had from before.)
    Patron Goddess of Newbs and Ninnyhammers.
    TS2 Graphics Fix Tutorial]
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    edited April 2017
    Deleted the files as suggested, attempted launch, no change. Rules maker is next. Another day, another no start, time for the next option. Surely there is an answer! It did run right out of install, after all.
    Post edited by Oldeseadogge on
  • OldeseadoggeOldeseadogge Posts: 4,973 Member
    Mixed results. Yesterday checked out the leefish as Scribal_Goddess suggested, and found the advice to run as administrator. Tried that, and the game actually launched and ran well, even when I went into CAS as a test. Resolution was 800x600, so more hunting needed there.

    On the unhappy side today, tried installing the University EP. All went well until it got to the updating phase with the base game disk. Part way through got the message 'TS2UPD.exe has stopped working'. Windows then shut the whole business down and the EP uninstalled. To make matters worse, tried running the surviving game. While it launched OK as yesterday, it crashed when trying to load a household, giving the appalling grammar error message. Anyone know how to fix those two issues?

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