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Field Researcher
Original Poster
#1 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 6:51 PM

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 2, University, Nightlife, Open for Business, Pets, Seasons, Bon Voyage, Free Time, Apartment Life
Default Game Does Not Respond to Basic Commands Anymore
Yesterday my game functioned perfectly. Now it really doesn't.

Things wrong: On the main graphics menu, I cannot enable custom content. I've tried over and over again. I cannot change Lot View Options. I cannot turn Neighbors Off. I cannot turn Decorations On or Off. I can't change fade distance. Although I've used the same settings in my graphics.sgr file for years, now the game does not seem to recognize them. The higher screen resolution is no longer available.

When I enter a lot, the game still lets me enter a lot, I cannot enable the cheat window, although if I try 3 or 4 times it may show up. Sometimes it switches to video instead of opening the cheat window. If it opens, the cursor changes to a tiny crosshairs. If I can get into a lot, the catalog option no longer is responsive. I can select items by item type though. Since the custom content won't show up, I can select from the default furniture or building items only. After selecting a chair, the tiny cursor turns back into a normal cursor. The game does not prevent me from selecting and using items.

The game does not see my userstartup cheat file. None of the alias commands work.

I pulled the game to the desktop and let the game generate a new one. There was no difference at all. All the problems still exist.

I am literally shaking. This sounds like a total game collapse, doesn't it? Custom content doesn't work. Program files I've used for years aren't recognized. Game functions don't save (I can't enable custom content or prevent it from displaying on opening the game).

On the good side, the 4GB patch which I installed about a month ago still works. I have no graphic problems - no pink for example.

These are my computer stats:
i7 4770K CPU 3.50 Ghz
Ram 16GB
NVidia GeForce GTX 960
Win 7

It's a desktop, about 6 years old.

Thank you for any help you can give me.
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The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#2 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 6:56 PM
I'm guessing it's something external to the game - what's your anti-virus?

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#3 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 6:59 PM Last edited by jain : 2nd Oct 2018 at 7:10 PM.
Malwarebytes

ETA: I use disks to run the game.
Mad Poster
#4 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 8:18 PM
In a case like this, running with the anti-virus turned off is the first thing to try. A lot of newer anti-virus software gets a lot of false positives from older game files like ours. A few of them won't allow you to whitelist them, either!

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#5 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 9:52 PM
After turning off the virus software, the cheat window comes up and the cursor doesn't turn into a tiny stick. When I go into a lot, now the build mode shows custom content, but not the buy mode.

Bodyshop doesn't load at all.

That's about it. I still can't enable anything from the UI. I can't turn off the custom content query window. I can't change NB deco from off to on, clickable neighbors, or set lot view. The screen resolution is still 800x600.

It's as if the game can't communicate with some major part of the program files. It can see build mode custom content objects. It can't see anything else including changes made from the main UI - it won't even let you make the changes.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 10:11 PM Last edited by simmer22 : 2nd Oct 2018 at 10:33 PM.
Check if Malwarebytes has quarantined some of the TS2 files. Also check settings, and see if it's possible to whitelist the EXE files so they won't be touched.

You can also try setting the game files as read-only. Should be an article on that somewhere.

Antivirus programs can be a pain if you have the wrong one. One I had quarantined a Bodyshop file (Bodyshop still worked - probably quarantined one of the non M&G ones), and back when I had Norton the TAB/cam-mode camera would suddenly start going around in circles every time it did a scan in the background, and I had to quit the game to get things working. I've had several antivirus programs that slow down the entire computer when doing a scan (I have Avira currently, which does that, but I haven't noticed any other Avira-related bugs with the game - I don't usually play the game when running a scan, though - that's pretty much useless when everything randomly slows to a crawl, and the new updated version is worse than the previous, so I'm considering changing again). I tried Malwarebytes recently, but it kept blocking things it wasn't supposed to, and had some other annoyances I wasn't too happy about, so I scrapped that idea.

If the antivirus program makes the game unplayable, you may want to consider getting a different one. If the program has a large number of false positives and renders programs useless, it's not worth keeping. Most programs can be tested for a period of time for free before you decide to buy it, and some antivirus programs offer large parts of the program for free (they usually nag you to buy the full version, though).
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#7 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 10:35 PM
There's nothing quarantined but stuff from Auslogistics. I made the Program Files read only a while ago but never understood how the game would work if the Doc files were read only.

I have a friend who can send me copies of her graphics.sgr files, one each for CSConfig and Config. (Are these the same file?) They won't be set up for the same resolution but if the game works, I can fix that. I don't want to reinstall the game if it's something outside the game, like Windows (which has been gimpy for a while now - the Task Scheduler no longer works and sometimes the machine won't boot). These seem like very specific problems - one thing works, several similar things don't, and the UI is messed up period, and if it's not the antivirus and it's not custom content, I'm not sure what to do next.
Mad Poster
#8 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 10:47 PM
The install files can be made read-only, not the Doc files (you won't be able to play if the Doc files are read only).

If you're having troubles with your computer outside the game too, then that might be the issue. The computer not booting or Windows messing up could potentially be hardware failing. You may want to get it looked at.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#9 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 11:04 PM
My guess is something updated on your computer, probably windows. I would check and roll back.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#10 Old 2nd Oct 2018 at 11:24 PM
I'm going to have to go to work but before I go, and before I tackle rolling back the update, I tried to start the game on safe mode. It gave me the 'directx 9 error - it did that earlier in the day so I downloaded and installed another version of directx 9 although I have that software since the game's been running up until this morning. Safe mode probably makes it impossible to locate.

I'll do the roll back later and hope that it works. The alternative is pretty grim. If I have to reinstall windows at least I've got another copy of Win 7 which I bought a couple of years ago just in case. I'd hate to go through the game installation only to find that it still won't work.

Thank you for holding my hand. Hope rolling windows back is the solution.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#11 Old 3rd Oct 2018 at 2:47 AM
If you were on Radeon I would have said you used one of their DirectX9 game breaking updates, but you are on Nvidea. You could still try installing DirectX9 again, I did.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Turquoise Dragon
retired moderator
#12 Old 3rd Oct 2018 at 2:58 AM
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#13 Old 3rd Oct 2018 at 6:48 PM
I took it in to get evaluated and the tech wrote on the ticket that his recommendation would be 'buy new pc' which is NOT what I want, so we'll see. It'll probably be a couple of days until I hear back from them.

Thank you all so much.
Mad Poster
#14 Old 3rd Oct 2018 at 8:11 PM
This may not work, but ask them to check the power supply - I once went through months of agony because nobody thought about that.
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#15 Old 3rd Oct 2018 at 9:26 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Justpetro
This may not work, but ask them to check the power supply - I once went through months of agony because nobody thought about that.
Thanks! I wouldn't have thought of that either, and because it's 6 or 7 yrs old, it could very well be that.
Scholar
#16 Old 3rd Oct 2018 at 10:36 PM
may be but before you start to panic and making decision in random order let's try be reasonable, OK? Honestly it seems like the game is not really able to reach it's own files, as mentioned above - folders are either locked (antivirus case) or the game has no right to read them (rather unlikely);

anyway:

1. check the disk condition (HDD) [ https://www.thewindowsclub.com/hard-disk-drive-health ]
shortly: type in command line (without the quotes) "wmi diskdrive get status"
if the result is not "OK" you have trouble, still do not panic
2. make important data backup 3. (if the result was not "OK" get the new drive anyway) otherwise:
3a run the check drive integrity - standard windows "check for errors" option it will demand system restart, when the procedure is done and you log in again
4. run the windows file integrity check: in command line (again without quotes) type "sfc /scannow" if some files got borked they will be replaced from hidden Windows backup partition
if the DirectX error still comes up, reinstall DirectX9c from MS site. *Do not try to uninstalling them*
check game files integrity (Origin)

system and drive health check are important - there is little sense to go into restore right away if you have problem with the data integrity. Since W7 filesystem and Windows itself are quite resilient but things happens.


favorite quote: "When ElaineNualla is posting..I always read..Nutella. I am sorry" by Rosebine
self-claimed "lower-spec simmer"
Field Researcher
Original Poster
#17 Old 23rd Oct 2018 at 8:05 PM Last edited by jain : 31st Oct 2018 at 10:29 AM. Reason: Resolved
Default Game Does Not Respond to Basic Commands [Resolved]
I'm sorry I didn't follow up - illness and problems with renters tearing bookcases off the wall among other things. I ended up taking the computer to Best Buy where I have a service contract (Geeks on Call). It took them a week and 3 visits but the computer did finally work - no corruption messages, no failure to boot, much quicker. They found problems with the registry among other errors that sound like computer housekeeping issues. However, the game problems persisted. I gave up, gathered everything I thought I would need, uninstalled and reinstalled. It took a couple of days to get the graphics working the way I wanted but it seems fine now. I had extensive backups.

Throughout all this and even after being uninstalled and reinstalled, that 4GB patch remained intact.

Thank you for all your help and moral support. I don't know what caused the game to fail, perhaps the registry problems they found.
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