Sims 2 is my absolute favorite game and I've played it with no issues on every operating system from XP to 10...until now. I really want to keep playing this game, but all of a sudden without changing anything, presumably after a recent Win10 update (around November time) I get constant crashes. I have tried so many things to fix it but nothing seems to be working.

Is anyone managing to play the game on the current version of Windows 10 at the moment? Or does anyone have any ideas what might have caused my sudden crashes or how I can fix them?

I just got Creator update a few days ago and no issues. Check your mods. Did you install literally any mods between here and there? I installed a custom career and started getting crashes.

Are you using the latest version of UC? If so, this is a known issue. Here's a thread about it that might possibly contain a solution.
http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=8261

I play UC (latest update) on Windows 10 (Latest update) without problems. (I also have a Nvidia card, if that matters).

I know it seems as if several players have a problem, but if it is due to the updates, shouldn't everybody - including me - have that? I can't remember when my game last crashed.

@OP Perhaps you can try this method: http://digitalperversion.net/garden...p?topic=21931.0

It helped fix my crashing issues on my new laptop (W10 and Nvidia).

I do use the 4GB patch - (have used it for some time). I did not need to take any of the steps you had to take, @M.M.A.A.

What I have noticed in my game, is that: a. I don't need the shadow fix anymore (no black boxes anywhere, shadows all back to normal) and b. I can take screenshots again when I play full screen - for a long time I could only do that in windowed mode. (No idea if it is due to the windows update, the nvidia driver update or whatever). So it seems to me that my game has actually improved in some ways.

My hood is not without problems - it is huge, contains all the bin sims and townies, and sometimes it lags a bit - but then I am on the 4th generation there and there are more than 200 families. However, it does not crash. Personally, problems are normally due to something in the custom content (my own fault, every time); and a sim jump bug here and there (I have been able to sort all those out). Besides that, my sims hang out on community lots all the time as well, and no visits to these lots have caused my game to crash.

What has crashed my game in the past: a cc kitchen counter and running out of memory.

It seems that whether you have issues or not is completely random with the new update. Two people with the exact same set up, one has issues the other doesn't. It seems even some people using disks are having issues now. That update certainly made a mess out of things. @CatOfEvilGenious has a thread with everything they have tried so far here. http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=605987

There does seem to be an emerging issue for several people. It might be to do with the combination of Win10 (and it's c***** pushed on updates) and the type of video card you have. There are at least two threads in the Help section discussing this (actually three, I think).

@Justpetro There is definitely an issue with NVIDIA 10 series cards and the latest win 10 update since Mircosoft have alluded to gaming issues. Perhaps you are not on a series 10 card.

Series 10 cards? Ah. I haven't really been playing much, as i'm still doing makeovers on my megahood and doing other life things but so far i've been ok and I have windows 10 (and my computer says it's updated) and I have an Nvidia card but it's 660 Ti...that isn't the 10 series then. I was thinking the same thing as Justpetro...that if it was a windows 10 update + Nvidia card I should be having the same problem but haven't been.

I'm on Windows 10 and the only problem I've noticed with the updated UC is that the shadows are not fixed for me and I still need the shadow fix.

Thank you, Jo - so the problems may be caused then by using Nvidia 10 series cards - not by the Windows update.

I am using a Nvidia 1060 and I have no problems with my game.... yet

That should then, in my opinion, mean that the series 10 cards are not to blame either, @Jules1111. Since if either the update or the 10 series or a combination of both cause crashing, your game should not be working. I also googled and can't find any mention of Microsoft alluding to 10 series cards causing gaming problems.

I can't help thinking hardware may be responsible in at least some cases - when I built up my pc (with some help) I learned a number of things. One is that you can't just replace a component (eg. a graphics card with a better one) or just add anything - you need to improve the cooling as well or you may well run into problems. (I recently found that my graphics card's fan is not working properly, but since it is part of the card, I added more fans to my desktop. I can replace it, but will need somebody to come and do some welding - or I can replace the card with a new one, but, damn, this one works). It is far easier to check hardware on a desktop than on a laptop, of course.

Reading this am I wondering if it will help my game to to do whatever is told, I don't really have much CC as some would expect (only 1.48GB, I am trying to keep it down)
But after I got the UC my game have tendency of... being lacky. Water is in squares, blinking, houses disappear and then reappear when I place things, and even though I use an office computer is it well known that a 2015 laptop should be able to run the game. And no it's not lack of space. I have 1TB space, i have HD graphics... but my laptop runs a quad core. I wouldn't be too happy to have to like, uninstall and install it all again. Again. I already have done this twice due to my game chrashing and then wouldn't start. I've even cleaned up my CC to what I find I use most. which is mostly default hair, skin and eyes replacement.
My game don't crash it's just... lacky. It's not like I can't play, it just set the performance very slow ._.

@OnayaW - it seems accepted that lagging may be caused by Securom with UC. Securom does not work with Windows 10, so the latest Origin update removes it - see this thread for more info:

http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=603256

I can confirm that it is the latest Windows 10 update that has ruined my ability to play Sims 2 (both my discs and the latest Ultimate Collection). I got into contact with Microsoft and they let me revert back to the previous version of Windows 10 and it works fine. However, it would kinda suck to never update Windows again so I have decided to get an additional hard drive and Windows 7 so I can run it on that.

I'm amazed some of you have it working on the latest Windows update - lucky people! But no matter what I try, I can't get it to work on it. And no, I'm running a fresh install with no mods/cc.

Also, I have an NVIDIA GTX 1080.

My game has never stopped working after the update. (I use UC only and can't comment on disks).

I just wonder if players who do have problems may have something else in common. Obviously, the update does not ruin everyone's ability to play.

I'm glad you got it working, Gabby. There's another poster @gwnne I believe, whose game began to work after she rolled back the latest update, too. My computer is running fine with W10 and the old version of UC, but I've been following these threads with interest because you never know when you might need to reinstall your programs.

No offense, but you've been saying this stuff throughout the entire issue, and 'it's not happening to me therefore it's not a big deal' is not really a viable troubleshooting technique, nor is it helpful.

Check out all the threads:

http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/forumdisplay.php?fid=21

CatofEvilGenius and I have both done intensive and detailed testing. I've got multiple Win 10 Pro 1709/GTX1070/UC-installed machines exhibiting the same problems. I've got one completely clean setup (fresh install of Windows 10 Pro, Origin, NVIDIA and UC and nothing else), and I can literally break the game by updating to Windows 1709, and then unbreak it by rolling back to Windows 1703.

Yes, it's a flaky issue, and it's nice that it's not happening to everyone, but please keep in mind it is happening, including to people who know what they're doing.

Perhaps it isn't all the 10 series cards, as Jules has 1060 and it is running fine, but others with 1080 are having problems. so maybe it is 1080 that is the issue. Also, perhaps the update reverted some sort of setting back somehow, that needs to be changed? Or perhaps Nvidia will update to work around the windows 10 update?

I updated my sims 2... Now I can't play at all because black boxes, waaaay more lag and the fact I need to open it through origin... anyone knows how to fix that?

Nevermind
I’m back where I started •-•
Still square after and still the same usual lags

I also found out it may be because my quad core only runs 856 (mb?) in the second
But it runs my paint tool sai completely fine
Same for Clip Studio Paint
Sims
No
Even sims 4 ran better but I love sims 2

I also want to add that I can run on the latest update in the terrible default 800x600 resolution, but that's pretty much unplayable on my 4k monitor. I've always made the same changes to the Graphics Rules.sgr to increase the resolution, but since the Windows 10 update - making those changes now crashes my game even though the same changes work fine on all previous versions of Windows.

In addition, it seems very likely that the update has caused problems for people with 1080s (etc?) only. My boyfriend tried my game on the latest Windows update and with the same Graphics Rules tweaks but on a 970, and it works fine for him.

@gwynne - I certainly have not implied that it is not a big deal. Nobody has narrowed the problem down to something specific; or can actually state that it is the Windows update in combination with a certain Nvidia card, because - I am sorry - but it is not the Windows update on its own and it is not all Nvidia cards (or even 10 series cards). Perhaps @gdayars has a point and perhaps you can look into that. I do hope you can solve it.