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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 11th Oct 2018 at 4:55 PM Last edited by Dnsouthldy : 11th Oct 2018 at 8:54 PM. Reason: Further evaluations

This user has the following games installed:

Sims 2, University, Nightlife, Open for Business, Pets, Seasons, Bon Voyage, Free Time, Apartment Life
Default Cleaning files from game
Win 7 Professional. 8 Gigs. Intel Core (TM)2 Duo CPU E7500 @2.93Ghz, 64 bit, no pen or touch input, GeForce GT 730 graphics card w 2gb gddr5, Nvidia. Also run external iomega drive for storage and easy access. Original was service pack 1, not positive, but may be upgraded to service pack 3. Memory is 399 of 456 gig free. I have 6734 pkgs in downloads. NOW. I have been doing a lot of reading and searching here and need help in cleaning up some things.

I did not know until recently not to delete sims. I had some deaths and moved to a cemetary and packeged thinking I would be able to use it if I had to reload. Well, yes, it happened. I have been running the Neighborhood cleaner, but still have some problems with stalling and freezing. I realize now what I did wrong, but hate to delete and start over. I don't know anything about going into the game data to find errors.

After further research and evaluations, I think it may be the better option to uninstall and re-install the sims. I have already removed the tainted packages from my stored files, and will be most diligent in my cc lots from now on. Should I also remove saved sims as They were created using downloaded skins?
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Mad Poster
#2 Old 11th Oct 2018 at 9:24 PM
Deleting sims breaks neighborhoods, not entire games! Don't uninstall and reinstall - just delete the broken neighborhoods, if they've become unplayable, and get rid of the packaged lot with sims on it so you don't install it absentmindedly. If you packaged the lot but never removed it from the neighborhood, I don't think the neighborhood is broken, because I don't think packaging the lot does anything to the original sims' codes. I believe only the package is corrupted. If you've deleted sims, bulldozed houses that had graves in them, moved inhabited houses to the lot bin, or installed a packaged lot containing sims (the premade ones in the lot bin seem to be fine, probably because they were created in completely empty environments), then you've broken your hood. Otherwise, the stalling and freezing are probably due to some other cause.

Did you work through the game help FAQ you were directed to before you could make this post? Not just read through it, but followed all the steps? If the cause of your problems isn't neighborhood corruption, you probably can figure out what it is by following those steps. Never mind if it "doesn't make sense." This game is sufficiently complex that chaos theory applies, especially once mods, custom content, and different hardware configurations are factored in. Also, are you running with anti-virus software installed? Some anti-virus programs are very bad about quarantining or deleting files from old programs they don't recognize.

Note that it can be possible to play a broken neighborhood for quite some time. Every broken neighborhood is unique. Some of them blow up immediately, others can limp along for years. Only you can decide what "unplayable" means for your hood.

If the neighborhood in question is one of the premade ones, you can easily reset it; or download Tarlia's cleaned hoods, which are less broken than the original Maxis basegame hoods, though they have some differences that you may not care to have. (Bella is walking around Pleasantview as a townie, for example.)

Make sure you back up your The Sims 2 folder before doing anything drastic! That way if you make anything worse by mucking around, you'll have everything you need to go back to square one.

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.)
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#3 Old 11th Oct 2018 at 11:20 PM
The only times you want to reinstall is if you
A. Are moving to a new computer
B. Corrupted your installation files.

If neither applies you are basically moving books off the shelf onto the floor and replacing without dusting. A whole lot of work for nothing.

Removed tainted packages -um what? Afraid to tell you but all your hood is borked, it's not just tainted packages and you can't just remove things.

Hood corruption: http://sims.wikia.com/wiki/Game_gui...ding_corruption

My advice is to delete all those borked hoods and start fresh.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
#4 Old 11th Oct 2018 at 11:52 PM
So just packaging without removing does damage the inhabitants even though they remain in the hood? Obviously it's a pointless exercise, since using the packaged lot will corrupt any hood it's added to; but it seems to me that the act itself, unlike removing to the lot bin, shouldn't be devastating. Has it been tested?

Anyway, I think we need a little more information about what exactly was and wasn't done to this neighborhood, and what exactly is going wrong in it, to make a diagnosis.

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.)
Test Subject
Original Poster
#5 Old 12th Oct 2018 at 1:39 AM
The neighborhood in question is from a blank template which I used the modify neighborhood cheat to create. I know that I corrupted it as the cemetary that I packaged had several dead sims in it and when I reloaded it, it corrupted the neighborhood. Also the large plantation had 2 sim families living in it, and when I added it, rather attempted to add it , those sims corrupted it further. I did follow the instructions about the mods y'all gave me. I could not find any conflicting mods. So it is something I did out of ignorance. A bitter lesson , yes, but well learned.
Mad Poster
#6 Old 12th Oct 2018 at 2:02 AM
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
So just packaging without removing does damage the inhabitants even though they remain in the hood? Obviously it's a pointless exercise, since using the packaged lot will corrupt any hood it's added to; but it seems to me that the act itself, unlike removing to the lot bin, shouldn't be devastating. Has it been tested?

Anyway, I think we need a little more information about what exactly was and wasn't done to this neighborhood, and what exactly is going wrong in it, to make a diagnosis.


No, packaging up a lot to install later is bad when you install it.
The lot in the hood that was package up is still good as long as it never hit the lot and house bin.

All my Beginning Hoods here at MTS. http://www.modthesims.info/member.php?u=7749491
All my Beginning Hoods as Shopping Districts plus Old Town. http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=523417
MooVille, a tribute to Mootilda and her fabulous lots http://www.modthesims.info/download.php?t=534158
Mad Poster
#7 Old 12th Oct 2018 at 2:17 AM
That's what I thought. And it appears Dnsouthldy did put them back in, so yes, that neighborhood's broken. And if working through the FAQ didn't clean it up, and it's unplayable, restoring from a predamage backup or starting fresh are the only options.

Starting fresh, however, just means deleting that neighborhood and starting a new one/reinstalling the backup.The only way to break your game to the point that it needs reinstalling is to mess with the program files, and the only way to do that from in the game is to mess with the Universal sims (Mrs. Crumplebottom, Grim, etc.), which there's no indication has happened. If you don't have a virus (or an overeager anti-virus) deleting program files, and your hard drive isn't damaged, then reinstalling is waaaaaaay more trouble than it's worth.

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.)
Test Subject
Original Poster
#8 Old 12th Oct 2018 at 7:43 AM
Default Cleaning files
Quote: Originally posted by Peni Griffin
That's what I thought. And it appears Dnsouthldy did put them back in, so yes, that neighborhood's broken. And if working through the FAQ didn't clean it up, and it's unplayable, restoring from a predamage backup or starting fresh are the only options.

Starting fresh, however, just means deleting that neighborhood and starting a new one/reinstalling the backup.The only way to break your game to the point that it needs reinstalling is to mess with the program files, and the only way to do that from in the game is to mess with the Universal sims (Mrs. Crumplebottom, Grim, etc.), which there's no indication has happened. If you don't have a virus (or an overeager anti-virus) deleting program files, and your hard drive isn't damaged, then reinstalling is waaaaaaay more trouble than it's worth.


Thank you so much. I deleted the neighborhood in question and have begun to rebuild. I also understand to reinstall the game is senseless. I had never used a test neighborhood and have one set up to use to help prevent these problems. As I rebuild, I will be testing all mods and custom builds that I have made previously. I very much appreciate your help. I did want to say that this computer is not connected to the internet so I turn off the virus programs until I have to go and upgrade windows and drivers.
Scholar
#9 Old 12th Oct 2018 at 9:49 PM
I'd say - rename your normal Sims2 folder in DOcuments and let the game create a new one. Now, having such sandbox you can safely test anything what you want without ruining normal games. Just remember to place inside said testing folder a file named like " :There_I_Create_A_Mess.txt"; I forgot once and had to rebuild from backup.


favorite quote: "When ElaineNualla is posting..I always read..Nutella. I am sorry" by Rosebine
self-claimed "lower-spec simmer"
Test Subject
Original Poster
#10 Old 13th Oct 2018 at 12:32 AM
Quote: Originally posted by ElaineNualla
I'd say - rename your normal Sims2 folder in DOcuments and let the game create a new one. Now, having such sandbox you can safely test anything what you want without ruining normal games. Just remember to place inside said testing folder a file named like " :There_I_Create_A_Mess.txt"; I forgot once and had to rebuild from backup.


I have a question. Should I find a corrupt build in the test neighborhood, are the other builds corrupted? Do I delete that neighborhood also and start a new test neighborhood?
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