[DosFreak]

This thread is for all Sims 2 Problems that involve getting the game to work.

If you wish to post in this thread then you MUST read the following information. Any person who does not read this information and posts for help will be utterly and totally ignored.....unless you decide to give the people who help money in return for their services.


If you know what kind of computer you have (how much memory, HD space, video card, processor, etc) then post these if you can.

If you do not then AFTER you have read the below information then you should use DXDIAG to discover your video card information.

To report your processor information then:
Go to Start
Go to Run
Type in MSINFO32
Click on System Summary
Right-Click System Summary
Go to Save as Text File
Save the file and post the results to this forum.





The Sims 2 Video Card Problems

Video cards supported with the Sims 2

ATI Radeon Series (7000 or better)
- Radeon 7000/VE Series (no Hardware T&L, 2.0 GHz Processor needed)
- 7200, 7500
- 8500, All-In-Wonder 8500
- 9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800
- X300, X600, X800

Nvidia Quadro Series
- Quadro, Quadro2, Quadro4

Nvidia GeForce Series (GeForce 2 or better)
- GeForce2
- GeForce3, 3 Ti
- GeForce4, 4Ti, MX 420, 440
- GeForce FX 5200, 5600, 5700, 5800, 5900, 5950
- GeForce 6600, 6800

Intel Extreme Graphics (no Hardware T&L, 2.0 GHz Processor needed)
- 82845, 82865, 82915

Users of the Intel Extreme Graphics series or the Radeon VE series will need a 2Ghz processor as these cards don't support T&L.

List of unsupported video cards

ATI Rage Fury
Matrox Millennium G400
Matrox Millennium G550
NVIDIA Riva TNT2
Matrox Parhelia
ST Micro KYRO
S3 DeltaChrome S8
SiS 315
Trident Blade XP
SiS Xabre 400
XGI Volari

Go to these places for the latest drivers for your video card or motherboard:
Asus: www.asus.com
ATI = www.ati.com
Creative Labs: www.creative.com
Guillemot: www.guillemot.com
Hercules: www.hercules.com
Intel = www.intel.com
Matrox = www.matrox.com
Nvidia = www.nvidia.com
MicroStar: www.msi.com.tw
PNY: www.pny.com
PowerVR = www.powervr.com
S3 = www.s3graphics.com
Sapphire: www.sapphiretech.com


or whoever manufacturers your computer download the latest video card and motherboard drivers.


To check what kind of video card you have:

Click "Start"
Go to "Run"
Type in "DXDIAG"
Go to the "Display" Tab
Note "Name" and "Manufacturer"


Error: "Failed to find any Direct X 9.0c compatible grapics adapters in this system! Please make sure you have Direct X 9.0c compatible graphics adapter and have installed the latest drivers provided by the manufacturer. The application will now terminate."


1. Click Start->Run, in the open box write "dxdiag", without quotes.
Go to the Display tab.
Check DDI version. If less than 9 then you may need a new graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0C.
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20041004/vga_charts-02.html
http://graphics.tomshardware.com/graphic/20031229/index.html

2.Set the display to 16-bit color. To make this change, follow these steps:
a. Click on the Start menu and select Settings, Control Panel, and then double-click on Display.
If using Microsoft Windows* XP: Click on the Start menu and select Control Panel, "Switch to Classic View" if the category view is shown, and then double-click on Display.

b. Select the Settings tab.

c. Change the Color Quality (Color Depth) to 16-bit color.

3. Run the game with the -w switch which forces the game to run in a window. To add this switch, follow these steps:

a. Right-click on the The Sims 2 game and left-click on Properties. You can do this either on the game's shortcut on the desktop or on the game's entry in the Start menu.

b. Add a space and -w to the end of the Target field, so that it looks like this:

"C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2\TSBin\Sims2.exe" -w

Note: The actual path may vary depending on where the game was installed. Make sure that the -w goes outside the quotation marks and that there is a space between the last quotation mark and the -w.

c. Click OK.


4. Windows may not have Hardware Acceleration enabled.

Click on Start.
Click on Run...
Type dxdiag into the box.
Click OK.
Click on the Display tab.
Find the DirectX Features box.
The first feature is DirectDraw Acceleration. It should say Enabled next to it. If it says Disabled, click the Enable button.
The second feature is Direct3D Acceleration. It should say Enabled next to it. If it says Disabled, click the Enable button.
The third feature is AGP Texture Acceleration. It should say Enabled next to it. If it says Disabled, click the Enable button.
Once all three are enabled, close the window.


You may also need to do the following:


Windows 9x:
Click Start, select Settings and choose Control Panel.
Double-click the System icon. The System Properties will open.
Click the Performance tab.
Click the Graphics button. The Advanced Graphics Settings window will appear.
Locate the hardware acceleration adjustment bar. (It will show the words None and Full at each end.)
Move it to Full.
For the new setting to take effect, click OK and restart the computer when prompted.
Launch and use the program.

Windows XP/2000:
Close programs and all windows and return to the desktop.
Right-click a blank area on the desktop and left-click Properties from the menu that appears. The Display Properties will open.
Click the Settings tab.
Click the Advanced button.
Click the Troubleshoot tab. A window will open with the display adapter type identified on the title bar.
Locate the hardware acceleration adjustment bar. (It will show the words None and Full at each end.)
Move it to Full
For the new setting to take effect, click Apply and then click OK.
Click OK again to close the Display Properties window.
Launch and use the program.

NOTE: If the issue remains, repeat the above procedure and move the hardware acceleration slide bar to the left one additional position. (Do not select the NONE setting, which is the setting to the far left.)


5. You may have a corrupted install of DirectX
On the Sims 2 CD/DVD in the DirectX Folder.
Copy the dsetup.dll to:
\Windows\System for Windows 9x
or
\Windows\System32 for Windows XP. (WINNT for 2000)

Try reinstalling DirectX from the Sims 2 CD/DVD if this does not work.
If the DirectX install errors out then try copying the DirectX folder to your computer and installing DirectX from there.

6. Q: Why does the game crash at 'Blurring Reality Lines' in the loading screen?
A: This is usually caused by an error with your video card. First, verify that your video card is compatible with The Sims 2. You need (at minimum) a T&L-capable video card with at least 32 MB of video RAM.

7. Sims 2 may hav problems with odd refresh rates. Try forcing your display to 60hz. Also disable or uninstall any refresh rate changing programs.

The Sims 2 CD/DVD Problems

Error: "CD/DVD emulation software has been detected. Please disable all CD/DVD emulation software and re start the game"



1. Uninstall virtual drive software. (CloneCD/Alcohol/Daemon Tools)
You may also have to delete the registry keys for these programs manually.

2. Patches needed to fix CD/DVD problems:

For Windows 9x - Install the latest DCOM
http://www.microsoft.com/com/dcom/dcom98/download.asp

For Windows XP - Install the Safedisc Patch
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=35831

For Windows 2000 - Install the Safedisc Patch
http://www.macrovision.com/products/safedisc/downloads.shtml

3. Turn on/off DMA mode on your CD/DVD player.

Windows 9x
1. right mouse click on My Computer and click properties
2. change to the tab "Device Manager"
3. open the device manager and navigate to your DVD/CD-ROM
and click on the "+"
4. right mouse click on your DVD/CD-ROM and choose properties
5. check if you have DMA Transfer Mode (or something like that)
checked and if so uncheck it!
6. click ok and then start the pc new


Windows XP:

1. click on "Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Hardware ->
Device Manager"
2. open the Device Manager and navigate to the entry "ide Controller"
3. right mouse click on the channel on which your DVD/CD-Rom (Primary or Secondary depending on which controller
your CD/DVD-ROM is) and choose properties.
4. Check if your CD/DVD-ROM is running in DMA or PIO mode and change if needed to PIO
5. confirm with ok and restart


If you have to switch to PIO mode to play this game then you may want to try to figure out why you must do so. DMA is much better than PIO.


4. Q: I can't build walls, plant trees, use chairs or tables.
A: Rumour is that this has to do with using a NOCD Patch. Don't do that.



5. Q: The install halts at XX%!
A: This may be because of a bad/dirty CD. Check the CD for scratches or dirt. If none then the CD may be bad. Try the CD in another computer. If you still have the same problem then try the suggestions posted above.


6. Q: I stick the CD in the drive but it can't see it!
A: Verify that your aren't sticking a DVD into a CD drive. If you aren't then try the above suggestions.


Sims 2 Crashing Problems

1. Your computer may have bad memory. Download the following tool to test your memory.
http://www.memtest.org/


Programs to check your PC
Sims 2 Checker Tool
http://sims.servopro.com/downloads/download.php?download=http://sims2.servopro.com/TS2SysReqc.zip



Other threads to try

The following thread helps people who have problems upgrading to DirectX 9.0C from Directx 9.0b. I will not include instructions from that thread on this one as this thread is geared more towards the "average" user. If you have the problem mentioned and are capable of doing it then here is the link:
http://www.ntcompatible.com/thread28739-2.html




Thanks to everyone who has posted solutions to the Sims 2 on these forums. The advice above was taken from this site and many others and collected into what you see above. I take no credit for the advice above except for the collection of it into the post you see before you.

[bmoffatt]

According to Game Advisor, my computer should be able to run Sims 2, but yet it installs and gets to about the part where it says "Blurring Reality Lines," and then the whole screen turns multi-neon colors, the game closes, and the screen is big and ugly, like safemode:

Your PC has:

[yes] Processor: Intel Pentium 4 2793MHz
[yes] Graphics Card: Intel® 82865G
[yes] Memory: 510MB
[yes] Free Disk Space: 62.01GB
[yes] Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP

Then it shows the Minimum PC at the yellowish lines and mine's all the way to the top green.



I almost give up.bold text

[DosFreak]

You probably have too little memory.

Download the latest graphics drivers from www.intel.com
Also go into your Bios and see if you can change AGP Aperture Size to a higher value, like 64mb or 128mb.

[Hagrid]

I ran TS2 for some time using the No CD crack that utilises Daemon tools Which I now realise is wrong and if or when I get TS2 running I won't use it again
I d/led quite a lot of stuff - clothes, objects etc almost all from Sims Resource and everything was fine
I then didn't play for about a week as I was too busy but I did d/l a few things from TSR again
When I went to play the game again all I got was the logo for a few seconds Then a MS error message

The Sims 2 has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Error signature
AppName: sims2.exe AppVer: 1.0.0.994 ModName: ~deeca4.tmp
ModVer: 0.0.0.0 Offset: 00023797

I did everything I could find to do Uninstalling TS2 and removing all downloads and registry details
I am having no luck at all

Here are system details

Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: NVIDIA
System Model: AWRDACPI
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon™ 64 Processor 3000+, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.0GHz
Memory: 1024MB RAM
Page File: 382MB used, 2077MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode

Card name: NVIDIA GeForce FX 5900
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce FX 5900
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0331&SUBSYS_92921462&REV_A1
Display Memory: 128.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (75Hz)

Model: _NEC DVD_RW ND-3500AG
Driver: c:\windows\system32\drivers\cdrom.sys, 5.01.2600.2180 (English), 8/4/2004 01:07:00, 49536 bytes

I have a 200 gig HDD partitioned thus

Drive C:
Description Local Fixed Disk
Compressed No
File System NTFS
Size 11.72 GB (12,584,644,608 bytes)
Free Space 3.39 GB (3,634,728,960 bytes)
Volume Name
Volume Serial Number E438C6E7

Drive D:
Description Local Fixed Disk
Compressed No
File System NTFS
Size 58.22 GB (62,512,095,232 bytes)
Free Space 16.13 GB (17,317,027,840 bytes)
Volume Name Data
Volume Serial Number 3B58F4E9

Drive E:
Description Local Fixed Disk
Compressed No
File System NTFS
Size 58.16 GB (62,446,292,992 bytes)
Free Space 30.08 GB (32,300,057,600 bytes)
Volume Name Games
Volume Serial Number 030FC8E4

Drive F:
Description Local Fixed Disk
Compressed No
File System NTFS
Size 58.21 GB (62,503,866,368 bytes)
Free Space 2.73 GB (2,929,795,072 bytes)
Volume Name
Volume Serial Number E558A321

I have tried installing TS2 on all the partitions

If any more info is needed just ask
I am tearing my hair out
I have uninstalled Daemon and done everything else I can think of
I still have 2 'ghost' DVD/CD drives appearing that I cannot seem to get rid of
ANY help at all will be greatly appreciated
The one thing I have noticed is that there are still 2 'ghost' cd drives showing and I cannot seem to get rid of them

[Edited by Hagrid on 2005-03-01 07:38:10]

[Wilhelmus]

Try reinstalling Deamon tools and use it to remove those 'ghosts'/virtual drives. Then uninstall it again.

[LadyShark]

Hi.
I had no problems running the sims 2. The pc I'm using is apparently quite good enough to run the game, because all the graphics are tuned to the top and it still runs smoothly. And has been doing it since Christmas (over 2 months). I've installed the first patch from eagames' website and everything is joyful. Until I start using Cheat Codes.
Nice cheat codes like "motherlode" and "intprop censorgridsize 0" are fine and doesn't mess with the game other than what they are suppose to do. But when I use "boolProp testingCheatsEnabled true" and Shift-click everything to see what the cheat does, it messes with the game. Especially after I get males to give birth to several alien babies. Now all of a sudden, cars that transport people from the lot (taxi, car pool, School Bus) either don't show up at all or creates an error (the error message only appears when the cheat is on true, not false).
Error message:
"An error occured in object "Car - School Bus - 0,8" #400. Error: Tree Break Encountered. The Stack Trace is saved in "C:\ (...) \Logs\ObjectError_N002_t303280.txt". "

What should I do (other than the obvious: not cheat)?
I've never installed any other patch than the one provided by ea games, and all the cheat codes are preinstalled in the game by the publisher, otherwise they wouldn't excist. Is this a bug? How do I fix it?

-LadyShark

The summary that you wanted from msinfo32:

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name ROFFEN1231
System Manufacturer VIAK8T
System Model AWRDACPI
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 12 Stepping 0 AuthenticAMD ~2043 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD 6.00 PG, 16.06.2004
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
User Name ROFFEN1231\Marius
Time Zone W. Europe Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 512,00 MB
Available Physical Memory 223,36 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2,00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1,96 GB
Page File Space 1,22 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

Oh and another thing: I Right-Clicked the System summary, but all I got was the option "What's This"...

[maxeh]

Allo people.

P4 2.4Ghz, 512MB PC2100 RAM, 80Gb HDD, 8GB's Spare.
Graphics : Nvidia Geforce 4 MX440 - Directx 9.0c installed, along with latest nvidia drivers.

I am posting on behalf of my sister. I have an administrator account, she has limited access. She tried to install it but failed, so I came over, put my details in and installed it for her on her account, onto the computer. It worked fine. Came back later, and it will not work on her account. However, it works fine on mine.

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 1 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
Activation Status Activation Pending (30 days remaining)
System Name HYBRID
System Manufacturer eMachines, Inc.
System Model Imperial
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 15 Model 2 Stepping 7 GenuineIntel ~2392 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix 6.00, 12/09/2002
SMBIOS Version 2.31
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\System32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United Kingdom
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.1106 (xpsp1.020828-1920)"
User Name HYBRID\Jennifer
Time Zone GMT Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 278.27 MB
Total Virtual Memory 1.34 GB
Available Virtual Memory 944.29 MB
Page File Space 863.88 MB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

I concur with above post - all it comes up with is, 'whats this'. I do not wish to allow my sister to have admin privelages! Any help greatly appreciated.

[Wilhelmus]

Your sister limited account, most likely, is not enough for Sims 2.
Try to change her account to power user.

Login with Administrator or user with administrator rights.
1. Right click on My Computer
2. Manage
3. Local Users and Groups
4. Users
5. Right click on the user you want to change
6. Properties
7. Member of tab
8. Add button
9. Advanced button
10. Find Now button
11. From here you see the full list of possibilities (Power User)

Quote:

Activation Status Activation Pending (30 days remaining)

Hmm... Should you activate your Windows...

[maxeh]

'Local users and Groups' is not an option after I've completed steps 1 and 2.

I can look at 'System Tools', 'Storage', 'Services and Applications' and their subgroups, but I cannot find local users and groups anywhere. Please help! Thanks

[Wilhelmus]

Damn. I did not notice that your XP is Home... sorry.
Then you need to make your sister account administrator, as Home only have Limited and Administrator (aka Owner) level users.

[eklund_jimmy]

[maxeh]

Thanks Wilhelmus Ill try and get a copy of Pro then.

[plazza187]

I read this page but I still dont understand what to do, I downloaded sims 2 to my computer I have a numbernine s3 savage4 card i guess, my computer is a aptiva 2174-572 amd athlon500mhz[512kb] 96mb 17gb ide hdd, mimitower[6x5]6x dvd 56k, win98se

when i downloaded the sims 2 game it said this:

Error: "Failed to find any Direct X 9.0c compatible grapics adapters in this system! Please make sure you have Direct X 9.0c compatible graphics adapter and have installed the latest drivers provided by the manufacturer. The application will now terminate."

how do I know what kind of video card to upgrade to. please answer me someone I have no computer knowledge what so ever, I paid 50dollars for this game as a reward for my kids getting a 4.0 on their report cards I feel so bad they cant play please help thanks

more info I hope this helps
sound card ess pci solo-1 direct sound driver
device Id pci/ven_125ddev_1969subsys_06121014re
manuf id 46
product id 46
tpye vxd

video display
sr9-8mb sdram
manuf number nine visual technology
chip type savage4
dac type internal dac

[Edited by plazza187 on 2005-03-24 13:21:20]

[DosFreak]

Sims 2 Forum

http://bbs.thesims2.ea.com/community/bbs...&startRow=1

[rjc1979]

Dell Inspiron 8600
1.4Ghz
512 MB RAM
Windows XP SP2
Nvidia FX Go5650 128MB

I installed the Sims 2 without any problems but every time I try to start the game it freezes on the splash screen and causes a windows XP error. I've followed all the advice above updating my video drivers, sound card drivers, cd/dvd drivers, directx 9c, etc. and nothing seems to work. I've also tried to run it in windowed mode without sound but no luck.

I just downloaded a program that checks for the Sims 2 system requirements and it says that my video card is the problem. Is the Nvidia FX Go5650 truly incompatible with the game? Is there any possibility of a driver that can fix the problem? Does this video card not support Transform & Lighting? Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Richard

[kaz123]

hi. i bought the sims 2 a while back now, and it worked fine on my computer. I then got a virus and had to reboot it, and now the game no longer works. I managed to install it fine, but i also get the error message about not being able to locate directx 9.0c adapters thing. I have installed directx 9.0c, and am confussed as to why the game was able to work before, but doesn't anymore. Please help me, much appreciated
[Edited by kaz123 on 2005-05-30 16:57:36]

[Callan867]

Hey, Iv recently just purchased The Sims 2. And have incountered a bit of a situation. Iv looked through most of the posts but still haven't found any help. I insert the sims 2 cd 1 into the drive. And it starts up as it should, i put in the serial code and thats done. But then it says 'you have Directx version 9.0 installed and the minimal requirement is version 9.0c, do you wish to install it from the cd?' so i click 'ok'. Then it comes up with 'please visit www.microsoft.com to download the latest directx' so i did so, and just at the end of installation it goes (remembering this is the web version) 'File Cabbinet cannoy be trusted' and it closes, NO FREAKING UPDATE! so i try installing a redistributable version. Says the same thing. my next option is to buy a PC cleaning software and fix any problems in the system. If there is anything else i can do, what are they? i'v been trying for 2 days straight now! please help asap! :x

[Wilhelmus]

Try these:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;822798#kb3

[woodendog]

My Windows messed up and stopped reading discs, but this happened before I installed Sims 2 and put it directly onto my hard drive (for quick loading). It always has worked because I still put the disc in but it loaded from the hard drive. But now, without my disc drive, I was forced to make the play disc into a .nrg image file and run it from Alchohol Soft 120%. But it does not work because of the emulation software. I also cannot reinstall windows for a while because the external hard drive I bought online that is going to be used to backup my files won't be here for 6 weeks. Is there any way I can get around the emulator detector to play Sims 2?

[woodendog]

My compy:
ACPI Uniprocessor
Dell Dimension 4300 Pentium 4
Windows XP Home Service Pack 1
1.7 Ghz
256mb RAM
_NEC NR-7900A Disc Drive
Legacy Audio Drivers
NVidia Geforce2 MX/MX 400