Iv'e Lost Everything!

[Flameangel]

I did eactlry what it said posted here http://forums.worldsims.org/showthread.php?t=4466&highlight=reinstall and I my family's aren't there!!!!:(:(:(:(:( I think i'm gonna be sick!

[J. M. Pescado]

You uninstalled the game with the EXPANSION PACK installed, right? That would vaporize your character files, yes. Once you install the expansion pack, uninstalling vaporizes your character files because they won't be compatible with the base game that is left behind after uninstalling. Mirelly must not have warned you about that.

[Flameangel]

What happens is, I changed the copy of the folder after reinstalling to The Sims 2. Then the new copy made to The Sims 2 New. Everytime I go on the sims. It creates a new folder called The Sims 2. That's why it's ALWAYS blank. It keeps creating new folder's!!! But this is my 2nd time reinstalling. It worked perfectly last time! I uninstalled the expansion pack THEN TS2. Should I delete all new folders. Then extract or w/e the old copy to EB Games?

[J. M. Pescado]

I'm totally not sure what you're saying. Except that you uninstalled the expansion pack, which destroys your character saves if you didn't specifically back them up to someplace else before doing so. Bad Mirelly.

[Flameangel]

Sorry. I shall explain CLEARYLY this time what I did.

1.)I did the first part of Mirelly's instructions.
2.) Uninstalled TS2U (I have a back up of ALL my files)
3.)Uninstalled TS2
4.) Installed both again
5.) Named the The Sims 2, The Sims 2 New
6.) Named Copy Of The Sims 2, The Sims 2
7.) Started game.
8.) none of my stuff there (extra neighborhood etc..)
9.)went back to the Eb folder
10.) there was another TS2 created inside that folder
11.) Named that TS2 New
12.) Same thing happened again

Now I got TS2 New, TS2, TS2, TS23. Understand?

[J. M. Pescado]

Nope. Totally and utterly baffled. You still have your files, or you've lost everything? Make up your mind.

[Flameangel]

I still HAVE my files but they WON'T transfer into the game!!!

[J. M. Pescado]

Well, then you shouldn't have acted like you didn't have your files anymore!

Go bug Mirelly some more.

[Flameangel]

Oh ya, That's very helpful JMP. Go bug Mirelly some more. LOL.

[Flameangel]

You guys won't belive how FRUSTRATED I am getting! I just reinstalled again I finnaly got it to work succesfully. I started the game up worked great. Opened the game up everything was normal...except for spawn. Closed the game then open it again and my memories etc is gone again!! I DID ALL THAT FOR NOTHING! I AM GETTING SO FRUSTRATED! If anyone has any advice I will
be EXTREMELY open to it!

[ManagerJosh]

When you reinstall, try this. Before installing Sims 2 University, I recommend that you copy the old Backup Data back to My Documents so that it could be converted over during your Sims 2 University Installation.

[Flameangel]

I got it fully installed and transfered over now. I just want Spawn etc gone! No matter HOW many times I reinstall I still have it!

[Flameangel]

adding to that, previous post. I can't see ANY hacks so there must be one hidden somewhere that is causing the game to create spawn!

[Mirelly]

Ooh I see I've been criticised again and by JMP. I think I'm gonna sob for a while and then I will set fire to my computer and stand around wailing and waving my fists at it and when the fireman comes to put it out I am going to get in his way so he gets frustrated and gets into his big red shiny truck and goes back to wherever it was he came from and then I expect I will discover that my butt is on fire and I will start hopping around like a puppy trying to bite its tail trying to beat out the flames until suddenly I collapse in a smoking heap and a geezer dressed in a dusty black cloak ambles over carrying a big scythe and a 3G phone hooked up to the infranet and thats when all my troubles will really start ....

Now then Flamey, dear. Tell me. Who or what is Spawn and did Manager Josh's sensible advice to return the saved games folder before installing the EP result in your sudden admission of (at least a partial) success? Forgive me for coming across as cynical but I promised you no irrevocable damage so long as you followed my instructions. I meant that. (And JMP knew that, too, else he wouldn't have told you to quit bugging him and to bug me instead :rolleyes: ) So long as you have a copy of your original My Documents/EA Games/Sims 2 folder you can always go back to where you were. Of course it does take a modicum of patience and a willingness (upon your part) to at least try to convey the impression that



you have understood what you have read and have been asked to do
you have taken more than the barest minimum of time in composing your messages that plead for help and advice
when things have gone wrong that you take some trouble to
record what you did ... as you did it ... like with a pencil and paper
you report here what you did ... exactly ... so that there can be no misunderstandings

I am done here. The ball, as they say, is your court sweetheart. I am not pissed off, just frustrated and I am NOT guessing cos I reckon that is exactly how you feel. Share with me, huh?

[Kristalrose]

(((((hugs))))) For Mirelly. Always easiest to criticize the nice people who only try to help, huh??

[Flameangel]

I said above what I did. If you want me to say again I will do so. I did exactly what you said Mirelly. Correctly, I AM very frustrated. I have re-installed the game 4 times now. My problem (that doesn't go away after re0installing) Is that all memories are gone. When a sim get's the option to go to work it is a blank square. I have to hover over it with my mouse to see what it says. When they talk their speech bubbles are scrambeld and I have Spawn. Which is a bad thing. Itis an option my sim has when speaking to another sim or when I click on the sim I am currently using. Example. When I click on a sim I am currently controling it says "Spawn..." as one of the main actions, I click on that and there is 3 more options ALL called spawn. When I click on one of the spawn's a blank square pops up. Then when I hover over it with my mouse it says Freestyle or Freestly For Tips. :mad: The action works properly but I have to do that to find out what option I just clicked on. When clciking on another sim all the option's like "Ventrilo Fart", " Hang Out etc... show up as spawn and blank square. Exactley the same very frustrating ESPECIALLY when you have to go through 13 "SPAWN'S" To get the option you want. Big Breath...... That Is my problem. Reinstalling does not help. I have a hidden hack or somthing I can't find!!!!!

Also, I read Manager Josh's post AFTER I got the files finnaly trransfered over.

[Kristalrose]

Flamey, listen.


1) Take a deep breath.

2) Walk away from the computer. Go take a hot bath and relax.

3) This problem is a known BUG. You (or I, or anyone else that has this problem) did nothing wrong. It is not something you downloaded. I don't know what causes it. The only thing that fixes it is a total clean install that I know of, because everything else I tried did not help. And we are not the only people having these problems. There are a lot of people talking about this at MTS2 and the official BBS.

4) I finally had to convince myself that it is just a game, that all the stress was not worth it, and do the clean reinstall so I could at least play my game. I've had no problems ever since. Now, I'm not saying for you to do this. I'm saying that's what I did. There could be a patch or a mod coming soon that fixes it. I'm sure that there are nice people out there with JMP's expertice who will make one if enough people keep having these problems. If you want to continue to keep your families and no other solutions come, that may be what you have to do.

((((Hugs)))) to you too, hon. I know, believe me, I know how much it frustrates you. It will get better. Like I said, there are tons of smart simmers who can help you. I'm not one of them. But, I can just offer hugs and understanding, because I spent a whole week and lost a ton of sleep trying to fix my sims.

[Flameangel]

How do I do a clean install without losing my families? I appreciate the understanding. Even tho it's just a game we spent SO much time doing it.

[J. M. Pescado]

If you have "spawn", you definitely have a hack of some kind. The *EASY* way to deal with a hidden hack somewhere is indiscriminate mass-destruction. Kill 'em all, reinstall everything you actually want.

[Kristalrose]

I agree with JMP on the "spawn" theory. I get "Spawn" when I use the debugging cheat and then click on a sim. Did you maybe save without telling it turning the cheat off? Could that have caused it? Or maybe there's a hack out there that works like the debugging cheat?

[Mirelly]

(((((hugs))))) For Mirelly. Always easiest to criticize the nice people who only try to help, huh??

LOL Kristal ... shh, dear people are looking and pointing and winking in a knowing way. :o

Flameangel. I am still unclear. Have tried the revised protocol suggested by Josh (and would also have been suggested by me if I hadn't been away from the keyboard).

1. Uninstall
2. Reinstall
3. Return saved Sims 2 folder and play game to check all working as before
4. FINALLY make new copy of Sims 2 folder in case mishap and ...
5. Install EP

Installing the EP permanently alters the saved games' structures so my original instructions wouldn't have worked. I don't apologise because they did not harm either.

If it appears that this Spawn problem is indeed a problem connected with the testingCheats cheat then there lays a salutary lesson for us all. Maxis themselves have stressed that it is unstable and may result in irreparable damage to the game. For the same reason I don't use any of the ingame hacks like Merola's painting and the InSimenator. I do use SimPE but like I said I shan't cry into my pillow when (not if) my hood's all go pearshaped.

If, as it seems increasingly likely to be, your game is beyond repair please do not lose faith with your game, or with us; I am not egotistical enough to worry about your feeling concerning me, I only say that I was trying to help and refer you to my early statements concerning the need to read everything first and take note. The EP (which I didn't have at the time) has installation instructions (both in the manual and in an on screen warning during installation) that clearly warn that the games' saved files will be permanently and irreversibly changed and that going back is NOT an option, so make sure you have a back up if you think you may need to go back. If you did not ensure you had such a back up then you have my sympathy for a tough lesson in always reading the flippin' manual before rather than after. :(

[Flameangel]

Is there an alternative, because every time I uninstall somthing goes wrong it doesn't work then I gotta get my dad to do it. Then he gets mad because it takes SO long! He's very busy so it takes like a week till I get it properly done. Is their an alternative, to un-installing?
P.S. I am not blaming all this fault trouble etc... on you Mirelly! I'm mad at me for downloading stupid stuff then screwing my game. Could it be because when I (after install TS2U 1ST TIME) delete all my hacks I didn't delete them in the seperate homes? Which caused spawn cause it would only be like half their?

[Flameangel]

I....have....decided.... There seems to be NO WAY to fix my problem. Iv'e decided I would be OK with completley reinstalling....not saving ANY of my families starting over completely from scratch. I will only do this if spawn etc... would then be gone FOR SURE! Would it be gone?

[ManagerJosh]

There's no guarentee. I'd still suggest backing up your game.

One other alternative...if you have broadband, I could access your computer and run some diagnostics.

[Flameangel]

1. Ok I will also back up my game
2. What is a broad band
3. I don't think my dad would be happy if I had to some extent a complete stranger accesing my computer....no offence

[ManagerJosh]

Broadband includes, but not limited to cable, dsl, and faster connections. Dialup doesn't fall in this area

And ur welcome to ask your dad about this...the program we use to fix computers remotely is www.realvnc.com (http://www.realvnc.com)

Its an easy program to install/uninstall.

[Angelyne]

This has probably been addressed before but have you tried just moving the download folder to the desktop and loading the game? If you haven't tried this simple solution, you might be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

[Flameangel]

Noone has said that I will try and say what happens 1 mintute

[Flameangel]

Nope, did not work. Sorry Josh. My dad said "no".

[Flameangel]

Nothing worked. :(I ended up starting over from scratch. I kinda wanted to anyway...my town was getting overpopulated.:p I'm gonna make ALL my families Legacy families. :DI wanna thank everyone in this thread who tried to help me fix my problem.images/smilies/smile.gif MANY THANX!!

[KatAnubis]

adding to that, previous post. I can't see ANY hacks so there must be one hidden somewhere that is causing the game to create spawn!

From what I understand, spawn is something that happens when you've used the boolprop cheat. Unfortunately, it's going to be something that's saved in your families, not a hack which you can find in your downloads folder.

So, what is happening that is making it important to remove "spawn". From what I understand, you can just ignore it and use it only when you want to.

Could you explain in more detail. I somehow feel that what you are trying to explain is getting lost in translation.

[Flameangel]

It doesn't matter now. I have done a clean reinstall.

[Kristalrose]

It doesn't matter now. I have done a clean reinstall.

I'm sorry, Flamey. I know that was hard. ((hugs)) But maybe that was for the best. How is it playing now?

[Flameangel]

It works perfectly. I started a new town (kleasmaria) I also made sim copies of all my friends. LoL. It works great now. It was hard to let go tho. Especially since I was sooo far in my Legacy Family.

[Mirelly]

I'm glad that you have managed to get your game running, Flamey. I am also sorry that you had to give up your legacy sims ....

The lesson here, I suppose, for all of us. Back ups should be made regularly. And when using a back up to restore lost games don't actually use the back up! Make a copy of the back up and use that!

[Flameangel]

Also don't download anything unless you REALLY REALLY REALLY want it. Even then be carful about downloading it!