I think I found the problem, but it isn't solved yet (see #11).

Original message
Hello everyone,

Like the title suggests, I have installed the Sims 2 since I got my laptop nearly exactly a year ago and it worked fine since then, even with a load of CC/mods. I haven't played the game for about 2 months, and when I wanted to play again, I decided to take a few mods out that I wouldn't miss. I hoped this would improve playing speed. I took the mods out and started a new neighbourhood. Then I noticed my game hampering and, seemingly when the working load was too much, crashing. I say 'seemingly when the working load was too much' because it happened more often when playing large (college) families. Now I'm a week further (without a lot to do ) and I have tried several things to fix the problem.


This is what I thought the problems could be and how I tried to resolve it:

- My RAM memory couldn't handle the Sims 2 anymore. I followed Jessa's tutorial in the sticky thread on this forum. Indeed, my config-log showed I had 1024 MB (free) memory, which is even less than the 2 GB everyone speaks about. I applied the 4 GB patch succesfully, and though I had the idea the hampering was gone, it had not made a difference concerning the crashing. I went to a university household counting 12 members (I use BO's Unlimited Sims), and the game ran smoother, but it still crashed within 5 minutes. This makes me wonder whether I crash because of the working load.
Two things should be noted about the 4 GB patch: first, my config-log said I had 4096 MB memory, but only about 3500 free memory. For a relatively new laptop, I thought this was weird. However, it was still three times more memory than I had, and the game ran fine before.
Second: the 4 GB patch continuously uninstalls itself, even when I place the Sims 2 startup file in my CSBin folder. I don't know what triggers it: yesterday I kept on checking the config-log as I launched the Sims 2 several times in order to try fix the problems and I got the 4 GB values (also when crashing in the university household mentioned above), but this morning it's been set back to 1024 MB. I haven't really played this morning, as I encountered a new problem (see below), so I don't know (yet) whether the hampering has returned.
Assuming the patch worked yesterday: Jessa also advises to run a program called 'Empty Standby List Memory'. I tried that, but ended up cancelling it again, as I saw the black cmd-screen popping up every 5 minutes, driving me crazy (crazier? ). Moreover, I also found it made little difference.

- My computer is getting slow. I ran three ( ) virusscanners and they found nothing. I also closed down some background programs that I really didn't need. I also installed Razer Cortex, which also closes down several programs that I don't need during gaming, allocating more memory to the game. None of it helped.

- The Custom Content is the problem. My game worked fine until now, and I hadn't recently added new CC/mods, so I didn't suspect. However, I know it's a common cause for problems and I also started to wonder whether there is a piece of Custom Content that was not safe to take out. I started the game without my Downloads and Neighbourhoods folder (I don't have a SavedSims folder). I created a new test neighbourhood and a large test family. The hampering was there (in hindsight, the 4 GB patch had uninstalled itself), but it was less and I didn't crash. I now suspect that CC/mods are not the cause of the problem, because a new neighbourhood without a CC is of course also a lot smoother for the game to run, especially with the empty stealth hoods from Jawusa (which are located in my Sims 2 Ultimate Collection folder, not in the Sims 2 folder and I had therefore not taken out). That takes me back to the memory problem.

- The user files have become corrupted. I let the game generate a new Sims 2 folder. It has not helped a single bit. I tried empty, read-only cache files, without succes either.

- There is a problem with my Sims 2 Ultimate Collection folder. I didn't really think this had anything to do with it, but it was something I hadn't tried yet. I have a 'clean' back-up somewhere on my computer and I copied the files to my Ultimate Collection Folder, bearing in mind that I had to keep folders I had changed liked the Graphics Rules folder. There was also some CC there, like the CEP from Numenor. I haven't taken them out, because it would require me to remember where to put everything back and I didn't really suspect those files as they have been there for a very, very long time.


So: I'm a bit stuck on hypotheses and things to try fix the problem. I could of course reinstall the whole game, but I doubt whether that will fix the problem. For now, I decided to keep my Downloads and Neighbourhoods folder out of the Sims 2 folder. I started yet another neighbourhood and decided to play with that one, as apparently the problem worsens within crowded neighbourhoods and with CC/mods installed. However, this is not a longterm fix and I'm gradually re-installing some CC I would really like to have, like ACR and my default faces, skins and eyes. So this morning, I reinstated Phaenoh's keen eyes and they looked very blurry, unlike they did before I took them out. Now I don't know whether I should reinstall the files (what would moving the files really do with them...?), but I see this as a bad sign and stopped playing for now.

Anyone got any ideas or suggestions on how to fix this?
Thanks!

EDIT: I'm running Windows 10. I know W10 especially has crashing problems, but again: it has worked fine until now...
EDIT2: The eyes were fine, I had tuned down the graphics to a minimum and that was apparently causing the blurriness.

3500 free memory sounds like your laptop is not capable of using the 4 gb patch properly. They should read the same.
Did you update anything, windows, graphic driver, anything?
Are you running as Admin?
What happens with no CC (make a full backup first)
Are your graphic rules set? Does it show in your config-log.txt file?
Is the drive your sims on getting full?
Is your virus protector set to ignore all Sims 2 files?
Did you try to fix your game in Origin?
Is your game set to run on capability mode? That will take off the 4 gb patch.

I am wondering if you have worn your laptop out. Like a little hatchback trying to pull a caravan up a hill, you can burn them out if you are using high textured CC. Are you using a cooling pad and has it been dusted out? Overheating can cause crashing.

Thanks for your many suggestions!

- About the updates: Windows 10 keeps updating itself and I've checked, I'm fully updated. My graphics card (Intel UHD Graphics 620) is fully updated too.
- I don't run the game in compability mode. I have run it previously as an admin before, but cancelled that for the 4 GB patch: is it safe to enable that option in the compability menu, or should I right-click that option every time I want to launch the game?
- I will try running without any CC in both folders later today and let you know.
- The graphics rules are set, but I don't know how to read that off my config-log. I just see it happening in game. Though I have noticed that with replacing the game folders, my UserStartup file permanently disabling the shadows is not being read or has been deleted. I should reinstate that file, but no shadows is easily fixed with turning them off in-game (and causes no problems further when there's no snow). About the eyes (which I will edit in the previous post): I had my graphics set to the lowest possible, but when I tuned them up a little , the eyes appeared correctly again.
- About that log: it read 4096 MB both in memory and free memory, for the first time, before I opened the Sims 2. Now I've ran the Sims 2, it says 3860 MB free memory again. It ran relatively fine (with the greatly reduced CC) and I didn't crash, but it does keep sounding not too great. My laptop has 8 GB RAM memory, so I guess it's perfectly possible that there's no 4 GB left for the Sims 2. I'm surprised that such an old game needs so much memory, but well, I guess that's the CC's fault.
- My drives (C: for documents, D: for program x86) both have enough space left.
- I saw the Sims 2 game files appearing during the scans, so I guess (at least one of) the scanners have seen them.
- I don't use Origin for the Sims 2: I've got a disc version with a no-cd.exe file installed. That's also why I put the Sims 2 launcher in the CSBin folder, in the TSBin folder it was a guaranteed uninstall

Purely based on feeling (I'm no computer expert, everything I read is from googling and following instructions), I think your image of the hatchback trying to pull a caravan up the hill is what's happening. My laptop doesn't feel warm though. However, dusting off cooling pads is always good advice... I just think I need to keep the amount of CC down But I have one question left: is it really problematic to have 3,5 GB available when I tune the amount of CC seriously down? Or are those two separate problems?

EDIT: I found my startup file in a back-up and copied it to the proper place again (downloads folder, my bad). It also has a line concerning the amount of Sims that can live on a lot, so that may also have something to do with crashing while having the 4 GB patch installed in a 12-Sim household...

By asking if anything updated, I didn't mean this as a good thing, but a bad thing. Sims 2 is a very old game that doesn't always play nice with all modern updates. You want any updates to be done manually by choice so you know exactly what is changing and when. This way you can say Game played fine until this window update on X date, then you know what to roll back. Don't assume updates = good as many times updates are what caused borkage. That includes graphic drivers. AMD had a series early in the year that broke directX 9 games.

Just try right-clicking and run as Admin and see if it changes anything.

If your graphic rules are done correctly your Config log will list your card under Name Driver and Name database. If it isn't set you might see (not in data base) after the cards name.

The game updates the config-log.txt with correct information regarding the game each time you load. If that says 3500 then that is what it is using. Your RAM is okay but something else must not be to get that figure. I'm not that techy I just know the basics, and had 3 months of troubleshooting my new computer early in the year. I am more familiar with desktops not laptops. I had to update my graphics card, power supply (That was more important than I knew) and RAM (I went to 32 because of my cc). I could run 2.5- 3Gigs of CC okay, but add more (I had 14) well see this post #56 http://modthesims.info/showthread.p...542#post5378542 9wait for the picture to load) But this is a desktop built for gaming. I think you are seeing something similar (strain) but with a lot less chucked at it because it's a laptop.

Make sure to set exceptions to sims 2 files in your antivirus, they have been known to cause havoc.

If you tone down the CC, especially large texture files and turn shadows off and keep some other graphics turned down until your game runs smoothly I think it will be okay. A lot of default hair, for example, has 1024 x 512 texture files. The bigger the texture, the better the definition, but it also means a bigger file and extra strain on the computer.

The amount of sims on a lot will also have an effect as does lots of plants and fences, things like the water pond/ocean mods, moving clouds, skylines and other resource-heavy defaults. Some of the default trees if placed heavily around a hood could cause lag and crashing.

Thanks again for your answer

Trying out last evening without any mods became trying out this evening I backed up my Sims 2 Ultimate Collection folder and replaced it with my clean back-up, only keeping the adapted graphic rules, video card database and patched game launcher (which I had to re-patch, again). The game, as expected, ran relatively smooth. This time I made no test neighbourhood, but chose one of the premade, as to have more working load needed for the family. The config-log also said 4096 MB for free memory, so that's good (but of course, has not much to do with the availability of CC, probably more with the Razor Cortex program).

About the laptop: a desktop is definitely going to replace this laptop one day but well, I was still studying last year and moving a desktop around is not ideal but you're right that I probably shouldn't strain it too much.

About the graphics card: the config-log does name my card, but at the same time says it's not found in the database. I guess I could work on that, though again, the game has worked fine before (but all little bits help, right?). Luckily, I got Intel, not AMD

About the updates: I think you might be right about that. Just recently, there has been a large Windows 10 update which (amongst others) added a large, ugly white search bar on my task bar. The update has taken place after I played the Sims 2 last time (acting normally) and before I wanted to play again. I'm now wondering whether that update could have worsened the running of the game, admittingly for the sole reason that the task bar also acted oddly when I wanted to minimise the Sims 2 in order to check the config-log. When I reopened the game again, the task bar remained visible; which is not fun if you want to exit the game from neighbourhood screen. Right now, with the Sims closed, the big, uggly white search bar seems to be 'gone': the space where it was located, is now black like the rest of the search bar. The update was bigger than only the search bar, and of course, like you say, there have probably been many updates, so I wouldn't know where to start troubleshooting there.

And thanks for giving me the 1024 x 512 texture number. It's good to have some sort of reference!

About your post: I'm not exactly seeing what you're seeing: I don't see heads appearing in the middle of the neighbourhood screen. Though I have taken the same neighbourhood to test tonight: I did notice that when I looked into the appartment block with the father + child daughter and the mother + toddler daughter families (don't know their English names), and then went directly looking into the caravan appartment block, the second appartment seemed to be taken by the father + childdaughter family (while the first appartment seemed to be rightly allocated to a single blond woman). As if the menu had not completely reloaded itself, or as if two menu's were overlapping. When clicking on the father + childdaughter family, the game looked like it realised its mistake and the correct menu appeared. Though I came to realise that the 4 GB patch had (yet again) uninstalled itself, maybe by moving the launcher around, so that could also have been the cause.

Only a very few of us had that particular graphical nightmare, so I am not saying 'you will have this' just that there will be some kind of crashing issue and possibly some kind of corruption.

That update, you're sure is a legit win 10 update and not a browser hijacker? Can you roll back?

You can find out the texture size in simPE. Another thing I tried which seemed to help with pink flashing (yeah also had that) is I moved my default hairs down to SavedSims. Just so it got read and loaded at a different time.

Not found in the database means your graphic rules are not working.

Are you the admin on your computer? And compatibility mode isn't on? Crashing can uninstall the patch and yes moving the executable means making a new desktop shortcut.

There was a new patch recently that caused cpu's to work overtime on Windows 10 tied to the search function. I would check task manager and see how much cpu is being used.

A recent Win update did stuff to the search function and caused 40 percent more cpu usage. (thanks for letting me know on Discord Gina)
I really think that is the culprit. If you can possibly roll back, do so.

Thank you both! I saw multiple times that nearly half of my RAM memory was being used (cpu now, with only google chrome open, also says 48%), which means that 4 GB RAM is left (which, normally, diminishes over time, explaining the lower figures in the config-log). I hadn't considered that this could have changed recently.

I searched for information on that update and it mainly had to do with Cortana. I don't see Cortana appearing in my task manager and my search bar is also 'normal' (though, large). If it is indeed this update, Microsoft is working on a fix, being expected mid September. As I can't figure out which update I should roll back (I have found an update number, but I can't see those numbers in the settings menu), I could also try to wait a little. Before I mess up my computer And in the meantime (or, longer if it's not that update), I should wait and be cautious with overloading the Sims 2 I guess.

There was update that has fixed this issue btw.

Thank you for letting me know! Though it seems like the update wasn't the problem after all...

I think I have coincidentally found the crashing problem (or, at least, one of the major crashing problems).
What was happening: I didn't crash anymore in the lots I entered, except for one university household. Crashing happened always nearly immediately, making it difficult to investigate the problem (and: moving Sims out!).
What I did/tried: Whenever I invite all of the Sims over, there is no crashing at all, so I guessed the problem wasn't the Sims themselves. I also tried removing them from the lot, then removing several pieces of furniture (CC and unnecessary extra furniture in order to reduce working load) and moving them back in, but that didn't help either. The game also ran very smoothly when inside the empty lot, so I guessed that wasn't the problem either. Then I decided to create another student, place her in a dorm, and try to add half of the members of the old household to the new one (again, in order to reduce working load). I could add three Sims to the household without any problems.
What I found: When I added a fourth Sim the next day, I nearly immediately crashed again. I then tried adding only this Sim to the household and: crashed again! It appears that this particular Sim is the problem. Specifically, I believe that clicking the work tab made me crash (which explains why it always happens so fast, I want to know where my students are standing). I realised he was following a custom major and made him change his major with Frika's Majors Made Easier to a default Maxis one, then I clicked the tab again and crashed again.

So: a new old problem Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be wrong and how I could fix this? If not, I don't have any trouble killing him off, this particular Sim would make a great story Though I prefer knowing what's happening, so I can avoid/fix it in the future.
This Sim was born a Plantsim and turned normal (so he could have a normal childhood and university life), though I don't know whether that's relevant.

I had a sim like that once, I killed him off. There could be a way to fix him in simPE, depending on what was wrong with him. I would at least load it up and see what he looks like in there.

Unfortunately, SimPE doesn't work correctly on my computer. Oh well, too bad!

Thank you for all your help, I really appreciate it

^ Any reason why?
If your game is not installed in the original default location (on D drive or if you have the UC), SimPE may not be able to find your game properly, which may be why it's not working.

I went through my old bookmarks and only saw this reply now, so excuse me for reviving an older topic, but this might still be interesting to me :x

My Sims 2 game is indeed not installed on the default location. I got a C-drive with 200 GB space and a D-drive with 1 TB space, so I tend to install as much as possible on the latter. SimPE has trouble opening screens, and if I click through the screens too quickly, it just freezes. Not like I get a 'no reaction' message from Windows, but more like it isn't loading anything and there's nothing I can do about it. I have previously managed to open my neighbourhood and custom majors (which are in my documents folder, so on the default C-drive), although I haven't been able to edit much there. I wanted to translate some custom majors (because it looks stupid to have a lot of English text within a Dutch game ), but I really wasn't able to go through all of the screens. One screen stayed black while it should have been white, or vice versa. Ultimately I just gave up

I thought this was just the result of an incompatibility between SimPE and Windows 10. But if this is fixable, I'd be interested to know how :D