Help a non-awesome person figure out how to work the M&G crack

[FlannelSpoon]

I put the crack where it is supposed to go. When I try to pen the game with the crack it only appeers in Windows Task Manager until 17,000K of memory usage and then it quits. Nothing ever pops up or anything. This is my first time arrring a real game. It worked once, then did they above. I reinstalled and it worked twice and did the same thing.

[J. M. Pescado]

[FlannelSpoon]

I realize that, but what exactly am I doing wrong?

[MissQ]

To start with, exactly where are you installing the crack? Have you bypassed the launcher? Have you tried deleting groups.cashe?

[FlannelSpoon]

I place the crack in C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff\TSBin. I click on the cracked .exe instead of the launcher, and I just deleted groups.cache and now it is complaining about directx9. I am downloading and installing a directX update. Still says DirectX is not working and what not. I just updated my nVidia driver.

[J. M. Pescado]

The non-loadingness is not due to the noCD, then, you have a problem with your system or install, one of these things is broken.

[cwieberdink]

I place the crack in C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff\TSBin. I click on the cracked .exe instead of the launcher, and I just deleted groups.cache and now it is complaining about directx9. I am downloading and installing a directX update. Still says DirectX is not working and what not. I just updated my nVidia driver.

I had the problem too and the crack wasn't installed properly to the right directory.  Try re-copying the cracked .exe to that directory again.  What other EPs and SPs do you have?  Was the game working before M&G?

[Zazazu]

Make sure you are actually clicking on the .exe, not the .ico (icon file). Yes, I've been that stupid and done it.

[FlannelSpoon]

I have every EP and SP. It is a .exe not the icon. The game worked with AL and a few stuff packs before. Re-copied crack and it still is not finding driectX compatible adapters and whatnot. My system is within the specifications required.

[jolrei]

IIRC, there is a thread around somewhere here (you could search) regarding the non-recognition of direct-X.  Might be helpful.

[FlannelSpoon]

I reinstalled my graphics drivers. I will see if reinstalling the game again works. I might also try reinstalling directX too. I have reinstalled a couple times ad nothing is working. Still getting DirectX failure.

[rosess]

Make sure you turn screen savers off.  During a long game load, they can try to launch and complain about DirectX, and it's easy to mistake for a game issue.  There are other threads for real DirectX issues in the Podium, but that's something quick to try.

[FlannelSpoon]

The game doesn't start loading at all, I click to start it and it pop up immediately complaining about DirectX. Is there any way to make the game see that there is directX and a graphics card that supports it? I don't think reinstalling the Sims is working. Thanks, for the help by the way.

[FourCats]

I once had the No_CD crack in the wrong place and the game wouldn't start.  Check that.

[Zazazu]

All your issues point to having it in the wrong place. Make absolutely sure it is in C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff\TSBin. Make absolutely sure that is the .exe you are double-clicking on. I named mine Sims2EP9crack for clarity. If, going straight from the folder and double-clicking the .exe file works, you have pointed your desktop shortcut to the wrong file.

Don't reinstall the game. No one has told you to do that. It's a waste of your time.

[Brynhildr]

I have a minor but odd problem with installing M&G and figured it'd be safer to tack it on here rather than starting a new thread (if that was wrong, I fully accept that I'm a total retard).

I can't get past the "Installer" which asks me to enter where I am and an email address. I plug in fake credentials and click next ... the bar fills and nothing happens. Ditto if I use a throwaway email address.

What am I doing wrong?

[morriganrant]

I have a minor but odd problem with installing M&G and figured it'd be safer to tack it on here rather than starting a new thread (if that was wrong, I fully accept that I'm a total retard).

I can't get past the "Installer" which asks me to enter where I am and an email address. I plug in fake credentials and click next ... the bar fills and nothing happens. Ditto if I use a throwaway email address.

What am I doing wrong?

Why the hell would it ask you your info? Do not try to register it at all. It should ask you, "do you want to register right now?" click NO.

[Brynhildr]

That's the thing. It doesn't give me a choice. It just asks me to enter an email address and click next. There are no other options.

This is the malarkey I get:

[jolrei]

That's the thing. It doesn't give me a choice. It just asks me to enter an email address and click next. There are no other options.

This is the malarkey I get:

<snipped launcher image>

It would appear that, whether you installed the crack or not, you are still trying to load the game from the launcher.  Do not load the game from the launcher.  Make sure your desktop icon points to the crack.
1) Rename your no-cd crack something like0 "Sims2EPX-crack.exe" (where X is the number of your latest EP)
2) Copy the no-cd crack into the appropriate TSBin folder (the one in your Program Files\EA Games directory corresponding to your latest EP)
3) right click on your desktop icon, select "Properties".
4) Under "Target" make sure it ends with "Sims2EPX-crack.exe".  Change it to this if it does not.
5) Go to the podium and follow the steps for removing securom.  If you have launched from the launcher, chances are you have installed securom.

[Brynhildr]

EDIT: Oof, reading comprehension is low today.

Cleaning the registry now, will try installing later. All icons will point to cracked exes from now on, if such exist.

EDIT2: Welp, cleaned out the registry and it's -still- giving me the same Installer pop up bullshit when I try to install the pack. Daaamn.

[J. M. Pescado]

That's the thing. It doesn't give me a choice. It just asks me to enter an email address and click next. There are no other options.

This is the malarkey I get:

I don't think you have an M&G installer. In fact, I don't think you have an M&G at all. I think you have picked up a trojan.

[Zazazu]

Fellow pumpkin, she is attempting to install, not to run the SP.

Where did you get the game from, Brynhildr?




PS--The hell is up with the Tiny Malaysian Boy? Has he been mainlining Pop Tarts? They were on sale at Walgreens.

[snowbawl]

That's the thing. It doesn't give me a choice. It just asks me to enter an email address and click next. There are no other options.

This is the malarkey I get:

I don't think you have an M&G installer. In fact, I don't think you have an M&G at all. I think you have picked up a trojan.

I second this.

[Brynhildr]

Welp.

I got it from where I usually get my pirated crap, none of the comments mentioned any problems with it and Kaspersky didn't detect anything.

Frantically scanning everything now.

I'm an idiot.

[snowbawl]

Not an idiot.  It is all a learning process.  Malwarebytes.org...their free trial version is so sensitive, it will pick up the dialers in TS2 as heuristic dialers.  Which is to say, leave those alone and do not play while online .  I am almost positive that is what I used when Zone Alarm did not pick up shit and my old compie was riddled with trojans.  Would have to fire up the old bitch to make sure.  And yes, she is virus-free to date.  SUPERAntispyware is also a very keen free program.
Honestly, that does not look like any installer I've ever seen, pirated or not.  Nothing should ever ask for your e-mail or location.  Just a language preference, if applicable.