I think I've caught the stupid

[aspinL]

At the risk of being completely bashed for asking what I'm going to ask... I'm going to ask it because I'm really fed up.
First off, I posted in another thread about how I have these default replacement eyes that I can't get rid of. I tried some different things this morning with my custom content, trying to remove the eyes and  some really borked looking hairs with no luck. So my next try was to just take all my mods out like so many people have said before and then replace them one by one. I though that was a fairly simple process, and began by moving the mods\packages folder onto my desktop so I could take things out of it and put them back in the new mods\packages folder in the usual C:\users\myname\documents\electronic arts\the sims 3\mods\packages. So after taking the folder out and making another mods\packages, I put just Awesome mod in it and aweconfig. I deleted all the cache files and started the game. All the stuff was still there. Hair, eyes, makeup. All there, just laughing at me. And the wierd thing was that when I opened up the sims 3 file location  after quitting the game, the mods folder I had recreated to hold just Awesome mod was gone, and the Awesome mod files in them too.

I'm really confused here, and I'm sure I'm doing something wrong. What exactly are the steps you should take when putting your mods back in one by one?

[Tever]

I, personally, either move all my custom content into an empty recycling bin or just rename the Packages folder and create an empty one beneath it. Maybe it's just still detecting it for some odd reason. Did you remember to delete your cache files? I admit I don't know exactly when it's appropriate to do so, but I think this is a case when it is.

[aspinL]

I'll try using the empty recycle bin and see what happens.
Perhaps it matters that I also had more folders in my packages folder? They were labeled things like Hair, Makeup, Patterns. Should I just stick to keeping all my mods piled up in the mods\packages with no sorting by folders?

Does the game actually notice the mods\packages folder in the same way it notices the Saves folder and so on?

Edit: I tried renaming the mods\packages and all the stuff was still there. Also it deleted my mods\packages AGAIN which only contains Awesome mod. This is really wierd, now I'll try using the empty recycle bin method.

[gesine]

Your mods folder is supposed to be C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\ ; not in C:\Users. Perhaps you have one in both places by mistake, since you do have custom content working... See if you have one in the right place too, and take that one out.

[bzrburns]

I had the same problem with crappy downloads from the Exchange. After fiddling with removing mods and the downloads folder and deleting cache files I finally took the drastic step renamed the C:\users\myname\documents\electronic arts\The sims 3 to C:\users\myname\documents\electronic arts\xXThe sims 3Xx. I then restarted the game, then exited. I then copied the Download, Saves, and InstalledWorlds folders into my new installation of C:\users\myname\documents\electronic arts\The sims 3.  All the crappy stuff was gone. Most of it was attached to SavedSims so I did not copy that folder from the old installation.

[aspinL]

Okay I tried the empty recycle bin method, which didn't work. I though maybe it was my neighborhood, so I made a new one and went into CAS. But all the hair and eye were there too.

I am on a Vista.
Just now I went out and my game is installed in: C:\Users\Madi\Document\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3. Now when I originally installed this game I never specified where, just did the "Standard Install". I also went and looked in C:\Program Files and no Electronic Arts or The Sims 3 folders are there. But then I go into C:\Program Files x86 and there's an Electronic Arts folder with, whadyaknow, a The Sims 3 folder.. and inside? A Mods\Packages folder with a whole lotta crap in it. Other than a Mods folder there are folder called Caches, Game, GameData, Support, Thumbnails and a resource.cfg.
...
Do I have my game installed in the wrong place?.. 

[aspinL]

Fortunately the solution is so simple even a monkey could do it: do not do a standard/quick install, but a custom one, and point it at C:\Games\The Sims 3\ instead. This folder is not on the UAC blacklist and so can be modded without causing enough frustration to make you go postal.

This might be my lower-on-the-food-chain-then-a-monkey brain talking, but I currently do not have a "Games" folder in my C drive. It's just as simple to create one there, yes? Then which set of The Sims 3 files do I move there? There is a set in Program Files x86 and one in Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3. Program files set has other than a Mods folder; Caches, Game, GameData, Support, Thumbnails and a resource.cfg. And the Documents set has all my Saves and cache files and Screenshots.

[aspinL]

Okay, I think I got it. Now I'll just have to go through the hundreds of .package files and delete all those dang hairs I could never get out.

Thank you so much for your help 

[miaskywalker]

But then I go into C:\Program Files x86 and there's an Electronic Arts folder with, whadyaknow, a The Sims 3 folder.. and inside? A Mods\Packages folder with a whole lotta crap in it. Other than a Mods folder there are folder called Caches, Game, GameData, Support, Thumbnails and a resource.cfg.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and ask if you're running Vista x64.  I had the same issue once I installed Vista 64; it installed to the Program Files x86 folder, and then Sims 3 didn't run properly.  I ended up having to uninstall and reinstall (custom install, and tell it just Program Files, not Program Files x86) and now everything works properly.

You may have to do that, although I would suggest that if you already have games saved, back them up to a completely different place before doing the uninstall.

[duppyraces]

To be honest, you really shouldn't have to reinstall anything and your current setup should work just fine if you have given yourself full admin rights. You were just trying to remove your mods from the users\documents Sims 3 folder area instead of the \program files (x86) one where they were actually located (and working quite nicely, much to your dismay).  Same with awesomemod. Throw the awesomemod into \program files (x86)\electronic arts\sims 3\mods\packages  instead of the users\documents area and see if that works for you.

[aspinL]

Yeh, I didn't really plan on reinstalling because I have a sort of legacy family that I would just hate to replant into a neighborhood. I'm pretty sure I have full admin right cause I am on the Administrator account. I actually didn't end up uninstalling but first tried to just delet the mod\packages from the documents\sims 3 to see if that would work and went and deleted the bad hairs from the right root sims 3 mods\packages, and they didn't show up in my game which was great.

Thanks for everyone's input once again

[chaos]

FYI: When you uninstall/reinstall the game, it gives you a choice of whether or not you want to keep your saved games, etc. Choosing yes works exactly as advertised.

[aspinL]

Oh, I did not know that, so thanks for the FYI. How nice of of EA to care a little bit about us simmers here.

Will definitely be useful in the future and what-not.

[socurious]

Jordi,

I now have Vista, and my game is saved in c:/program.  I must have given myself full access rights and made sure not to make the game
"accessible to all users."  I haven't had any issues so far, but I haven't had the need to delete any mods.  Am I setting myself for future torture by not having preassigned the installation to c:/games?  I didn't even know that was possible, and I thought I checked out the stupid vista site pretty intently.  I don't have a 64-bit processor.  Could that be the difference?

[J. M. Pescado]

Plus progra~1/2 is really a stupid place to install things.

[socurious]

Well crap.  I've been avoiding the stupid and still managed to catch it.  At least I've found out before I've done too much damage.  I'll reinstall in c:/games...  Thanks for the information.