Random lot questions, Maxis made and imported

[TaWanda]

 I am fairly new to downloading lots and have some questions that I cannot find answers to, so any help will be appreciated.
 1. In my lots catalog I have some "persons", a professor (?), the gypsy, and a few baristas. I don't know if they got imported or if they were generated when I put some community lot stuff on on of my residental lots. In any event can I safely delete them?
 2. Is it safe to delete from the lot catalog the fugly maxis made houses that aren't being used? (And just out of curiousity what WOULD happen if a file were removed for a house that WAS being used? )
3. This is the problem I find most annoying and would like to fix. I have multiple thumbnails of some of the same CC floors. Clean installer indicates no duplicate files in the download folder. This has only happened since I started downloading lots so I'm guessing it's related somehow?
 I've tried deleting the duplicate floor thumbnails, but when I try to build using the one thumbnail that is left all I get is what looks like the plywood underflooring instead of the carpet or tile or whatever I'm trying to put there. 
 Any suggestions?
Edit: BTW the floors work fine until I delete the extra thumbnails, THEN they go all fubarred, if that makes a difference.

[Flamingo]

I am fairly new to downloading lots and have some questions that I cannot find answers to, so any help will be appreciated.
 1. In my lots catalog I have some "persons", a professor (?), the gypsy, and a few baristas. I don't know if they got imported or if they were generated when I put some community lot stuff on on of my residental lots. In any event can I safely delete them?
 2. Is it safe to delete from the lot catalog the fugly maxis made houses that aren't being used? (And just out of curiousity what WOULD happen if a file were removed for a house that WAS being used? )
3. This is the problem I find most annoying and would like to fix. I have multiple thumbnails of some of the same CC floors. Clean installer indicates no duplicate files in the download folder. This has only happened since I started downloading lots so I'm guessing it's related somehow?
 I've tried deleting the duplicate floor thumbnails, but when I try to build using the one thumbnail that is left all I get is what looks like the plywood underflooring instead of the carpet or tile or whatever I'm trying to put there. 
 Any suggestions?

I know for sure that it's safe to delete the maxis made houses in the catalog. After you place a lot you can delete it from the catalog too. I'm not 100% sure about the other stuff though.

[Mike]

I am fairly new to downloading lots and have some questions that I cannot find answers to, so any help will be appreciated.
 1. In my lots catalog I have some "persons", a professor (?), the gypsy, and a few baristas. I don't know if they got imported or if they were generated when I put some community lot stuff on on of my residental lots. In any event can I safely delete them?
 2. Is it safe to delete from the lot catalog the fugly maxis made houses that aren't being used? (And just out of curiousity what WOULD happen if a file were removed for a house that WAS being used? )
3. This is the problem I find most annoying and would like to fix. I have multiple thumbnails of some of the same CC floors. Clean installer indicates no duplicate files in the download folder. This has only happened since I started downloading lots so I'm guessing it's related somehow?
 I've tried deleting the duplicate floor thumbnails, but when I try to build using the one thumbnail that is left all I get is what looks like the plywood underflooring instead of the carpet or tile or whatever I'm trying to put there. 
 Any suggestions?

I have no idea whats going on with number three. I never heard of something like that happening.

[BlueSoup]

I am fairly new to downloading lots and have some questions that I cannot find answers to, so any help will be appreciated.
 1. In my lots catalog I have some "persons", a professor (?), the gypsy, and a few baristas. I don't know if they got imported or if they were generated when I put some community lot stuff on on of my residental lots. In any event can I safely delete them?

I would delete them.  It doesn't sound like a very safe thing to have them in there.

2. Is it safe to delete from the lot catalog the fugly maxis made houses that aren't being used? (And just out of curiousity what WOULD happen if a file were removed for a house that WAS being used? )

Yes, you can delete any house from the lot catalogue and you won't have a problem with the houses that are in the neighbourhood already.

3. This is the problem I find most annoying and would like to fix. I have multiple thumbnails of some of the same CC floors. Clean installer indicates no duplicate files in the download folder. This has only happened since I started downloading lots so I'm guessing it's related somehow?
 I've tried deleting the duplicate floor thumbnails, but when I try to build using the one thumbnail that is left all I get is what looks like the plywood underflooring instead of the carpet or tile or whatever I'm trying to put there.  

Have you checked with Clean Install for any empty packages?  You can delete those safely, perhaps it's related?  I'm not sure as I don't keep them so I haven't seen this.

[TaWanda]

Thanks for the quick response.
 Blue, I remove empty files from my download folder on a regular basis, so unless the empty files are being stored in the lot catalog too I don't think that is what's causing it. Is that possible?

[Nec]

I get that sometimes, too. Somehow they have different file names, and it only happens when I install packaged lots - even ones I packaged myself. I'm thinking that perhaps it is either the packaging or unpacking process that randomly changes or scrambles the file name for some unkown reason.

[Mike]

Have you checked with Clean Install for any empty packages?  You can delete those safely, perhaps it's related?  I'm not sure as I don't keep them so I haven't seen this.

See, I didn't even think of that. Man, whats wrong with me today. 

[TaWanda]

No new ideas or suggestions? I have over 600 floors so these duplicate thumbnails are a bit of a pain

[maxon]

No new ideas or suggestions? I have over 600 floors so these duplicate thumbnails are a bit of a pain

I guess you could try deleting the thumbnails folder and letting the game generate a new one.  I'd at least eliminate a corrupted thumbnails folder as a possibility.

[TaWanda]

okay, I tried that but it didn't work 
 I noticed that I  have duplicates for ALL the custom floors,not just the ones that came with lots. I actually went through and previewed each file with clean installer just to see if maybe the foors were duplicates with different md5 , but noooo.  It's as if I have a copy of all my floors floating around in some hidden folder somewhere. Very strange, I hope it's not a symptom of impending BFBVFS

[BlueSoup]

When you downloaded all these floors, did you keep the original packages?  Why not delete them all and start fresh?

[TaWanda]

No, my computer is low on memory and no way to upgrade so I try not to keep excess stuff on it. I'm thinking I might pull the lots and/ or floors folders and see what happens, maybe add them back in a few at ta time. But that sounds like a weekend project to me 
If it comes down to it I may just start the entire game over from scratch since I have OFB sitting here on my desk, afraid to install it because I have so little memory left and such a large download folder with NL.

[DoomPuppy]

I can't offer any help but I just wanted to add that I have the problem with duplicate thumbnails for the floors as well, it also happened for my walls a few times..damn buggered game.

[Nec]

You could try moving all your floor files out of your download folder, and then browse to that folder with clean installer, pick the ones you want through it since you can view the thumbnails, and then move them back into your downloads. If the one you picked doesn't work, delete or move it elsewhere, and then move another copy of that same floor into your downloads folder.

[TaWanda]

 AHA...sort of. I Do have a hidden folder somewhere. I ran clean installer on the entire download folder instead of just the floor subfolder and lo and behold, tons of little pink lines.
 The weird thing is that they all have the same subfolder name, so I went back into the subfolder again and no duplicates! HUH? Opened up my documents, looked in all my folders and subfolders and subfoldered subfolders and I can only find one folder with floors in it and clean installer swears there are no duplicates there.
 So I guess I have a lttle lurker somewhere, going to try to chase it down later. A little clue is that all the dups have the same date, which co-incidentally is the same day I asked my son to burn a copy of my download folder onto a cd, hmmmm...

[SockMonkey]

No new ideas or suggestions? I have over 600 floors so these duplicate thumbnails are a bit of a pain

I know - I know

TaWanda (of Fried Green Tomatoes fame?),

I think the reason that the CI is not picking the extra floors out is that the file name may be different.  Even though it is the same floor all you have to do is clone it to get a different file name.  If you are serious about the floors you can use Homecrafter to view and delete the custom ones.  While you are in there you can change the pricing, too (Shhh!).  This is very time consuming, but still no guarantee that you won't delete some currently in your lots.  Really, a just-as-good and much quicker way is to run them through the scan folder option in SimPE.  You can disable the files, then go back into your downloads folder and resort the list in the column of 'file type'.  The file extension is renamed and it is easy to see all the disabled files bunched together.  Then you can delete them in one fell swoop.  Be ruthless, but do expect to have to replace some of the floors.  Sorry - that's the best way I know.

[momtogirls]

I am fairly new to downloading lots and have some questions that I cannot find answers to, so any help will be appreciated.
 1. In my lots catalog I have some "persons", a professor (?), the gypsy, and a few baristas. I don't know if they got imported or if they were generated when I put some community lot stuff on on of my residental lots. In any event can I safely delete them?
 2. Is it safe to delete from the lot catalog the fugly maxis made houses that aren't being used? (And just out of curiousity what WOULD happen if a file were removed for a house that WAS being used? )
3. This is the problem I find most annoying and would like to fix. I have multiple thumbnails of some of the same CC floors. Clean installer indicates no duplicate files in the download folder. This has only happened since I started downloading lots so I'm guessing it's related somehow?
 I've tried deleting the duplicate floor thumbnails, but when I try to build using the one thumbnail that is left all I get is what looks like the plywood underflooring instead of the carpet or tile or whatever I'm trying to put there. 
 Any suggestions?

I have no idea whats going on with number three. I never heard of something like that happening.

that happens to me as well, so I'm just leaving the dups.  I think it happens because many people use the same wallpapers in their houses, like the grand trianon collection, so it keeps getting added.  Then, when you try to delete the thumnail, it actually deletes the file, leaving pictures with no file attatched to them. (but, as I am computer illiterate, I could just be talking out my ass)

[TaWanda]

Hey SockMonkey!  jeez I used to have one of those...
 Yes, it is TaWanda from the parking lot scene where she rams the girls' car, or if you prefer, the scene where she takes a sledgehammer to her house. My kinda gal!  Not to mention I live in Kathy Bates hometown.
 I already did a visual check on all the floor files in my floor subfolder and no duplicates, and clean installer is telling me I have duplicate MD5 numbers, it's just that they are not all in the same subfolder even though all the files have the same subfolder name (dang, talk about your run on sentence ) Anyway, I'm pretty sure my son probably copied that folder and installed it who knows where. I've already deleted most of the duplicate files and I'm going to go see if that fixed it. I did leave a few "suspect files" just so I can play detective later and try to figure out where the little buggers were hiding.

[SockMonkey]

Ahhh yes, Subfolders, they will get you everytime and neither the game nor HomeCrafter care about duplictes of floors and walls.

I love Kathy Bates' TaWanda.  I miss my sock monkey - wholly cow - Did I say that out loud?  Anyway, I bought some of the genuine Rockford red-heel socks to make one of my own.  Now I just wear the socks, but I did consider sewing the facial features on the toes.  After careful thought I felt this might be too disturbing on several levels.