Features of expansions not available

[deleie]

Hi,

I recently bought The sims 2 Nightlife and The sims 2 Open For Bussiness. So i first installed The sims 2 + the sims 2 university, when i started university i could create a campus and go to them, then i installed nightlife, and started the game. On the main menu i got a message 'You have uninstalled Sims 2 University If you continue, your college neighborhoods.....', But the game was still installed. I was able to create a downtown from NL and i quited the game. I didn't know what to do so i closed nightlife and installed OFB. When i started it i got the same message but now it said that i had uninstalled the sims 2 Nightlife wich i didn't. I was able to add a shopping district.
I couldn't press on the buttons on top. i took a screen of it: http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=expansionproblemlm8.jpg.
I now already reinstalled the game 6-7 times, still nothing has changed. I also did a full manual uninstall. I also defragmentated my computer, scanned on virusses and spyware. Turned virusscanner and firewall off, etc..
I hope somebody can help me.

[BlueSoup]

Are you installing them to the default directories, or are you making it go to a custom directory?  Have you installed any patches?

[deleie]

Yes, i installed them to the default default directories. I already tried it without patches and with patches, but nothing changed.

[jsalemi]

I had that problem when I was installing the EPs on a new laptop, and solved it by copying the nightlife CDs to the hard disk and installing it from there.

[deleie]

Did you copied the files from both disks in the same folder? Because when i do that i asks me to replace compresed.zip, it's on both cd's.

[Mirelly]

Deleie,

this EA support page

Gives a detailed explanation of how to use disc images.

NOTE that they describe naming the disc image folders Disk1 Disk2 etc.
 that's disk with K

The technique seems to have advantages for expansion packs because of some sort of problem with the way the expansion pack's updater works ... it tries to update (ie patch) the base game. As you are trying to install everything at once it is possible that you have a base game that is already patched up to a level beyond the patch included with the University discs ... this would tend to confuse the updater.exe ... possibly.

I wish I'd thought of this. Hope it works. Good luck.

[deleie]

I was going to manually uninstall the game again, to try it with the instructions from your site. When i was browsing i found that the installed language from the sims 2 was  English US, and the languages from the expansions are English UK. Could that be the problem? I'm going to try to change the language from each till they all have the same with the instruction of this site: http://tg.sims2techguide.net/guide.php?g=13.

Edit: Didn't work, i also installed the game with copying the file in the folders. Didn't work to, maybe i'm going to do a format on my computer and see if it works after that.

[Ancient Sim]

I don't think the language thing will make any difference.  My base game and expansions are UK English, but my Christmas pack is US.  The only difference in the UK version is the clock anyway (well officially it is, in my game I've altered all the spellings as well, because I am a pain in the arse when it comes to my YOOS).  If they don't sort out the spellings in TS3 I am going to personally kidnap Will Wright and make him spend the rest of his life doing UK spelling tests.  Oh yes I am.  Seriously, I mean it, I am.

[cwykes]

Can I suggest you mail the EA tech help?  You might get a useful answer and it's definitely a problem they ought to know about if they don't already.

[cristalfiona]

(well officially it is, in my game I've altered all the spellings as well, because I am a pain in the arse when it comes to my YOOS). 

Is this a SimPE thing? If it is, could you give some instructions, or a link to them please, as this p's me off royally!

[jrd]

The only difference in the UK version is the clock anyway (well officially it is, in my game I've altered all the spellings as well, because I am a pain in the arse when it comes to my YOOS).  If they don't sort out the spellings in TS3 I am going to personally kidnap Will Wright and make him spend the rest of his life doing UK spelling tests.  Oh yes I am.  Seriously, I mean it, I am.

I know what you mean. I had one until NL (http://members.chello.nl/b.kroonspecker/games/) but never uploaded my updated (OFB/FFS) version, nobody seemed to like it.

[deleie]

I opened a question on support.ea.com 5 days ago. But they couldn't help me to

[Sandilou]

Did you try installing them one after the other without playing any of them first?  Did you get the Patch update message after each EP was loaded? 

Re uninstalling - I know it's an obvious question but did you go into My Program File and delete the EA folder there?  There'd be one there for each EP and for FFS if you have it.  Using Maxis's uninstall leaves the My Programs/EA Folder/The Sims2/all other EP files intact.  You may well have a corrupted file that's messing everything up.

From what I remember of manual uninstalls, there are a couple of strings that have to be deleted in Regedit, but for the life of me I can no longer find the link to do this on EA's tech support board.  They probably removed it because it is a bit risky going into the Run mode to delete things...and instructing BBSer's to do that is like giving matches to a baby.

If all else fails,try phoning EA and speaking to someone.  If they can't fix it over the phone tell them you want your money back because one of your new games must be faulty and you've been stressed out trying to fix it yourself.  Expect vouchers in the post!