More Awesome Than You!

(http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/crapola/bigbrother.jpg)
As some of you may be aware, the latest Pudding contains an insidious SPYWARE that phones home to its EAxian Masters.

What nefarious things does it report? Well, for starters, the following things have found to be reported:
1. Your device stats. If you've ever read a crashlog, this means the game is reporting back the name of your computer, and your username. This quite possibly means *YOUR* name.
2. Every time you startup your game. Are you home? EAxis knows you are now.
3. The name of your saved games. Do you name your saved games after your fambly members, perhaps because its theirs? EAxis knows this now.
4. Every cheat code you type in. Do any of those things contain any names you wouldn't want someone to know about? EAxis knows this now.
5. Everything you buy from build/buy mode.
6. An enormous number of things your sims do: What jobs join or leave, what moodlets they get, potentially their NAMES...do you name your sims after people you know? EAxis knows this now.
7. Much more not yet uncovered.

Naturally, all internet communications reveal your IP address unless special measures are taken. In combination with some of the above, this information is now potentially life-threatening. A number of early modders were killed, disappearing under mysterious circumstances, when they came too close to the truth, so EAxis has been known to kill people.

How YOU can protect yourself:
1. Do not allow the game to communicate with the Internet.
2. Use AWESOMEMOD. AwesomeMod cripples many of these logging features by disabling their listeners, which will not only protect your privacy, but also improve game performance every so slightly.

Any evidence that the core or script mods you use are being reported? Since we get that nice friendly message on start up listing them, I assume it would be pretty easy for that info to make its way back to the mothership unless blocked.

How about the other mods you might be using. Now that there's an officially sanctioned location for them, are the file names being collected and reported?

I just want to check something…
If the game is not being played, but the firewall is off …it does not phone home, is that correct? Also, some time ago I switched most of the EAxis reports/web-page-creating-thingamajigs—to open with Notepad. Now, does that actually stop the reporting, or the webpage-creating process?
Note: I know that the reports still update, but I want to know if they still get shipped off somehow.

Very likely: Anything you buy or interact with is logged, as are your cheat codes. Except if you're using AwesomeMod. AwesomeMod cripples these features so no reports are sent.

Let me make sure I have this straight…
So there is no EAxis-induced automatic sensing feature that pops on whenever you visit the internet? When the game is off the reporting is also off? Completely?

That's the goal. I'm not sure how much of the reporting is buried elsewhere, but I stubbed every call I could find, so if anything is still leaking, it's very useless. Still, have a firewall.

Sounds good. Thank you for clarifying, Pescado.

I thought initially that they were collecting crash data, machine stats and general demographic data (ie. player country, windows version, that kind of hoo-ha) to see who is afflicted by what problems but I never thought they'd be that intrusive.

Pretty interesting stuff, I'll have to run a packet sniffer and have a looksie.

^_^ I have a very silly question that just goes to show my ignorance on such things. You say to have a firewall as well just in case... Is the typical windows firewall good enough? (Especially since you mentioned AM disabled alot of this?) or should I get something a little "Extra" ?

When you say don't allow the game to communicate with the internet, Is just refraining from hitting the "Allow" button when windows firewall gives you a popup good enough? Or is there some extra step I should take?

And when you say having AM improves performance ever so slightly by disabling these things, do you mean "ever so slightly, performance is increased, as now the only thing that should slow it is hardware related, rather than EA spying"  or do you mean "ever so slightly, performance is increased, as while you were able to disable most things, there might be some communications going on still that might affect your performance a bit"

I have been using AM since ambitions came out, but every once in awhile my game might get oddly slow/laggy for just a few seconds every now and then for no apparent reason, then goes to normal. The first few times I checked to see if anything was going on in the background, but all was well. Since then I was a bit suspicious that maybe it could possibly be slowing at those moments to take some time to make a few "Phone calls", but end up brushing aside the idea, as what does my lil' non-technical self know anyways?

Windoze Firewall should be sufficient. The causes of the sudden slowdown are probably unrelated to the spyware features, and probably more due to caching lag.

I have EADM blocked in windows firewall for Vista and I caught it updating the download manager anyway. I suggest Vista users at least get a better firewall.

Not at all surprised if EA have something in the EADM to reconfigure, or bypass Windows Firewall.  While I trust microsoft slightly more than I do EAxis, I have always run a separate firewall and ignored the windows one.

Okay, thanks. I'd say it's useful, but I went out and got TS2 after reading about how much fun everyone said it was, so bye TS3 for now. Thanks though Tever.

Offtopic Weeaboo Abuse moved to here (http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/smf/index.php/topic,18921.0.html)

That looks more like an Adobe Air error which is apparently the crapplication they used to build their terribad launcher. I would assume Air is trying to check for its own update before the EA stuff loads and since it can't, the application fails. Regardless, that launcher is a terrible piece of work.

As long as it isn't a serious problem to my computer. Thanks radiophonic. EA's shoddy and half-assed work seem to be showing it's face a bit more than usual with all this jazz.

I was just reinstalling the framework yesterday and in base game bin you put the d3dx9_31.dll I noticed a new file called "EAWebKit.dll". I don't know what it does but the game launches without any problem when I removed it. I always disconnect the internet before I run the game so I don't know if that would affect anything.

They might take a "peek" at the websites we visit too.

Man, the seven months we've waited for someone to reply to this thread have been agony.  Thank God you came.

Has anyone had an experience with EA origin.   It is a program that monitors what you put in your game and if you don't agree to install it you cant install.  If you unstall it once it is on your compputer, you lose all access and playability for any of your worlds.

Is there a way to block this thing?  Big Brother is an understatement my friend.

Yeah, don't install EAxian spyware. Buy it from TPB store instead.

Oh fuck, i've already installed Origin.

@ElectricSimmer
Go to Control Panel and uninstall Origin. Uninstalling it does not prevent you using your game. It is a bluff. I uninstalled it from my son's computer and game works fine.

I uninstalled it from my computer, and Sims refused to launch.

I hope that you are not using that god awful launcher to start your game. Make an .exe shortcut on your desktop.

Oh, heavens, no. No, I would click the .exe, and the game would give me a message popup and then refuse to run. This was a long time ago, and I don't remember the message. And I've since fixed the problem by pirating the base game anyway.

My experience in the past was if the EADM or origin was installed then uninstalled, it seemed to bork the game somehow, but not installing those at all when doing a reinstall of everything, the game works just fine.

This pre-buy warning ("Includes software that collects data online necessary to provide and activate In-Game Advertising for all The Sims 3 products previously or hereafter installed") has been on TS3's boxes since Ambitions was released, but it's starting to take on a whole new reality. Say hello to in-game advertisements, coming your way early 2012!

It sounds like the one EP I won't be buying. Except...does it really matter if I abstain? They usually find a way to incorporate crap like this in the patches—whether we like it or not.

Unless I have missed something, it doesn't say you MUST be connected to the internet to play, or that you MUST share your game, so just disconnect from the internet when you play and there won't be any issues.

Just let them wear their tin foil hats, no use in arguing with them. I actually think all this Showtime stuff sounds fun, IF they end up doing it right.

I just think this social networking crap is a misstep for the series.  Look at what a big steaming pile Sim Social turned out to be.

Maybe this is EA realizing that Sims Social was a mistake and that people actually wanted social activities in their Sims game, not on a stupid Facebook game. Supposedly this EP was based on something that was asked for the most. I'd assume that's social activities. Or maybe it's magic, because there are magicians in it.

Sims Social was fun for about a week or two, then you realized that all the good stuff they wanted you to pay real money for and you had to rely to heavily on friends for items and stuff. To me it sounds like they're trying to keep the social media stuff inclusive to the game as opposed to facebook, which if correct, would be better.

Bear in mind that the stupidest people on the planet all frequent the BBS and ask for things.

Sending your sims to someone else's game would be fun if it were for assassinations rather than gigs.

Meh. I have no desire to play sims socially. Actually, I have no desire to play games socially in general. For me, social gaming = late night Mario Kart and nostalgic Goldeneye sessions. I would prefer it if this were a stand-alone game, like Sims Castaways or whatever. Then the teeny boppers could moon over their pixels together and misanthropic types can get on with the srs bznz of Simming.

My firewall came up with several warnings from EA in the last week or so. One of which was from the Sims 2 which was unusual. Blocked the lot, Kapersky saw it as dangerous. Not sure what was going on there.

As for the new expansion, it looks pretty terrible.

Please check your pudding factory..  I went there to peruse
and found a nasty red malware ad.  ewww!

I think not.

That explains it! I am a secret sadist and loves to have my brain suffer when I visit that site. Oh, the headaches.

Every so often I run across a gem, a link posted by bekkilyn.
http://www.develop-online.net/features/1067/EAs-leap-of-faith


O rly?

Before TS3 was released I read an interview with an EA employee, and they talked about how EA considered integrating an online component into TS3 but decided against it 'cause when they did the market research they discovered that players really did not want other players interfering with their own games. Even the idiots over at the BBS are whining about this EP.

I understand that EA wants to cash in on the social networking boom. But I wish they would fuck off and do it elsewhere. SHT should be released as a separate Sims game.

This expansion pack will apparently allow audiences to throw items ranging from garbage to roses at performing Sims.  Perhaps there may be a way to mod grenades and Molotov cocktails into that mix?

I heard somewhere that Pescado has a kick-ass recipe for some-type of incendiary device which includes some special, not-for-the-plebian-masses, vodka. A pixelated version of that could be some interesting gaming! A non-pixelated version of that could be some interesting times, especially around the holidays when mixed with volatile fambly members.

I would assume you can turn those options off in your preferences, just like the in-game store and the Bookface linking.  Of course, I also would have assumed that they would have learned their lesson after "Sims Online."

"Sims Online" was a massive failure, and this will be too, as well as that dumb Facebook game. Can you imagine the people who will have massive explosions of unwanted gameplay in their games? A hater deciding to crash someone's game? Hopefully, it won't be that easy, but with EA you never know.

Do EAxis really still think their main player base is <12?

So I can run round collecting badges and then twat and Bookface these badges? I can spam my friends' games, WHILE THEY ARE ACTUALLY PLAYING? My 'friends' would disown me if I did something so pathetically retarded, and they would be quite correct to do so.

If only Anonymous did work for hire. I would ask them to knock the owners of the TS3 tweets and Bookface spam off the internets for several days at a time. That'll larn 'em.

With the way they treat their consumers, that would be my guess. I read on the Sims 3 forums that they tried to placate a player who was having unresolved crashing issues with some kind of freebie (the person didn't say what that freebie was). Really, freebie? When you can't play a game, yet they give you a freebie? Insulting intelligence much.

Sad thing is, I see a lot of adults who OMGzers over those badges. If their customer base acts like 12ers, I guess that's how they respond.

I guess I'm mean if I say that I hope people throw flaming bags of llama poo at EA when the new EP explodes like I have a feeling it will. Oh well. Poor llamas.

I am amazed the Vole hasn't been in here yet to White Knight for EA.  He must have really flounced after his last sporking.

Oh yay! More bloatware making the game slower. I'm hoping there's going to be way you can turn it off like you can turn Shop Mode off.

Yes, but apparently they nag you once and you can tell them to STFU, so no biggie. If it gets obnoxious, it gets killed with FIRE.

I dont usually post, however, I am currently bothered.  I will list what happened and you can tell me what you think.  I use the ea launcher to load because I like to see what Im putting in.  The game began to lag so I switched to custom launcher and the game played at normal speed.  All good so far.  I saw a staircase I had to have and loaded into ea launcher to see it go in and it did, success!! as it says.  I immediately closed ea launcher, opened custom launcher to play and voilla.... all of my cc was gone.  Disappeared...non existent.  I have no idea where it was sent to.  Can ea just delete your stuff?  Can I sue?  Do you know how long I have worked to get the right cc into and working in the gd game?  I have no interest in the political foreplay ea and others are participating in.  I am sick to death of being controlled to prove someone else's point of view!

Here is my question and thanks for listening, is it possible to restore the cc or am I stuck reloading from scratch.

(http://troll.me/images/hide-yo/lol-wut-thumb.jpg)

Yes.  You must hire an internet lolyer AT ONCE, and take it to the highest internet court.

So Frustrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >:(

Well, you've come to the right place. We love responding to illiterate ranting with helpful advice. Just hang on there, and someone will get right back to you with the solution to your problem.

-----------Excuse me, my ranting was very literate thank you.  Here is what they did.  2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Logging Started
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Forcing Registry Read
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- ------------REGISTRY READ BEGIN-----------------
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- InstallationInfo .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- Microsoft Windows NT 5.1.2600 Service Pack 3
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- 32 Windows
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- 32 Process
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- LoadRegistry
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- Registry Open
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- LoadRegistry -- Found 7 Game Packs
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- InstalledGameEntry .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- Loaded Game Pack The Sims™ 3
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- InstalledGameEntry .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- Loaded Game Pack The Sims™ 3 Create a Pattern Tool
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- InstalledGameEntry .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- Loaded Game Pack The Sims™ 3 Generations
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- InstalledGameEntry .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- Loaded Game Pack The Sims™ 3 High-End Loft Stuff
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- InstalledGameEntry .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- Loaded Game Pack The Sims™ 3 Late Night
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- InstalledGameEntry .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- Loaded Game Pack The Sims™ 3 Outdoor Living Stuff
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- InstalledGameEntry .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- Loaded Game Pack The Sims™ 3 Town Life Stuff
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- Registry Close
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- InitEntryProperties
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] --   7 Packs found
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- BaseGame == null
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- NewestGame = The Sims™ 3
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- InitBaseDir Locale:en-US
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstallationInfo] -- Result = The Sims 3
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Locale Read = en-US
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- ------------REGISTRY READ END-----------------
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Generating Log Filename
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Log Filename Generated and set as: C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Logs\S3Launcher.log
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Creating Main Window
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Creating ViewModel
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- LaunchController .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Framework.FrameworkController] -- FrameworkController .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- PackageController .ctor
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- PackageController CacheDir     = C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\LaunchCache
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- PackageController DownloadDir  = C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Downloads
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- PackageController InstalledDir = C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Installed\Launcher
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- PackageController LegacyDir    = C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Packages
2012-03-05 06:01:58Z| Info | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- PackageController TS3PackDir   = C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Installed\Sims3Pack
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Wiring EventHandlers  (window.Loaded)
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Wiring EventHandlers  (window.Closed)
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Wiring EventHandlers  (window.RequestClose)
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Setting WPF DataContext
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Showing Main Window
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3ToolKit.Utils.Registry.InstalledGameEntry] -- GetIsGame()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- Startup
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Framework.FrameworkController] -- Run
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Framework.FrameworkController] -- CheckFramework
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Framework.FrameworkController] -- CheckFramework (C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3)
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Framework.FrameworkController] -- ValidateResourceCfg
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Framework.FrameworkController] -- GetCodeVersion()
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Info | [S3Launcher.Utils.Framework.FrameworkController] -- Detected code_format.txt CodeVersion=0.2.0.154
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- Run
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- Refresh
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- LoadPackagesFromCache
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- RecoverOrphansFromInstalled
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- RecoverOrphansFromInstalled (C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Installed\Launcher)
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- LoadPackagesFromDownload
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- LoadArchivesFromDownload
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- LoadRARArchivesFromDownload
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- LoadZIPArchivesFromDownload
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- Load7ZIPArchivesFromDownload
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- LoadSimsfromDownload
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- LoadPackagesFromLegacy
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- LoadPackagesFromLegacy (C:\Documents and Settings\Brenda\My Documents\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Mods\Packages)
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- GenerateCategories
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- MarkDirty
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- CheckModBuild
2012-03-05 06:01:59Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- CheckHasModBuild
2012-03-05 06:02:04Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- Mark Dirty
2012-03-05 06:02:04Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- MarkDirty
2012-03-05 06:02:04Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- RebuildIfNeeded
2012-03-05 06:02:04Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- PerformRebuild
2012-03-05 06:02:11Z| Error | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- Rebuild Failed: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at S3Launcher.LaunchController.PerformRebuild()
   at S3Launcher.LaunchController.RebuildIfNeeded()
2012-03-05 06:10:31Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- Mark Dirty
2012-03-05 06:10:31Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- MarkDirty
2012-03-05 06:10:31Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- RebuildIfNeeded
2012-03-05 06:10:31Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- PerformRebuild
2012-03-05 06:10:38Z| Error | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- Rebuild Failed: System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at S3Launcher.LaunchController.PerformRebuild()
   at S3Launcher.LaunchController.RebuildIfNeeded()
2012-03-05 06:10:38Z| Info | [S3Launcher.ViewModel.MainWindowViewModel] -- Launching: C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\The Sims 3\Game\Bin\TS3.exe
2012-03-05 06:10:38Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.App] -- Close Requested -- Closing Window
2012-03-05 06:10:38Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.LaunchController] -- Close
2012-03-05 06:10:38Z| Debug | [S3Launcher.Utils.Packages.PackageController] -- Close

This was my favourite of your, definitely illiterate, sentences. I have an incubator at home where one of the instruction lines reads "in order to be hatched the chicken to be hatched must be inside the egg". It makes more sense than you. The addition of a great lump of computer read out seems equally irrelevant.

Fine, you are best at nastiness and I will leave you to it.  I have been showed!!

Have you tried all that hard to learn to speak English properly?

You might want to remove your name from that copypasta.

His name is "Mark Dirty"? How apropos.

For some reason, I assumed "Mark Dirty" referred to some sort of flagging the system was doing.  IT WAS MARKING THE PACKAGES "DIRTY," OKAY?

I don't know if Jezzer is right, but the tard's name is more likely to be within the file path before My Documents. Unless it is borrowing another's computer or account, I'd assume Brenda is its name.

Should I redact that, or does the fact that the tard already doxed itself relieve me from any liabilities?

The system marked the packages dirty and deleted them.  How do I remove my previous post showing my name?

No, no, it's really cool of you to point out the bloody obvious. Way better than my pathetic joke about Mark Dirty.

I seem to have picked up something creepy when I installed supernatural. Every time I start my game it asks me for my serial to check online. If I am not online it refuses to start.

No, I am not using the launcher. Yes, I have tried a complete uninstall. I've even had a quick manual scrub through my registry.

Any suggestions?

You have a SPYWARE infestation, plus some weirdo now knows your serial codes. Try Pirate Cat Edition and see if the problem goes away.

That it is spyware is a given. Getting rid of it is more difficult. I have no idea what "Pirate Cat Edition" means as opposed to any other Arred game version. I just know that a complete uninstall of the game doesn't rid me of this infestation and I can't find a malware cleaner that can help.

Did you install Origin, and if so, did you remove it when you tried your complete uninstall?

I have never installed Origin, but I have now found a cleaner that works. Ad-Aware didn't find it, nor did Malwarebites or Spyware Terminator. It was bloody Microsoft Security Essentials that finally did the job.

Now I seem to have a framework fail (game keeps asking for disc) but that's a problem I recognise and I feel much more confident in tackling. Even if I should be ashamed of the fact that I ended up with spyware and a framework fail in the first place.

It's the copy of the game you installed. Go through your registry and change the version to something with 2 at the end, instead of the 7 that it probably is. Then change the version number in the .ini file and the sku .txt file that's in the Supernatural install folder.

LMAO at the idea Mim can cope with such complicated instructions. Try it first on "can you locate your ass and your elbow?"

You slowing down in your old age Ro-ho? It took you 15 days to come up with that less than erudite quip.