Ok, I've gotta understanding of the ram now.

Also, what's better - 8600gt 512mb GDDR2 or 8600gt 256mb GDDR3?  I've got the 256mb one in at the moment, but need to know which is the better card

Tauranga?  My family members that I actually go and visit live in Te Puke so we' travel through Tauranga quite often.  My partner spent a year at Welcome Bay too, years ago - I actually quite like the place.  Yeah, everytime I've gone back to Te Puke it's always been overcast but stinking hot.

Ok, so, I got my new computer together and what was scary is that I had it going well, then I changed the PSU and then it started doing that horrible "no signal" on monitor thing again.  So when I put the PSU back into my hubby's computer, his one did the same thing - "no signal" to monitor.  I freaked out (he freaked out even more ) but he just tried a suggestion on google (which was something like page 12 of a google search - I normally stick to the first 5 pages) and it told him to switch the computer on with no ram, switch it off, and then put the ram back in - and lo-and-behold they both came back to life!!  I'm hoping that that wasn't the problem with my old motherboard - just a teeny issue with the ram.

But anywhoo, one of my ramsticks got fried during all of this so my PC is only running on 1gig at the moment.  I'm thinking of getting two new sticks because I can get two new sticks cheaper off an online store than a match for the one I have off Noel Leeming.  The last pair I got were DDR2, do I just stick to that?

I've had sim kids age
I was actually quite surprised since my child sim wasn't friends with 3 out of the 4 kids she knew, but the pop up still came up to say if I would like them to age....

lol Plug and Pray, that really hits the nail on the head

I'm in Whangarei - it was cold here yesterday, freezing last night, and hot today

I remember Hecubus made them work for all beds but they were uploaded at SFV (which is down at the moment).
Argh, I thought I had it on my pc, I was gonna upload them for you....

Yes, I'll be keeping the AMD processor instead of swapping over the processor.  I think maybe in my situation the athlon will be better than my old pentium.
It cost $170 for case, motherboard, and processor including postage and packaging, just have to wait for it now since it's down in Auckland and I'll remember those tips about grounding yourself - I was wearing a heavy woolly jumper while swapping things around - it's quite cold here.  I'll turn the heater on next time

Forgot to ask:
If I put in my current hardrive, which has got windows xp on it, it will be good to go right?  I won't have to install xp again?  Also what if the motherboard previously was running vista (does that make sense?) - will I run into problems?  This is one of the reasons why I didn't just go into Noel Leemings to buy a new computer because I didn't want vista.

I couldn't find a pentium, even a second hand one, anywhere within my budget - let alone one that was already attached to the motherboard.  The most demanding game I'll ever play in the meantime would be sims related ie. simcity, tycoon city, etc.  Thanks for the help, really appreciate it

That's good, I could keep it here and keep it later for a project or something when I get more familiar with computers - I also bought a anti static wrist strap, I should've done that before I opened my computer case *duh*  I got too keen I think. 

One last question:  Is AMD okay?  I've only ever had computers with intel processors in them.  The new one has a AMD Athlon Dual Core 4800 - I haven't confirmed or paid for the order yet, I just really want to make sure first.

I suppose it turned out for the best though (*keeps telling self that* ) - my old motherboard only had two slots for ram and could only handle up to 2 gigs.  I bought a new case with it's motherboard and processor already in it.  But I'm a little bit curious about the pentium D processor - I can't seem to find any of them around, the one in my "fried" computer had a 2.8 dual core pentium D, were they a weak model or something?  I read somewhere that the problem with my computer could be processor related too (??)

I'm starting to think it is motherboard related too - I was kinda harsh on it when I was plugging one of the PSU cords into it (though I didn't think I was that harsh).  I'm looking at new upgradeable PC's as we speak, so unless someone has some kinda solution for me, I'll be looking in that direction.  Thanks so much for the advice, it's given me a bit of closure

ETA: The old power supply unit is powering the computer up (still nothing from the monitor), but the Corsair PSU is doing nothing - it can't be screwed already, could it?  And could a PSU possibly wreck a motherboard?

Hmmmm, not that I recall - I installed the graphics drivers, and that was all I did in relation to graphics...

How do you do that?
When I switch on my computer, I get a blank screen with No Signal

*Sigh*
Okay, in the last few days I've been updating my computer - I went ahead and bought it 2 new sticks of ram, a Nvidia Geforce 8600GT graphics card as well as a power supply unit from Corsair 450w.
Yesterday, I put the graphics card in with no problems with the normal PSU that came with the computer (300watts).  And this morning I decided to replace the original power supply unit with the Corsair one, when everything got put back togethor, I turned it on and my monitor displays a "No Signal" message.  I've been searching on google for solutions to my problem but none of them were specific to mine.
The graphics card is still good I think - I've tried two different graphics cards and both their fans start up and monitor still has No Signal message.
The monitor works on a different computer.
Everything is plugged in properly.
On start up all the fans and lights work.
I've tried using both PSU's.
Also on start up I get no beeping noise.

Any ideas?

I have the risky woohoo and silent pregnancy hack in my game so I wasn't letting a particular sim woohoo until I wanted her to have a baby.  But 4 days before she was going to become an elder I let her woohoo to her hearts content, never thinking anything of it.  I never checked on her for the rest of the day until she returned home from work and I got the message that she needed time off for pregnancy leave.  I was a little bit annoyed but accepted the fact that this would change the plans I had for this particular family - she had the baby the morning before she became an elder.

I ended up killing her off after the baby was born because I thought maybe she was bugged, strange things were happening to my 'hood at that stage, I never gathered it could be the risky woohoo mod

I'm not too sure if this is happening to my game - when I put the new hood in there was 140 characters, I've got 272 now after adding the sub hoods and I have one sim who's been jumping between community lots looking for the ninja.  My simpe isn't updated to really have a look...

But anyhow, I'll be willing to test it as well...

ETA - Just checked, my hood has 18 tour guides

It could be that the hack is conflicting with something else - I read that somewhere.  Have you tried scanning your downloads folder with the Hack Conflicter Utility from simwardrobe.com ?  I haven't had any trouble with mine and I have all EP's and SP's

Yes, some of it's cc and the default skintones make a huge difference to my sims appearance

Thanks for reading the stories *redface* I have two more up now but I have to play some other household because they are being neglected
http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/story_detail.php?asset_id=176249&asset_type=story&user_id=2513480
http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/story_detail.php?asset_id=176257&asset_type=story&user_id=2513480

I've got the first part of the story up now - it's not as good as your story, lol, I'm a lame storyteller.  I just have to figure out how to link back to your stories - new to the BBS here   Cwykes, I also left a message in you GB   http://thesims2.ea.com/exchange/story_detail.php?asset_id=175407

Oh Philip - he doesn't have any skills, but he does have most of his gold badges.  He owns all of the family businesses now because his father is getting old, but I think the family only have 5 businesses left - the rest got sold back to the community and then the Livesly's and Dumonts bought them.  I had to move them out of their house because during the autumn, all Jackbot was doing was raking up leaves and the large lot lagged my computer.

I was actually going to continue on your story about the Greens that you have on the exchange - Cheryl is pregnant to Philip at the moment just to frustrate her grandmother even more because they're still broke as anything.  I just have to figure out what's going to happen to their father

I had to start my Meadow Lawns again because I lost the Jackman family (Francois and Phillip) somewhere - they were on there way to one of the community lot businesses (I can't remember which one it was but I think it use to belong to George Jackman) and it kept crashing everytime I tried again.  I couldn't find them at there house and when I used any teleport method, they weren't available anywhere - the had just disappeared and even Susans memories of them were blank.

I'm also not going to kill of Belinda even though I think she's completely irresponsible.  I might just punish her a bit - Phil is pretty goodlooking and goodlooking genes shouldn't be restricted to one woman   Belinda is working at the hair salon again and this time I might get her to save enough money to buy it for the family - she's going to stay alone with the baby she's having just to make the game a bit harder for me.  Most of the elderly people are dead; all of them except for that Fuller lady, Mr Goosem and the romance brother from the Livesly's.  I made Adam an adult again and he has two top businesses and got married to one of my CAS sims - she's now pregnant.  Fred ended up starving to death. And the second youngest brother (the family sim) got married to Isabella Monty a day before he aged and that poor lady (the chubby Staines girl) is pregnant with his lovechild. 

The Jackmans:  Well the oldest Jackman's died after a few days of playing and George got what was left of the businesses (she had sold a few to Phillipe Dumont who is living in the apartments with his brother Gerard, the old place his parents and Elijah were living).  Over at Georges house, George got caught cheating with Ruby (totally missed that) and then he got caught cheating again by Ruby when he tried to hit on Emily.  Emily had affairs with Jackbot, Jan Goosem and that romance Livesly man.  Eve got her 20 woohoos but I had run out of men in the hood and the 20th woohoo she got was that lady with the glasses that lives in the army base.  And George got to woohoo that blonde lady he liked.

Oh I forgot to say that when Philip became an adult, I let him woohoo his grand aunty Eve   And Susan is pregnant to one of my CAS sims

And curse you cwykes - I'm totally hooked on this 'hood

Those ponds were a life saver!
When I went to play that Green family, Cheryl wanted to go steady or fall in love so I got her with that spiky haired rich guy to boost her aspiration so for the rest of the night it was cleaning up the house, teaching the toddler his skills - energizer - then fishing.  I only realized that aging had been switched after the third day because when I first sorted out the house I prepared myself for how hard the house was going to play when those babies became toddlers.  I had to move some of the kids out because there was just no more room for beds - pre seasons, I would've just let them sleep under the stars

Another hard house to play is the Liveseys (if you keep them all in the same house) - talk about fight for the toilet.  It got easier when the parents died - they became instantly rich!

I really shouldn't be taking on another 'hood as well - my custom hood, Riverblossom and Pleasantview are still there and I didn't really intend on liking this hood so much.  That baby that Belinda was pregnant with is now married to Zoe Chandler from the orphanage.  It's amusing because his siblings, which were babies in the other household are still kids   Their father can stay in the army forever - no more woohoo for him!  And Belinda is the manager at Eve Jackmans outdoor salon.  And Cheryl got married to the single father of those other kids - the Schmidt family???  His eldest daughter Helge(??) is in a unwed relationship and living with that Goosem guy and is pregnant.  One of those kids is butt ugly.  The toddlers from the Staines family got shipped to the Foster Household.  One interesting tidbit there - I put in an elevator because the stairs weren't working for them and they ended up breaking, I got Helen to fix it and she died from electrocution!!  I don't normally have accidental deaths!  Now that Monty granddaughter is in there looking after the toddlers (now kids).  I've got it set up so that any of the Richer family's in the hood, or the Army base can 'donate' money to the orphanage.

Sorry, I've babbled on too much

I had to use one of Inge's bushes for the Green family:

At first I started playing that old lady with the glasses that lives in the army base (she ended up marrying Elijah Caretaker so I could "knock two birds off with one stone" - he's dead now).  I thought it would be a good idea to move that pregnant lady (Green) in with her so she'd have a comfortable pregnancy, but I went to play her house for a bit, checked out the family tree and noticed that she had another 6 kids in another house.  I went to investigate, found her kids living by themselves with only $23 while she was somewhere else pregnant and her useless husband was still in the army.

That family really put the Broke family to shame: it was a waste of time trying to sell off furniture because the price had already depreciated.  The aging had been switched off on that lot as well, but things got easier when Cheryl became an adult.  Their grandmother moved in and moved the next two eldest children out with her while the youngest kids stayed with Cheryl - that toddler Jonny is a teen now, and Cheryl has been getting friendly with Cash, the guy from the army.  The kids who moved in with the grandmother are adults now and helping their grandmother pay off the mortgage (I have no20k handout and used Inge's 10k shrub to bring the price of the house down).

I still have to go back and get the mother to have the baby - that's one woman that's going to have it stitched up after the baby is born.

I was also playing the Schmidt family (is that the one with the single father and all those kids?) - I'm a bit burnt out from playing poor families with lots of kids

I was playing that Staines family (woman with 3 kids and her brothers) and she started autonomously flirting with one of her brothers (I can't remember which one out of the two dark haired guys) and that's when I realized that she doesn't recognize them as family yet they are shown as siblings in the family tree

And also, you did a great job with the 'hood!  Seriously!  Did you have any help?  It's so well done and really professional with the neighborhood story and personal info - I love reading those things!  I'm a little bit scared of going in and really playing; it's so well done I feel like I'm going to ruin all your hard work (even though I have a back up)

I see, I was wondering why I couldn't find the old people - I had a feeling I might need a camera mod because I've hidden families in the same neighborhood before.  *goes back to game*

EDIT: Ok, sorry, I'm a complete doofus.  I thought Meadow Lawns was the business district - I was completely confused and NO WONDER why I couldn't find the "old people" in Sedona   This works out better though

Thanks for reuploading Sara

I have the three maxi's hoods attached to Riverblossom Hills, there was something like 700 sims in my characters folder and I was already experiencing some bugs