I just checked, and it told me it is still pending.

Umm...how long does it take to get approved for the SimPE thing? I know it says a week, but I'm still waiting, and someone even said they have been waiting for 3 weeks. Are they just real busy with finishing the testing of the version and can't get the applied people in?

And...umm...what about the merging with the one lot method and what to do with the gravestones? I asked something about that above. I've searched, but I keep finding either the well written SimPE tutorial or links back to it. Nothing about the way to SAFELY move them by putting them all on one lot.

Ah, I see. I guess I didn't get that.

So, if I get a no-CD.exe and then remove SecuROM, will it run without bringing it back?

Eh...Perhaps I am. I may not have done it right. I followed the steps provided to create, mount, and use the image, but perhaps there was something else I was supposed to do?

So, as long as I get everyone they are connected to, any townies included, it should work? As for graves, should I stick those in the person's inventory, like the ones in Olive Specter's lot? I feel a bit confident in doing it this way, opposed to doing a lot of work in SimPE. I just want to make sure I know what to do to keep it from becoming a BFBVFS. I can always attempt the SimPE tutorial, but I'd feel better if I can do it this way and it is safe. I know I can reload the original neighborhoods from the templates stored in the Program Files, so I can use that to make sure they are entirely unplayed.

Ugh, seems to re-install it every single time I run it. *sigh* From what I see, there is no permanent way to remove it and keep playing BV. Well, one way, but that always makes me nervous and I wouldn't know how to go about it anyway.

There are other files? I'll have to look again. Aside from what was in the registry, the only other SecuROM thing I found was an empty folder that was hidden. I looked in System32 for a file mentioned above and it wasn't there, so the empty folder seemed to be the only thing I had.

Aside from that, the image seems to work great. No problems yet. I'm playing now and will check the registry again when I'm done to see if SecuROM returned.

Edit: Ugh, it still came back. All the registry files returned. So far, though, those are the only files I can find. This really annoys me, because I got into BV enough to miss it if I have to stop playing to keep SecuROM out for good.

I was really unaware of the problems Bella could cause when resurrected. Since she never seemed to be the cause of any glitches I had, I never would have guessed. I think every actual problem I had before now was related to either a hack or something that came with the game.

Thanks for the info on that.

Alrighty! That was easier than I thought. Seems to have worked so far. At the main loading screen now. I had never attempted using those tools before. Thanks for the helpful stuff posted here to remove SecuROM and set the image up!

Edit: Just checked in on the registry after running the game, and SecuROM was still put back.

I just want to make sure I truly understand this all before I do anything. I've read all of this, and find myself slightly confused an unsure of things.

SecuROM is obviously a potential danger to my PC in more ways than one. And if I remove it, using a method such as sissyangel posted, BV won't run.

So now I want to make sure I properly understand this and that it will work before I go messing around in my computer:

I can remove SecuROM using the mentioned method, getting rid of it and keeping my PC safe.
To play BV, I use a method such as moron's posted method where I don't use a CD and BV runs safely and properly without SecuROM coming back.

Is that basically right? I enjoy BV but I've already lost one computer, and I don't want to lose another. Especially not to this.

When referring to how difficult I am to understand, I was referring to that one point.

And I'll admit, I can be hotheaded. Especially lately, I can't seem to control it, which I apologize for. But as far as helpful, it was mostly telling me I was wrong and not asking me specific questions, and getting angry when I said it didn't work, was wrong, etc. But that is aside, in the past, letting it go. At least I am trying to. No point in dealing with it now, as it didn't accomplish anything except to piss several people off.

Anyway, it was mentioned that it is easy to mess that up. As should be clear by my 3000 character files, messing things up apparently comes easy to me.

I'd never considered joining the beta for the same reason...I seem to have an easy habit of messing things up when it comes to Sims2. Mostly through the fact of finding out after the fact that something is bad. Especially with SecuROM in BV now. Had I been patient, I wouldn't have made the mistake of installing it and putting my PC at risk. But I guess that is how you learn. Now I just hope it doesn't do anything until I can read through the posts on what to do with it. I have a post here bookmarked to read through later.

Did you even read my post?

I was referring to a tutorial on the method of moving everyone to the same lot. I am well aware of the other method, and just as well aware that SimPE is virtually dead until the new release is out, making that tutorial useless for BV owners. I have searched, but only had time to do a quick scan. Not to look into it, and I didn't see one using the different method, just the one. So before you bite my head off, get your facts right and make sure you are talking about the same thing.

And I said I was just going to throw that out there in case someone felt generous. "Right now, I don't have time to search for it." Not "I don't have time to search for it." The way I said it was meant to get it across that I didn't have time to search at the time I posted it, but that I wanted to ask anyway. Just a side thought for if someone wasn't busy. And if no one posted before I got the time to look myself, I would do the searching. Honestly, is it that hard to figure out what I meant?

Now, I'm going to go search before I head off to bed to see if I can find anything. If you are going to bite my head off about this, make sure we are on the same page. Saves time.

Is there a tutorial of some kind online about how to do that merge the correct way? I'm just going to throw that out there because, right now, I don't have time to search for it. I can search later, but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask. I'm guessing the way has some form of transporting gravestones and ghosts(still dead) as well? I figure that if it didn't, there would still be loose ends left hanging.

I just ask because if there is a tutorial, it at least lets me work to prepare the new neighborhood for when I can extract my favorite sims in SimPE and start new.

Thanks for that. I'm not sure how I missed it.

I see now, however, that Riverblossom isn't included. I suppose I'll take a (probably much needed) break from Sims until simPE is updated and I can try my best to follow the tutorial.

I'm sorry for all the trouble that was caused here.

I did search, but I didn't find it uploaded anywhere as someone said. I may have overlooked it, but I only saw the tutorials. I thought someone mentioned that someone had done it and uploaded it....perhaps I misread.

Alright. Then tell me, where is this neighborhood someone mentioned uploaded online that has all the neighborhoods connected supposedly safely? That would at least give me a head start on the rebuild, though I can't use simPE to extract the sims to CAS until it is updated.

I made mistakes: I deleted from sim bin, I moved sims in houses, I did all those sorts of things before I knew their negative affects. Now I'm asking what to do to save my neighborhood from those mistakes. Let's forget about my friend, what he didn't or didn't do, and deal with the situation. I'm tired of defending him to you, you calling bullshit when I say you won't listen, but then you tell me he is wrong. Period. ENOUGH! I am done talking about that unrelated subject here. Let's deal with the problem: I did a lot that I messed up! Now I'm asking if I'm wasting time trying to salvage the neighborhood from MY mistakes. That is the focus here, so stop talking about him, because I'm done talking about him. That isn't the subject here.

Not that it is any of your business, but he works with the government and has for a good many years (more than the 19 I've been alive), now working exclusively on computers.

He doesn't believe his was is the "one true way". You do realize you are doing the same thing. There is no coming together to discuss methods, just he is wrong and you are right and it ends there. That is why he won't come here or try to share it. He gets told he is wrong or that it is too difficult. That or someone attempts it and kills their game, blaming him. So he sticks to his own tinkering and fixing, leaving annoyances out of the loop so he can actually get things down outside his job.

What he did differently doesn't apply to my current problem. I've tried to tell you that. The problems started when I was playing. It has nothing to do with his method of merging the neighborhoods. I don't know how we got so far off topic with that.

I didn't expect someone to provide an example to what I was saying as to why people avoid this place. I state the problem, get some help, provide what is wrong with that in relation to my own game, and a fight starts because the answer didn't work. Your thing about who is right and wrong is exactly why he won't come here. You only believe one thing and find it impossible that someone else could be right in a different way.

You know what, forget it. Apparently I'm not going to get help here. I'm just wrong, according to you, and that is all that matters. Just forget it. I should have known better than to come here. I should have known I wouldn't actually get a solution, just have it pointed out WHY i'm wrong.

But he isn't putting himself out there as you do and gets very annoyed when everyone who plays the game comes to him for help while he is working on his own jobs that PAY him. He didn't fuck up the game, I DID! If you would listen, you'd have gotten that several posts back! He won't share it because it requires a lot of work to make sure every single bit of information is correct. Most people don't want to do all that work and just ask him to do it. He doesn't have time to teach people. He took the time to check every single detail of every single character and fix it. He tried to share that method in the past, but too many people complained that it was too complicated and he got frustrated with people wanting it to be easier and gave up.

I'm trying to explain it, but you ARE NOT LISTENING and won't even answer my damn question about WHY the large number of characters is a problem!

He won't come here for one reason: He doesn't like people who only believe in the form of knowledge the possess and won't listen to it when people present a conflicting view. Dare to present a conflicting view, and I get "Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."

Now, I am done arguing about this. I am going to start over here, and you can keep banging your head against the wall of a useless argument, or we can work on my game. I suppose the best thing is ASK ME ACTUAL QUESTIONS, and I will do my best to provide the information. I can call him and get information on his process, if he is willing to tell me the depths of it. He didn't give me complete instructions as I thought. He is afraid my messing with the game will mess it up at the very beginning of a new neighborhood.

So, enough of an argument that is not going to serve any purpose. Why don't we try to do something constructive. At least with his tinkering in the game, he plans to come up with a version of the game to present to EA and Maxis that doesn't have so many problems. May not help you or me right now, but it is working towards something useful.

Because he has more important things to do than fix this problem of mine. Like, I don't know, his job. Besides, right now he is busy working on something that will get rid of that POS SecuROM.

The reason I mention what he said is to give you the entire situation, including the changes he made to the less than perfect method I've seen here of merging the neighborhoods. I figure that way we don't waste time with "You shouldn't have done this or that" because of knowledge you have, which isn't the same as the situation of my game. I can see how that worked like a charm, since now we are arguing over something pointless instead of working with the information I'm TRYING to give and attempting to fix my game.

Hmm...I don't see myself repeating things. Expanding on them, yes. Giving more details, yes. Repeating, no. The fact is, things were done differently than are being assumed by you, and when I try to explain it, suddenly I'm being repetitive and argumentative. Then I ask questions completely different from what I've already said, and get no answer because you are too busy talking to me like I'm clueless to listen to someone who has created a version of the sims 2 on his computer that has many fixes EA and Maxis refuse to make. And the ONLY reason I don't have that version is because he is afraid of possible long term effects or, more recently, SecuROM.

You see, I took the advice of someone who can delve into programming and fix it. He knows how. And on his computer, he has fixed what he calls "idiotic and stupid mistakes" that they made.

Now, I will repeat one thing, and that is the question I stated earlier: What about the large number of character files hurts the game? I don't understand it all like my friend does, so I don't get what causes the "BFBVFS" as you have named it.

No need to be rude. I'm presenting the facts of what has been done and asking for help. I've explained what has happened, and how it is likely my mistakes causing problems now. Mistakes such as moving a household from a main hood to a subhood.

Now, while looking for something else mentioned here, I noticed information on safely reviving those PV characters, and that it required a little work. But that isn't what this is about so I'm not going into it.

I don't know what your problem is, I'm just trying to fix what I've probably broken and understand things. My friend, who works with computer programming (including a LOT of game programming) for a living, has delved into the Sims2 programming a lot, fascinated by the mistakes that were made. That probably has something to do with his processes, which I can't even begin to understand. Regardless, what he did doesn't matter here. I'm not saying he is right or wrong, or that you are right or wrong. If you can find where I stated that, please let me know because I get real pissed off when people put words in my mouth or twist what I say.

Now, perhaps we can talk of more useful things, like what can be done to save my neighborhood from mistakes I made such as moving households or deleting sims before I was aware of the issues that causes.

The way he did it put everyone together on one lot, so that relationships weren't lost and other such problems didn't occur. He doesn't have BV and used this method quite some time back. For my own curiosity, we looked into his game with SimPE and there wasn't a single garbage file in it.

There is one thing I don't really understand: What about the number of character files causes the problems? Does it have anything to do with things like RAM?

I didn't know bringing Bella back (I don't say resurrecting, because she isn't dead) was a bad thing. What problems does she cause? I certainly don't try to breed her, I just like having her around so she can make friends with some of my sims. I never noticed a problem with her at all, and thanks to my friend she was around for a LONG time. I think he brought her back for me around the time Uni came out.

I took out every single download in my game, hacks first and then the rest, and the subhood still won't load. It just crashes every single time. I can play anywhere else, just not there. As a test, I loaded up Riverblossom, connected all the places (Uni, Downtown, etc), and played for a bit. Not a problem. Tried to go back in there, crash. This only started very recently, since I first posted.