Hello,
This might sound really stupid, but I am quite new at this (backing up and changing files in my game) and it is making me quite nervous. Of course I saved all the original folders on an external hard drive, so nothing can happen to them.
Here is my situation.
I was playing Pleasantview with EPs up to Seasons and Kits up to Celebration stuff (because my old computer would not have more).
I had deleted (understand put in the game's bin) all the characters that came with that neighborhood.
I put in my own Sims and I have quite a story going on there. So I don't want to loose them.
However now that I have a new computer and can put all the EPs and all the Stuff packs, I would like to have neighborhoods without the ugly Maxis townies, dormies etc.
I installed everything on my new computer and I put back my saved neighborhood of Pleasantville in My Documents (before adding the new EPs).
I understand I am making the changing of files in Program Files.

Now my question is:

If I want neighborhoods with no ugly Maxis NPCs, but still want to keep my Sims in Pleasantville, I suppose I will keep the ugly NPCs they already know. I can live with that.! But should I change the files in the all the folders anyway?
Even in N001?

What I would hope to achieve is to get the other neighborhoods clean of NPCs (townies, dormies, maid, mailman etc.) Can I do that, or am I just wasting my time as it will not work anywhere because I want to keep a neighborhood already "infected"!

I'm sorry if this question seems really basic, but that's what I am really, a beginner in that area. I never did anything but play and download and I am not REALLY understanding what I am doing when I follow the instructions... so I can't deduce what will happen...

Thank you