That's what I needed, exactly. I easily found everything, and I think I know what to do, now. Also, I'm backed up, just in case. Many thanks!

I don't know how to back up the registry. Where is it found, so that I can make a backup?

I am not sure that Free Time was completely uninstalled, because the uninstaller may have only partially finished the job. I never got a notice saying the program had been uninstalled, like I did when I uninstalled the other expansions. So a program designed to remove outdated info may not read it as totally gone.

I would like to learn how to do this, manually, in case it ever happens again. What files/folders, once I open regedit, hold the data that needs to be deleted? Exactly what data should be deleted?

 

How do I do that? I know how to type in regedit in the cmd box, but once I do that, I don't know what files/folders to look for, and exactly what to delete.

I need to temporarily uninstall Free Time so I can work on some BV files in SimPE for my Mac game. I tried to uninstall with the XP change/remove. I pressed the button and it blinked after a brief pause. Then the Free Time icon disappeared from the list. So I thought it was finished uninstalling. I put the BV Sims 2 into documents, and put in the BV disk. A warning said I was using the wrong version of the game, and to put in the Free Time disk. I restarted my computer. Tried again. Same thing. I opened up the XP add/remove program, and when the list populated, no Free Time listed.

So I thought I would just start all over. I uninstalled all the expansions. When I tried to uninstall Sims 2 itself, a warning says I have other expansions installed and must uninstall them first before uninstalling Sims 2. So I tried installing University again, to see if it would overwrite whatever and then I uninstalled that. But no dice. I even tried putting a backup copy of the Fee Time folder back into the programs folder to see if that would populate the uninstall list so I could uninstall again. But no. I still get no uninstall option.

So where is the stupid computer reading from, that it thinks Free Time is still installed? What can I manually delete to get the computer to believe that Free Time is gone, so I can reinstall the expansions up to BV and start the game up with the BV disk?

Yup. Every expansion, I fresh install the whole game in order, installing patches along the way. I add the latest greatest and test it to bits, to find out what is under the hood. Then I ditch the test hood and add Pescado's updated mods, and other Awesome mods. After that I start searching the web for everyone else's updated mods. No mod goes into the downloads folder that isn't either updated or I hear from the creator that it is safe to use in the new expansion because no update is needed. After I get the mods in, I make a new test hood and use that until I feel it is safe to movan established hood into the game. [But with Seasons, I'm going to start all over, because everything needs to be built differently, to accommodate the Seasons features. So it's a great time to start fresh.]

As the days go by, whenever I add updated mods, I check with the hack scanner to catch conflicts.

But, invariably, I still find something or other that needs to be taken out of the downloads folder, and it isn't always a mod. So it seems like I'm always doing the half, and then half, and then half thing each new expansion. But it is a lot easier now than it used to be, because everything is organized.

I'll eventually find the culprit, when I have time to do the search. Right now, though, I'm installing programs and moving files from my old computer to my new Dell XPS 710 H2C, so everything is taking a back seat to getting the new PC up and running. That's why it took so long for me to realize you had asked a question.

In order to return this thread to the scarecrow, and so everyone can have their say, I just put up a poll about accidental death in the Sims 2. Have fun voting.

Please vote your choice, within the range of your actual physical age. All ages can choose the "meh" vote, in place of an age group vote. Only one vote per person. No changing of votes. Vote in order to see the total.

I have not voted yet. 

Do you think it would help? Sure, I'll try anything if it might help.

My earlier statement was unintentionally offensive, and I'm sorry. Please forgive. I mean that. I had no intention of offending anyone.

That was a tease, Witch. I said it was a tease. Lighten up. 

Well, I had no intention to offend, nor was it designed to be a flame. I did explain that ....

I have rather enjoyed everyone talking about me like I'm not here, though.

Besides, what is all this bellyaching about offense. I thought you all agreed this forum was for flaming and fighting. Such thin skin for a forum where flaming is supposed to be the norm. LOL

And that last statement was the kind of ironic "good-spirited" mean teasing the forum is noted for .... 

Well, there is a difference between "good-natured" mean picking on someone, ala Pescado, and actual flame bait. Flaming is always in bad taste, because it isn't fun for anyone. I have no problem with someone being "mean to me." I expect a certain amount of razzing, etc. That's the tone of the forum. But the flaming goes beyond that to actual attacks, designed only to cause a senseless fight, usually because they think they have found a weakness they can exploit for fun and excitement. Meh.

He was tired almost to the point of dropping over. I instructed him to go to bed, and turned my attention back to the other Sim, expecting him to do as he was told. Well, he didn't. He went swimming. I found out he did that only when I saw his thumbnail change and double clicked to see why. There was a tombstone instead of my sim, next to the pool. So I quit without saving. When I reopened the game, I wanted to see it for myself. I directed him to go swimming. Sure enough, almost as soon as he entered the water he got to the "fall asleep standing up" stage. He curled up in the water, and Ol' Grimmy came. This was either in the base game or with Nightlife. I don't know if it would still happen after more expansions. I haven't checked. Test it out, if you want to.

With the stove fire, I was on a big lot, with a deep set back (large pond in front of the house, and a big garden area around a long fancy walkway. The Sim was engulfed by flames immediately. The stove didn't catch on fire. The stupid fireman started near the sidewalk, and by the time he made it all the way across the lot, my Sim was ashes. I learned to set houses closer to the sidewalk, with a clear access to the door. But that was before the "no fire" mods I have now. I use no stove fire, no BBQ fire, ever burning fireplaces that don't kill, no Christmas tree fires, no reindeer fires, etc. Now I can build any way I want.

The fireplace death was before I knew fireplaces could kill a Sim poking them. I had all the objects far enough away from the fireplace itself, so I thought the fireplace was safe. My Sim got up off the couch to poke the fire, which I thought was a harmless activity, and I turned my attention to another Sim in the family. Suddenly I see the fire thought bubble, and the Sim I was watching ran to the living room. It was a good sized fire by then, and the Sim who had been poking the fire was ashes. I quit without saving. I almost always quit without saving, so I wasn't losing Sims, but I still didn't like them dying by accident.

The only death I still don't understand was the disease death (he got sick when a bunch of balloons popped and left an invisible trash heap on my property and I had roaches everywhere). I had done everything I was supposed to do in order for the Sim to recover. But I guess the disease code is really strange, with a lot of random wackiness. And the fact that I kept calling the exterminator, but the roaches kept coming back, might have had something to do with it. I had discovered the invisible trash heap before the death, though (the maid kept going out to the yard, and I was curious why so I followed her -- she took a garbage bag out of clear air where the balloons had been), and removed it, so at the time of death the lot wasn't corrupt.

The one that really made me mad was the repair of the dishwasher, when he was maxed out in mechanical skills. I had maxed him out specifically so it was safe to make repairs. And then he got toasted. I was not a happy camper. I do have to admit that I laughed when the repairman died in another house, though. That was kinda funny. I thought the repairmen were immune to it. I felt better about my Sim when I found out even a professional could get killed trying to make repairs.

With the kissing, be sure to prevent your Sims from making out when they are already getting hot from being outside or exercising or something else that has raised heat like being in a hot tub together. I haven't had many couples that autonomously make out (most will kiss tender or hug, kiss up the arm, or serenade each other) but I have had a few loving couples who do a lot of autonomous making out. This was one of those couples. If he instigates a make out, and then she immediately instigages another make out, and one was hot to begin with, it can result in combustion.

The hot tub temp goes up really fast, even in winter. So unless you mod, watch them in that. It can be nasty.

I will admit readily that most of the deaths were due to my not understanding what could kill in the game. But that is moot. It doesn't come with instructions, for the most part, concerning these death traps. So until it happens or you hear of it happening to someone else, you don't know. And when warnings are given, like "be sure to give your Sim mechanical skills before making repairs," and those warnings are heeded, the Sim should be safe. It was the same with stove fires. They can still occur with skilled Sims, and with Nannys (over whom you are supposed to have no control). The game is designed for the possibility of accidental deaths. Period. No matter what you do.

I was ready to post this when it told me there were three other posts. So I'll answer those, too:

Venusy:

I'm glad to hear the pregnancy thing was a bug. Last I heard it was just part of the disease randomness. I hope they fixed it.

My Sim got out of bed after whoohoo and died. That's all I know. Maybe he was low on motives. I coudn't swear he wasn't. I honestly don't remember. It was a few expansions ago.

I already talked about the pool. He fell asleep. No time to get out. And I talked about the stove fire. I already talked about the plague, too. Might have been the presence of roaches. Dunno.

I have the fixes I need to enjoy my game, but I wish MaxisEA had given me the option originally. I am really grateful for the fixes.

My Sim didn't die from the plunge. I didn't say he did, and didn't mean to leave that impression. Sorry that wasn't clear. But the plunge happened on his first elevator ride, so I took out the elevators because I realized death by elevator was possible. I had been looking forward to elevators, so this did not make me happy.

I know the game can be modified. That wasn't ever the issue. I wanted MaxisEA to give us the option, and not dictate accidental death, that's all.

Witch and Orikes:

I don't care for flaming, or forum fighting. Please stay on topic and don't get personal. Thank you.

...................

You know, I really never expected this kind of grilling. I didn't like Maxis EA code, and said so. I shared my game experience. I found out my experience has not matched some other people's experience. But I sure didn't expect people to raise their eyebrows in disbelief. And I do think this is the first time I have ever seen anyone actually defending MaxisEA code. LOL
 

1. Bad netiquette: Your quote of me above makes it look like I wrote the phrase you quoted, which I did not. If you want to say the list is improbable, fine, but don't make it look like I said it.
2. Flame bait: "... you're either wildly exaggerating or ... [and] There is no way half the deaths you described could actually happen in a normal game."

There was a recent thread about accessories blinking blue since Pets. The person who started the thread has had no end to problems with it. I have not had the problem. So, do I immediately tell that person they are wildly exaggerating or their game is corrupt, because no way could the game do it? Is that a reasonable response, just because their game is acting different than mine?

Besides, this game is known to be bonkers when it comes to probabilities, because they are coded very strangely. A string of deaths in my game should come as no surprise, even if you never had any in yours. If deaths are coded into the game, and set with probabilities, anything could happen. Since seasons, some people have had a penguin on every lot until it becomes a nuisance -- and some people have yet to see a penguin. Go figure.

For the record, I started playing this game the day it came out. There were no mods, in the beginning. Some of the deaths happened then. Others happened when I was testing a fresh install of the base game/old expansions, along with an added new expansion. I don't use mods when I test a new expansion. I had no indications of the fresh installs being corrupted, so you can rule that out. Others, like the Sim dropping my instruction to go to bed, and deciding to go swimming instead (resulting in death), can be chalked up to "stupid sims."

Some deaths are just quirks in the game. The pregnancy thing happened to other people, too. It might have been before the first patch, I can't remember the timing that well. But I remember reading about other people who had it happen to their Sims. It was explained, at the time. Something to do with the way disease deaths are on probabilities and that the game sees pregnancy as a disease. That was when I started looking for the first "no disease" mod.

One reason I may have had more deaths is because I have probably played the game for many more hours than most (not all) of you, who have a life. I have been confined to my bed for almost three years, and before that I was not able to stand for very long, so I spent a good deal of time at my desk. The things I can do on a computer have filled my days. I do have many programs on my computers (Mac and PC), so I don't play the Sims nonstop or anything; but they do give me a more engaging way to occupy my hours than watching TV all day long, and I enjoy the game.

The other reason I could be experiencing more accidental deaths is playing style. The type of house, type of furnishings, type of Sim, number of Sims on one lot, etc, could all affect probablilites. And, when I test a game, I poke and prod it to see what's under the hood. That might also have something to do with it.

One thing for sure, I really thought my experiences were the norm. It has come as a real surprise that the people posting have not experienced the same thing in their games. Of course, others may be having my experiences, but not be reading this thread or posting. That is also possible.

I should probably clarify, since my post has obviously been misunderstood.

I wasn't saying that actually being twenty-something predisposes someone to the "death is a kick" perspective. No, not at all. I was saying that MaxisEA seems to have made the *generalization* that its target audience of twenty-something prefers to see lots of accidental death in the game -- ala the same generalization that twenty-somethings prefer to engage in shooters because they think death is a kick. It was a commentary on the game industry *generalizations,* and not on an age group. It's the whole "violence sells" mentality, when aimed at the youth market.

I was making a comment that the target audience of the Sims 2 should be aimed at a much wider and more diverse group of people, some of whom want the *option* of playing a different type of game. I don't really believe the hype that the Sims 2 creators have a wacky or offbeat sense of humor. I think they were told exactly what to create because of marketing goals, so that's what they created. I think the marketing goals are warped, not the artists. I may be wrong, of course.

My other comment was reactive. It was in response to all the posts that said, "I want more death, I want more death" -- not just in this thread, but throughout several forums over a period of time. That's hard to hear, when you personally wish death never existed. So I responded with, basically, "you want more death, then experience death IRL, and see if you still like it." I realize I am sensitive in that area, because I have struggled with recent loss, etc. And I know you are all talking about a game function, not the real thing. It's just hard to hear, sometimes, and this was one of those times  ....

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.
............

Kyna, we all play the Sims 2 so differently. That is why the game is wildly popular, because (especially with the use of mods) the game allows for so much variance in gameplay. Your boredom threshold is different than mine. What amuses me, and entertains me, is different from what you need to stay amused and entertained. That is to be expected.

It really isn't an issue of me being attached to a Sim or Sims. Right now, I'm starting all over with brand new Sims in a new hood -- or will be once I am done with my testing in the test hood. So there is no level of attachment. Rather, it is more on a philosophical level. I'm really not an emotional basket-case, and definitely not a bleeding heart -- but I do hate death, for a whole variety of reasons. I do not want death to pop up unexpectedly in a game, ending my enjoyment of whatever I was doing. I want more control than that. In a sense, I don't want to have to "fear" something in a game. I don't enjoy that, and don't find it exciting. I find it wearing and annoying. It is more the philosophical attitude of : "This is supposed to be a 'god' game, so let me be a god. Don't set parameters on my godhead capabilities. Give me the options to make the game the way I want it."

I used to routinely save copies of houses and "remove" the copied occupants via nefarious means, in order to have an empty but fully furnished house for another hood. Back then, I used the pink flamingo to do the deed. Sims are pixels, and I had no problem with deleting pixels. Now that I have other options, I don't kill off Sims, because it's easier and better for the game to do it another way.

So please understand that it doesn't bother me if you feel the need to arrange for the death of a Sim in order to spark some drama and not be bored with your game. It doesn't bother me that MaxisEA put that capability into the code. However, it does bother me that they forced me to "live" in an environment filled with the increasing possibility of accidental death, if I would prefer it to be different. So, if it comes right down to base motives, this is more a control issue than anything else, I guess.

The size of the tree didn't seem to matter in my game. The tiniest crab tree was putting out leaves as fast as the largest birch. And the leaves fall all through the season, never getting to be bare trees until winter starts. You can literally rake night and day, all season long, and never totally catch up -- if you have more than just a few trees. I had that happen with less than a dozen trees. I had to get a robot to do the raking, because the family of two had no time to sleep or eat if they tried to do the raking as needed.

The more leaf piles you have, the more the game has to "remember."

I would guess that your card is already taxed, just playing a regular game. So the extra burden of generating leaves might have been enough to choke the game.

It is easy enough to test, if you still have the lots in question. Just remove the trees and see if it solves the problem. If it does, add trees one at a time, to see what your card can handle.

Probably time to save some pennies for a new card, especially if you want any more expansions ....

LOL

I'm not taking the game too seriously, and it isn't any more of an escape than TV or a book.

I object to the coding of the game. That was the point.

Lots and lots of people have complained about MaxisEA for lots of different reasons. Complaining in this forum has become an art form. So I complained. So what? Did I ask you to agree with me?

Or is it that you are uncomfortable hearing a perspective that dramatically differs from your own ....

I dont' want accidental deaths, and I *do* watch my Sims. But I have had them die of pregnancy, with hunger still in the green. Just acted weird for a second or two and then keeled over dead. I have had them die from trying to fix an appliance when their skill was at max. I even had a repairman work on an appliance and get killed. I've had a Sim autonomously go swimming instead of going to bed as I had directed, and drown, while the partner was busy doing something (which I was watching). I've had a Sim who was autonomously poking a fire in the fireplace. catch on fire and die. I've had a Sim who was cooking, with about 3/4 of the cooking skill completed, die from a flash stove fire -- instantly swallowed him up in flames -- and that was with the alarm installed. He was engulfed in flames long before the fireman arrived. I've had a romance Sim keel over after too much whoohoo, before I realized that it could happen. I've had a Sim watch the clouds, because I love watching clouds, only to get hit by a fallen satellite. Sure, it happened before I realized you can't watch clouds in safety. But watching clouds *should* be an enjoyable experience, not a potential death sentence!

Spontaneous combustion, new with Seasons, can and does happen after getting too hot from *any* cause. And I have had Sims dangerously hot from too much making out -- which my Sims often do autonomously. I never thought to stop them from kissing. Who would have guessed you could die from kissing? I had a Sim dangerously hot from sitting in the hot tub too long on a Sim owned business. Whether or not they combust after overheating is a roll of the dice. And that is too much of a chance, for me. Because no one should ever die from kissing or soaking in a hot tub.

I had a Sim die from disease, even after lots of bed rest, which is not supposed to happen but did happen in my game. I've had a Sim get "paralyzed" (looked like a zombie) from eating food which was fine when he took it from the serving plate and started eating, but which spoiled part way through his meal. (I restarted that game, so I don't know if the paralyzing would have resulted ultimately in death or in recovery.) My Sims very first elevator ride resulted in "the plunge."

I've had a tree hit by lightning, very close to my Sim. As quick as that storm came on, my Sim would never have had a chance to get to safety before the lightning struck, if there had not been a tree in the yard and it had targeted him instead. And for sure, he could never have gotten out of a hot tub or pool quick enough to avoid a strike. So I built a greenhouse around all my Sims outdoor activities to entirely prevent the possibility.

I started getting mods to prevent accidental death, because it was happening in my game way more than I wanted it to happen. I'm not complaining needlessly. I have been disturbed by the degree of accidental death in my game. I don't appreciate how the game was coded. That's my perspective, because that has been my experience. Your mileage may vary. Shrug.

For those of you who want more accidental death in your game, try IRL burying a son, an aunt and uncle, a best friends husband, and then watch your elderly parents struggling with disease, all within a few years time. Add a few trips to the hospital for yourself, being confined to bed between trips, with your own life in uncertain balance -- then tell me how much fun it is to watch death in a game that is supposed to be played for fun and relaxation.

Not all of the MaxisEA target audience is +/- twenty-something looking for any kind of excitement to validate their existence. Not all of us think death is a kick. Some of us have lived long enough to know from experience how short life can be, and know that death isn't fun when it causes the deepest and longest lasting pain a human can feel.

That being said, I do enjoy the Sims, immensely. That's why I play. But I enjoy the game in spite of MaxisEA, not because of them. The game is only enjoyable because of the mods I chose to put in it, not because of the orginal coding. The game should have been coded so that the risks could have been adjusted to the game play style, on a sliding scale of risk at the whim of the player. If that had been the goal, it could have been easily coded for customization. That would have made everyone happy. But MaxisEA is saying on one hand that the game is "for however you want to play it" and then forcing a certain style of play on the other hand. And that was my original objection. My perspective, and IMHO. You are free to disagree ....

They must either be smoking something, or just be warped. I have seriously wondered about the creaters of the Sims 2. They call it a wacky sense of humor, etc. But I find nothing humorous about their purposeful creation of the impovershed, the mismatched, the colorless, and the truly ugly; all when they could have created sometihing elegant, colorful, and beautiful -- or at least something balanced somewhere between the two extremes.

I also don't appreciate their sadistic fetish about killing off my Sims. Especially killing them with things that should normally be wonderful parts of life, like sitting in front of a warm fire on a cold night, or gathering around a Christmas tree to celebrate. I customize and mod everything to bits -- all so I can play a decent game, pleasing to my eye, without burying most of my Sims before their very short lifespan has been fulfilled. If I wanted some adreniline pumping slaughter, I'd buy a shooter. I play the Sims to relax and enjoy myself.

Come to think of it, I remember being told in Sims 1 that the price of having eternal sims, was some chances of accidental death in the game. Well, now my Sims are NOT eternal, by purposeful design, and STILL MaxisEA adds *multiple* new ways for them to accidentally die with practically *every* expansion.

Think about it for a moment. If you have all the expansions up to and including Seasons, and you play without a protective mod in your game, what are the odds your Sim will never live long enough to become an elder?? He/she can die from kissing too long, sitting in a hot tub too long, eating spoiled food, sitting by the pool too long, running with a scissors, catching a random plague, getting hit by lightening, getting hit by hail, getting burned up while cooking or sitting in front of a fireplace, taking an elevator ride, getting burned up from being too close to a Christmas tree or outdoor Christmas ornament, running on the treadmill to long, getting hit by falling sky debris, fixing a broken appliance (even if the Sim is skilled to the max), flying a kite, drowning in the pool, or too much whoopee. And if he is sloppy, he can even die from a sudden attack of flies. In addition, female Sims can also die of pregnancy, even if their hunger never goes into the red. (I may be forgetting some other peril, there are so many.) And all that isn't even counting the chance to become the undead because of a wandering vampire autonomously biting him or her.

Trying to avoid death in this game is like constantly dodging a bullet, if you don't have protective mods. Ridiculous ....

Maybe someone should spawn a plantsim kid, age it artifically, and send it to work to test whether it is all plantsims or just Rose that causes a problem.

I think I only have one non-awesome mod that relates to school, Carrigon's no school mod. But I had nothing of hers in my game for a while, until she updated. The problem was happening even before, so it isn't that mod. I suppose some mods may affect school in a non-obvious way, so they don't stand out. Sigh.

This time, I had hoped to avoid the customary "divide in half, and then in half, and then in half" until the stinker is found, that usually accompanies a new expansion. I suppose its my fault. I love to mod and remod the game until it plays exactly the way I want.

Oh well, this only happens about once every six months ....   LOL   

Hmmmm. I don't think I like that the well is, in effect, "creating" an existing Sim. I wonder what that does to wants, fears, memories -- or worse, I wonder if it actually *creates* an entirely new Sim with the same bod and name. I really don't think that should be happening ....

I was playing my family with the new baby, when I realised the baby was acting perfectly normal. No excessive crying, etc. So I thought about it for a while, and watched. The option to change the baby's diaper never came up. No diaper changing at all. I probably didn't notice earlier, because I was having the Sims routinely bathe the baby. So I experiemented by waiting until the tykes thumbnail turned from green to quite yellow. Still no option to change the diaper. I finally had the Sim bathe the baby, and yup, the thumbnail turned back to the normal green after the bath.

As long as I routinely bathe the baby, it is happy, cooing and being sweet just lying in the crib while looking around. Very nice.

Until a patch is ready, I thought maybe some of you with screaming babies might want to try a routine bath and see if it works in your game ....

It is recurring. Many lots, with or without children. It doesn't seem to be tied to any one circumstance, sometimes happening shortly after the lot is opened, and sometimes a little later. It goes away with a reset, and doesn't come back until a restart of the game.

I don't have any hack conflicts. And all my mods are approved for Seasons, mostly awesome mods with just a few other non-conflicting mods. It is the same brew of mods I have run since OFB, and through Pets, though always updated. That's why this is confusing to me, because I have constantly updated, but not added new mods, other than those specifically related to Seasons (and nothing about schools).

It was happening way before the Insim, which I just added yesterday. Actually, this has happened ever since I installed Seasons ....

If it isn't something that stands out, and is easily pinpointed, then I suppose I am in for a long and arduous search for the culprit. Sigh. Just thought I'd ask, first, in case you could say, "It's the such and such," and save me the trouble. 

Has anyone else noticed that the Hole-y Pots Cascading Waterfall freezes over even when it is indoors in the winter? It freezes whether it is near the outside wall or in the middle of the room. Taking it out of the catelog, it looks normal, like it will run. But when the game is put back in Sim mode, it immediately freezes over.

What could be causing this error? I have no idea what object might be iinvolved with JobData - school - public.

edited to send as txt doc