I fail so hard, I can't even install it!

[Cupcake]

Today, I tried to install an Arr!ed copy of Mansion and Garden stuff onto my laptop. Everything was going swimmingly until it came to the Apartment Life Updater (I have all EPs), and then it said that there had been an error and suggested a reinstall.
I have gleaned from around these parts that uninstalling an expansion pack is a VBT, plus, as my AL was a gift from my mother (who bought the game from the EA store, damn her), it might be a tad difficult to retrieve the files. I tried applying the patch but of course, that didn't work, and came up with the same error.

Any help would be really appreciated.

[jolrei]

Uninstalling an EP is only bad if you intend not to reinstall it.  If you reinstall it immediately before playing again, things will be fine.

Do this:
1) Back up your hoods and Downloads, saved sims, lots, and anything else you want to keep.
2) Uninstall AL if that's where the error was (this will delete all hoods, cc, sims, lots in the lot bin, everything - that's why you made a backup, right?)
3) When you get the "AL was uninstalled correctly" message (or whatever it says), reinstall AL.  It should reinstall nicely.
4) Patch AL if you have the patch.
5) Install M&G.
6) Run game to test that it works.  Exit game.
7) Replace from backup all your hoods, CC, saved sims, lots, etc.
PROFIT.

If the uninstall step (2) does not work (see 3), you will need to search on manually uninstalling an EP.

[Cupcake]

Done.
Thank you, and thank you.
My Sims no longer hate me, and I'm a happy pirate.

[Rhayden]

Done.
Thank you, and thank you.
My Sims no longer hate me, and I'm a happy pirate.

Now if only you would be a smarter pirate.

[Cupcake]

I'm plenty smart enough, blame the EAxis of evil and my mother for gifting me secuROM on a plate.

Happy birthday honey, let's kill your computer.

[Lorelei]

I can help: it is spelled "Chili."

[Cupcake]

I'm English, "chilli" is the preferred spelling.

[snowbawl]

Oh great, another name-changer.

[jolrei]

Fair enough, but at least it's a change to something workable.  "Stupidly-too-long-cupcake-usename" was just going to be unworkable.  I, for one, welcome the new adrisole, whatever that is.

[Rhayden]

It's still Cupcake and will always be Cupcake.

[witch]

I found it wittering mindlessly in grah last night. I am unimpressed.

[jolrei]

I found it wittering mindlessly in grah last night. I am unimpressed.

That's an entirely different issue, although fair enough.

[Assmitten]

Go Pevensie at your shrink, Cumcake.

[J. M. Pescado]

[Exiled]

This error may come about if you're using a cracked no-CD.  The SP has the patch and tries to update; upon failing, it will stupidly uninstall itself instead of, you know, letting it go.

I didn't realize this, so I uninstalled Seasons to install IKEA, and put the no-CD back in.  When I tried to install H&M, it threw up the same thing.  I put the original EXE back in and H&M installed successfully.

Lost my Lotsync data again, though.  Grrrr.