Technical problems with THE HORROR: downloading, installing, and running it

[Rockermonkey]

Is this download okay? http://torrentseed.org/details.php?id=6629

I'll remove the link once I get a response.

[snowluv]

@snowluv:  What's in the zip folder?  We can't help you make sense of it if you don't tell us.

Gosh, Phyllis. I am surprised you're still hanging out here. But here goes.... dxwebsetup.exe   application   Oct.2007
                                                                                                        vccredist_86.exe                    11/17/2008           
                                                                                                         data.tptb                              May   2009
                                                                                                        data 2                                    May 2009
                                                                                                        data 3                                   May 2009
                                                                                                        data 4                                   May 2009
                                                                                                        data 5                                   May 2009
                                                                                                        reg.dll                                    March 2001
                                                                                                        regsetup.dll                            May 2009
                                                                                                        setup.bat                               May 2009
                                                                                                        tptb.dll                                  April 28 2009
                                                                                                        tptb.exe                                May  2009                             

Obviously, I am missing something because I do not see a Sims3.exe and one of the .exe files is dated October 2007 . Is that from a program this person uses in order to create a torrent? I checked the comments left for this download and everyone there seems to know what they are doing and are playing the game as I continue to bang my head upon my desk.  Do I extract the files from the zip to my desktop and burn it all to disc then install from the disc?  Or am I just screwed for being such a noob?

[phyllis_p]

@snowluv -- I live here :-)  I are Senator, after all ;-)

I don't know for sure, but it looks like your download might have some kind of self-extracting thing associated with it.  You might click setup and see what happens (unless someone wiser than I advises against it).  I know that when I downloaded mine, it came in about 55 RAR files, and in order to create the iso I had to unRAR them all together.  After all that unRARing, I got the iso, and two other files -- .svc and .nfo, if I recall.  So ... I'd extract from zip, try setup and see what you get.

[SciBirg]

Try opening the tptb.exe file in WinRAR and see what happens. It looks like a self-extracting RAR-archive (or equivalent).

[Rockermonkey]

None of those seem like a game file...is the zip file like this: rld-sim3.r(##)? If so it's probably real that I'd know of...

[SciBirg]

Yes, I agree, they do sound kind of fishy...

[Rockermonkey]

With the link I posted I'm already at 99.1% and it's been a half hour. Is that strange? there are 40 seeders and 10 peers. It has pretty normally named rars. But I was wondering is this one of the ones that had the supposed virus if that one even existed?

[phyllis_p]

@snowluv: I went to your torrent site and found the one you downloaded.  It's supposed to be in a zip folder.  You may want to go back to the site and read the comments.  It looks like the installation is a bit different than what I and others have been working with, which is why your files look so different.  More than one person couldn't figure out how to install, but they have instructions (more or less) over there.

Well, enough procrastinating for me. I need to get back to work ;-)

[jolrei]

With the link I posted I'm already at 99.1% and it's been a half hour. Is that strange? there are 40 seeders and 10 peers. It has pretty normally named rars. But I was wondering is this one of the ones that had the supposed virus if that one even existed?

This does not sound right.  The game is 5 Gb in size (give or take a byte or two).  It is inconceivable that it would download in half an hour with only 40 seeders.  You may have a promo or a "just the crack and keygen" file or something of that nature.

[snowluv]

@snowluv: I went to your torrent site and found the one you downloaded.  It's supposed to be in a zip folder.  You may want to go back to the site and read the comments.  It looks like the installation is a bit different than what I and others have been working with, which is why your files look so different.  More than one person couldn't figure out how to install, but they have instructions (more or less) over there.

Well, enough procrastinating for me. I need to get back to work ;-)

Thanks,everyone. I hit the TPTB.exe and it is a self-extracting file. Everything is now in My Documents in it's own folder. And little wonder I have been bugging you with the wrong questions. I should have realized why I was so confused. I was trying to make sense out of two very different types of downloads that each have their own instructions for installation.  Good Grief.  I will let you all know how it goes . After all of this Sims3 had better be worth it!! 

[Rockermonkey]

Its size is: 4.94 GB (5,298,994,158 bytes)

And it 45 minutes so alittle bit over. at like 1.5mb/sec on average. On bittorent btw. I wonder if that is one of the ones with that virus that may or may not exist. Where did you all download?

[mistyk]

What do you see when you mount the image (.iso)?  Daemon should have created a virtual drive that essentially operates as the game DVD.  You mount the .iso in that drive.  The files should then be visible on that drive.  You should be able to install from there as easily as if you had a disk in a physical DVD drive.  Not happening?

No, that is happening. But when I click anything to try to install it just tells me I can't because it's not compatible. I'm downloading again in hopes that the download/iso got corrupted along the way. I'll report back if that helps, tonight (only about 30% t this point). On to day four of this saga *sigh*.

Having to start over really sucks. I am starting to think something is wrong with my download, been going since 5:42pm yesterday and its now only at 47%. Is there anyway to speed this up?

[SciBirg]

What do you see when you mount the image (.iso)?  Daemon should have created a virtual drive that essentially operates as the game DVD.  You mount the .iso in that drive.  The files should then be visible on that drive.  You should be able to install from there as easily as if you had a disk in a physical DVD drive.  Not happening?

No, that is happening. But when I click anything to try to install it just tells me I can't because it's not compatible. I'm downloading again in hopes that the download/iso got corrupted along the way. I'll report back if that helps, tonight (only about 30% t this point). On to day four of this saga *sigh*.

Have you tried editing the compatibility? (Right-click on .exe file, select properties, Compatibility and set it to XP or Vista 32, whichever pops up).
Also, try righ-click > Run as Administrator on the file.

[snowluv]

Well, I trotted over to Mininova and someone pulled the torrent I had downloaded, along with all the comments associated with it.  Or they have hidden it and I can't find it. But the newest torrents listed all have a May 21, 2009 posting date. Sooo, it looks as if EA yanked it.  I am going to find a different one to download and hopefully it will be more in line with the ones all of you have, and the installation won't be quite so confusing.  Well, I can hope, can't I? 

[mistyk]

Have you tried editing the compatibility? (Right-click on .exe file, select properties, Compatibility and set it to XP or Vista 32, whichever pops up).
Also, try righ-click > Run as Administrator on the file.

Yes indeedy, I have. Does nothing. Thanks for the idea though. I tried that a few times just for good measure. I got really pissed at one point. I had to walk away or I might have punched my computer. Not many things make me that angry but computers are pretty much number one on that lst.

Having to start over really sucks. I am starting to think something is wrong with my download, been going since 5:42pm yesterday and its now only at 47%. Is there anyway to speed this up?

Ouch, that sounds like the first site I tried. I tried every site people here suggested (I'm not kidding) and the only that moves at a good pace is the one from seedgames.com. You have to register but it's open registration. I've been downloading for three hours and I'm almost at 35%. I'd stop the download you have, it'll probably take another couple days to download.

I just deleted that one, and I am trying seedgames, here's to hoping this moves faster.
Thanks for the info.

[Solowren]

Hmm. After running just fine last night, my game now hangs at the loading screen. Music does not play. The bar does not progress.

Advice?

ETA: Never mind. Computer restart fixed it.

[JennyJenny]

I've been having frequent crashes, with no immediately evident link. I have a few suspicions (bad download, corrupt something or other, etc) but I am also running it w/ an Nvidia GeForce 7500 LE, which is not listed specifically in the system requirements (7400 and 7600 are, but these numbers must not mean what I think they mean).

The worst part of being an early adopter on this is that there isn't any commonly known fixes for things like this yet.

[phyllis_p]

Well, I trotted over to Mininova and someone pulled the torrent I had downloaded, along with all the comments associated with it.  Or they have hidden it and I can't find it. But the newest torrents listed all have a May 21, 2009 posting date. Sooo, it looks as if EA yanked it.  I am going to find a different one to download and hopefully it will be more in line with the ones all of you have, and the installation won't be quite so confusing.  Well, I can hope, can't I? 

You said everything went to My Documents.  What did that stuff look like?  It sounds like you might have everything you need and just need to install.

[TashaYarrr]

I know that disclaimers won't earn me jack here, but I'm pretty sure I've read all posts (definitely the long one before the split, then did text searches in this thread), and have not seen this asked:

Does the arr'd version/image that seems to be the main release (the reloaded one, have seen it anywhere from 4-5gb on various places) also include the mac/OSX version? I'm pretty sure I've seen one person talk about the performance on their mac, but I do not see a separate release for it on torrents or usenet.

Not crucial, just curious. I'm on vacation and pretty bandwidth-free so cannot arr yet.

[jolrei]

Does the arr'd version/image that seems to be the main release (the reloaded one, have seen it anywhere from 4-5gb on various places) also include the mac/OSX version? I'm pretty sure I've seen one person talk about the performance on their mac, but I do not see a separate release for it on torrents or usenet.

I have seen comments to the effect that one of the reloaded versions available from TPB either includes a Mac version or runs on the Mac.  There is no way for me to confirm this at present, however.  I would suggest reading comments before starting download.  Also you may be able to review an included files list which may include information of that sort.

[TashaYarrr]

Thanks, I'll check TPB. I'd been reading the comments on another site instead and they were more of the OMG IS THIS REAL!? content level. 

[Rockermonkey]

I think the only way to find out is by trying to run it on your mac I'm still kinda shaky on whether or not what I downloaded is good, I mean it looks legitimate it has the right .rar names and everything the only thing is it took me only an hour to download. Is it just that my compy is really good, and a lot of seeders? I mean it is the right size but could there be a virus? I wonder if anyone else downloaded it..hmm.
But I just did a search and it ended up saying win/mac sims 3 leaked. So Im going to guess its for both versions. It may be inacurate but it seems it may be compatible. Good luck!

[TashaYarrr]

After looking at the TPB torrent that mentions mac (thanks jolrei), I'm gonna theorize that the disc image they ripped contains the installers for both PC & Mac, so probably any of these ~5gb releases will work for either. I won't be able to verify this till tomorrow, but sharing the theory for info's sake.

[Piffle]

After looking at the TPB torrent that mentions mac (thanks jolrei), I'm gonna theorize that the disc image they ripped contains the installers for both PC & Mac, so probably any of these ~5gb releases will work for either. I won't be able to verify this till tomorrow, but sharing the theory for info's sake.

The copy from TPB contains a Mac folder, so I'm thinking you're right.

[mistyk]

After looking at the TPB torrent that mentions mac (thanks jolrei), I'm gonna theorize that the disc image they ripped contains the installers for both PC & Mac, so probably any of these ~5gb releases will work for either. I won't be able to verify this till tomorrow, but sharing the theory for info's sake.

Except if you get it from TPB you might be waiting a few days. The one I downloaded from seedgames.com had comments from Mac users who installed and played it fine. I'd suggest getting it from there, but that's just me.

TashaFaun is correct about the wait time, I canceled my download from TPB, after about 15 hours I was still only at 42%, I am now downloading from seedgames, and after only 2 1/2 hours I am at 60%