File Management - renaming files, meshes and FBVFOS (new question)

[cwykes]

I was trying to sort my downloads a lazyish way (packaging sims with the stuff I wanted, doing a mass delete and adding it back in), and meshes don't get packaged... it's a right pain... :-/

I've been doing the same, hadn't spotted the mesh problem though - Oops and thanks for the warning

this is a pain in the neck and other parts of the anatomy.  I have two families for the simpotence hood and can't send a working version because lotpackager doesn't find all the stuff they are wearing! I tested it last night. There is no way in hell I can find a missiing mesh or whatever amongst my mass of downloads.  Aaaarrgghh.  ....gives up and goes back to maxis defaults.....

[ZephyrZodiac]

I don't have that many new meshes for clothes but from what I can tell, they mostly have MESH in the filename.

[Trubble]

Some meshes with MESH in the filename, well the rest of their filename makes no sense. So it doesn't help that much 

[ZephyrZodiac]

Do you keep copies of your downloads, with the meshes and original recolours together?  Then, if you can find the name of the original outfit in SimPE, you can search for it.  Also, a lot of people who make recolours have a note of the required mesh in the Readme file.  I wouldn't give up just yet.  I know, in my case, if I do, then the following day I'll just happen on what I needed and that is soooo sickening!

[cwykes]

No. I didn't keep copies.  If you could have folders for the actual downloads,  I would have done it.   I thought about it for all of 5 seconds occasionally, but there were too many already and doubling the volume of storage by keeping them twice seemed like a bad idea.  At least NL lets you put them in subfolders.  When I get Open for Business, I'll have a massive re-organisation.

The readme files are often named Helane.txt or just readme.txt, so you have no idea what recolour or mesh the relate to. "you need the mesh to get the recolour to work and don't pirate it" is the sum total of most readme's I've seen.

[Zeljka]

It's easy enough to find meshes regardless of what they're called. Scan with Clean installer, anything with no category (blank instead of clothing, etc.) will be either a mesh or a packaged Sim.
I just moved all the blanks to a separate folder, then checked them one at a time (the name will often be a clue) I haven't tried renaming meshes, but everything else seems to be safe to rename.

When packaging a Sim (cloning) I always name it ___Sim'sName so they're all in one place in the folder and I know who they are. If it's a Sim someone else created, I include a picture of them with the identical name so I can remember what they look like. I don't have them in the game unless I know I will need them.

5. Only base game so far, but am a bit anal and have a lot of subfolders (52).
__tstH&M -first stop for hacks and mods, they stay until well tested
__tstNM -same, but for new meshes, I rename recolours and include them so I can delete them if I don't like the mesh
__dizzy / Inge / JM / Merola / twojeffs -and a couple other modders who each warrant their own subfolder
__MTS2 - one or two hit mod wonders, this is where I got them
__ZMiscH&M - all other modders not from MTS
Floors
Objects -all new objects, mesh+ rc, also a picture with same name, some designers have their own subfolder, ie. ReflexSims
Recolours -for Maxis items, further divided by buy section in game, ie - appliance, comfort etc.. not sure why, perhaps to make myself question why I had over 600 'Decorative' recolours when I rarely use any of them, makes it easier to keep an eye on the numbers.
Walls

I keep everything else in SavedSims, one subfolder (new meshes) but once I have Nightlife, I will separate further.

I include a jpg of everything I download (named exactly same as item) so I will always know what's in there. Just so much easier to delete through windows explorer if there's a lot to delete.

6. I wouldn't delete the long name stuff without checking it. I put them all into a separate folder, ran them through clean installer and renamed them descriptively, if it was something worth the trouble (and some of it was among my favourites) I just used the description Clean Installer showed (78153840d1fbae89601ac95ab319241b reveals itself in Clean Installer as Loose Clipped Ponytail so I find it in Explorer and rename it such) I renamed over 150 such files and as far as I can tell, no fiery ball.

7. I rarely get blue after deleting regardless of where I delete it from, based on my experience, I agree it's items created with an old version of PE

8. I don't have any worth testing, I'll just believe the masses.

I usually keep the rar files or create them for hacks/mods because I want to keep the manuals, I have a separate folder for that (sub for each modder) Anything else, if the txt file/manual is just a 'do not share' I just delete it, because hey, I won't.

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, I'm not that organised, but I do keep copies of everything I download on my second drive (which is twice the size of the main one), and I therefore prefer to delete files with Explorer so they all go if i decide I don't want something in my game any more.  The only problem I've had recently with blue objects is three bedding set and a counter top that refuse to get out of the menus!  I think there may be others, but these are the ones that annoy me because I see them so often!  I've checked for empty files, and I haven't any, I ran all my bedding through SimPE, and it all appears to exist, and I'm fairly sure I know which files they were that I deleted (some early bedding files from ATS that didn't work after Uni) but for some reason they just refuse to move!  I delete them in game, and they're gone until I exit the house and go into another one!

As to thumbnails of everything, I keep pics of sets/objects where I can, and I've started doing the same with skins, although I keep all the pics in my Saved Downloads folder, not in the game.  But please, if you managed to get pics at Sunair, I'd love to know how!

[cwykes]

It's easy enough to find meshes regardless of what they're called. Scan with Clean installer, anything with no category (blank instead of clothing, etc.) will be either a mesh or a packaged Sim.
I just moved all the blanks to a separate folder, then checked them one at a time (the name will often be a clue) I haven't tried renaming meshes, but everything else seems to be safe to rename.

I guess I could do that - meshes are the only body files you can put in subfolders before NL.  I did I've never been sure what the no category ones were  thanks....   It still more work than I'm up for to hunt down exactly what my sims were wearing when I made them 2 months ago just so I can send them to the Simpotence hood.  I'm going to wait for OFB, make folders and have a big sort out then.

Duplicating something because you've downloaded it twice is a pain - you have to spot it in cleaninstaller and then check it is a duplicate not a GUID conflict, so you can't just delete everything pink in your "NEW stuff" area .... well you can.....

Putting 2 and 2 together - if lot packager changes file names on you, that's another reason, readme files end up being useless...

[ZephyrZodiac]

Anything where you have to use the Maxis installer changes file names which is a total pain in the posterior!  It took me I don't know how long to track down all my walls and floors that that had happened to and put them into their own named folder so I'd know what they were.  I use the Multisims2Pack Extractor now to open wall and floor Sims2Pack files, and I do it in an already named folder, then delete the 2pack and the temp file.  Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work on skins, but this method means all my walls and floors either have the short file name wall_ etc., or one the creator has changed to include a description.  So if I have six walls and three floors in a set, they end up in a folder with a name for that set.   Then, if I find I never use them in my game, I can just take the folder out.

[veilchen]

Thank you Trubble, I had the same questions. My DL folder is a great big mess and I'm seriously considering making another one, sticking it on the desktop, and re-downloading things I really want. Then I can just replace the massive, bloated folder I have. All the other stuff is in separate folders (furniture, build, etc) and my mods are in individual creator folders, so its just the clothes, hair, and their meshes that I have to mess with. I have hair and meshes that I don't even use and that look awful in game. I have no excuse for slacking off like that, exept that I'm severly time challenged right now.

[Trubble]

Heh, no worries I've been through my walls and floors, but haven't had time to do anything else yet. Bring on the holidays I say!

[Myth]

When I organized my download folder (post NL) I used the Sims Clean Installer.  Within the program I sorted items by description (i.e objects, hacks, genetics, etc) clicked the first sorted item, held the shift key and clicked the last in that group.  Everything in between would autmoatically highlight, then I right clicked the group, selected "Move to" and then choose new and names the folder.  It was actually a lot quicker and not as painful than I thought it would be.  What I ended up with in the end were the no description items which I found out to be meshes and Sims.

List of my subfolders:

Clothing
Costume MakeUp
Eyebrows
Eyes
Floors
Glasses_Earrings
Hacks Hair Make-up
Object Recolors
Objects
Package Files
Terrains
Walls
Saved Sims (for skins)

Now whenever I install an item, I just use the select subfolder to install to option so it remains neat and organized.

[Sleepycat]

because of the mess in the downloads folder (before NL) I got rid of most of my downloads and all hair/newmeshs and clothes/newmeshs. I then refused to download anything that used a new mesh and ignored anything to do with custom hair. (sorting out stuff that didn't even work was a huge headache!)

The other day after downloading and installing LindaEtterlees self-sim, I checked out her self-sims custom hair and wow! custom hair has come along way! I loved it but I removed it and then I realized that with NL I can actually allow myself to have custom hair again! *went on a downloading spree*  currently quite a few custom hair files are neatly sorted in subfolders within subfolders by creator (and in the case of of one creator - Kaver - also sorted by male/female)

Unless you have paysite stuff that you know you can't redownload then I suggest you save yourselves a huge headache (and many many hours) an just remove your downloads folder and redownload what you really really want.  (Don't just delete your Downloads folder! you may have some favorites that are no longer available)

In the case of a Bodyshop item that you can't live without and don't remember were it came from (that has only numbers for a name) then you can always export it in Bodyshop as a new project and give it a good name(if it had a name in the tooltip then you can use that)  and then import it again and delete the other.

[ZephyrZodiac]

6. I wouldn't delete the long name stuff without checking it. I put them all into a separate folder, ran them through clean installer and renamed them descriptively, if it was something worth the trouble (and some of it was among my favourites) I just used the description Clean Installer showed (78153840d1fbae89601ac95ab319241b reveals itself in Clean Installer as Loose Clipped Ponytail so I find it in Explorer and rename it such) I renamed over 150 such files and as far as I can tell, no fiery ball.

This is part of Zeljka's post earlier in the thread, and is far easier than running everything through Bodyshop etc.  and Clean Installer doesn't lock up files so you can't rename them until you close it down, as SimPE does.

[Trubble]

Well I went for it, renamed, deleted, folderised the lot. Went from about 1500 downloads to only 300 Will try to load the game later Cheers for all the help and such.

[veilchen]

Congratulations Trubble, how about coming over and cleaning mine? :D

I can't believe I have some time to myself, it feels odd somehow. I need to get over to Posie's too, I've been everywhere far too infrequently. I had my last final last night, and boy was it brutal. I felt as if I had been beaten up physically, geeeesh.

By the way Trubble, I was completely sincere when I told you about my University. We have a great international program, worth checking out. You don't have to stay as long as me, some of our internationals stay only a semester or two. You could go visit LK and Twain, and kick them in person. I don't know where LK lurks, but Twain is only about 3 - 4 hours upstate from me.

I think I do it the easy way and just re-download, Sleepycat. Thanks for the encouragement. My genetrics folder is just too messy to deal with, I don't have THAT much free time :D

[Trubble]

I would but... I'm too busy networking the house now

I know what you mean, I got all my deadlined work done for yesterday so I wouldn't have to go down to uni today and tomorrow. Spent most of today on that downloads folder and then xmas shopping, then networking and now it appears to be nearly 2am...

Aww, well I'm sure it went ok. I have one exam and that's in January, the rest is coursework.

That would be amusing. LK's in Nebraska. Will email you sometime over the next few days

[Twain]

just because she may be planning on doing it to me.....

* twain kicks Trubble....then runs away to safety...

[kewian]

This is what I get for not checking back....once again I have to shake it off and punish Twain SEVERELY...and smack Trubble as well.   OH and email is going fine...Ive got the hang of it now ..thank you blue soup.

[Trubble]

NEW Question...

Installing lots. They go in the teleport file, what is the teleport file? Do the lot files stay there forever? I only have two so I'm guessing not as I know I have more lots in my lotbin than that...? Is there any point in renaming them? Can you rename them?

[BlueSoup]

Lots go into the teleport file, and once you start up the game, they are taken out of there and put into the lot bin.  So, it will usually be empty.

And you want to rename what?

[Trubble]

Never mind, you answered that question as well. Thanks