Reinstall order of events...additional help needed...

[Ivy]

Due to an unrelated computer crash, I have to reinstall all my Sims2 stuff.  The backup drive that I had the game installed on crashed, as well as my main hard drive that I had my EAGames folder, etc. on. I did mange to get my main drive back and working, so I lost my game installations, my  pre-uni backup, and all my clothing downloads (I had removed them temporarily due to a weird Uni glitch where my Sims suddenly couldn't buy *any* clothes)...(Go ahead, make fun that I hadn't saved to CD instead...but really, who'd have thought that BOTH hard drives would have crashed at once, eh?  yeah lesson learned I won't be doing that again...)

At any rate, I have manually uninstalled and reinstalled TS2 & TS2U.

Now, my question is, do I reinstall my haks and etc. first; or to I reinstall my neighborhoods first? Or do I do both at the same time without starting the game up?

Call me ignorant that's ok, as I've never had to reinstall before and am unsure of the correct procedure.  I tried to RTFM, but I couldn't find one...

Thanks in advance,

Ivy

[ZephyrZodiac]

You managed to save your hoods?  Well, when I've been in that situation, I've always put them back first, then put the downloads in next, hacks last (but then I didn't really have any hacks to speak of).  Since you've lost all your downloads, I'd put the hacks in next, then as soon as you've checked how your game is loading and running, I'd be off on a downloading spree!

[Brynne]

I just bought a new laptop a couple weeks ago because my old one died (4 months old!). I had backups of everything, but I didn't save all my downloads folder. It was too big and I was sitting in Microcenter for hours backing up my old hard drive and  I just figured I'd redownload everything again. Game plays fine, but I have many bald women in the same burgundy shirt and capris walking by my house!

I installed the game, then put in my hoods and saved sims, ran it to see if my hoods showed up, then went back and put in the downloads I did manage to save.

[ZephyrZodiac]

One of my sims walked by a house I was just loading one day, and she was completely bald!  So I exited and rushed back to her house, but thre was nothing wrong with her there!  And she's turned up on various lots since witha full head of hair!  Oh, the wierd and wonderful things that happen!

[Ivy]

Hoods first, then haks, then off to try and find all the clothes and hair and makeup again!

Under a wee bit of stress lately and not thinking too clearly, so thanks for helping me out I appreciate it!

And yeah, I think those are my most recent 'hoods anyway.  **looks longingly at disk** I hope so anyway!   

If not, then there's nothing I can do to get them back.  That other hard drive is dead dead.  Not just slightly dead, not nostly dead, but dead dead with no resurrection in sight...no amount of chocolate pills will bring it back I'm afraid...

Thanks again,

Ivy

[ZephyrZodiac]

I'm so sorry to hear that!  I know what it's like when your hard drive crashes into oblivion.  I was lucky when it happened to me, the second Hard drive was unaffected, and I had warning that things were going wrong so I was able to move stuff across in time.  Even so, I lost all my emails and my favourites file with all my links - made it very difficult when I finally got everything rebuilt as I couldn't help people to find sims1 stuff any more (and that was my main responsiblity at sim Freaks then) and I had to rely on my memory.  (My copy of SEOM was ok, but since my HD had a new ID, I couldn't get it to work without the hassle of trying to get a new unlock code and without the original e-mails....)

[DrBeast]

Seems you have to give that hard drive a viking funeral then Ivy. If you get a second drive, try using a RAID connection from now on if your motherboard supports it. And, of course, better luck from now on! 

[Ivy]

Yeah, I had no warning...one minute working fine, the next minute *poof* they were both gone...    After much fighting and fussing with it, finally got the first one back up (limping indeed!) but the second one will not do anything at all.

Hopefully in the next couple of weeks it'll be all fixed again.  Either a new hard drive or drive(s) will replace it all.  Then I get the joy of reinstalling everything all over again    What a pain that is!  I've already gotten a lot of what I want off this drive saved to CD now in the event that it crashes out again before I get the new installed.

Ivy

[ZephyrZodiac]

When you get your new drives, it's worth checking that your CPU and Power Unit are up to the job!  That's what was actually wrong with my PC, the drives (which were nearly new) were fine, but I did have things shunted around so I could have two computers linked with a KVM switch.

[witch]

I need to take heed and do some backing up as well, I had a motherboard die a couple of weeks ago and I'm still getting my system back to the way I like it. Mind you I load so much crap on I have to do a re-install about 4 times a year as it is.

I have re-installed the sims so many times now, I usually boot the game first after loading - to let the game create all it's folders, then exit and add my n'hoods & downloads in one hit.

[ZephyrZodiac]

That's what I do - I just take out the complete Sims1 folder and stick it on the desktop before I defrag and reinstall.  Much quicker than messing about with single folders.

[veilchen]

Ivy, I hope everything works out for you. After reading your post, I went and copied all my important things onto CD's. I've been putting that off (as if it was hard work), but now I think, better safe than sorry.

Best wishes for your husband's recovery. I don't mind spiders all that much, but the brown recluse is a whole other story.

G.

[Ivy]

That's what I do - I just take out the complete Sims1 folder and stick it on the desktop before I defrag and reinstall...

But, now why would I want to take out the complete Sims1 folder??   

 

Power unit and CPU are up to the task.  I'm replacing 2-40gigs with 2-36gig SCSI(?) drives.  At least, that's what I've been told is coming in the package, along with the controller, cables and a new CDrom so I can quit using my RW for all my game playing (which is slowly dying...**sigh**).

Unless of course, it takes another forever to get here, in which case I'll be getting an unspecified regular hard drive.

Hey either way, it'll be better than what I have now.

Glad my mishap here has reminded everyone else as well to back up their backups!

And hubby's doing a bit better tonight.  He is supposed to go back Weds. to see if he can get the drainage tube removed. **fingers crossed**

Thanks again,
: )
Ivy

[ZephyrZodiac]

I just do it because it's less bother than removing the things I need to remove.

[Brynne]

I think Ivy meant, why Sims 1? Don't you mean Sims 2?

[Ivy]

Bingo Brynne


Ivy

[ZephyrZodiac]

Sorry, typo!!!  You have to forgive me, I have failing eyesight and arthritis in my hands, plus my left hand is weakened through having a trapped nerve in my elbow, so all in all I tend to make these silly little mistakes!

[Ivy]

S'okay Zephyr...I needed the smile anyways.

Bad news for us...hubby will have the drainage tube at least another week...so smiles are few and far between at the moment...

Ivy

[ZephyrZodiac]

I hope he gets better soon, Ivy! It can't be much fun for either of you, so I'll bet you need your sims right now to keep your mind off your own problems!

[Ivy]

Thanks Zephyr...we'll have to wait and see what happens next week.

Maybe this weekend I'll get some time to play again.


Ivy

[ZephyrZodiac]

Well, make sure with all this worry you take time to look after yourslef!

[Ivy]

Zephyr,

Thanks for the concern.

Hubby makes certain that I get my rest if nothing else gets done . 

I just can't do it all.  And I do believe that hubby agrees with me:  the Sims are more important to my sanity right now than a clean house is lol


Ivy

[Ivy]

Okay, after much computer surgery, I ended up getting a new motherboard, processor (2.8mhz), memory (1gig), graphics card (128mb) and hard drive (80mb).

This will hold me over for a lil while at least .

So now, I have reinstalled the base game and University.  I have re-installed my most important neighborhood and I have inserted my haks.

And lo and behold, somehow, I managed to save the few things I had made into my "Saved Sims" folder, and it was able to be retrieved.

Unfortunately, I had lost my entire downloads folder in the crash. 

So time to rebuild it.

I'm under the impression that anything other than genetics and clothing can go into subfolders in my downloads file.  I'm also under the impression that clothing and genetics can either go into the downloads or saved sims folder.

Are the above impressions correct?  If not, can someone please let me know before I get too far into rebuilding everything. 

I'd really appreciate it


Ivy

[Danni]

2.8mhz processor? You're giving me smiles with your typos now

I keep everything important backed up in three places - the internet (my own dedicated server comes in useful sometimes... ), on DVD and on my partner's spare hard drive (on his computer). I don't have that much important stuff, and I figure I can always replace downloads, since my folder is only about 200mb at the moment...

I think that's correct Ivy over downloads... but I'm not certain - maybe someone else knows?

[Ivy]

Whoopsie...yes 2.8ghz lol .  That's what I get for trying to type that stuff in when hubby's not home to correct me lol

The problem with replacing the downloads is trying to remember where I got them all from...lol...and tracking them all down again.  My poor Legacy family is so mixed up now...they have bare walls atm and incorrect hair and eye colors...yikes!  I think I'll have to invent something in the story to explain all the changes!

Thanks for letting me know that sounds right.  I'm off to see if what I've downloaded so far is in the right spot(s).


Ivy