Okay, so I have followed at least three different tutorials in installing empty neighborhood templates to the letter, have all the necessary hacks, cleaned out every required folder, etc. and am still ending up with character files every time I attempt to create a new hood. Am I doing something wrong?

To tell whether you are doing something wrong, we need to know what you've done so far. Don't give us a link to a tutorial. Tell us exactly what you did, including full paths and links to your empty templates.

I downloaded the empty templates from http://www.digitalperversion.net/ga...p?topic=11452.0 and got the empty custom neighborhood template from http://www.moreawesomethanyou.com/s....html#msg218734

I backed up everything, in every C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\(insert EP here)\TSData\Res\NeighborhoodTemplate\(insert letter and 00# combo here), deleted the contents of every folder except the lots of Freetime, and replaced the neighborhood package files.

So far, so good.

The more important folders are C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\(insert EP here)\TSData\Res\UserData\Neighborhoods. The NeighborhoodTemplate folders contain subhoods, including selectable subhoods and stealth subhoods. UserData\Neighborhoods have the primary neighborhoods, including Pleasantview (N001).

The Pleasantview neighborhood sims are added to every custom neighborhood by default when the hood is created, so it is the most important empty template that you can install. After that, the stealth subhoods will add new sims to every new hood, so they are the second most important empty templates, but it sounds like you've done all of those correctly.

I fixed it. It was a Windows 7 issue - apparently it doesn't let you directly tamper with things in Program Files and makes a copy in the Virtual Store. Deleting the Virtual Store files fixed it.

Good catch!

I apologize for resurrecting an old thread, but if there's a more current one I've missed it in my search. I am having similar issues with my new computer, which uses Windows 8. Some of the templates are working properly for me, but others remain stubborn. Namely Seasons & Nightlife. I've followed the steps to replace the appropriate files around 4 times now. Every time I create a test neighborhood, the Ramaswamis & Ottomas family are in the sim bin. When I select a downtown to be added to the neighborhood, I get all the old Maxis downtownies. I've checked and rechecked. The character file folders are empty and I've made sure that I have each correct neighborhood package file in place. So I'm guessing that Windows 8 does the same annoying Virtual Store thing? And if so, what do I need to do to get rid of it?

It seems using the Ultimate collection and windows 7 corrects the virtual store problem... except I am still getting the pets houses with sims spawning in the lot bin despite following a tutorial that told me where to find and delete them? I can't find any copies of the game in virtual store.