I just contacted EA support and I will have to uninstall Origin (AND TS2UC) to "possibly" fix a problem they created. I can open Origin but when I click on S2UC to play it, it won't open. Compatibility mode won't fix this.

Do not update your Origin Client if you are asked to update.

They just ruined my game with this.

I fixed the game!

Please read this tutorial: https://disqodancer.tumblr.com/post...ia-origin-never

So sorry.

Does anyone know how to backup neighborhoods and all the data (lots, lot placement, families, etc)? I had a neighborhood i was building from scratch.

I may have to bite the bullet and uninstall to test out that whack theory.

something was telling me not to update, but i was tired of being harassed by origin to update every other day, so i clicked the auto install option. then this happens.

Simply copy the hood and paste it to your desktop -or that is all I have ever done. Or in this case I would copy over the entire sims 2 folder to be sure you keep everything. I'm so glad that I only have Origin on Sims 4 and since I hardly ever play that I am hardly ever bothered by it. Any time I do load it, up comes origin with about an hour long update ugh. I don't even update windows or drivers unless something breaks. Learnt that the hard way too.

I asked the support rep if there was a way i could play sims 2 uc without origin and the answer was no. And yes every time I load origin it seems like they have a new update. And I am almost always certain it is nothing actually mandatory for ME since I only play Sims2 UC and don't buy games for them.

For some reason I have some free copies of Sims 3 in my library, but I play Sims 2 for a reason...

You should be able to go offline though and that should stop it updating.

Copy paste:
Start Origin, sign in, and be connected to the Internet.
Put Origin in Offline Mode (click Origin and click on Go Offline or use Ctrl + Shift + W), you can tell that you are in offline mode if you see OFFLINE MODE on the top right in the window.

try that.

To add to what Jo said. Once you have set Origin to be offline, you don't even need to go into Origin to play the UC... Simply create a shortcut on your desktop to the Sims2EP9.exe file found in the Fun with Pets\SP9\TSBin folder. The path on your shortcut should look something like this.
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSBin\Sims2EP9.exe"

I haven't signed into Origin now for close to a year I think, so their support isn't exactly right. You CAN play it directly from your desktop once you have it loaded and offline.

I was able to figure things out.

https://disqodancer.tumblr.com/post...ia-origin-never

{Re-edited to get rid of a hissy-fit}

It is just barely possible to run The Sims offline, but you have to have the game RUNNING first, and Alt-Tab out. Will have to wait and see whether this has to be done every time - which I would not put past EA/Origin. Some of their latest "Updates", no doubt.

And no, you can't permanently turn off the various options meant primarily for multiplayers. They get turned right back on as soon as you leave Origin. Not nice, Origin!

Use an Origin bypass.

That seems to be a rather...complicated topic. I don't know if it even works with the final versions of Sims 2 Ultimate Collection, since EAxis apparently monkeyed with the launching routine. They removed the hated SecuRom, but tried to hogtie the game to Origin instead.

At least I got Origin out of my Startup folder, and its snoopy nose out of my browser when I'm not running The Sims. That's something anyway.

I always use offline mode for TS2. I don't want any of Origin's updates to ruin my game. I use it for TS4 too, and haven't updated my game to the newest version because currently I don't want to. At the moment I have to log in on Origin, but I select offline mode, and have not yet seen it trying to update anything. I also think I turned off auto updates back when I downloaded the games.

I'd love to find an Origin bypasser (hint, hint).

Apparently the last step is the only one you need to do just to bypass Origin. http://www.leefish.nl/mybb/showthread.php?tid=6688

It works just fine.

Origin update is one thing, I'm wondering what to do with obligatory 2019 Windows 10 update, last year version's support ends in November. Will it ruin my TS2 settings, will I be able to play... From what I heard previous Windows big update(s) ruined something for TS2 players, making it impossible to play.
I have my PC perfectly tuned for all my needs, including gaming, and it took lot of time.

I updated two weeks ago to what I suppose is the newest version of Win10 and everything works so far.

"Ooooh Origin" - again.

And I supposed that after the years everybody knows the routine: 'Never allow any program to connect without supervision".

After successful installation of the (any) game, guys just keep this malware contained behind the firewall rules and then (or just disable the network for a moment), only then use, option "offline". Origin offline is not entirely "offline", the app still periodically connects if it can (is not blocked or the device is not disconnected). And before the connection always *backup* any sensitive data.

--
I'm not entirely sure (it was Windows 7 case and some time ago) last version of SecuROM if normally uninstalled by system tools keeps some undeletable registry keys (including these with license keys), therefore all that fuss with special remover.* Paradoxically keeping them intact allowed to run some applications infected with this malware, while the actual services and files were not present. I've never tested this with Sims 2 but if someone actually plays with such - it may be worth trying, you intend to purge that beautiful piece of mess anyway, don't you? I cannot reproduce this situation unfortunately myself; I have not machine with this around.


*you could remove these entries manually in CLI ofc.

Wasn't securom removed in the previous version of the UC because it clashed with win10 (the update they did a while back - I installed the game long after that update)? May be true for the Store version too. I don't think I have the Store files, but not sure about securom.

An update to some creative suite (or whatever it was called) in Win10 causes a lot of issues with pink-flashing for some people - but not everyone. The bug first appeared in 2017 and so far hasn't been fixed. It may cause issues with 32-bit games in particular. For some reason it causes a lot of problems for some people (me included) and no issues for others.

Not sure why this old thread is back again, but... My understanding is that SecuRom was removed and replaced with the Sims2EP9.exe that calls Origin, so that just running that exe (rather than the original shortcut that first runs Origin and then the exe) would no longer bypass Origin as running the "old" exe would. Those simmers who did not allow automatic updates and still have the "old" exe do not have this issue.

The EA used SecuROM (and other s*t) quite indiscriminately (just like the other moronic corp.), which means that if you ever installed KOTOR(1/2), Mass Effect (1/2 I have no idea of 3) etc. you have had this with the package. Last time I played with that stuff it was around Dragon Age (?) maybe. My personal installation of S2UC was never infected so I had not necessity to remove this - it might be random stuff or just that old machine was set up resilient enough to avoid unauthorised shadow installations, somewhat. Or I've got lucky. No idea. Said machine has no games installed now and is in the Windows-purge queue, so I cannot reproduce this anymore.

The trick with the old (backup) executable will work if:
- it was not infected by SecuROM, or
- you purged SecuROM but you have left the registry leftovers (the malware is not functionable but you've retained keys) and the matters are (if) settled as I was writing above.

I was thinking about getting a new computer soonish, would backing up all my files the way it's described in the link allow me to safely reinstall Sims 2? Or would Origin first download the initial version and then patch it, meaing if I can stop automatic updates, everything would be fine?

Origin will always download the "as shipped" version, complete with all the Sims and houses and neighborhoods. Once it's done that, though, you can delete (or move and store for later) the neighborhoods you want to replace with your saved versions, paste in your saved versions, and everything should be OK. (But DO remember to back up and reinstall your Downloads folder as well, and anywhere else you have any kind of custom content!)

You can tell Origin that you don't want any updates - maybe it'll listen, maybe it won't. It seems to have a very stubborn mind of its own. :p

Yes, I did that Sims 4 basegame for free download last month, noticed Origin was trying to update my games and ran to disable it. Fortunately UC was second in line, the Dragon Age updates would have saved me even if I hadn't been fast enough.

What Charity says.
Works for me

Securom was removed from the UC - no reason not to look at the last step, though.

I never had any issues with Origin - and my UC installation survived migrating to a brand new PC, several reinstallations of WIndows (10!), and another transfer to a SSD. I only needed to point it to my installation files and it quietly did its thing. Replacing neighbor files with clean/empty versions is a very minor hassle compared to a full brand-new installation. Still, YMMW - I was exceptionally lucky to buy exactly the components I needed for the UC to work (almost) perfectly.

@Ovenhole, the easiest way for me was to plug in my old hd (it would probably work with an external HD or a thumb drive), transfer the UC files to wherever I wanted them, let Origin know where they are and ask it to repair. Much faster and much less painful than full dl/install assuming that there's nothing wrong with your files now, so at least it's worth a shot - if something goes wrong, the option to do it again from scratch is always there.