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Scholar
Original Poster
#26 Old 30th Apr 2019 at 5:21 AM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
Mine look the same. Try going over this https://simscommunity.info/social/t...phics-fix.4081/

ok im such a dummy...youre right they are exactly the same. i copied them over and praying it works. I spent all day today crying uncontrollably. the pink thing is getting worse. ...it used to happen hours after playing but now it happens immediately when i log into my neighborhood. It's like a disease infecting my baby...just seeing it causes extreme anxiety in me =[
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Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#27 Old 30th Apr 2019 at 5:25 AM
Are you deleting the thumbnail files? That helps me and so did this line in my user startup cheat file in the always-on section. uintProp antialiasingSupport 1
Anytime you see the pink flashing you can also try this cheat 'boolprop useshaders false' That means you are turning off your shaders so cc using shaders won't work (pond water mod) but it will often allow you to continue playing.

I know how you feel, I have had a horrible time ever since I got this new computer.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Scholar
Original Poster
#28 Old 30th Apr 2019 at 5:33 AM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
Are you deleting the thumbnail files? That helps me and so did this line in my user startup cheat file in the always-on section. uintProp antialiasingSupport 1
Anytime you see the pink flashing you can also try this cheat 'boolprop useshaders false' That means you are turning off your shaders so cc using shaders won't work (pond water mod) but it will often allow you to continue playing.

I know how you feel, I have had a horrible time ever since I got this new computer.

I am heavily considering just buying the best computer i can to play the sims only, with win7 installed and everything. My current PC can't go years without win10 updates since it is my primary computer. As technology gets more complex there will always be problems as ts2 starts to age more and more....i dunno...im just sad thinking that i might not be able to play ts2 someday.
Mad Poster
#29 Old 30th Apr 2019 at 9:07 AM
I use the UC on windows 10 without any problems. No way on earth I will even consider going back to Windows 7 (I don't have pink flashing either).
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#30 Old 30th Apr 2019 at 9:43 AM
Quote: Originally posted by labellavienna
I am heavily considering just buying the best computer i can to play the sims only, with win7 installed and everything. My current PC can't go years without win10 updates since it is my primary computer. As technology gets more complex there will always be problems as ts2 starts to age more and more....i dunno...im just sad thinking that i might not be able to play ts2 someday.


Yeah, that's what I did... So far I think I have spent around 1800 on this.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Scholar
Original Poster
#31 Old 30th Apr 2019 at 5:41 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Justpetro
I use the UC on windows 10 without any problems. No way on earth I will even consider going back to Windows 7 (I don't have pink flashing either).

I have UC as well but I use the disc version on my computer because i hate origin and the idea of being permanent glued to origin for life because of TS2 makes me sad.
Field Researcher
#32 Old 1st May 2019 at 10:09 PM Last edited by Kunder : 1st May 2019 at 11:04 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by ElaineNualla
well, these are tailored OEM installations, that's a different story because they have drivers in question already built in. But just try to get standard box and do a normal installation and the cry will start. And actually I know what I'm talking about because I had to deal with stubborn management demanding installation of Windows 7 (Enterprise version) on Skylakes. I used a lot of nsfw vocabulary during the process.

I won't argue about experience and expectation - it's personal. For me HD 3000 worked with TS2 just "almost fine", HD4000 was "just fine". But someone else may have higher expectations, and it's just fine, too. The point with "not worth" with dealing with these NVidia chips is the heat they can produce, especially paired with i7 4 cores CPU, but maybe it's just a flaw of 430 line which in fact was never suppose to run that chip (but you obviously *can* put it in and it will work). W/p series should have better cooling solution, they're "workstations" afterall. On my T450 the game is running great under wine, honestly: much better than on Windows.

Anyway: just get thinkpad, puppy it, love it, and spread the gospel :lovestruc:

[edit:] And yeah, there're newer models with great upgradeability (new P line for example) but we're not talking about 1800$ budget for a 2nd hand/refurbished machine, right?
I absolutely agree! I'm talking at MOST, $600 COUNTING the cost to upgrade. My current W540, is the most I would spend on a computer for myself ($553 counting upgrades). I have newer, more expensive machines (MSI, AlienWare, Origin, Oracle. Most of these are $4,000+ machines), but those were acquired under very, very, special circumstances. I'd never purchase an $1800 computer for my own use, new OR used. Even though I can afford it. It's too much fun "Making do".

As far as the computers on the Microsoft list? I wouldn't install Windows 7 on any of those, even if it'll "work" I've done it on a couple of them.... It was *NOT* worth the trouble. All of those on the list I have, I've installed Win8.1Pro, with almost zero problems. I can only imagine the "oaths" you swore, getting Win7 working on them . I feel for you .

I agree. The HD4000 is "Just ok". However, the HD3000, depends on the CPU. You can brick an i3 running TS2 on it. An i5, to me, just not acceptable. The i7? Well..... "Doable"..... BARELY. That's why I say I don't recommend HD3000.... at all.

Personally, I take apart every laptop, and re-gel BOTH the CPU, and GPU on every computer I get. I use Grizzly Kryonaut, liquid metal, or Arctic Silver 5. I ONLY deal with laptops with "Dedicated" graphics (for myself), with only a few exceptions for other people (T440p, T430, T430s for example). I've done this well over 1000 times, and have learned a lot of tricks to keep 'em cool. I use matching, ceramic SODIMMS in computers that are prone to overheating, that helps a lot. It takes CONSIDERABLE thermal strain off the computer, CPU, and GPU, as it helps keep the internals of the laptop cooler. I've cut pieces out of the bottom cover, over the GPU/CPU/RAM, and installed "screen" vents, I've tacked on extra copper, and even silver plates to the heat pipes, and/or directly on the cpu/gpu heat sink, on laptops with the room to do it. I've had no trouble with overheating on any ThinkPad, or IdeaPad after re-gelling. Just for example. I have a new, W540. These things get HOT! Not hot enough to throttle (almost), but the left side palm rest REALLY gets uncomfortable, as the GPU is directly under it. Simply replacing the standard ram, with ceramic covered ram, helps this tremendously! It actually runs a LOT cooler with 32gb/ceramic ram, than it does with 8, or 16gb of non-ceramic ram. Another trick is to simply elevate the back of the laptop with two liter bottle caps, a wooden dowel piece, etc. I haven't re-gelled this one yet. I have some "touch-up" work to do on it, and will deal with the thermals a little more, at that point. Other things that help? SSD's These help with thermals a lot. My W540 has three SSD's installed, and it generates less heat, than it did with the 500gb mechanical drive it had when I got it. Most of my computers, are 4thGen, QuadCore i7, or better. My W540 is an i7-4800mq, and still has acceptable thermals, at least since I've installed the ceramic ram.

ANYone who has a W540, would never tell you it's "comfortable" to work on due to the heat on the left side. Mine IS actually comfortable now, although there's still some room for improvement.

This has been a fun discussion, I hope those who are less experienced than us, have been able pick up some tips. I'm always up for helping, as I see you are.
Field Researcher
#33 Old 1st May 2019 at 10:37 PM Last edited by Kunder : 1st May 2019 at 11:00 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
My desktop is a new (February) custom built with windows 7. It still gives issues. There are also people playing here on Win 10 with no issues. Basically, your mileage may vary. Crashing and pink flashing is not confined either to old machines or to new win 10 machines.

I am about to upgrade to 32 RAM as my new win 7 machine with Nvidia graphics, 16 RAM, an SSD, and a million and one tweaks to play sims 2 well is still giving me grief. While everyone says I should be able to play sism 2 with as much as cc as I want it simply isn't the case and I am beyond frustrated with it. Since removing down to 14.2 Gigs of content and turning shadows off it has least stopped crashing. Sure I can play with less cc and less graphics but I don't want to and I shouldn't have to. I want a machine that can run up to 18-20Gigs and high res textures and graphics. That is what I asked and paid for and that is still what I haven't got. More RAM is about my last hope.

Go to Documents> the Sims 2 folder. Look for your Logs folder and check the config-log.txt file. That tells you if the patch and graphic rules are working.
Memory: 4096MB
Free memory: 4096MB
Name (database): GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (whatever your card is, that is mine)
If the patch comes off (it can come off easily) that number will be much lower and your card won't be in the data base.

@Kunder do you think it's my graphics card? Although I know others are using the same one.
The 1050Ti, isn't DirectX 9c compatible. that's the biggest issue with running TS2 on that card. IF you can get it to run with DirectX 11, TS2 will "use" it. My experience is that even if you're running TS2 ok, the next driver update COULD bork it. Same with running TS2 on Win10. The next update could be the one that borks TS2.

You may also consider NOT running a swap file, if you have 8+gb/RAM. All my computers have at least 16gb/RAM, and I don't use a swap file. My daughters ThinkPad T420/nVidia machine has 8gb/RAM, 256gb SSD, and no swap file, and TS2 runs fine. This forces the game to load the necessary parts of the core, entirely into memory. This reduces, or eliminates "jitter", "stutter", and "skipping".

This is a good idea, especially if you have an SSD. Swapfiles, and temporary internet files, aren't good for solid state drives. I have been asked to use "caution" when recommending this, however, I've done this literally, on at least a hundred computers with 8/12/16/32 and 64gb/RAM with ZERO problems. If you don't like the results, it's easy to undo.

I LITERALLY install TS2 on EVERY computer that I suspect will run it for testing video, that I come across. You'd be surprised at the "garbage can" rescues I have, that will run TS2 acceptably well. You'd be surprised at the $50> laptops that will run TS2. Some, remarkably well!
Field Researcher
#34 Old 1st May 2019 at 10:48 PM Last edited by Kunder : 5th May 2019 at 4:32 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by labellavienna
I am heavily considering just buying the best computer i can to play the sims only, with win7 installed and everything. My current PC can't go years without win10 updates since it is my primary computer. As technology gets more complex there will always be problems as ts2 starts to age more and more....i dunno...im just sad thinking that i might not be able to play ts2 someday.
@labellavienna. I actually don't use disks. far less trouble, and seems to work better. BTW I DO own my TS2 legally.

I hope this helps. You can get a computer for TS2 that's "ready to go" off Ebay, for as little as $100, or less, IF you know what you're looking for.

If you want the EASIEST solution, The Lenovo ThinkPad T440p, (NOT the regular T440) either with, or without the nVidia graphics, will play TS2, to just about ANYONES satisfaction. They're reasonably inexpensive, VERY easy to upgrade, if you choose to do so, and you can load Win7 on it. The Win7 drivers, are readily available on Lenovo's website. I have three of these (currently) and all run TS2, flawlessly.

I can upload the Video Cards.sgr, and the proper Graphics Rules.sgr for you if you decide to get a T440p. Actually, I have those for just about any laptop you may wind up with.

This is the best help I can give you ATM.

@Justpetro

You are very fortunate. I hope this continues working for you. Would you mind letting others know what computer/configuration you're using? Might be helpful to someone.
Scholar
#35 Old 2nd May 2019 at 1:46 PM
@Kunder
well, you don't have many choices when the management tells you what to do, right? Besides these machines were suppose to work in the lab with software which cannot be run on any newer Windows (it's not only compatibility problem, but it's a long story of dealing with isolated networks, users with habits, licensing problems, and bosses' incompetence); at last these labs did not need XP to run that software (I've been there too, *that* was fun), and virtualization was not the option because of very specific measurement hardware.

Have you tried to undervolt your machine? It can be life saviour - not mentioning it can prolong the hardware lifetime, and produce less heat with the same (or effectively better in case of throttling hit) performance.

In Windows you cannot "not use" the swapfile, there's always a small one, even if you disable the whole thing, where kernel drops afterboot crumbs and bits. In any newer version than Vista Windows (64b) is quite smart (for a MS product ofc) with managing memory, so if you have 16GB RAM (with 8GB there may be still a little occasional swapping, web browsers are typical offenders) and do not load serious amount of data, and there's no some tremendous memory leak, the swap is practically never used. But it should be here, even a small one (1-2GB), just for case of sudden disaster. Otherwise you may face BSD without a warning. The days of aggressive XP swapping, from which era all these debates of swapfile size and usage are from, are long gone and not really relevant nowadays anymore. Web browsers (at last Firefox) can be configured to keep theirs temporary data in memory completely disabling disk caching making them much faster as a side effect, you can also mount $temp$ folders on RAMdisk if you want, it's actually beneficial in Windows because of mess which so often is left there. So - no need for risky moves.


favorite quote: "When ElaineNualla is posting..I always read..Nutella. I am sorry" by Rosebine
self-claimed "lower-spec simmer"
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#36 Old 2nd May 2019 at 3:16 PM
Quote: Originally posted by Kunder
The 1050Ti, isn't DirectX 9c compatible. that's the biggest issue with running TS2 on that card. IF you can get it to run with DirectX 11, TS2 will "use" it. My experience is that even if you're running TS2 ok, the next driver update COULD bork it. Same with running TS2 on Win10. The next update could be the one that borks TS2.

You may also consider NOT running a swap file, if you have 8+gb/RAM. All my computers have at least 16gb/RAM, and I don't use a swap file. My daughters ThinkPad T420/nVidia machine has 8gb/RAM, 256gb SSD, and no swap file, and TS2 runs fine. This forces the game to load the necessary parts of the core, entirely into memory. This reduces, or eliminates "jitter", "stutter", and "skipping".

This is a good idea, especially if you have an SSD. Swapfiles, and temporary internet files, aren't good for solid state drives. I have been asked to use "caution" when recommending this, however, I've done this literally, on at least a hundred computers with 8/12/16/32 and 64gb/RAM with ZERO problems. If you don't like the results, it's easy to undo.

I LITERALLY install TS2 on EVERY computer that I suspect will run it for testing video, that I come across. You'd be surprised at the "garbage can" rescues I have, that will run TS2 acceptably well. You'd be surprised at the $50> laptops that will run TS2. Some, remarkably well!


Only just saw your reply.

I just updated to the new driver, mine was 2017 so I thought that might be at fault. It didn't break anything luckily.

I don't know what a swap file is. I have 16 RAM and am planning on getting 32.

I think my SSD is a 500

But do they run TS2 with 18 Gigs of CC many with high res textures? If you look on the sticky thread on standby memory from page 3 on you will see what happened to the PC I have now with a Radeon card. http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=610641&page=3 Vanilla game worked fine but add in even 3 gigs of content and it would freeze, not save and well you can see the nightmare picture there.
I switched to the card I have now as well as upping the power supply and it can now take 14.2 Gigs, but start moving towards 14.6 and it starts crashing again. Just a plain crash thank goodness not the stuff of nightmares. These issues are directly related to how much cc I have and no I don't want less, I want a rig that can cope with it.

Maybe its this whole directX9 which I reinstalled at some point in my first round of troubleshooting) I will look into 11.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Field Researcher
#37 Old 2nd May 2019 at 4:01 PM
Quote: Originally posted by ElaineNualla
@Kunder
well, you don't have many choices when the management tells you what to do, right? Besides these machines were suppose to work in the lab with software which cannot be run on any newer Windows (it's not only compatibility problem, but it's a long story of dealing with isolated networks, users with habits, licensing problems, and bosses' incompetence); at last these labs did not need XP to run that software (I've been there too, *that* was fun), and virtualization was not the option because of very specific measurement hardware.

Have you tried to undervolt your machine? It can be life saviour - not mentioning it can prolong the hardware lifetime, and produce less heat with the same (or effectively better in case of throttling hit) performance.

In Windows you cannot "not use" the swapfile, there's always a small one, even if you disable the whole thing, where kernel drops afterboot crumbs and bits. In any newer version than Vista Windows (64b) is quite smart (for a MS product ofc) with managing memory, so if you have 16GB RAM (with 8GB there may be still a little occasional swapping, web browsers are typical offenders) and do not load serious amount of data, and there's no some tremendous memory leak, the swap is practically never used. But it should be here, even a small one (1-2GB), just for case of sudden disaster. Otherwise you may face BSD without a warning. The days of aggressive XP swapping, from which era all these debates of swapfile size and usage are from, are long gone and not really relevant nowadays anymore. Web browsers (at last Firefox) can be configured to keep theirs temporary data in memory completely disabling disk caching making them much faster as a side effect, you can also mount $temp$ folders on RAMdisk if you want, it's actually beneficial in Windows because of mess which so often is left there. So - no need for risky moves.
No, you don't. You do, what your Boss tells you to do. Even if you don't like. That is, if you enjoy a paycheck.

No, I've never had to undervolt any of my systems. Good thermal paste, and good thermal management has always won the day.... SO far! Undervolting a system, can cause performance issues. If you have no choice, that's one thing. If you do have a choice, I wouldn't do it. There's always another way.

I haven't investigated swapfile.sys, and pagefile .sys, since early Win7. Maybe Microsoft has made improvements, however, I don't see it "real world". I know that older games, and programs run better WITHOUT one, IF you have the memory. This includes TS2, as I can actually SEE the difference. I can remember some of the old "Sierra On-Line" games that wouldn't run WITHOUT a swapfile, but that's because of lazy programming, and very bad memory management. And yes, you can eliminate a swapfile completely. Requires some registry work, some "other" things, and some powershell work. Windows 10? I don't know about that yet. I've never had a program fail (since the early 2000's) due to a missing swapfile, or pagefile. Other than some very rare exceptions, (Sims 2 isn't one of those), on anyone's computer. I here "DON'T DO IT!!!!" all the time. I disagree. Another reason I use no swapfile is hard drive allocation algorithm. Win7/Win8.1, is still nearly as bad as WinXP, and Vista for that. I don't trust Win 10 either. Swapfiles are BAD for SSD's, as they have limited write cycles, and a swapfile can use these up. As far as windows temp files go, I have mine allocated to an SDcard, and AWAY from my Solid State drives!

If you DO want to keep a swapfile, either install a secondary mechanical drive, and set your swapfile to that drive, or reduce the size to around 512mb. Either way, you'll save write cycles. A home user REALLY doesn't need one if they have plenty of ram, and an SSD.

What I've observed objectively about modern computers, swapfiles, and software.

If you don't have the following:

A program that requires it.
less than 8gb/RAM.
A mechanical drive.

You don't need it.

If you have the following:

Virtual Machines, and less than 16gb/RAM (although I run several on my computer WITHOUT a swapfile, with no problems).
A program that requires it.
Less than 8gb/RAM, and NO VM's
Or you notice system slowdown without one,

Then you NEED it.

If it were harmful, or unnecessary to eliminate it, or adjust it, Microsoft wouldn't have made it possible to manage it. Some things just run better without it. I used to do contractual work for Microsoft, and there were times they advised us disable it for certain things they had us do, for several different reasons. However, they've attempted taking away your ability to manage updates in windows 10, but they forgot to do some things, and/or can't completely keep you from control, and I can prove that. JUST for kicks, I have a Win 10 computer, that I use a little bit every day, and it hasn't updated for two years. I can shut off/turn on Win 10 updates at will. I have a second one that I turn on updates when *I* want to, AFTER I've investigated those updates to see what they do, then I shut them back off again (Sorry for the update rant :p).
Either way, I've never seen a computer, with adequate memory, and maintained properly, crash, or otherwise cause any problems without one, since around 2000, and I've been doing this for many, many years.

We'll have to agree, to disagree on this matter.
Field Researcher
#38 Old 2nd May 2019 at 4:18 PM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
Only just saw your reply.

I just updated to the new driver, mine was 2017 so I thought that might be at fault. It didn't break anything luckily.

I don't know what a swap file is. I have 16 RAM and am planning on getting 32.

I think my SSD is a 500

But do they run TS2 with 18 Gigs of CC many with high res textures? If you look on the sticky thread on standby memory from page 3 on you will see what happened to the PC I have now with a Radeon card. http://modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=610641&page=3 Vanilla game worked fine but add in even 3 gigs of content and it would freeze, not save and well you can see the nightmare picture there.
I switched to the card I have now as well as upping the power supply and it can now take 14.2 Gigs, but start moving towards 14.6 and it starts crashing again. Just a plain crash thank goodness not the stuff of nightmares. These issues are directly related to how much cc I have and no I don't want less, I want a rig that can cope with it.

Maybe its this whole directX9 which I reinstalled at some point in my first round of troubleshooting) I will look into 11.
If you don't know what a swapfile is, best not mess with it yet. You can try running DX11, and see if that helps. A T440p/nVidia, or a W540 with plenty of ram, and Windows 7 home premium, will run it without a problem. I've run as much as 10gb of CC, on a T440p, with an SSD, without even a blink.

18gb, is a LOT of CC! I don't even HAVE that much to test with! You may be running into the games 4gb "limit" if I've understood others correctly. Also, many other old time simmers have told me the entire game tries to load into memory. I'm a computer person, not a TS2 "Wizard", although I'm learning. My observations though, tell me I've been told correctly. However, if someone else knows better, please chime in!
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#39 Old 2nd May 2019 at 11:16 PM
I will ask Gina, she has been my tech person and helped me with every tweak I have done to this thing.

My older, older computer back in 09 could run 18GB with no pink flashing. Yes, it took an hour to load (No SSD) lol, But it seems the newer the computer the worse this game runs.

I probably have another 10 not even installed I also split my medieval CC and gave it it's own Sims 2 folder, there is about 11-12 Gigs in that folder.

So how do I get more memory for all this CC? Is it ram? (I really don't understand half of this tech stuff I just do as I am told) I hope so as hubby is going to buy me more on his trip to Brisbane. I have a fast CPU and I know at least a few others here have 32 RAM so I don't think it's a terrible idea, just not sure it's going to fix this issue.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Field Researcher
#40 Old 5th May 2019 at 4:16 PM Last edited by Kunder : 5th May 2019 at 6:43 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
I will ask Gina, she has been my tech person and helped me with every tweak I have done to this thing.

My older, older computer back in 09 could run 18GB with no pink flashing. Yes, it took an hour to load (No SSD) lol, But it seems the newer the computer the worse this game runs.

I probably have another 10 not even installed I also split my medieval CC and gave it it's own Sims 2 folder, there is about 11-12 Gigs in that folder.

So how do I get more memory for all this CC? Is it ram? (I really don't understand half of this tech stuff I just do as I am told) I hope so as hubby is going to buy me more on his trip to Brisbane. I have a fast CPU and I know at least a few others here have 32 RAM so I don't think it's a terrible idea, just not sure it's going to fix this issue.

@joandsarah77

This will depend on a few things:

Your computers "Generation"
What CPU.

You can right click "Computer"
click "Properties", and it will give you that information. Can you do this, and give all the information there? I can help you a lot better that way.

This will tell you your O/S
CPU, and "Generation"
Amount of ram currently installed.

Make, and Model would be helpful. Example:
"Dell Latitude E6430"
"HP Pavilion 15"
"Lenovo Thinkpad T430", etc.

Just FYI, 4gb, under any circumstance, is as much memory as TS2 will use. You want the "extra" to run the REST of your computer, while you play TS2. Your computer deals with MILLIONS of other things, literally, every time you turn it on. The newer the machine, the more things it runs. THAT is what the extra ram is for.
Also, check your "Startup". Is there a lot of things in startup? THIS alone will cause a computer to bog down, crash, or just not work properly. I recently dug an i3 powered, Dell 3521 out of someones trash. All that was wrong with it, is it needed a good, startup/software cleanup, and a $12 keyboard replacement, to restore it BETTER than new!

Services? Are there any unnecessary services running? There are several you can either place on "Manual", some you can "Disable" all together, depending on what you do with your computer. I can help you with that.
Unnecessary programs? Do you have any excess "toolbars", or other software you don't need, know about, or no longer use? Get rid of them. Download MalwareBytes, install it, check for Malware, then uninstal it. keep the program on external storage. You'll need it again.

You have 16gb/RAM. You should be able to run ANY game your computer is capable of running, with that much ram. A PERFECTLY maintained computer, should be able to run ANY game in its class with 8gb/RAM. Even the newest computers will play the latest titles, with 8gb/RAM, unless I've missed something that came out very recently.

The FIRST step, to a good TS2 experience, is the right computer to run it on. This does not involve new computers, or new "gaming" machines. This does NOT include MOST Win10/DirectX 12 compatible video cards

The SECOND step, is keeping the computer properly maintained. Computers are like cars. They sometimes need improvements, they need cleaned out, and cleaned up. REGULARLY! Sometimes, they.... JUST like cars, require an overhaul. Get familiar with screwdrivers, spudger tools, contact cleaner, discharging static electricity, thermal paste, and canned air. I recommend buying an old, working laptop, sometimes you can get them for free. Research it, know everything about it. You'd be surprised how simple the hardware is. Find a YouTube video for that model, and take it apart, clean it good, re-assemble it, and see if it works. If it doesn't? Do it again! Research upgrades for it... DO that. This is how you learn. For those who wish to continue playing TS2, this is quickly becoming your only option! If you don't have the desire to do this, or the time, prepare to spend money to fix your old "Simmer", and the time to find a decent computer tech to do the work, to maintain your TS2 "habit".

The THIRD step, is to configure the video cards.sgr, and graphic rules.sgr, properly, and not corrupting your game.

I have a ThinkPad T420, I passed to my daughter a couple of years ago. It's had the SAME copy of TS2 on it for four years, and still runs as well as it did, when I installed it. She runs CCleaner on a regular basis, Avast! AV, "Your Uninstaller" for uninstalling programs, MalwareBytes, Macrium Reflect, for backing up/imaging her computer.

She also backs up her ENTIRE \Documents\EA Games\The Sims 2 folder to an external hard drive.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#41 Old 5th May 2019 at 11:04 PM
As said my friend has helped me with as many tweaks to this machine as she can think of including stoping things from start up to 4 gb patch, graphic rules, tweaks in the Nvidea panel, setting the priority and a myriad of things. I will see if Gina can come and post she will remember better than me.

"generation"? Well it was put together in February like I said and is a win 7 with 16 gigs of RAM and a Nvidia 1050TI graphics card. I purposely asked for win 7 hoping this would suit sims 2 best.

I have 4 slots for RAM and we are thinking of getting 4 sticks of 8 each. This was put together for me, it is not off the shelf.

I also know all about corruption, dusting out my computer etc.
Screenshots

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Field Researcher
#42 Old 7th May 2019 at 3:23 PM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
As said my friend has helped me with as many tweaks to this machine as she can think of including stoping things from start up to 4 gb patch, graphic rules, tweaks in the Nvidea panel, setting the priority and a myriad of things. I will see if Gina can come and post she will remember better than me.

"generation"? Well it was put together in February like I said and is a win 7 with 16 gigs of RAM and a Nvidia 1050TI graphics card. I purposely asked for win 7 hoping this would suit sims 2 best.

I have 4 slots for RAM and we are thinking of getting 4 sticks of 8 each. This was put together for me, it is not off the shelf.

I also know all about corruption, dusting out my computer etc.
Wow! Weird computer. Never seen a KaybeLake running Win7. You're fortunate it works properly at all. Is this a laptop? If so, try running on your Intel HD620 graphics. After proper graphic rules and Video card.sgr is installed, it just might work very well!

BTW, I figured you knew the other stuff, but someone out there doesn't, and that was directed at them.
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