that happens when i try deleting the sims 2 folder from the program files i help shift and right clicked and went to delete... it stops at the message i wrote above

help... anybody?

Does that folder look empty to you?

yes it does

i'll take any help you can give me

ok i deleted all of the folders but that one... and i went into the registery thing and i deleted what it told me then i reinstalled it... then i tryed installing uni... but uni doesn't work (the original does though)

Ok. Did that folder come with uni?

no... i never installed uni... it stops installing as soon as it asks for the sims 2 cd... then it updates but finds a error. so then it terminates installation

(i uninstalled everything but i couldnt' delete that folder... before i even tryed installing uni)

My mother had that problem with one of the folders. I think we just re-named the folder and moved it someplace where it wouldn't be a problem.
We got the game working in the end, but it took some time.


The one we had a problem with was definitely empty, even with all hidden files visible; and windows should be able to delete folders even if they aren't empty.

i want to delete it though... i just tryed renaming it then deleting it but it said the same thing... i don't get why you can't delete a empty folder..

This happens because Windows thinks the folder is in use. There several ways to attack the problem.

1. If you are familiar with navigating the directory structure with DOS commands, you can open a Command prompt (a DOS box)--from the Start menu, choose Run and type command in the box. Navigate to the folder which contains the folder you want to delete using the cd (change directory) command, and delete the folder using the del command: del UK English (or more likely, del ukengl~1--see end of post).

2. If you start Windows in Safe Mode, you should be able to delete the folder using Windows Explorer. If that doesn't work, try Safe Mode with Command Prompt enabled, and use the method described in 1.

Let's see if I remember how to do get to Safe Mode (it's entirely unacceptable that so complex a piece of software doesn't come with a proper user manual). . . . When you start the PC, press F8 after the system beep and before the Windows start-up screen appears. It's okay to press F8 several times to make sure you hit that one moment when Windows will recognize the command. Choose Safe Mode from the menu that appears.

If you can't get that to work, you can usually get to Safe Mode by powering off the PC without shutting down Windows first. The next time you boot, Windows should automatically display the menu, along with a message about Windows not being shut down properly the last time (fortunately, this message isn't nearly as obnoxious as the snotty one you get from a Mac when you're forced to unplug the thing from the wall in order to reset it, because according to the propaganda, "Macs don't crash," so there's no reset button. Feh!)

3. If none of these work, it's time for drastic measures. Boot your PC from the Windows XP CD-ROM (if you don't have XP you won't be able to use this method, except perhaps with Win2K--perhaps). Windows will spend some time loading a bunch of drivers, and present you with the choice of pressing Enter to set up Windows XP now, or pressing R to repair an existing installation. Press R to access the Windows Recovery Console (WRC). Once at the Console, you should see a Command prompt, and can delete the folder using the procedure in paragraph 1 above.

Note that to access the WRC you will need to logon with the password for the Administrator account for your WinXP installation, and you only get three guesses before being locked out, so make sure you know what your password is before you try this method.

4. If THAT doesn't work, it may be time for a re-install of Windows. :weep:

Just a note about navigating Windows directories (oops!--Windows folders) using the Command prompt:

The DOS-based Command prompt does not recognize long file names, so even though you can see the folder Program Files when you run the dir (directory) command from the root directory (C:\), you can't get into the Program Files folder by typing cd Program Files. You need to type cd progra~1, since the Command console can only recognize the old DOS 8.3 file-names. For any file name longer than eight characters, type the first six, plus ~1. If the file name is more than one word, use the first six characters, ignoring any spaces. For example, to enter a folder named EA Games, you would type cd eagame~1. If more than one folder has the same first six characters, the folder that comes first alphabetically will use ~1, and the next will use ~2.

For example, lets say you have the following two folders in your EA Games folder:

The Sims 2
The Sims 2 University

The first folder will be thesim~1
The second folder will be thesim~2

The Command prompt usually begins in your user folder in the C:\Documents and Settings folder when you first run command from the Run dialogue. To get to the root directory (C:\), just type cd\

fcc2, windows xp wont bring up a dialog about you turning off the power without first shutting down. I've had to do it several times on various machines.

mandapandatigger, navigate to the folder using dos (fcc explained that well), then run a dir command. Tell us what it says.

umm ok i went to run... i put in command and it brought up a box that was black with white writing... then i don't know how to navigate to the folder and i don't know what dos is... and i tryed to type in cd then it said C:\DOCUME~1\PREFER~1
then the next line said C:\DOCUME~1\PREFER~1> there is a space between the two... then i tryed change directory and it says 'CHANGE' is not recongnized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. then i decided to try typing in UK English and it said 'UK' is not recongnized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file. Am i doing something wrong?

oh and i don't really understand the second one you gave me... i don't know how to use the command thing so i don't know how to put it into safe mode

thanks by the way for trying to help me ^.^ so many people would just give up on me you guys are great :D

Where exactly is the folder?

Okay, the black box with the white writing is the Command prompt. Actually the > symbol is the prompt. The characters in front of the > symbol tell you what folder you are in. When you open the Command prompt, you will probably be in C:\DOCUME~1\<your user name>. For example, when I open the command box, I start in the folder C:\DOCUME~1\FCC. Each line you type here is a command; the results of the command appear in the lines that appear after you press Enter.

Each command is a string of a few letters, usually a kind of shorthand for a longer word. For example, the command cd mean "change directory"; the command dir stands for "directory list"; and the command del stands for "delete". (Hey--you're going to learn DOS when all you thought you were going to do was play a game!). Some commands can stand alone; for example dir will present a list of all the files and subdirectories in a directory. The cd command requires you to tell it what directory you want to change to (which is why nothing happened when you typed just cd and pressed Enter--in DOS there will always be a response even if an action is not performed, which is why the same line appeared below the original one).

Before we go any further, there are some things you should know. Folders in Windows are the same as directories in DOS. We are going to use folder here, so don't be confused by using the cd (change directory) command. For each line I give you to type, I will write Type: followed by the text you should type, and <Enter>. For example, if I write
Type: cd eagame~1 <Enter>
You would type cd eagame~1 at the prompt and press the Enter key.

I am assuming you can find the ~ key. Not all keyboards use the same location; on my keyboard, it is to the left of the "1" key.

Now, open the Run dialogue and type command like you did before to get to the Command prompt (black box with white type). We will assume that the folder you want to delete is C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2\TSData\Res\Locale\UK English--if there is anything different, just make the change where appropriate. If at some point you can't seem to find a folder you need, type dir to see a list of all the subfolders in the folder you are currently in. If the list is too long to fit on the screen, type dir/p, which will show the list one screen at a time--use the Space bar to move to the next screen.

So here we go--

Type: cd\ <Enter>
You should now be at C:\>. If not, try again. If for some reason this still doesn't work, Type: cd.. <Enter> as many times as necessary to get to C:\>.

Type: cd progra~1 <Enter>
Type: cd eagame~1 <Enter>
Type: cd thesim~1
Type: tsdata <Enter>
Type: cd res <Enter>
Type: cd locale <Enter>
You should now be in the LOCALE folder: C:\PROGRA~1\EAGAME~1\THESIM~1\TSDATA\RES\LOCALE\>

Type del ukengl~1 <Enter>

You should now see the line:
C:\PROGRA~1\EAGAME~1\THESIM~1\TSDATA\RES\LOCALE\UKENGL~1\*, Are you sure (Y/N)?

Press the "y" key. That's it! To close the Command box, Type: exit <Enter>

If you go too far and end up in the ukengl~1 folder, just type cd.. <enter> and you will back up one level.

If your game is installed on a drive other than C, type X:\ <Enter> at the prompt, where X is the letter of the drive where the game is installed. For example, typing D:\ will move you to the D drive.

If this does not work, use the F8 method at startup (press the F8 key a bunch of times as soon as you see something on the screen) to enter Safe Mode and delete the folder the normal way, using Windows Explorer. In my experience, it can take a few tries before WinXP recognizes the F8 command.

Just move the folder somewhere else.

ok heres my deal... i was able to delete ukenglish in the command thing by following fcc2's awesome directions... only i still have 2 more uk english folders cause i moved the folders but they are taking up tons of space so i want to delete them. what i did is i deleted the all that i could out of the sims 2 folder including the sims 2 folder and then took out what couldn't be deleted... which is... : 2 UK English folders, 1 res folder, 1 Thai folder and finally 1 traditional chinese folder.... that is all that there is... nothing else... but they won't delete cause of that message... but they are all empty. i have them all in a folder i named "sims 2 folders" on my desktop... then i have the extra UK English folder on my desktop because i can't have more than 2 UK English folders in the same folder because then it asks if i want to replace it and then i say yes but then it says the stupid message so i have to keep it out.
ok so what i need right now is how to delete these extra folders and to know why they are empty.
i also want to be explained about safe mode if you can... if i get safe mode do i have to turn it off? if so.. how? and i want to delete these extra folders before i even reinstall sims 2 because i am willing to only have sims 2 at this point... i just want these stupid folders that won't delete off of my desktop.

thats what i was doing but now i can't delete the folders off of my desktop (i just wrote that in the message before... i know..) so if you or anyone else knows how to delete the folders that would be sooo awesome... plz... *begs*

Let's hope the "sims 2 folder" you made is on your desktop and not the All Users desktop.

Open the Command prompt box like before.

Type: cd desktop <Enter>

Type del sims2f~1 <Enter>

That should do it. You can check to see if you are in the right location by typing dir <Enter>. Most of the files in the list you see should end with .lnk--these are the shortcuts on your desktop. Your folder should appear in the list with <DIR> next to it in the middle column, between the file time and the name of the folder.

If you get a "Could Not Find" message when you try to delete the folder (assuming you typed the command correctly), the folder you made is probably on the All Users desktop. If this is the case, exit the Command prompt and then restart it.
Type: cd.. <Enter>
Type: cd alluse~1 <Enter>
Type: cd desktop <Enter>
Type: del sims2f~1 <Enter>

In any case, if the folders have no files in them, they aren't really taking up any space, at least not any storage space. If they bother you sitting there on the desktop, make a TEMP folder somewhere on your hard drive and drag them there, out of the way.

You might try dragging the folder you made on the desktop into the recycle bin. It may not work, but it's worth a try.

Safe Mode is just Windows without most drivers loaded. The screen resolution is 640x480 and some features won't work, but Windows Explorer works like it usually does. Many files that Windows won't let you delete while in normal mode can be deleted in Safe Mode l(ike the print spooler files, when you've changed printers but forgot to change the destination of a print job, and your printer is spitting out page after page of garbage and won't stop, even after you unplug it and plug it back in, and Print Manager refuses to clear the job). To leave Safe Mode, just restart Windows.

thanks... i'll try it... i'm not sure what the difference is between all users desktop and the desktop but its on the desktop that comes up when you turn your computer on... i made the folder and just called it sims 2 folder.

the all user thing won't work... and the other one will ask if i want to erase it and i say yes but then it isn't deleted... errg stupid folders... theres like 10 of them from uninstalling and reinstalling then putting them on my desktop

*hits head against wall*

no one else has any idea how to delete empty folders?