So I have this annoying problem where I need to clean up a lot of lived-in lots so I can use them again, but I can't package them ingame (the lots crash, long story, can't access them on the original computer), so it seems I can't go the route of moving sims out and using the "stay-things-shrub" or some such.

I don't care about the sims - they've been safely extracted via SimPE/Bodyshop. I also don't care about relationships, memories, etc. because they're story sims, they're characters, they don't need those things (I'll fix necessary things in CAS and forget about the rest. So basically the sims aren't an issue. The hood itself also isn't an issue, because I'm thinking of starting over from scratch (it got cluttered, too many sims).

What I do need are furnished lots without sim references that (hopefully) won't crash my game. I don't care how many throwaway neighborhoods go boom, or how many sims get wiped in the process, but I sincerely don't want to go over the scraps of packaged lots I do have and redo the finishing touches in the lots all over again (which is to say several hours of work in some of them).

This tutorial is kinda helpful - https://modthesims.info/t/609188 , and I think it was suggested somewhere that it's possible to clean lot files through LotCatalog files or NeighborhoodLot files without actually packaging the files, but for whatever reason most of the references mentioned aren't even there, and my lot files are filled with a bunch of what seem like unknown files (they show like a black box with a question mark in SimPE, and nothing happens when you click on them - not sure if that's normal?)
(but it's possible you're supposed to package first and then clean the lot file, which could explain the issue)

Anyway, I haven't actually done a lot of lot cleaning this way before, so I could probably need some help. My pink-flashy laptop is not being particularly helpful with the lots (it seems fine with regular play in new lots and hoods now, but the original lots I want to clean still flash pink and crash, so not sure what's up with that... ).

You don't need to package just use Chris Hatch's lot cleaner globe. Load the empty lot, find the globe on a stick for $400 and just click on it, no need to place it. save the lot and go to hood view. To be sure I load the lot again and move a chair or something and save again. he brought this globe on a stick mod out sometime after I wrote that tutorial. This will delete all controllers, off-world items and any NPC schedules. I believe it also deletes sim references but I haven't checked that. It definitely removes the Super Hug. https://app.box.com/s/zqpm2wwdcmryzdv096rkl4asx0naby7s

The problem is, I can't really visit the lots as they are now, because there are sims on them (pretty sure that's one of the reasons why they crash). I need a way to remove the sims so I can place the lots down in a neighborhood and continue to clean them from there.

Does the cleaner globe method still work under those circumstances, or is there something I'll have to do first?

Since you don't care about the neighbourhood or the sims use the 'deleteAllCharacters' cheat, that will remove everyone from their homes and leave all furnishings etc. intact. Hopefully after that you'll be able to enter each lot and use the Lot Cleaner, if not you can move them into the lot bin for placing in a throw-away neighbourhood for further cleaning. Once your done with cleaning (be sure to delete any owned cars) use the Lot Compressor (http://simfileshare.net/download/479352/) which will remove sim references and optionally the weather to reset weather cycle back to an un-played lot.

Another alternative is to copy the lot from the neighbourhood lot folder and paste it in the LotCatalogue folder (instructions here: https://thesims2.livejournal.com/6049797.html) which will make a Sim-free copy you can try cleaning.

Thanks, I'll try those out . Sushigal, I think that's the method I was thinking of (and trying out), but I'd probably mislaid the link.

There are some sim references in the file, which I assume are probably safest to remove if it's a lot sims have lived in? I think most of my LotCatalog lots were sim-free, but not cleaned of all sim references, so those just need a bit of fixing, I guess. There were relationships and all kinds of stuff in there...

I strongly wouldn't recommend using Deleteallcharacters if you have multiple apartments with families in them. You will not be able to access them if you use this action. You see the accommodation system in apartments is different, I've personally tested this myself it leads to you not being able to access the apartments properly. If you use DeleteAllcharacters with apartments occupied, it will delete the family but the family's name apartment token will still be there, especially mods that have door lock systems in place. Certain parts of the family lot tokens will be replaced with $Subject$ however in SimPE the $Subect$ is seen as an undeleted token, subject to the result of DeleteAllcharacters. But the one that will break the apartments, is that you cannot bulldoze them because your game thinks there's someone in there, but when you select the family, it puts you into build mode.

I only have residential lots and possibly a few community lots, so that shouldn't be a problem - but I'm still a bit wary of the Deleteallcharacters cheat (probably not going to use it unless there's no other way of getting rid of sims).

It corrupts the hood, but that's okay because its probably already corrupted and you are tossing it anyway, yes? If there are any sims that you want extract them in SimPE first.

I've made a copy of the entire 'hood (plus I have at least one or two backups), and all the characters I want to keep are safely tucked away (extracted, cloned and packaged - I have both the cloned SavedSims package and Sims2pack files), so as long as no harm comes to the files in the ProgramFiles location (I know about the write protect trick) I don't think that should be a problem.

I'm starting the 'hood over, which is why I'm doing this. It got to a point where it got too cluttered (1000+ sims and very messy lot planning, in an original, old copy of Pleasantview - the hood was about 8 years, give or take? It was probably bound to go poof at some point...)

I'm planning to start over with blank hood templates and no townies. I have no need for over 400 townies cluttering the hood...

Is there some reason you can't just move the sims out?

That would sell the furniture and they said they want it furnished. And they can't enter the lots to plop down a Stay Things shrub.

Closest I ever got (the crash was instant).
https://i.postimg.cc/kGgvDdWG/Screenshot-New-156b.jpg
So no can do on the StayThingsShrub. Otherwise I'd probably go that route. Also don't want to risk packaging anything that is flashing pink.

Could be an UC/CD issue, shaders, CC (I've edited a bunch of files lately but still have the originals as a backup), the sims, the lots - I don't know. Trying to eliminate at least a few of those potential problems...