I currently downloaded TS2 Apartment life to my computer. It downloaded successfully. I do the normal procedure to run the game. But a message comes up saying that there is no disk inserted. And i should insert the original Apartment Life disk. Which, it's already in the CD drive.

System Specs:
OS: Windows XP Home Edition
CPU: Intel Pentium 4
RAM: 1022MB
GPU: ATI RADEON X300 SE
MANUFACTURER/MODEL: ?

I currently have the first TS2 downloaded. But they have worked in the past so I don't see why this is happening now.

Thanks.

Say what? Did you download the game from the Internet or install it from CD?

No, I bought the game from Target, so I installed it from a CD. The same with the regular Sims 2.

Oh, you said you`d DOWNLOADED it, so I checked to be sure.

Does the drive read OTHER CDs/DVDs correctly?

OH, sorry about that. :D

Yes, it does.

No problem; now you`ll know better next time, eh?

Ok, in that case, do you have another drive somewhere where you could test that disk? If so, does that drive read it ok?

Also, is it just the game that doesn`t recognize the disk, or does the disk not show up properly in My Computer?

Yes, I do. Tried that already. I got the same message.

And I just checked the My Computer File. The icon shows up and with this symbol --> (D: ) (without the space, of course)

Ok, we know that the drive reads other disks, so it isn`t the drive.
We know that the computer doesn`t recognize the disk, so it isn`t the game.
We know that other drives DON`T read the disk, so it IS the disk.

Bummer.

Do you know how to clean a CD/DVD?

Edit: Perhaps you could take it back to Target and exchange it for another copy of the same game?

Yeah, it is a bummer ):

And no, i do not know how to clean a CD/DVD.

Ok, I guess I will have to try that then. Hopefully the next game will work. (:

There are cleaning kits available. There are instructions available on the `net that don`t need kits. Just be careful that Target won`t be able to claim that YOU ruined the disk.

Well I exchanged the disk. And it's doing the same thing

The same message - on both computers?

Do you have any emulation software running, like Alcohol 120%, DAEMON Tools, Nero, etc?

The game can be installed but cannot play off the disk? Doesn't that mean nothing is wrong with both computer *and* disk? Just the game can't read it to play.
Wasn't this a common issue with some laptop(desktop too?) models with certain DVD models and firmware? I remember Toshiba and Matshita DVDs in particular are more prone to this issue.
I think the fix was an upgrade to the firmware (need to see your Game_Help:System_Specs^wiki) or using the local install or if you want to try cleaning the disk, we have instructions here Game_Help:Install^wiki

Oh, the SecuROM idiocy! Yeah, but the original poster said that the system was no longer recognizing the disk --the disk name and custom icon never appearing in My Computer-- and the computer has to be able to read it for SecuROM to get in a snit over it, so I figured it wasn`t that.

whiterider - no, i believe i don't. i have norton running, if that might be the problem?

ellacharm3d - yes, the game installed properly. but will not read the disk. i've tried TWO different disk of the same game, both not working. Well, it reads my original TS2 game and plays that just fine. Mines a Dell. But i think it's a piece of crap.

And I contacted EA games about it and the person said to go to here. And i haven't figured out how to follow it. It's confusing.

That link in the EA support answer page dead-ended to a securom site. But it did ask you to patch.
Have you patched up all the games you have? Download the patches for the EPs/SPs that you have from thesims2 site.

After patching, try Game_Help:Bypassing_Launcher^wiki, using "Sims2EP8.exe" for AL.
Disable Norton, before you play or uninstall that altogether and use Comodo Firewall or something else if you prefer and Avast! or Avira (choose one, not both) for Antivirus instead. All are freeware.