Sims 2 Legacy : 'Application has crashed, application will now terminate.'

So, lots of replies of folks having the same problem, but no one with a solution.  Was there a patch that was created to fix this?  I find that I can open an empty house or build one.  As long as I save it periodically, I can go through the construction, but certain acquisitions, like adding a helicopter or a car, or messing up placing a wall, will trigger the very same application error I get trying to move a new Sim family into a home or open a home with a family already in it.  I can tell you what I have tried, but nothing has fixed the problem...  but, here it goes...

Step 1: Run the Game in Compatibility Mode (that's obvious... so many settings I tried, to no avail)

Step 2: Force DirectX 9 Mode (this was done within Steam, basically adding, in this case, "-w -dx9" to Launch Options; it forced a windowed mode, which I was actually able to maximize... but the issue was not resolved)

Step 3: Fix Graphics Rules for Modern GPUs (so, this involves downloading this fix: https://www.simsnetwork.com/simpedia/the-sims-2/faq/graphics-problems and following the instructions to replace the Graphics Rules.sgr file; I actually think I skipped this step, so I will give it a go in a bit.)

Step 4: Disable DEP (Data Execution Prevention) (I couldn't get this to work; attempts to turn off DEP for sims2ep9.exe failed for me)

Step 5: Use the 4GB Patch (now, this is an old school step that I had forgotten; downloading the patch here: https://ntcore.com/?page_id=371 and running it I thought would work.  It created a copy of the original .exe as .backup and presented the revised .exe file for use; sadly, this didn't fix the issue, but I was able to get further into the game before it crashed)

Step 6: Check for Mods or Custom Content Conflicts (I mean, yeah... but I had mods turned off when I first started getting these issues... It's good hygiene to test your mods anyway, but this I do not think is the problem for me)

Step 7: Check Windows Event Viewer for Crash Logs (doing a Find in the results in the right column was able to show multiple crashes, but I am not technically savvy to know what I am looking at, so it might be more useful for tech heads out there)

Step 8: Manually Fixing Graphics Rules.sgr for Sims 2 on Windows 11 (this involved editing to versions of Graphics Rules.sgr in both TSData\Res\Config and TSData\Res\CSConfig folders.  The instructions I got said there was a line that read "seti textureMemory 32" and change it to "seti textureMemory 1024" or 2048.  However, no such line existed, so I added the new setting anyway... but that did not resolve the issue.)

Step 9: Download the directx_Jun2010_redist.exe file. (So, with these steps, I downloaded DirectX 9.0c... that's very old school... which doesn't interfere with the current DirectX version, 12 or something...  This didn't fix my issue either.)

Step 10: Rename UserProps.xml to UserProps.backup and restart the game, which should re-create the configuration file (I tried this too... no change in results)

Step 11: Run the Steam Integrity Check (Under Properties, Installed Files, you can check the integrity of game files.  I haven't tried this yet, but it is on my list of things to do.)

Step 12: Try Running the Game Without Secure Boot (Temporary Test) (I didn't feel up to trying this test, but who knows...)

Step 13: Check If EA App or Windows Defender Is Blocking Sims 2 (more anti-virus troubleshooting... Windows Defender, in case you are still using that, apparently can cause problems with Sims2EP9.exe; that or EA App, which I didn't see running on my system.)

Step 14: Force Windowed Mode + Adjust Graphics Settings (so, this is much like a prior step... within Steam, within the game, go to Properties, and in Launch Options change the text that you added before to "-w -dx9 -cpuCount:1"  The first two settings are the same as before... windowed and forced using DirectX9; the new setting forces using 1 CPU core, so much like older machines.  I haven't tried this, but I will.)

So, hopefully some of these steps will help for most of you, even though I haven't achieved success yet.  Good luck, to all of us!