Sims 2 Windows 11?

@datboilizzy try launching the autorun.exe file through task manager with admin privileges.

The other file is the exe for the expansion pack. It should be SimsEP with a number after the P and its an exe file. Like SimsEP1.exe or SimsEP4.exe. whatever number expansion pack pets is. 

So I do want to respectfully clarify something to you. I greatly appreciate your help with all this, but my computer just isn't responding correctly. I will try launching the exe file through Task Manager several more times, but the past few times I have clicked the OK button, it won't do anything. I do not know if it's the newer operating system blocking it from running, or if I have the wrong DVD/CD drive. This is my very first time trying to launch the game, so I am quite disappointed with what it's doing.

Seriously, I have plenty of RAM and space for all the game files.

@datboilizzy at this point in time, have you managed to install everything and are trying to launch the game to play, or are you still unable to install a pack you have?

Admittedly I've had some trouble with my game recently. To fix it, I made a copy of all my Neighbourhoods and downloadeds, and then uninstalled and reinstalled M&G Stuff. My laptop runs pretty quick, so it was sorted quickly and I've now got the game open. I'm on windows 11 and have a graphics card that the game didn't recognise until I forced it to.

The thing is, this game is highly unlikely to work "fresh out of the box." Sims 2 doesn't recognise new graphics cards, and it was designed for Windows xp. So to get it to work, theres usually unfortunately more stuff you gotta do after you manage to install everything. It isn't a lot, but it is usually needed  But until you've got everything you have installed, it's not worth me having you read all that stuff just yet. It will be a case of some file editing when we get to that stage

I'm still unable to install the Pets expansion.

So---you're telling me I need to first install every expansion pack I have, and then we'll move to the next stage? Is that what you're saying?

Also, I'm on desktop, so will the method to copy the neighborhoods/downloads and re-install/uninstall work the same?

@datboilizzy Yes and No. The "next stage", if needed, would be to edit files from the pack that launches the game. For example, M&G stuff launches my game so I edited files in M&G stuff. Before that, it was apparment life. 

If Pets takes control over launching the game, you edit pets files. If seasons does, editing files in the pets game will do nothing.

If, before all this you managed to get sims 2 to run fine, I wouldn't worry about that part.

So you're unable to load the game in its current state? With the taskmanager method are you ticking the box which says "create this task with admin privileges" ? Do you get any pop up? Or just nothing at all happens?

About the desktop thing, I don't think it matters at all. Desktop or laptop, we've both got windows 11.

The Task Manager popup box does pop up, and it already has an option that says "Create this task with administrative privileges," but there is no option to tick it. When I click OK to start the process, nothing happens.

@datboilizzy so it doesn't look like this (See attached image) ? Theres no box you can tick? If not, thats bizarre. There is another route. One I'm not familiar with doing, but you could try using command prompt instead.

That is the other method I see people sharing to get things going. You would target the same file, but through command prompt instead. I don't know if we're allowed to share non-ea links so I'll just copy and paste the text.

How to run a program on Command Prompt

Here is a list of steps to help you run a program on Command Prompt:

1. Open your Start menu and type "cmd" in the search box

Locate your Start menu in the bottom left corner of your screen and click on it. In the white search box next to the Windows icon, type "cmd." Command Prompt is the first search result.

2. Click on Command Prompt to open the application and type your first command

Right-click on the application and select "Run as administrator," then a new Command Prompt window opens. This opens a black screen with plain text.

3. Determine which program you want to run

Find the folder with the file you want to run. It's important to mention that Command Prompt can only run programs that are installed in Windows-created folders. You can add a program's folder to the Command Prompt list to run that program within the application.

3. Find the file path of the folder with your exe program

Type "cd [filepath]" into Command Prompt. This allows you to find the folder that contains the .exe program you want to run. In a File Explorer window, you can open the specific folder and copy the file path located in the address bar at the top of the window by pressing C and Ctrl. For example, you can run Google Chrome by locating a folder titled Google Chrome in your Program Files. The file path for that file is "C:\Program Files\Google."

4. Replace "[filepath]" in the Command Prompt window with the file path you've copied

Replacing this file path allows you to run both commands and the desired program. You can then press the Enter key on your keyboard. This takes you to the selected file path in Command Prompt.

5. Type "start [filename.exe]" into Command Prompt, replacing "filename" with the name of your selected file

Replace "[filename.exe]" with your program's name. This allows you to run your program from the file path. For example, you can run Google Chrome by typing "Start Chrome.exe." You can then hit "Enter" on your keyboard, and the program starts running 

@datboilizzy 

The filepath you need should be just D:\Autorun.exe

You go back a directory by typing "cd .."

Do that until you have just C:\

then type "D: .."

and it should change to the D drive.

I attached a screenshot.  If you never found the autorun.exe file, instead type cd TSBin, press enter, then type Start Sims2EP4.exe

D:\>cd TSBin

D:\TSBin> Start Sims2EP4.exe

Just so you know, my computer has a different format and desktop look than yours, so maybe that's why I can't find specific things or create specific tasks. I have like the LATEST latest version of Windows 11--very different format.

So I just tried the Command Prompt method. I type in the specific commands you gave me, and it keeps telling me it's not recognizing the files as an internal/external command, operable program, or batch file.