just popping in to make a comment to @MiaSkywalker
Mia - I realize that you wouldn't want to spend money again to buy the sims 3, but....
Sims 3 works SO MUCH BETTER on Steam!! Because it's a different engine running the game. Owning a LOT of the store content - (and still using a lot of it) - does tend to make my game lag a bit... A BIT ...but, it's been a TOTAL game changer for me! And Steam will have sales from to time, as well. INCLUDING the sims 3. The only pack they don't have is Katy Perry's Sweet Treats. (( i haven't tested to see if I were to install it, if steam would "acknowledge" it ))
Now. The bummer part of having the sims 3 over on Steam, is that you literally CANNOT just double click your store content (that is sitting either in a separate folder (for safe keeping), or actually IN your sims 3 folder) and have it "appear" in the new folder that Steam will create for you. I've tried. MANY times. I've had to GO TO my purchase history - on the sims 3 site - and download each piece from there. IF you have your sims 3 launcher already open, everything you download WILL get added to your game, that way.
Ok. I know that everything I just said ((*points up)) sound really confusing. Trust me, tho .... it's not.
pops back out