@DarkpowerSims Have you tried running the installer specifically in Vista compatibility mode? Just using the troubleshooter doesn't always give the best results.
It's also possible that you'd have better results with a different DVD drive. I'm not suggesting you buy another one, but maybe you could borrow a couple from friends and try them out.
As for Origin, it sounds like you already registered your discs at some point. (Using the store site would count as well: the store and Origin share information.) So if you login to the account where you registered Sims 3, you'll be able to download your content directly, no discs required.
Yeah, I tried that--and trying for every other version of Windows they offered. No dice. Thank you, though.
Now we're trying to see if we can actually log into my mother's old account, but we're having trouble finding it again.
@DarkpowerSims If you haven't already, one way to try to find an old EA account is to enter any email address you have access to within the login window and click "Forgot your password?" Any address associated with an account should receive a password recovery email; it often gets flagged as spam, so check the filter too.
EA customer support may also be able to help you find the account, although there's no guarantee. But if you provide photos of the discs, cases, and product codes, a support rep might be able to at least give you a hint about the address, and if you figure out what email you used but can't access it anymore, you can attempt the account recovery process as well.
