Re: Sims 2 won't play

I have an HP laptop 64 bit windows 11 8gb 

@bev6usa I'll need a bit more info; please run a DxDiag and post it in a message here.

https://help.ea.com/en/help/pc/how-to-gather-dxdiag-information/

here is what it saved

@bev6usa Alright, please download Graphics Rules Maker from SimsNetwork, install it, launch as Administrator (right-click on the Graphics Rules Maker icon or look it up in the Start Menu and select Run as Administrator) and enable the following settings. Make sure that the game selected is The Sims 2 (it supports multiple games so it might land somewhere else the first time you launch) and that it is able to locate the game (using Locate Game button).

• Force texture memory: 1536 MB
• Disable texture memory estimate adjustment
• Enable driver's memory manager
• High Quality on Intel Graphics
• Support VSync on Intel
• Default/Maximum resolution: set to the highest available

Save those changes and add your graphics card to the game's database if it asks you to.

Then, locate your Sims 2 shortcut on your desktop, right-click on it and select Properties. At the end of the Target line, after the quotation marks, press spacebar once and add -w (including the dash). It should end up looking like 

"...\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSBin\Sims2EP9.exe" -w

This will force the game to run in Windowed mode, which can sometimes fix the DirectX 9 error as well. Save that and try to launch the game.

Another bug you might run into is screen flickering when you move the camera; to fix that, enable Smooth Edges in the game options. If you notice black boxes under Sims when they are inside, set Shadows to Medium (this will hide Sim Shadows) or download Nopke's Sim Shadow Fix mod and keep them on High.

How do I do that

I did everything you suggested and when I applied it I got another error message. It says it's not valid

I tried to send a photo of th message but it says the file type is wrong. The photo saves as heic instead of jpeg

I don't know why it got marked as a solution but I haven't been able to launch it yet. 

here is a screenshot

@bev6usa Try making a space between the quotation mark and -w

It's playing but in a small window on the desktop

i used graphics rules maker exactly how you said. It's not the resolution. It will play but just a small window on the desktop. It doesn't play fullscreen and it doesn't play through origin.

Ok I'll try it

Here is what I get. I can't play it full screen

I tried this but still can’t get it to open 😩 I still get the directx 9 error I even tried with the program you mentioned 

Hi there! I probably posted this somewhere else, but I need assistance with The Sims 2 Double Deluxe and The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack. Both are not installing correctly on my computer, and the Pets doesn't start installing at all. I have a DVD drive and both of the aforementioned discs are CDs, which might be one major reason why they're not working. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

@datboilizzy , the disks should work. What exactly is happening when you try to install? Are you getting any error messages? Does the game install part way and quit? The more details, the more we can try to help. 🙂

So, when I insert the Pets disc in my DVD drive, the drive starts up like it usually does whenever I insert any other disc. However, it just stops and nothing happens---no installation screen, not even an error message. The Double Deluxe one (it only came as ONE disc) somewhat starts up, but it asks me to insert Disc 1. Do you know what it's referring to when it says that?

I already have The Sims 2 base game installed, because I got the original game before any expansions were ordered. I just got the Seasons expansion now for Sims 2, and I fear that it, too, won't work either. My computer is a newer computer: Windows 11 Home, 12th Gen Processor. If you want me to attach a DxDiag then I can do so.

For the Double Deluxe disc, I had to turn off all my antivirus programs in Windows Defender because it was blocking me from installing it on this computer. I'm the only user of my administrative account.