@scabbieabbie , sounds like the disk drive is having a hard time reading the file. There is a way to bypass this.
1) Insert your Sims 2 CD/DVD into your disk drive and open up your local hard drive.
2) Go to File, New Folder and create a new folder. Name this folder "Disk Images."
3) Go into the "Disk Images" folder and create another folder called "Disk1." If you're installing a version of The Sims 2 or an expansion with multiple disks, create folders for each disk. Label them "Disk2," "Disk3" and "Disk4." *Note* It is important you don't put a space in between "Disk" and the number you use.
4) Open up "My Computer" and select your Sims 2 CD. If the autorun comes up, cancel it as well as the installation.
5) Right-click The Sims 2 CD. Click "Explore."
6) Click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window and choose "Select All." You can also press CTRL+A.
7) Click on the "Edit" tab again and select "Copy." CTRL+C also works.
8) Head into your "Disk1" folder. Go to the "Edit" tab and select "Paste." CTRL+V works as well. Continue until you've copied and pasted the information from all the disks into their appropriate folders.
9) Find the autorun file in the "Disk1" folder and double click it. This should install the game as normal. When you are finished, you can delete the "Disk Images" folder.
Tips
If you encounter any file transfer errors when copying and pasting, try cleaning your disk. If that fails, your disk is either scratched or corrupted.
