Please Note: This is copied from Reddit's r/TheSims2Help's Setting Up The Game Wiki Any linked headings will be linked back to the Reddit Wiki. In line links should denote where they go (reddit, lemmy, tumbler) anything not mentioned is probably another off reddit guide or .exe file. Most if not all content contained below was created by the Reddit r/Sims2Help team and all credit for this guide goes to them.
1. Setting Up The Game
- Setting Up The Game
- Getting The Game Running
- Where are my Installation Files
- 4GB Patch & RPC Launder Info
- RPC Launder (first born syndrome fix)
- RPC Alternative for Legacy Collection **
- Fixes
- Windowed Mode & Custom Resolution
- Custom Windowed Resolution
- Small Fixes
This section contains information on how to install and set up the game. If you're looking for troubleshooting information instead, please see the troubleshooting section.
To get Sims 2 working well on modern systems, it needs a few simple tweaks that we have provided in the links below. Please pay special attention to the version of the game you have and if these fixes are applicable.
Sims 2 on MacOS
None of the information in this section will be relevant to you if you are playing on MacOS. Please see the Mac section of the wiki Lemmy Link, Reddit Link for information on playing on that OS. However, it is relevant if you are playing on Windows on your Mac with Bootcamp or Parallels.
Sims 2 on Linux
Most of this information can be relevant but you should still check out the Linux Guide section of the wiki Lemmy Link, Reddit Link
Sims 2 on Steam Deck
If you want to play Sims 2 on a Steam Deck, please see this video tutorial.
2. Getting the Game Running
Before you start trying to apply fixes for the game, you will need to know where to find your installation files. Please see below.
2.1) Where Are My Installation Files
Depending on where you installed the game, and which version of the game you have, you might need to do some searching to find out exactly which folder your installation files are located in.
The simplest way to do this is right click on the shortcut on your desktop, and choose "open file location", which will take you to the TSBin of your latest pack, like this. Usually it will be somewhere in Program Files - if you click in the space beside "TSBin" in the bar at the top, it will show you the full path.
Here are the default installation locations for different versions of the game. The game will be installed in one of these unless you decided to change the location.
MagiPack repack: C:\MagiPacks\The Sims 2
EA App Ultimate Collection: C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection
Origin Ultimate Collection: C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection
Osab Starter Pack Ultimate Collection: C:\Program Files x86\The Sims 2 Starter Pack
Games4theworld Ultimate Collection: C:\Program Files\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection
Discs: C:\Program Files (x86)\EA Games
MrDJ/Oldgamesdownload: C:\Program Files (x86)\Mr DJ\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection
Legacy: C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy
Steam: C:\Program Files\EA Games\The Sims 2 Legacy
This is not the location where your Downloads folder (for Mods/CC) or your personal Neighbourhoods will go. That's always in Documents/EA Games.
2.2) 4GB Patch & RPC Launcher info
This section does not apply to Legacy. Legacy cannot use the 4GB patch or the RPCLauncher.
If you have osab's installer or MagiPack then you have the 4GB patch included with the RPC Launcher and the setting can be toggled in RPCSettings.
We highly recommend using the RPC Launcher if you don't already have it. In order to use it, you need to have a NoCD/cracked exe which you can download from the link below. (The exe is referred to as George!)
You do not need to have pirated the game to use a cracked exe - you can use these even if you installed via disc or have The Ultimate Collection on the EA App.
The Sims 2 is a 32-bit game which means it can only use a maximum of 2GB of memory (RAM). Installing the 4GB patch will allow your game to use a maximum of 4GB of memory, reducing the chance of crashes and allowing you to play for hours upon hours. However, if you only have 4GB RAM, installing the 4GB patch is unlikely to help and will probably cause issues. You should really only install the 4GB patch if you have more than 4GB RAM.
You can download a pre-patched, cracked .exe, fondly named George, here! A cracked exe means that you will not need to use the disc or Origin/EA App to run the game when using this exe. The cracked exe can only be used if you have Mansion and Garden Stuff.
The .exe needs to be extracted from the .rar file and then placed in Your Installation Location > Fun with Pets > SP9 > TSBin (for the UC) or Your Installation Location > The Sims 2 Mansion and Garden Stuff > TSBin (for the discs/oldgamesdownload/Mr DJ's "UC"). Your installation location can be found by referring to the information in the above section, "Where Are My Installation Files" or the Reddit wiki of the same.
Before putting the exe in there, make sure to rename your original Sims2EP9.exe to something else. For instance, mine is named Sims2EP9.exe.Backup. Once you've placed the cracked .exe in the TSBin, you can either run the game using the RPC launcher or right click on the cracked exe, make a shortcut, and send it to the desktop. Use that to launch the game.
Don't run the game in compatibility mode as this will prevent the patch from working (same goes for the pre-patched exe, and the DXVK fix). It's okay and recommended to "run as administrator" by right clicking and selecting that option on the executable (or checking the box for it in the Compatibility tab under Properties - just don't check "run this program in compatibility mode for:").
Manually applying the 4GB patch for BodyShop
This section does not apply to Legacy. Legacy cannot use the 4GB patch or the RPCLauncher.
Follow the video guide on this Modthesims thread or use the instructions below for the 4GB patch.
To install the 4GB Patch Manually:
- Go to ntcore.com and click "Download the 4GB Patch"
- Right click on the file that downloads and choose "Extract here"
- Open the extracted folder and double click 4gb_patch.exe
- A file explorer window will open - navigate to the CSBin folder in the install location for your latest pack (Mansion and Garden, which is SP9 in Fun with Pets for the Ultimate Collection, if you have all packs) from here.
- Double click on the exe (e.g. TS2BodyShop.exe) and you should get a window confirming the patch was applied successfully.
2.3) RPC Launcher (First Born Syndrome Fix)
This section does not apply to Legacy. Legacy cannot use the 4GB patch or the RPCLauncher.
You can get the First Born Syndrome fix separately to or as part of the RPC launcher, and you can add it to any download of the game which has Mansion and Garden Stuff (A.K.A. Fun with Pets/SP9). If you are using the RPC launcher, then you already have the FBS fix included.
This is an incredibly helpful tool for Sims 2. The genetics randomizer for The Sims 2 is broken which causes something called First Born Syndrome. In short, if you make your Sims have a child, close the game, and make the same sims have another child the next time you play, those children will be clones of each other, which can be seen by looking at their personalities. The RPC Launcher fixes that issue by applying appropriate genetics code. This launcher may fix the DirectX 9 error as well.
The launcher also has the 4GB patch included. If you have Discord you can display what game you're playing to your friends or other server members, and you can also set it up so it displays what you're doing in the game. If you don't want the Discord and other features, LazyDuchess has released a FBS Fix 2.0 which can be applied to your normal exe without the RPC Launcher.
3. RPC Alternative for Legacy Collection
TS2 Extender is the equivalent of RPC for Legacy, though some features differ. It still fixes first born syndrome among other features.
Graphics Rules Maker and Graphics Rules File
4. Fixes
4.1) Windowed Mode & Custom Resolution
Edge scrolling does not work in windowed mode and this is not a bug.
Not applicable to Sims 2 Ultimate Collection through the EA App. Click the 3 dots in the top right of the game's image on the Library screen and then click View Properties. Put -w in the box under Advanced Launch Arguments and click save. The game will then run windowed - remove the -w to go back to fullscreen.
Not applicable for RPC Launcher. You can toggle between windowed, borderless, and fullscreen in the RPCSettings.exe.
Not applicable to Legacy. You can use alt + enter to toggle window modes.
This will allow you to have your game in Windowed mode. This can also be used as a fix for the DirectX 9 error as well.
You can navigate to where you have your Sims 2 shortcut, which is usually on the desktop. Once you have found your shortcut on the desktop, right click on it and choose Properties. A box will pop up. Click on the Target line and scroll to the end with the arrow keys, or press End on your keyboard. Then, press the spacebar once followed by -w. So your Target line should read something like this:
"C:\Program Files\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSBin\Sims2EP9.exe" -w
Please do not copy the above line unless your installation location and folder names are the same. Depending on where your game is installed, yours will be different. Please type it out as described above.
It will look like this.
Press OK and when you load your game next, it will be in Windowed mode.
This should get around the DirectX9 error ("Failed to find any DirectX 9.0c compatible graphics adapters in this system!") as well.
4.2) Custom Windowed Resolution
You can also use the above method to force the game to run in a different resolution. You follow the exact same path as before. You go to the Target line and type a space, followed by -r1920x1080. So, your Target line would look something like this:
"C:\Program Files\The Sims 2 Ultimate Collection\Fun with Pets\SP9\TSBin\Sims2EP9.exe" -w -r1920x1080
Please do not copy the above line unless your installation location and folder names are the same and the resolution is the correct one that you want. Depending on where your game is installed, yours will be different. Please type it out as described above.
You can force it to run in whatever resolution you like. You don't need to use windowed mode to do this, just get rid of the -w if you don't want it in windowed mode.
4.3) Small Fixes
If you are using the version we have linked in this Wiki (the MagiPack repack or the previous osab’s installer) then you already have these fixes included.
If you are using another version (Games4TheWorld, OldGamesDownload, Archive.org you may need to apply the following fixes:
- The shadow fix mod if you have black boxes below your sims
- The bright CAS fix mod if you have a too bright or too dark CAS
These are all the fixes you should need to get the game running on your PC. If you are still unable to get the game running, please check out the troubleshooting section Lemmy Link or Reddit Link before making a post as your issue will have been covered there already.
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