Windows Vista and The Sims 2 FAQ

[The Star Hermit]

Windows Vista and The Sims 2 FAQ

Thinking about upgrading to Windows Vista or getting a new Vista machine? We've been extensively testing Vista with a wide range of hardware and came up with this handy guide.

HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY:

Q: Is The Sims 2 compatible with Windows Vista?
A: Yes! The Sims 2 and its expansion packs run well on Windows Vista. If there is a problem, it's mostly likely due to the Vista support of your graphics card. (See more details below).

Q: Will my computer be capable of running The Sims 2 on Windows Vista?
A: The required hardware for The Sims 2 on Vista is a 1.3GHz processor with 512MB of memory. The extra memory is needed is because 512MB is required for a Windows Vista Capable machine. Since Vista does use up more processor power, game performance will not be as good as on an equivalent XP machine.

Q: Ok, I've got that. What about my graphics card?
A: This is where it gets tricky. Because of new graphical features, Vista requires a DirectX9 capable graphics card. Here's a rough guide of graphics card capability:

Best cards:
These cards will fully support DirectX 9 and should provide the best The Sims 2 (and Vista) experience.

• ATI Radeon 9800 and above. (9800, X550, X600, X700, X800, X850, X1600, X1800, X1900, X1950)
• NVidia 6000 series and above. (6600, 7300, 7600, 7800, 7900, 7950, 8800)

OK cards:
These are early DirectX 9 cards and budget cards that may not support all The Sims 2 graphical features.

• ATI Radeon 9600, 9700, X300, X1300
• NVidia 6200, 7100

Unsupported cards in Vista:
These cards aren't DirectX 9 compatible and may actually work fine, but are not Vista capable. As a result, graphics card manufacturers are unlikely to support Vista driver updates for these cards.

• NVidia FX5000 series (FX5200, FX5600, FX5900, FX5950) and earlier (GeForce 3, GeForce 2)
• ATI Radeon 9500 and earlier, including 7000 and 8000 series

Q: Hey, I've got the right graphics card! I should be all set, right?
A: Unfortunately, there are still a few things to watch out for. Because Windows Vista was just released, a lot of the Vista drivers are still evolving toward stability and performance. You may see some problems with early versions of graphics drivers. Windows Update should automatically keep you up to date with driver updates, but it may be worth checking with your graphics card manufacturer for updated drivers if you are having problems.

KNOWN ISSUES WITH VISTA DRIVERS:

• nVidia Geforce Series
  
  Problem: Stuttering sound during gameplay and lower frame rate and problems showing rain
  Cards: Most Geforce cards
  Please check for updated drivers. In the meantime, adjust your graphics details to improve your framerate.
  
  Problem: Sims, plumbob sim indicators, and other various objects appear corrupt in both the neighborhood and lot screens on Windows Vista
  Cards: Geforce 7300
  
• ATI Radeon Series
  
  Problem: Gameplay does not meet the 15fps minimum requirement. Setting details to low and off allows an average frame rate of 24fps.
  Cards: Radeon 9550XL
  Please check for updated drivers. In the meantime, adjust your graphics details to improve your framerate.
  
• Intel Extreme Graphics Series
  
  Problem: Ground tiles flicker when panning or zooming the camera around and occurs more frequently with snow accumulation as well as blocky graphics for trees.
  Cards: Graphics Media Accelerator 900, 950, X3000, Mobile 945GM (GMA 950)
  
• S3 Chrome Series
  
  Problem: Clothing textures on Sims will randomly disappear and reappear showing incorrect textures. Trees do not appear in neighborhood view.
  Cards: S3 Chrome S27
  
  Problem: Mouse cursor is invisible, but only flickers briefly when user stops moving it.
  Cards: S3 Chrome S27, GammaChrome S18 Pro and Ultra
  
  Problem: Trees are not present in the neighborhood screen, however tree shadows are visible.
  Cards: S3 Chrome S27
  
  Problem: The fruit trees have large blocky spikes that appear on them when snow accumulates and framerate is slow.
  Cards: S3 GammaChrome S18
  Again, if you experiencing any of these issues, please check with your graphics card manufacturer for the latest drivers.

OTHER TOPICS:

Q: Can The Sims 2 run under a Standard User account?
A: Yes. Although you need to have administrative privileges to install the game, you can run the game as a limited user. There are a few things to watch out for when installing and running the game.

• Autorun: When you are logged in as a Standard User and you insert the game disc, you will be asked for Administrator privileges. If you are installing the game, you should enter the password and continue, because you need Administrator privileges to install. If you want to run the game, you should cancel and run the game from the Start Menu (Start > Programs > The Sims 2 Seasons > The Sims 2 Seasons).
• When launching the game, always use the Start Menu, desktop shortcut, or Game Explorer so that you saved games are saved in your Standard User profile. If you run the game with Administrator privileges, then your Administrator profile will be used for saved games.
• The Sims 2 Seasons will only appear in the Game Explorer for the account that you installed with, which is your Administrator account. You have to add a new shortcut for your Standard User account for it to appear when running as a Standard User.

Q: Can The Sims 2 be uninstalled for all users?
A: Yes. Although you need to have administrative privileges to uninstall, the game does uninstall for all accounts, including the Start Menu and Desktop Icons. Uninstalling will automatically delete the administrator's save files. The save files for the Standard User folder, and any other users that play the game, will need to be manually deleted from each account.

Q: While installing a Sims 2 DVD product on a PC with Windows Vista, I ejected the DVD and now my DVD drive is not responding any more.
A: Please do not eject the disc during the installation of any Sims 2 product. If you have already done so and are experiencing problems, you will have to restart the computer using a hard reset. Then you should manually delete the "EA GAMES\The Sims 2" directory, bypassing any warning prompts regarding deletion of important files (note: you should back up your Sims 2 user data to prevent losing it). After that, select the uninstall option for the entry in Programs and Features.


This FAQ courtesy of sims2.com

[Pencil2345GFX]

Thanks, I don't have any more problems!

[xo_R_xo]

I have a direct x10 card, 1.5 ghz processor and Vista.
Why is sims freezing/not loading and unplayable??

[AB90]

Originally Posted by xo_R_xo

I have a direct x10 card, 1.5 ghz processor and Vista.
Why is sims freezing/not loading and unplayable??

Mine is exactly like that its only freezing and not loading when i go certain things. and then i can't play it! mine is a laptop sp1 vista 2GHz processor with a graphics card X3100 ( i think) (if not then X3000) and I have a 1GB RAM .... HELP!!!

[JohnnyDeppLuva]

I have Vista and all sims 2 games on my laptop.

My sims runs great and is so fast but I have one problem...
My mirrors won't reflect..Does anybody know why this is ?

[Clelclan]

When you install the game, it decides what your computer can handle and at installation must have disabled reflections.

You can turn them on from the game controls panel, down beside buy and build mode - can't remember offhand which section it is, but check the graphics options till you see the 'reflections' bit and turn them on. Since the game disabled them, you may find the game slows a little, but it's worth a try.

[AB90]

all i've wantedis to play the sims 2 and now i can't its driving me nuts

[JohnnyDeppLuva]

Originally Posted by Clelclan

When you install the game, it decides what your computer can handle and at installation must have disabled reflections.

You can turn them on from the game controls panel, down beside buy and build mode - can't remember offhand which section it is, but check the graphics options till you see the 'reflections' bit and turn them on. Since the game disabled them, you may find the game slows a little, but it's worth a try.

Now that I think About it I think I may have turned them off a while back because I remember having reflections and then I was mucking about with the settings section so that my pictures would look better...must have thought the reflections were something else. Thanks for the help I appreciate it

[AB90]

please someone say they can help me i've tried defraging it and a disk cleanup but there was nothing wrong i just re tried going on the sims 2 but when i created 2 sims it froze and said it wasn't responding and i loaded it up again and it freezes soon as i try to enter a house...

[Clelclan]

Originally Posted by AB90

please someone say they can help me i've tried defraging it and a disk cleanup but there was nothing wrong i just re tried going on the sims 2 but when i created 2 sims it froze and said it wasn't responding and i loaded it up again and it freezes soon as i try to enter a house...

As I said in the other post, do you have CC - remove the Downloads folder to your desktop, restart the game and see if that solves the problem.

[AB90]

i dont have any custom content which i'm pretty sure i've said somewhere on one of theses threads lol but thanks for the suggestion, do you know of anything else?

[JohnnyDeppLuva]

Thanks for all the help Clelclan, I turned reflections back on and my game is still working as great as it was So happy now, the mirrors just looked stupid before

[LaurennRXx]

Im getting a new computer but i dunno if sims 2 is compatible where are the full requirements The graphics is nvidia geforce 7050 ?