Help!

fortune5 · 30-06-2009, 10:46 AM

I love the original sims game and got it for my laptop which is Windows XP. It worked at first but then I had to reset my computer due to a virus and when I reinstalled the game it would no longer reload. It installs fine so there is no problem there but when I click on play nothing happens. I think when I reset my computer, it deleted something required for the picture and sound of the game to run on Windows XP. I was wondering if anyone can tell me what I need to do to fix this? x

ZaekanoYto · 30-06-2009, 12:17 PM

Try re-installing it again.

limabifrost · 30-06-2009, 03:01 PM

Did you have to completely wipe your computer? If you did then you may have to update the drivers for your sound and graphics card.

Otherwise try reinstalling, as ZaekanoYto suggests.

fortune5 · 01-07-2009, 07:42 PM

Yeah i've tried re-installing it plenty of times and it always works fine but its just when I click play nothing happens. I did hav 2 reset the full comp so I agree that I must have deleted something needed to run the sounds and graphics probably some kind of programme does anyone have an idea what that might be? x

limabifrost · 01-07-2009, 11:25 PM

You'd need up-to-date drivers for your sound and graphics, so if you know the model of them you can look them up online and get the driver from the official website. There are ways of finding out your graphics card/sound card if you don't know them, just google for advice.

Alternatively, if you still have all the information and installation cds from your computer they should be on disk there, although you'd have to then install the most recent patch for that driver.

fortune5 · 03-07-2009, 04:14 PM

Thanks I will try that and hopefully it will work x

fortune5 · 20-07-2009, 08:09 PM

With reference to my original problem, i'm still having no luck getting the sims to work on my laptop like it did before. I've tried downloading some graphics cards missing from my laptop like realtek and intel but this hasn't helped

I also got a disc with acrobat reader 4.0 on it when I bought the sims game which you are supposed to install before playing but when I try this it just gets to about 80% then says it can't be completed for some reason. I checked my programs though and acrobat reader 4.0 already appears to be on my comp so therefore that can't be the reason its' not working :S Does anyone have any other suggestions about what might be the problem with the graphics cos i'm out of ideas and this is driving me mad as I know it must just be something small i'm missing because the game worked fine before I had to reset my comp. Any ideas are welcome, let me know. Thanks,

Steph x

Rohannnn · 20-07-2009, 08:53 PM

You only need acrobat reader to view the manuals I think, so that shouldn't be a problem.

If you go to start -> run -> type in dxdiag
Press OK
Click on the "display" tab at the top of the program that appears
Your graphics card should be listed next to "name" or "chip type".

You can do the same for the sound card by looking at the "name" on the "sound" tab.

If you post those I'll have a look for drivers that should work.

When you say nothing happens, does nothing happen at all?
If you open the game from the start menu -> All programs, what happens? Do you see the first spalsh screen with the game logo on it, or does it not even get that far?

fortune5 · 20-07-2009, 09:26 PM

Thanks for replying. The graphics card name is Mobile Intel(R) 965Express Chipset Family and the sound card is Realtek HD Audio Output. When I said nothing happens I don't mean nothing at all. What happens is that you do see the first screen like normal with the music graphics etc working but when you click on play nothing happens after that no matter whether you try to play it in 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768. It just disappears from the task manager completely after that. Let me know if there's anything else you need to know and what I can try next. Thanks,

Steph x

Rohannnn · 20-07-2009, 09:56 PM

It's a really long time since I've played the original Sims game with no expansion packs, but if I remember correctly, the first thing the game does before anything else is get the copy protection to check the game disc is inserted. That's when you see the first splash screen with "The Sims" written on it, over the top of your desktop.

If it's not even getting that far, it might be a copy protection issue rather than drivers.

Try clearing your temp. files, go to start -> run -> type in %tmp%
Press OK and delete everything from the folder that appears.
If anything won't delete, deselect it and delete everything else.

Also you could try right-clicking the

If you do want to update your graphics drivers, you can get updated ones from this page of the Intel website. It might ask you to go to your computer manufacturer, if that's the case, try the "support" or "downloads" section from your computer manufacturer's website.

30-06-2009, 10:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
fortune5 Rookie Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 5	Help! I love the original sims game and got it for my laptop which is Windows XP. It worked at first but then I had to reset my computer due to a virus and when I reinstalled the game it would no longer reload. It installs fine so there is no problem there but when I click on play nothing happens. I think when I reset my computer, it deleted something required for the picture and sound of the game to run on Windows XP. I was wondering if anyone can tell me what I need to do to fix this? x

30-06-2009, 12:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
ZaekanoYto Forum Guru Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Universe ,Phil Age: 14 Gender: Male Posts: 1,535	Try re-installing it again. __________________ Hey, I'm Zaekano Have a Great Smile a great cool guy of extremes Forum Rules incase you need to read the rules, click my sig

30-06-2009, 03:01 PM	#3 (permalink)
limabifrost Forum Moderator Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Dorset Age: 22 Gender: Female Posts: 4,522	Did you have to completely wipe your computer? If you did then you may have to update the drivers for your sound and graphics card. Otherwise try reinstalling, as ZaekanoYto suggests. __________________ Limabifrost Forum Moderator Feel free to call me Emma Forum Rules

01-07-2009, 11:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
limabifrost Forum Moderator Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Dorset Age: 22 Gender: Female Posts: 4,522	You'd need up-to-date drivers for your sound and graphics, so if you know the model of them you can look them up online and get the driver from the official website. There are ways of finding out your graphics card/sound card if you don't know them, just google for advice. Alternatively, if you still have all the information and installation cds from your computer they should be on disk there, although you'd have to then install the most recent patch for that driver. __________________ Limabifrost Forum Moderator Feel free to call me Emma Forum Rules

01-07-2009, 07:42 PM	#4 (permalink)
fortune5 Rookie Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 5	Yeah i've tried re-installing it plenty of times and it always works fine but its just when I click play nothing happens. I did hav 2 reset the full comp so I agree that I must have deleted something needed to run the sounds and graphics probably some kind of programme does anyone have an idea what that might be? x

03-07-2009, 04:14 PM	#6 (permalink)
fortune5 Rookie Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 5	Thanks I will try that and hopefully it will work x

20-07-2009, 08:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
fortune5 Rookie Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 5	With reference to my original problem, i'm still having no luck getting the sims to work on my laptop like it did before. I've tried downloading some graphics cards missing from my laptop like realtek and intel but this hasn't helped I also got a disc with acrobat reader 4.0 on it when I bought the sims game which you are supposed to install before playing but when I try this it just gets to about 80% then says it can't be completed for some reason. I checked my programs though and acrobat reader 4.0 already appears to be on my comp so therefore that can't be the reason its' not working :S Does anyone have any other suggestions about what might be the problem with the graphics cos i'm out of ideas and this is driving me mad as I know it must just be something small i'm missing because the game worked fine before I had to reset my comp. Any ideas are welcome, let me know. Thanks, Steph x

20-07-2009, 08:53 PM	#8 (permalink)
Rohannnn Forum Junkie Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Surrey UK Posts: 4,019	You only need acrobat reader to view the manuals I think, so that shouldn't be a problem. If you go to start -> run -> type in dxdiag Press OK Click on the "display" tab at the top of the program that appears Your graphics card should be listed next to "name" or "chip type". You can do the same for the sound card by looking at the "name" on the "sound" tab. If you post those I'll have a look for drivers that should work. When you say nothing happens, does nothing happen at all? If you open the game from the start menu -> All programs, what happens? Do you see the first spalsh screen with the game logo on it, or does it not even get that far?

20-07-2009, 09:26 PM	#9 (permalink)
fortune5 Rookie Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 5	Thanks for replying. The graphics card name is Mobile Intel(R) 965Express Chipset Family and the sound card is Realtek HD Audio Output. When I said nothing happens I don't mean nothing at all. What happens is that you do see the first screen like normal with the music graphics etc working but when you click on play nothing happens after that no matter whether you try to play it in 800 x 600 or 1024 x 768. It just disappears from the task manager completely after that. Let me know if there's anything else you need to know and what I can try next. Thanks, Steph x

20-07-2009, 09:56 PM	#10 (permalink)
Rohannnn Forum Junkie Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Surrey UK Posts: 4,019	It's a really long time since I've played the original Sims game with no expansion packs, but if I remember correctly, the first thing the game does before anything else is get the copy protection to check the game disc is inserted. That's when you see the first splash screen with "The Sims" written on it, over the top of your desktop. If it's not even getting that far, it might be a copy protection issue rather than drivers. Try clearing your temp. files, go to start -> run -> type in %tmp% Press OK and delete everything from the folder that appears. If anything won't delete, deselect it and delete everything else. Also you could try right-clicking the If you do want to update your graphics drivers, you can get updated ones from this page of the Intel website. It might ask you to go to your computer manufacturer, if that's the case, try the "support" or "downloads" section from your computer manufacturer's website.