Phone-related jump bug & strange unidentified hack.

[baratron]

I've been having a very annoying phone-related jump bug. Specifically, that certain sims would reset when I moused over the phone. One of them was almost completely unable to use the phone, while the others "jump" only occasionally. None of my sims have cellphones. The error message is:
An error occurred in object "N002_User145 - Max" #235, Error: Undefined Transition

I have Sims 2 + 2nd patch + Uni + NL + NL patch - just installed today. I also have a very large number of almost identical error logs.

Anyway, I was going to start typing in my complete list of hacks, but I found something weird sitting in my Temp Hacks directory, called f6082090e327a7f5eb5a3d0ae3fceca2_0002.package. No idea what that is or where it came from, except that if it's installed in Temp Hacks rather than just loose in Downloads, it must be something I have deliberately put in. Opening it in SimPE caused claims that it is a Phone Line Controller. The date on it is 01/08/2005. I yanked it out to see whether things improved, and apparently they have. At least, Max was able to use the phone just now without jumping.

But what is this hack? I only download hacks from Pescado, TwoJeffs, Crammyboy & Simlogical - and they all name their hacks appropriately. I've installed the grand total of 3 houses in my life (well, in Sims 2's life), always cleaning them out thoroughly with the Clean Installer. Plus there is the oddity that it was sitting in _Temp_ Hacks, a folder I have specifically created. I'm very confused. Pleased, that it is apparently sorted, but confused.

Can anyone shed some light?

[Motoki]

It's likely an old version of Pescado's phone hack that snuck in through some house you downloaded. I'd say delete it. It's obviously something that came in by way of the Maxis installer program, which in their infinite wisdom sees fit to scramble up the original file's name 

And if you have the real phone hack from Pescado, it will cause conflicts.

Nuke it.

[baratron]

Well, if it is, that would explain why, even though I'd removed the Phone Hack,
- my sims were still able to chat on the phone until their short-term relationship was at 100
- sims would briefly teleport in at the end of a call
- I still got to choose who would go in the taxi
- I still had the "Set Ringer" option on some people's phones! (In fact, every jump bug error log I've looked at starts by mentioning this).
Gah.

And it could also be the answer to Brynne's question about "Embedded" Phone Hack.

I guess what happened is that one of the downloaded houses contained the Phone Hack, and I must've not bothered to uncheck the box, figuring I already had it so it wouldn't do any harm? Except that still doesn't explain how it got into Temp Hacks.

It shall remain forever a mystery...