More Awesome Than You!

My game became so buggy that starting over seemed the least aggrevating path.  I used the Sims 3 uninstall command, then manually deleted the game's files from where I installed them.  I then looked for artifacts from the installation.  Despite my marginal technical skills, it was pretty hard to miss this thing: a 1.79 GB (60.5 MB used) "removeable disk" described under My Computer as Drive I, "Sims3CE."  I have no physical drive I. 

I searched MATY for "Sims3CE" and for mention of a Sims 3 virtual drive, and didn't see anything referencing this. Is it something that a new installation would just overwrite, or, is this something that needs to be deleted to ensure that I eliminate all bugs?  If it does need to be deleted, could anyone please tell me how to do so without needing to repartition my drive and reinstall Windows XP (the only solution offered by Alienware tech support)?

This seems like a Hell of a thing for the game to leave behind on my computer after a full uninstall.

I didn't steal anything.  I bought this... in fact, I was gouged twice so my daughter and I could both play it at the same time.  Where in Hell did you get the idea that I stole this?

I have a Collector's Edition, complete with disk, manual, and EA-supplied registration number, that I ordered direct from Amazon.  This was pre-ordered, and is likely among the oldest versions of the game.  The cracked versions were probably derived from this; but, it would astonish me if this were derived from a cracked version, since it makes no sense for EA to be shipping that to Amazon.  Amazon does not traffic in counterfeits, the disk is covered with EA art, and was accompanied by both a valid registration code, as well as a valid code to obtain the bonus car that comes with the Collector's Edition.

P.S.  If this matters, I originally ordered only one copy of the game for my daughter (I would not have splurged on the Collector's Edition were I buying it for myself).  Once we had the game, I bought a second copy for myself about a week later once I tried it out and liked it more than Sims 2; I bought a second Collector's Edition in case there might be some compatibility problems, as we share the disks.  This was probably unnecessary; but, I would rather be safe than sorry.  I never buy any bootleg copy of anything.  The quality is usually bad, I don't want to reward thieves, and I want to support the people who labored to create the thing I intend to enjoy.

Maybe your daughter tried to download a cracked version while she waited to get the legal copy, then. If you don't have the .nfo anymore, you can probably Google for how to remove it.

No, my daughter is even less technically aware than I am regarding computers, and would have even less of an idea how to obtain a bootleg copy than I would.  At any rate, this is unofficially "my" computer.  The only person to install anything on this computer is me.  She always plays on the laptop in the other room, so, even if she had tried to download an illegitimate copy, it would be on "her" laptop, not this computer.

There can be no doubt that something called "Sims3CE" originated either from my game disk, or was somehow introduced in a patch or some other contribution from EA.  I always have my antivirus/anti-spyware software running, and do periodic scans.  If what everyone is telling me is true, then, I will be fascinated to hear EA explain the presence of this code.  Anything you can add as background on this topic would be useful for when I call them, since I typically get a tech who barely knows The Sims, never plays it, and can usually only suggest reinstalling the game as a solution to any problem (which is why I came here for answers).  What you folks are telling me suggests that my problem is far stranger than I could possibly have imagined.

Yes, what she is describing is the flash drive that comes packaged with the Collector's Edition. It is titled Sims3CE. Now reread this sentence:


No, you do not have a physical drive because it's a removable flash drive you dolt. The drive contains 2GB of free space, the 60.5 MB already on there is extra content and whatnot.

As for how to delete this... well you could try un-fucking-plugging it.

/me points and laughs.

Of course, I do have the plumbbob thumb drive (two, in fact); but, I have never so much as connected one of them to a computer.  I do have external storage devices, but, the ones I actually use are at least four times as large as the novelty thumb drive that came with the game.  In any event, this would not have been a mystery if I had anything connected to the computer that would explain the presence of the mystery drive.

Edit: To be more accurate, my daughter has one of the plumbbob drives, and I cannot vouch for whether or not she has ever used it on this computer; the last time I'd asked her, she was not using it, and she's at school, now, so I can't ask her if she ever used it.  If, in theory, she could have started using it and, although it is not on the computer, the computer could still be detecting it somehow, that would make more sense to me than this being some bootleg issue.

At my campus, every student gets a special "I" drive that connects to the downtown server. It supplies us with about one pointless gigabyte of storage space.

I suppose that's not the case with you. Have you tried plugging in the flash drive and using the "eject item" button on the taskbar? That sometimes does the trick.

When my daughter gets home, I'll ask her if she used a thumb drive in the computer and, if she did, put it in and use the "safely remove" button on the taskbar.  It does seem very possible that she might have used this computer to print something off, and pulled out a thumb drive without bothering to do that.  I'm very glad that I didn't go with the tech support guy's suggestion of reinstalling Windows.  Thanks for the idea.

P.S.  When my daughter came home, she confirmed that she had printed something off just before going to school, and I put the drive in, "safely" removed it, and it was gone.  Thanks, again.

Sims3CE is the removal plumbbob drive that comes with the Idiot Edition. It is clear and apparent that you have it, because you are an idiot.

Cheese and crackers,did you call ACME tech support?

I find this hilarious that the OP posted this here as they had posted the same exact thing on the Sims 3 forum to which I replied precisely the same as folks here - but apparently the poster was not satisfied with my reply to repost the entire scenario here. I too first said they had an illegal copy; and likewise got the same explanation, replying for them to examine their pc for the plumb bob flash drive - to check every port. Glad to see you guys came to the same conclusions I did.  It's just a shame the poster didn't take the first response and act on it instead of wasting a day and getting told the same exact thing.

So I feel justified - with all you awesome peoples permission - to laugh loud and hard at said poster - followed by a loud "I already told you this yesterday". Thank you.