Thanks jsalemi, I just tried the 6.8 and it seems a bit glitchy. The game is a little choppy and a few graphic oddities. I would like to try the 6.5 version but I can't find the download link. Every link to the 6.5 just leads me to the 6.8 (newest release) Could someone post a direct link for me. Please and thank you.

Thanks for all the ehelp. I uninstalled everything except the ATI Display Driver and all seems to be working fine. My factory driver version is 6.14 and it is working very nicely. Appreciate all the help. Tracy

Just installed a new 256 mb ATI Radeon 700x Pro video card. Of course the the factory (recommended) install of the driver also included a miriad of other stuff. Could someone help understand what I am able to safely remove and still have the video card run games. Below is a list of the installed things, I know I need the display driver, is anything else really necessary? All I want to do is play the game.Thanks

ATI Catalyst Control Center
ATI Control Panel
ATI Decoder
ATI Display Driver
ATI Hydravision
ATI Multimedia Center
ATI Problem report Wizard
ATI Remote Wonder 2.5

Thank you so much Sleepycat. Much appreciated!

Does anyone still have the 'Lot Crowbar' that JM made? I have patched my game but now have a stuck business owner on his business lot. I will post an email addey for the person who can send it to me. Thanks

Well, I bit the bullet. Scarey stuff this Ebay buying! Got myself a new,sealed in the box, Alienware Area51 m7700 for $1200US. 7 day return policy if its not to my liking. Specs are as follows:

Pentium 4 with Hyperthreading  3.4 ghz
100gb Hard Drive Windows XP Home SP2
2048 MB DDR RAM
256mb ATI Mobility Radeon 900x(?) I think
CD-RW DVD Combo Drive
2-9 Cell Lithium Batteries with charger
AC adapter
Floppy Drive
Built In Video Camera
Card Reader
Wireless Network Card
4 USB ports
Carrying Case

Not sure what else. Seems pretty loaded. Should run Sims2 pretty successfully.
So? Is this a decent deal if its really what I get? Freaking Scarey to have to trust a total stranger. His selling and buying history was very good. Very positive comments from others.We are working with an Ebay agent and the agent said he would hold back all payment until I receive the product and am satisfied.

I have never shopped Ebay and it makes me really nervous but I found a laptop that looks like a great deal. Its apparently brand new in the box at a really low price. How risky is this type of thing. I only have 12 hours to put a bid in and am nervous as hell. Any input? Good or bad?

I found a couple of cheap laptops (ones I can possibly afford). I would like to have opinions on them. I plan to run Sims2 on them so that is to be considered. Thanks

#1 Acer Laptop with extended battery life                   #2 Acer Dual Core
     AMD Turion 64 ML-32                                                Intel Centrino Duo T2300
     100 GB (4200)Hard Drive                                           100 GB (5400)Hard Drive
     1024 MB DDR RAM                                                    1024 MB DDR RAM   
     Dual Layer DVD Burner                                               Dual Layer DVD Burner
     128 MB (shared) Mirage 2 Graphics                              224 MB (shared) Intel GMA 950
     Wireless Networking                                                  Wireless Networking
     15.4" Widescreen                                                     15.4" Widescreen
     Price $999 canadian                                         Price $1199 Canadian
   
     
   

I called the adoption service and they arrived as usual the following morning at 10 am. The dialogue came up and asked what I'd like to adopt and I chose a baby. The adoption van the immediately drove away. We did not recieve our baby. Any ideas why this could be? Thanks on advance. Tracy

I am in the process of looking at a laptop for purchase in the next month or so. I, of course, plan to run Sims2 and all EPs on it. I notice that most laptops have some form of integrated graphics, often a 128mb ATI radeon Express or Intel GMA 950. What kind of performance can I expect with these types of graphics cards?  If any of you was going to purchase a laptop with the intention of running Sims2 on it, what would you look for in the way of specs? Thanks for the help.

I haven't patched yet (patches make me nervous) so I still have the crowbar, just let me know where to send it. Theres no rtfm with it though. I believe the object description in the game tells you how to use it. Just place and click really.

Thats sounds really hopeful RabidAngel. If you don't mind, could tell me what Nvidia card you have and what your system specs are? If you do get anymore problems please let us know. I'll wait and watch for a bit just to be sure. Hope you have found it.

Has anybody ever seen a Maxoid respond to the Nvidia issues in any way? What do they have to say?" MAXIS!!??,  Please at least let us know that you are doing something about this issue." Its obviously quite widespread.

Pinhead, what does turning off vsync do? and how do I turn it off? Thanks

Yetyak, What are your system specs and do you have vsync on or off? Thanks

What a pain in the patooty! My next video card will NOT be an Nvidia if I want to continue to play Sims 2! Could someone tell me what the latest most stable (rolls around laughing at the word stable) driver is for use with a 128MB Nvidia FX5200 card. I absolutely fear doing a driver update without getting some feedback first. Thanks so much. Tracy
My system specs are as follows:

P4 2.2ghz
80GB hard drive (50 gb free)
Nvidia FX5200 128mb Driver version 78.01
1024 mb RAM

Sad to see you go too, Inge. Hope you still frequent the forums of some of the Sims sites so at least we can 'see you around' once in awhile. Thanks for all the modding you have contributed (both Sims 1 and Sims 2). You will certtainly be missed. Hope to see you in a forum somewhere soon! Tracy

Do I sense some tension in paradise??   

The easy computer does the job nicely. Thanks to Karen for the lead. Just what I was looking for.

Is it at all possible to get have the game to give more options in the employee hiring pool? I only ever get the option to hire (I think its) 5 sims and often they are not the ones that I was hoping to hire. It would be nice if the game gave the option to hire from all of the sims in the neighborhood from teenagers to elders. Is there any hack along this line? I have seen the 'hire dormies' hack already so no need to mention that one. Thanks

Being a little nervous about installing the Maxis OFB patch, I thought I'd seek some opinions from those of you who have dared to install it. How's it going? Does it address the bugs effectively? Any new glitches with the patch? Sorry if I sound a bit anal about the patch, but I've been around the Sims games long enough to know better. Thanks

Great thanks! Love the hair on the model, where is that from?

I had exactly the same thing happen on my system the other day. The pools of water on lots and the yellow lokking terrain from the NH view. I have an Nvidia FX 5200 video card that has been a bit buggy ever since nightlife so I just passed it off as that.

Thanks so much for the replies. I tried resurrecting her with the career reward thingy but it says that my sim (her late husband) 'knows no dead sims'. Does this mean her character file is gone? Did the game possibly 'auto kill' her?

Hope someone can help me here. I just had a visiting sim die on my lot when she was 'joy buzzered'. No urn or tombstone appeared when she died. I saved the game on that lot, and entered the lot on which the apparently now deceased sim called home. She was on her home lot as a ghost and then a notice came up saying that this sim had 'died on another lot and her spirit would return there' (something like that). She then disappeared from the user interface and her family tree says 'deceased'. I then saved that lot and returned to the lot on which she had actually died, but I cannot find her urn or tombstone anywhere. Does she get one? I was hoping to resurrect her but without an urn is that possible? Please let me know if I can do anything to get her back or find her tombstone or urn. Thanks

Where is Dizzy2? Anybody know anything?