I used to wait about 30 minutes in my old P IV 2.40 with 1 RAM ....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZhE84yvTamA

They seem to function as a standard burglar alarm.

Little but Avast! seems to be better that AVG.

The one listed is a dual core and so a non-issue.

Sony BMG is a major record label, one of the "Big Four" ... in the DRM case they are as guilty as EA since they used 3rd party software.

Of course we are talking about music CDs in that case, as someone said in Wikipedia talk page about that case

"The underlying problem is that CD standards were created before people had computers or the internet and do not cater for copy protection, and existing stand-alone players are not capable of being modified to facilitate changed CD standards. Consequently, all attempts to prevent copying CD's on pc's have to involve either (a) contriving a CD which will play on a standalone player, but is malformed in such a way as a pc cannot play it, or (b) making a CD with software on it as well as the music contect, where the software interferes with the use of the computer.

The problem with (a) is that increasingly, computer type cd drives are being used in stand-alone players and you end up with CD's that won't play in some players (eg some car CD players), and with (b) is that interfering with how the user has proper access to their computer also interferes with computer security."

SecuROM is a different matter ...

First its not a Rootkit, its gives a false positive because it adds null byte registry entry that raises the suspicious flag but its not one (at least nobody is saying that it is (besides idiots).

But that is not real issue with SecuROM, the issue is how EA decided to use some optional checks ... like the every 10 day online validation and the only 3 activations that were in Mass Effect (Bioshock also had the 3 activations but it seems Take2 at least knows what the hell they are doing).

The only similarity is they run as a program but SecuROM runs as ring 3 (least privilaged) as XCP runs as ring 0 (Kernel, meaning the most privileged).

Look I am FINE with roasting their asses but at least I am to be sure of why I am roasting their asses ... I know some people reported awful things with SecuROM as destroying their computers and all that but I am by nature suspicious, especially when there is a convenient target and that is what SecuROM became with BioShock.

I am not part of Sony fanclub, I am PAL and so I have been screwed over by Sony too many times to have any love for then but in this case, I am assured the blame lies with EA (after all, they were the ones that created the stupidity that Pescado found).

That is because THEY ARE NOT THE SAME DUMBASS.

Sony BMG used Extended Copy Protection, that is from First 4 Internet/Fortium Technologies Ltd and MediaMax CD-3 that is from SunnComm International Inc as SecuROM is a Sony product.

And I am not even going to the FUNCTIONS of each..

In short, patch 3 says what exactly patch 2 DID to "resolved an issue where some players started their game through the launcher or clicked on the game executable, but never saw the game splash screen on monitor" plus a command line for black fonts and EA paysite support.

Securom is in the main .exe, they are never relevant to how large a patch is because the .exe is always updated even if just to show its a new "version".

1) Well it does fix the dancing contest bug, I think it is worth it since the only bitching about it was about SecuROM.
2) I think the only hacks that became redundant were the ones that enabled BV and Seasons functions to the new expansions objects.

Because Europeans had adopted DVD players in the PCs as standard as the USA was still using CDs, I guess that is because Europe is still PC land as the USA dropped PC in exchange for Consoles.

Its not "pawning" but knowing if they made expansions "DVD only" it would upset a part of their user base, its a question of average system specs.

That is why no company puts a game that requires a quad core 3.00 Hrz  with 4 Gb of RAM ... when they do something like that (say "Crysis") it usually hurts sales ... and then they blame piracy for it ...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105690/

(Sorry about the necro)

Subfolders work fine, I got everything except Teen pack.

You might forget the game disables custom content that is not Bodyshop or Homecrafter when you install a new EP/Pack default and you have to enable it, quit the game and restart in order for it to show up again.

I just returned to the community, I was watching anime and reading manga until now.

No because each expansion is independent and only based on the basic game, that is why the base game MUST be patched for most expansions.

The "packs" are also independent but since they are patching expansions means they are "build" on those expansions and so they have to be patched to avoid conflicts.

No, they do not.

You have to patch EACH expansion, it not done automatic and I can say because I reinstalled the game and applied the patches after they been installed and if they were already patched the patches would NOT proceeded  and it was.

Now go apply the patches.

Well the TS2 Exchange is not much diferent from TS1 Exchange ... I think it was done that way on purpose because it would force people who want credit to upload it there first.

Problem is its flawed since package a Sim does not include the mesh unless the mesh is in the same .package file as the texture ... perhaps Maxis expected mesh creators to add the mesh in the texture .package but when people found out the flaw they made the mesh a seperate .package file.

Credit always been a issue, I seen people quit because someone picked up their textures, alter then and claim they created then back in TS1 days but the "theft" seens to come from pay sites that, naturaly, dont want their *exclusive* downloads to be avaible for free ... unfortunaly "theft" nows covers pretty much everything, it reminds me of when kids learn a new word like "gay" and use it for everything without understanding the actually meaning of the word, only that is offensive.

Yes, its copy protection but they seen to updated it on some point because I am using Alcohol 120% and it load the game just fine.

Let me put this way.

I know my alphas are being used on other people work, I know my textures are being used.

Now imagine someone decides to use my white leopard bikini alpha for their own bikini (and parts have been used, I recognize then) but instead of downloading the from inSim were I posted they use then from another site ... now they did not create the alpha so they cannot give permision so they will point to either me or someone that also use it.

Snowball effect that makes people either give up or end up anoying so much that permision is not given so we dont have to deal with it.

Who suffers?

Anyone that downloads, the people that really care are from paysites that make money out of the game and those people are organized and vocal enough that NOBODY is going to use their stuff as base.

"Theft" sould be dealt on a case-by-case basis ... nobody can claim my alphas and textures that ARE FREE TO BE USED as theirs but I do expect some idiocy when someone will claim X stolen from Y when what was stolen was actually from W that allowed free use ... we have a lot of people that cry wolf and rent-a-cop in this community ... I speak from experience.

This just makes the process of uploading in MTS2 more of a pain in the ass and I am going to suffer from pain in the ass uploading there is TSR were at least I get free days, I upload in inSim because its just making a new tread and I am set.

 

You know, I cannot wait until someone bitches about someone stealing their lot ...

I am going to tell you were that "Sim Stealing" idiocy started ... The Sims 2 Community forums (AKA MTS2 forums), in fact if you read those forums and check TSR forums you be suprised on how similar they are.

I always been pefectly fine with using the textures and alphas from my uploads ... most is Maxis textures anyway.

I just noticed MTS2 "zero tolerance" policy, this ends up being kinda of rant against then but MTS2 seens to been taken over by TSR, perhaps not in terms of ownership and staff but in terms of behavior ... perhaps saying this will not make popular but what the hell.

I am not going to pretend I do not get some ego boost when someone picks up something I did and uses it in any form but as I dont like jumping hoops I sould not subject that to others ... having people asking "can I please use your <insert name here> alpha?" is just a waste of time, both to me (since I have to reply yes) and to that person that have to wait until I decide to check my PM box or read atread.

I could also point out the hypocracy of double standarts that exist in the Sims Community were its seens to be prefectable alright to rip other games resources but not from other "modders" ...

As for the Exchange ... well I do grant one point, there are simply too many people there uploading without refering to the mesh required and I would rather the meshes were packaged along with the textures if they were seperated packaga files, right now the Exchange is a mess ... unorganized, uneffective and not user friendly at all, just like their BBS.