# Sims 2 will not start



## shadow1515

Whenever I try to run The Sims 2 lately, it does not open.

I had been playing it, then turned it off. A bit later I tried to start it again, but nothing happened. No error message, I just heard the DVD drive spin and it acted like it was loading, but nothing happened. I have all the latest drivers, I tried restarting my PC, I have no custom content. Within the same session of PC use (and I did literally nothing on my computer in the intervening time) it just suddenly quit working.

The only obvious fix I haven't tried is reinstalling, which I think probably will fix the problem. I just want to know if there are any other possible solutions or causes for my problem before I uninstall and reinstall 7 expansion packs, because I'd rather not spend hours doing that unless I really have to.

Browsing around, I've seen some similar complaints with different games. The suggested solution was to roll back the video drivers. I doubted that this would work, since I didn't install new drivers between when the game worked and when it didn't. I tried it anyway, and it didn't fix the problem, so there goes another possible fix.


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## koala

I take it the game needs the DVD to be inserted while playing, so have you tried the disc on another computer, or tried cleaning it?

Can the drive read any other discs?

Can you see the contents of the Sims2 DVD in Windows Explorer?

Any yellow or red flags in Device Manager?


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## shadow1515

The disc works exactly as it should on my other Vista computer, and runs the game just fine.

The computer that is having trouble reads the files on the disc (and all others) perfectly fine. Also, Device Manager gives me the all clear. Other games work fine as well (though the only other games I've been running are C&C The First Decade and Sim City 4).

The comparison with the other computer doesn't tell that much though. The computer with problems has a GeForce 8400M GS and an Intel Core 2 Duo, whereas the other one that works fine has a Radeon x1600 and an AMD Athlon X2. If the problem was with the CPU or video card drivers, this wouldn't reveal much information about it.


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## ryvre1969

i have the same problem so if anyone else can help that would be amazing

this has happened 3 times over the past couple years. im starting to point my finger at maxis. for such an awesome game you'd think that it would be awesome - decent quality. certainly doesn't seem this way...


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## williamslt

I have the same problem... have 512 mg on video, 4 gig of ram, worked perfectly then it will show the launcher for freetime expansion pack. when i hit play it will spin and quit and the game never boots. what could this be... i even reinstalled..it played but went right back to doing it again.


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## Kian15

I too have this exact same problem. I was playing, backed out of the game and then came back a few hours later and could not get the game to start up. The disk will spin, the hourglass will turn over, the Sims2 will come up in Processes...and then just disappear after about 15 seconds. No error message, no freezing, a whole lot of nothing. I've updated drivers, tried running the game without CC, done scans and disk checks for errors, all with no results.

I have never had any trouble previously running the game, have adequate memory, video and sound cards and am entirely baffled. This is the only place on the web I've found similar complaints and I'm hoping somebody can dig up something to answer this problem.


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## lkoetter

Have any of you checked for game patches?


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## Kian15

lkoetter said:


> Have any of you checked for game patches?


Yes, I at least have all patches released by EA for my 7 EPs and I have checked their Sims 2 site repeatedly in the past several weeks for any additional patches or tech advice covering this problem.


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## jeromycraig

I have the same problem. It works fine for a long time and then suddenly stops booting. So far, the only solution I've found is to uninstall and reinstall, which is a big pain. To preserve your user content, you have to back up your Sims 2 Doc file and replace it after reinstalling.

I found this on Mod the Sims 2 and it worked for me:

It's possible it's not booting because your user CACHE files have become corrupted. These are found in your Documents folder under EA Games/Sims 2. In most cases there will be two of them, accessory.cache and groups.cache. These files can become corrupted from regular gameplay and prevent your game from booting.

You can safely delete both files, and the game should boot normally. It will generate new .cache files upon booting successfully.


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## Deleted082808

I have a similar problem. I start to play the Sims and then when it is loading something, like Pleasentview or Strangetown, it will just freeze. Music will play, but it will not load. Come on , maxis, HELP


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## DJPwnage

Umm i still have this problem


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## SumDumGuy

Hey if anyone is still having this issue, try adding an exception for your game to the firewall you use. that is what worked for me...

If you use Windows Firewall:

1) Go to your control panel
2) Open Windows firewall
3) Click the Exceptions tab
4) Click add program
5) Select your game
6) Try to run the program normally

Hope this helps ya!


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## jamieemorgann

*Re: Possible Solution*



jeromycraig said:


> I found this on Mod the Sims 2 and it worked for me:
> 
> It's possible it's not booting because your user CACHE files have become corrupted. These are found in your Documents folder under EA Games/Sims 2. In most cases there will be two of them, accessory.cache and groups.cache. These files can become corrupted from regular gameplay and prevent your game from booting.
> 
> You can safely delete both files, and the game should boot normally. It will generate new .cache files upon booting successfully.


YOU WERE RIGHT! THANKS SOOO MUCH. 
I could hug you right now, lol.


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## Jemcrystal

If not your cache in Sims 2 try your Indexer in Windows.

Control Panel > Indexing Options > Pause (try to load game again if it loads this time its your indexer)

You can modify indexing by unchecking the boxes under Modify or you can just wait a day or two for it to complete it's indexing.

Some Indexing does not have a pause. I have it but a lot of PC's don't.

Also, Launcher will not execute if you have recently used Clean Installer. Wait at least a minute after closing Clean Installer or SimPE or the like.


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## PoWn3d_0704

It sounds like between the firewall exception and the Cache files, the majority of you should be able to get it working. Has anyone tried everything above to no avail?


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## samantha_ozkara

I have tried all of the above and it still dont work  I get a square that says The Sims 2 then my screen flashes and then a message appears saying 'The sims 2 have stopped working .. check online and close program or close program' I have clicked check online but nothing happens.

I downloaded the sims 2 (naughty I know) I got windows 7 home basic. change the compatibility to windows vista and running as admin. I have downloaded the latest patches and still nothing please help me!!!


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## koala

The 'check online' option should solve the problem, but as you're running a pirate copy you're probably being blocked at their end.

The Sims 2 is available to buy online for £3 in the UK, so it should be the same kind of low price in your country.


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## xklahamayshun

i downloaded the sims 2 for pc from utorrent with a patch and it worked fine for about a week and now when i try to play the game it tells me to insert the correct cd rom and i do not have a sims 2 disk. WHAT DO I DO PLEASE HELP!!!!


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## koala

xklahamayshun said:


> i downloaded the sims 2 for pc from utorrent with a patch and it worked fine for about a week and now when i try to play the game it tells me to insert the correct cd rom and i do not have a sims 2 disk. WHAT DO I DO PLEASE HELP!!!!


You need to buy The Sims 2 on disk and install it from there.

We don't offer any support for pirate copies of games.


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