How to make undetected Expansions become detected and Unrecognized Expansions become recognizable!
(Works for The Sims 2, but not sure with The Sims 3. The bottom line here is to know how Regedit works, and can be applied to other games with expansions)
First go to Window> Start> Run
And type Regedit in Run mode.
Afterwards, when the Registry Editor window pop up, go to Local_Machine\Software\EA Games\The sims2\
and look for the section called
EPsInstalled under the EA Games\ The Sims2\ folder
This section, the EPsInstalled is only available in the main Sims2 folder and not available in the expansions folder in Regedit.
EP means Expansions. It will be written there Sims2EP1.exe, Sims2EP2.exe, and so on for the main expansions such as University, Pets,etc
and
Sims2SP1.exe, Sims2SP2.exe and so on for the special packs such as H n M, Kitchen and Bath, IKEA, etc
The number or code beside the Sims words, example Sims2EP1.exe
Is the numbered expansion not according to WHEN you install it, but according to When the game was released.
For example, I have this four expansions installed in my computer:
University is the first expansion. And Nightlife is the second expansion, Business is the third and Pets is the fourth. Even though i installed it not in the right order, for example: I Installed Nightlife first, then University second, Business third and Pets fourth, University is still considered to be the first expansion, because that is the first expansion that was released by EA games. Thus it will be marked as: Sims2EP1.exe
Considering that:
Sims2EP1.exe (University), Sims2EP2.exe(Nightlife), Sims2EP3.exe(Business), Sims2EP4.exe(Pets), (and so on if there is other expansions installed.)
So in my The sims 2 EPsInstalled, there will be:
Sims2EP1.exe, Sims2EP2.exe, Sims2EP3.exe, Sims2EP4.exe, (and so on if there is other expansions installed.)
But in my Nighlife folder in the Regedit, I should check under the Suppression section, not the EPsInstalled section, because there is no such a section in the Expansions folder. Inside the Nightlife folder there will be:
Sims2EP1.exe, Sims2.exe
Why there is no The Sims2EP3.exe (Business) ?
Because up until The Nightlife is installed, there were only two other older software of Sims 2, which are the Sims 2 itself and the first expansion, University.
While in the University folder in Regedit, the Suppression section is only:
Sims2.exe
And in the Business folder in Regedit, the Suppression section is :
Sims2EP2.exe, Sims2EP1.exe, Sims2.exe
While in the Pet folder in Regedit, the Suppresion section is:
Sims2EP3.exe ,Sims2EP2.exe, Sims2EP1.exe, Sims2.exe
The Suppression section wrote other older expansion softwares of the sims that you have installed in your computer. And if you found that your Sims does not recognize one of your expansion, you should check the suppression section and make sure that they had it written there.
If it is not written there, then you should typed it by yourself manually.
And it should be typed in order. For example: ,
etc, Sims2EP2.exe, Sims2EP1.exe, Sims2.exe
The oldest should be on the most right and the latest or newest one should be on the most left.
BUT, the order in the EPsInstalled section in the MAIN SIMS 2 folder, is the opposite from the order in the Supression section in the Expansion folder.
There, the oldest one is on the most left while the newest one is on the most right.
Example:
Sims2EP1.exe, Sims2EP2.exe, Sims2EP3.exe, Sims2EP4.exe, etc
If you are not sure which Sims Expansion is which EP.exe, you can go to their original folder where you install the game and search for their executable file (.exe) where it runs the game there.
And while typing in things in the Regedit, it is not a joke. You should not mess more with it unless you know about it, nor TYPE the WRONG VALUE. Make sure you always typed itCORRECTLY. Or else, it WILL NOT RUN!
So you have to recheck, double check and triple check before closing it, make sure you did not even mispelled the word.
HAVE FUN!!!
MAE